Redbone Coonhounds.....

I have never heard of a hound doing any agility. If you were interested in a hound, i would say that are a very good choice. i used to have a redbone myself, sheila. They are very gentle and great companions, they are very determind as well. A word of caution, these dogs were strictly bred for hunting purposes back in the day, so small animals and poultry beware!

I do agility with my hounds.  Of course they're sighthounds, different but similiar.  I know several hounds in my area that do agility including: Afghans, Black and Tan coonhound, Italian Greys, beagles and bassets.  (Someone has a shirt that says "Basset agility is NOT an oxymoron.")
 
I think the real trick is to convince the dog that he wants to do agility/rally/OB.  And know it CAN be done.  Besides if he really hates it, there's always tracking.  []    If you have any other questions, I'm happy to try to help.
 

ORIGINAL: agilebasenji

I do agility with my hounds.  Of course they're sighthounds, different but similiar.  I know several hounds in my area that do agility including: Afghans, Black and Tan coonhound, Italian Greys, beagles and bassets.  (Someone has a shirt that says "Basset agility is NOT an oxymoron.")

I think the real trick is to convince the dog that he wants to do agility/rally/OB.  And know it CAN be done.  Besides if he really hates it, there's always tracking.  []    If you have any other questions, I'm happy to try to help.

wow, that's really interesting, i'm glad about that! what can i say, i live in the boonies so i never hear all of these thing i guess, whoops!

wow, that's really interesting, i'm glad about that! what can i say, i live in the boonies so i never hear all of these thing i guess, whoops!

 
Well, I spend a lot of time hanging out at agility trials.  Have been for quite a while too.

Friends of mine have two coonhounds and a pit bull and all go to obedience school with one of the goals being CGC.
 

Hounds can be a bit stubborn and they can all of a sudden decide that they don't feel like training right now.  Keep them happy and keep the lessons short without too much repetition.  Hounds are smart, most of them are anyways.  They are also highly energetic with the focus being on endurance.
 
I don't know that much about the Red-bones in specific, I'm sure that someone else that knows more about them will be along shortly.

three things,
 
Containment...could you keep one in a house or yard, and are you willing to do what needs to be done to ensure they do not roam? They can hurdle high fences and dig with EXTREME ease and vigor given the right scent. They will go thru water, barbed wire, fences, etc to get to that scent....
 
Exercise...observe a coonhunt if possible. The dogs used have LIMITLESS energy that must be channeled. Sure they are often kept chained during the day but they work HARD and fast for hours when it's time to work. They will run until they drop dead...and I am serious on that, that is an ADMIRABLE trait to those that own them [].
 
Noise....can you handle the BAYING these dogs are hard wired to do? Can your neighbors? If you work....are you willing to take steps to ensure this doesn't become and issue while you are gone?
 
Apart from that...can you handle a breed that has NOT been bred in any way shape or form to be a "pet" for years and years? They are NOT out to please you but to please themselves...what pleases them is running hard AWAY from you following a scent, baying as loudly as they can, while you follow. Most coonhounds are worked with e collars...the drive is strong and calling them off often needs some help to break thru their drive.
 
In short....these dogs are bred to work...and the work they do has very little to do with working with a handler or obeying commands...and more to do with primordial instict and there is "no quit" in them. Thems my .02 cents!

Thank you!  Those are definately things to think about.  This is not a decision that would be made right away, we have to have a house first (one that will be getting an 8 foot privacy fence for Sally anyway).

I originally REALLY wanted a Rhodesian Ridgeback.  I had done lots of Ridgie research and am in love with the breed.  We had met and talked to breeders even.  The one thing that really gave me pause with the Ridgies was their suspisiosness with strangers.  On it's own it wouldn't be a big deal to me, but Sally can be shy with new people.  We are working through it, and she has greatly improved, and I know that she will likely never be a dog that bounds up to every stranger she sees with wreckless abandon, but I'm concerned that having a "guardy" or extremely aloof dog as a second dog will do her more harm than good.
 
I actually think that it was Ridgies that really attracted me to hounds.  Their intelligence is quite underestimated.  When of then best examples of this was in one of my Ridge books.  The author was discussing how Ridgebacks respond to temperment tests--in particular, the one where they are encouraged to mite the sleeve.  Theauthor said that one response that Ridgies often had, was rather than bite the sleeve right off, like say a rottie would, they would back off the person, circle them to assess the situation, and then sometimes even give a small warning bite on an unpadded part of the body.  But I digress......

I don't mind having a dog with energy, although I do not think I could give say, a border collie, the stimulation it needs.  I am currently getting in better shape and really enjoy things like hiking, etc.  Also, whatever dog I get I intend on competing with in some way--which is also why I'm kind of leaning towards a purebred dog.  Agility and obedience interest me greatly, but I was also considering lure coursing when we were thinking about a Ridgie.
 
Sooo, other breed suggestions are appreciated as well.  I am very open to exploring options.

