Behavioral Issues

@Saving thank you very much for the suggestions!

I don't get other dogs in the yard but I do get foxes, she will sniff but isn't bothered.

I was a little pre-occupied earlier today, and Doodle displayed her displeasure at my constant delays... how? She got up on the sofa and did this little prancing-dancing thing. Like she was saying, "haha, look at me misbehaving". LOL oh yeah.... if that is her "breaking bad", I'm in trouble, she's got my heart!

@Saving so nice to hear there's other people with the same problem! We have been giving regular baths to our b, so I don't know if that really helped or not. Anyways, it took a while for me to bring Nova again to the dog park, because I was a bit afraid the same situation would happen again. I was there a couple of days ago, and no one tried to hump her. (I must say all dogs had same age approx.) Thank you for your comment replies! :)

It would be useful to know more about this dog. Has resource guarding been an issue in the past? Has he bitten either you or your wife before? (a real bite, not playful nipping). Or anyone else? A dog that isn't used to children may be fearful of their loudness or quick movements. Perhaps you could do some socialization work with him, e.g. hanging around places where young kids congregate to accustom him to their noise and activity. Obviously not allowing any interaction as you are unsure of his behaviour. Dogs react differently to newborns. In my experience bitches are more likely than dogs to be tolerant, but it is very much the individual dog's reaction that counts. People have been blindsided when their supposedly tolerant and gentle dog turns out to be hostile to a young child. Bottom line, no dog should be left unsupervised around young kids, so in any event you would have to monitor his behaviour carefully once your baby arrives. On a personal note, of the five Basenjis I have owned, two bitches were entirely reliable with kids, the other was tolerant as long as they respected her space. One of the males adored children and was curious about them, the other curious but uncertain and would react to fast movements. I did not trust him and controlled any interaction closely. IMO, he would have bitten had he felt threatened. And kids, especially babies, tend to grab and pinch, ears, tails, whatever. Caution is always the safest route.

Sparkle Barkle came into heat in April. Logan went nuts! I was traveling so my wife was saddled with the mayhem. Mayhem doesn't begin to describe the situation. Sparkle should be coming in again within days, I hope, and unfortunately, he won't get any love this time either. He's gonna be a massive handful for at least a MONTH. I'm not traveling this time, so it's all on me. Cross your fingers for Tri females. I want three!

Neutering is not going to help - training is. But a good trainer will train YOU to deal with the dog. If a trainer can get him to behave but you can't - there is little to be gained from paying out money. This is something you should never have allowed to happen, but since it has, I think you should deal with it and @JENGOSMonkey has given you a good idea to start you off. Withdrawing treats is a good idea, but also, get up and walk away. He could be biting to get attention and therefore you withdraw the attention at the first sign of a bite, with a firm NO.

@sarahmiri - I would say no to carrying him.... don't pick him up, but get down to his level as Zande pointed out in her response.

IMO it is a myth that Basenjis cannot have good manners on a walk. Yes, great if you can do off leash, but when circumstances dictate that a leash is necessary then walking calmly without a lot of drama and pulling should be achievable. Personally I do not like long lines or flex leashes. Or allowing dogs to eat whatever they find on the ground, which can in some cases earn you a trip to the vet or worse. Like most dogs, Basenjis are not overly discriminant about what they will ingest. A short leash and being observant can protect them from unwelcome outcomes. Mental exercise will also go a long way with any dog. But one should have a definite opinion about who is running the show, and it should not be the dog....they are quite willing to take up the position should you abdicate.

Just thought I'd share an update on this. I removed the blankets from the crate and replaced them with a mattress. We have been strict about her only staying in the crate at night. When we have had accidents I have cleaned up, with a dog urine killing spray, and placed her back in the crate. Everything is progressing smoothly, not had any accidents for over a week now. So it's been a rather quick turnaround, lovely to have her properly crate trained again. Thank you all for sharing advice on the situation.

@elbrant In the rutting season, any female is fair game - even neutered boys ! Basenji males don't discriminate at 'their time of year'. The rest of the year though their instincts quieten but if the female was in season at a different time of year they might show less interest. In a normal season season, yes, they would probably show more than a passing interest - just checking, you know !

@yodabasenji said in biting..again: Hey guys! Sorry about disappearing but I decided to quit the internet research, stop panicking and analyzing every aspect of my puppy. I focused on getting to know him better and creating a connection while applying the methods you suggested above. I needed to figure out how much exercise and other activity he needs, how to calm him down and he really needed to get used to touching and handling, so slooowly things got better. He still bites, but much much less (I don't need to walk in boots at home anymore!) and the biting is mostly connected to playing and sometimes him not getting what he wants but we're working on that. Thanks again for all the advice, it really helped. And as you said multiple times, it takes time, patience and consistency and it will get better. Glad to hear it. I'm happy to hear that you're working on relationship building. This makes things so much easier in general; teaching, living with, etc.