I'd say, if you really want a RR, get a RR.  The RR's I've met (conformation and agility dogs mostly) are aloof, but not afraid of strangers.  My basenjis come from a breeder who has "friendlier" basenjis.  They are not golden retriever friendly, but will go up to anyone I ask them to and will go up to someone of their own accord after a minute to assess the situation.  The b&t coonhound I know (who does agility) is just as aloof as the other hounds.  Beagles, bassets seem to be the friendliest hounds based on my experience.  Whippets, IMHO, seem to be more outgoing and easier to trian than the other sighthounds.  As RR breeders "Who breeds the friendliest most outgoing dogs around?"  I think you may get what you want that way.  Also, try some conformation classes when you get your new RR.  The conf class I went to had lots of emphasis on making the dog steady with strangers. 
 
LC is a BLAST!!!! So sayeth the badsenjis.[]

The one thing that really gave me pause with the Ridgies was their suspisiosness with strangers.

 
I have an RR and I don't think he's suspicious of strangers at all. None of the RRs I have met have been suspicious.  As agilebasenji said, they may seem aloof (compared to labs or retrievers, let's say) but for the most part they are great around strangers.  My guy will try to run up to people and say hello, but once he's sniffed them then he just goes about his business. He doesn't jump on people trying to get attention, and he doesn't just sit there waiting to be pet. But he likes to play and is always great w/ new people that come to our house.  I've actually had people who aren't that into dogs or be wary of dogs say how great he is b/c he is friendly but doesn't bug people like some overly-friendly dogs.
 
Anyway, that was off-topic b/c you asked about RB coonhounds, which I don't have any experience with. But I do want to echo the strong prey drive (whether sight or smell which my guy seems to have both) in hounds and their determination to catch whatever it is they smell or see.  I am still learning about hounds in general, but they definitely take some getting used to if you are used to more "obedient", here-to-please-you dogs! 
 
Good luck w/ your search

Oh yea, I'm going to try some trial lure coursing with C in a few weeks and see how he does and if he seems to like it.  He's got an extremely strong prey drive but an extremely strong drive to play with other dogs and chase them around and around - so we'll see which one wins out
 
I'll let you know how it goes if you are interested.

Sally,

If you are interested in the Ridgies, I'd second the poster that said get one.  Meet the parents before you put a deposit down, there are outgoing Ridgies and aloof ones.  To me they are a fascinating breed, full of energy and vitality.  And when they age they do so with grace.  They are such a noble breed.  I think that with your good dog parenting skills, alot of socialization from the very start and a warm, happy home, any ridgeback will learn to be accepting, though maybe not trusting, of strangers. 

And a quick story about aloof dogs: The PH is supposed to be very aloof with strangers, but the first time I met Glitter , one of the top PHs in the country, she crawled into my lap, and then into my friends lap.  We had met her about 30 minutes prior to going ringside.  And this was prior to me getting my hound.  Every dog is different, but if you get yours and socialize him/her from day one, you'll end up with a RR that other RR owners look at and say "seeing your dog tells me that there's still hope for mine."

Hmmm...definately a different way than I was looking at things....
 
The pup would have the pants socialized off him, no matter what the breed.  I have seen what a lack of socalization can do to a dog, and it just isn't fair to them.
 
I talked to quite a few Ridgie people at the IKC show in Chicago this past Feb.  Out of all the dog people we talked to, the Ridgie people seemed the nicest and most willing to answer questions about the breed (of course I could be biast), even though I came an visited the Ridgies so much that I think my must have thought me a bit strange.
 
My FAVORITE dog there was a big male named Angel.  He was actually very interested in coming and saying Hi.  His owner, although not a breeder was very helpful.  She had Ridgies growing up--sometimes 5 at a time.  She gave me her card and said that when we were ready if we had any questions or needed help finding a good breeder to give her a call.
 
I also talked to another guy who owned them--he was just visiting the show, not exhibiting--who said that they were using them at a game preserve in Africa to herd elephants who strayed outside the boundries.
 
One thing that I did hear from all of the owners was that these dogs had to have positive training, otherwise they would shut down.  They said that they are softer than a working group breed like rots, etc, or gundogs.  Is this just a Ridgie thing or is this all hounds?
 
Also, a neutered dog compete in AKC obedience, agility, and LC, correct?

One thing that I did hear from all of the owners was that these dogs had to have positive training, otherwise they would shut down. They said that they are softer than a working group breed like rots, etc, or gundogs. Is this just a Ridgie thing or is this all hounds?

 
All the hounds I know.  Of course that doesn't me you can never use the word "no", but you do have to work on motivating the dog to do what you want him to do.  Lots of treats and praise.  Clickers work great!

Also, a neutered dog compete in AKC obedience, agility, and LC, correct?

 
Neutered dogs are allowed in all that plus Rally and tracking.  But, if the dog has breed disqualification, that dog is not allowed to LC.  So, a RR without a ridge or a whippet above/below standard height are not elligable to course.