@basenjinewb My previous Basenji Kembe use to find something that belonged to you when she was mad. She would then SHAKE IT VIOLENTLY in front of you to let you know she wasn’t happy. She could be a spiteful b@#$%! But we loved ♥️her.

@lustopher said in Puppy and confined spaces: it's about time he starts to also understand that he doesn't always have to leave his chewing to check out what we're doing It doesn't happen often, but I agree with @tanza on this. He's a baby and it is pretty "normal", but also remember that dogs are pack animals. You, your significant other, and the pup are now his "pack". If you are in another room and he comes to look for you, I would suggest just ignoring him. If he comes to you, give him a pet and go back to whatever you were doing. He will either go back to the room he was in, or settle down somewhere in the room you are in. Both of which should be acceptable. This is something that may be less frequent as he gets older, but probably never disappear entirely. Which is a good thing, I think.

@macattack Mku and Kito are delighted to hear it !

@eeeefarm said in Not wanting to be put on leash: @scagnetti said in Not wanting to be put on leash: Also, I've not had any experiences with Basenjis of a certain age deciding to be any more difficult than they already were. Incidentally, what is this age or age range? Typically when they start to mature, maybe 18 months/2 years, but is variable with the dog, and it isn't just Basenjis. I've seen this a lot with people who have reliable pups, and I think "wait for it"! The pup is growing up, testing boundaries, and folks often make mistakes when this happens, which allows the dog to realize "I don't have to do that if I don't want to". Think teenagers! To me, a recall is never optional, so I don't ask for one if I don't think I can get it. Never poison your command word! And it doesn't matter where, if I say come I mean it, so if the dog blows me off in the house I will go get him and bring him to where I was when I asked for the behaviour. No exceptions, not even when I was busy doing something else. Same with "no". If I am for instance on the phone and the dog gets into something, if I say "no" and the behaviour continues I will drop the phone and go enforce the "no". Letting stuff go is a quick route to an unresponsive dog. I think I am informed by my horse experience. Nobody needs 1000 lbs. of "I don't want to"! So you don't allow exceptions to important matters. I should add, I am old. When I first started training dogs, nobody used food rewards. Praise was sufficient. It still is, with many breeds. (my Border Collie was completely uninterested in food when he was working). Basenjis and other hound and terrier breeds are definitely more interested in "what's in it for me" so you need to give them a reason other than pleasing you. Food works for some, consequences are also a great motivator once the dog understands them, and being intuitive about when to use which is why good trainers get great results. Making the reward valuable is important. Anything too readily available loses its value, which is why if you are using food you need to move to a variable schedule once the behaviour is understood and on cue. Think casinos. Dogs, like people, are motivated by the expectation that this time will be the winner! Ah, yes, I thought you meant the rebellion tendencies were specific to or more pronounced with Basenjis. Definitely after puppyhood the rebellious behavior starts, which is why obligation must be taught, and this is the case for all breeds. I agree completely with what you say. And after variable rewarding, it moves to random rewarding.

There should be space for another half Basenji inside the coat. It should be pliable and you should be able to feel its space between your finger and thumb if you pinch it (lightly, of course !) I measure out the kibble in the morning for the days' ration and the only treats they get are taken from that ration. They think they are getting a treat, but actually it is coming from their daily amount so no extra calories at all !

@nothernbarker - Maybe you need to change up the jacket that doesn't have leg holes? I would suggest you change the winter coat to something that doesn't have leg holes...

What worked for me was taking my Basenji for a short walk along the road that I live on every hour until she went. After just a couple of days it made a big difference and after that I increased it to 2 hourly, 3 hourly and so on. I think it worked because she became used to going outside and it felt less familiar going inside. Going outside and waiting for her to perform with her getting stressed, wanting to go back inside and not understanding what I was asking didn't get us anywhere and this was much quicker and long lasting. Now she goes for 2 decent walks per day (morning and night) and usually asks to go into the garden once in between (she is 18 months old). My Basenji was a puppy so if you decide to try this you may not want to start at hourly. The other benefit of this is that she doesn't tend to want to poo in the garden unless she has an upset stomach.

All great advice above. Definitely not separation anxiety as elbrant says. It's normal. Practicing crate training a few hours a day at different times is important for when you need to run errands or if you travel with your dog. Mine whined a lot at first. He still doesn't like getting into the crate when he realizes that I'm on my way out (putting on coat, etc), but willingly goes in at our dinner time cause I feed him treats when he's in. We don't like him pestering while we eat. Feeding while in crate, and practicing rewards with the crate door OPEN the whole time, builds positive association with the crate, but a Basenji is smart enough to know the difference. In any case, it helps and the sooner you get started crate training and he or she learns to self-sooth and relax in the crate, the better.