Behavioral Issues

@Nemo: He just sounds stressed to me. Give him frequent breaks from all craziness around the holidays. I don't think it is necessarily fair to expect him to be perfect when all of that activity is going on. One of my dogs gets a stressed more easily than the others so I limit her exposure to large crowds of people, particularly when she is tired. When dogs get stressed, it can get more difficult for them to respond to commands they more reliably respond to under normal circumstances. Plus they can act out. I agree about the stress. So, with that in mind, maybe give him a rigorous exercise before the party starts and then, after awhile….the 'break' could be a walk with a number of the guests even around the block to help the trust with the extended number of people in his world! Just a thought!

On the couch Gossy either justs sits on my lap or curls up next to me; on the recliner she prefers directly in my lap. On the other hand, if I'm on the couch in the evening Teddy will slowly climb up onto my lap as if he thinks I won't notice then he'll curl up leaning against my chest and go to sleep! If Gossy is already in my lap, he'll try to squeeze in between :)

The other ingredients could cause issues so I agree with Jennifer, check all ingredients. Research shows l-theanine has some limited effects, but some of the products with it actually increased heart rate and alertness.

Hopefully there will be multiple boys in the litter so there is a better chance of finding a good fit but that's obviously out of anyone's control. And if there isn't a good fit in this litter, we're going to wait until the next one.

Yeah they do the whole 'omg my fur is all messed up' shake turn around 3 times then flop their furry butts down back in bed. I know about the super light sleeper thing. I too can wake up at the first sound of puking puppy and either throw a towel underneath them or try to get them to the bathroom in time so they can vomit in the sink. Once they get they get those ears going it's hard to stop!

It's good to have abn update and well done for keeping him an ifeal dog.

@eeeefarm: I agree all children should be taught to be gentle with animals. And teaching your dog that being grabbed means food is a great idea, but the problem is it may not transfer to other people. I can grab my guy rather roughly pretty much anywhere, and he won't react…...except to play......but if someone else did it, there would be a different result. Even the most tolerant dog may "lose it" if a child manages to cause severe pain. Kids can be (unintentionally or otherwise) cruel. And lie about what they did afterward. Which is why supervision is so important. How to teach them to be gentle? A relative of mine says, "Get a cat. That'll learn 'em!" :) I think I know how we teached our son to be so gentle!!! Because of the last words you are saying! get a cat… You know, our oldest cat Spaiky is a einzelganger, a lonely boy that can only be handeled by me... He learned that to Ryan with a few hits with his paw when he wanted to pet him (he likes kids around him so he never uses his nails with them) Ryan never scared but he just knows, he only can speak to Spaiky to tell him he likes him.... hahaha Now I know! Thanks! :D

Mine will run down the garden through the pouring rain and into the wood shed rather than pee quickly and come indoors! They end up absolutely soaked but very happy that they've managed to find somewhere under cover. Basenjis!!!!

Yes, she eats in the crate and we put treats in there randomly throughout the day, as well as meat-stuffed bones chained to the inside (so she can't run off with the bone outside the crate.) She has the run of the downstairs while we are home and sleeps in her dog bed in our bedroom at night. On a side note, when we give her a really tasty stuffed bone or bullystick outside the crate she acts crazy! She runs around aimlessly with it in her mouth while howling. What is with that? It is comical, yet slightly annoying! :) I wonder what she'd do with a bullystick IN the crate?!

Poor guy…I'm glad Kratos is fixed so we don't have that exact problem... We have been dealing with him being deathly afraid of things at night the last 2 months, hope he feels better soon

Have you had the vet look at your boy yet?

You might want to add some significant roughage to her diet. I would also be tempted to CRATE her between "outside trips" to discourage the repeated going out, lol. In every situation, someone gets trained. Sadly I find all to often it is me.

Dogs don't have to roll over to be submissive. Just laying down, not 'crouched to leap" can be very submissive. However, if this is the ONLY dog he reacts to, maybe he picks up something you aren't with the dog. Maybe the dog lives with other animals that set him off. If you can, find out from the other if OTHER dogs respond to it that way and what other types of creatures live in their home. I nearly caused Arwen and Cara to have a stroke one day when I came home and had been holding a lamb.

I agree with Patty. A vet check on abnormal behavior is always best. I had a Basenji who never touched anything in the house at 14 yrs old chew up a chair cushion. A vet checked confirmed a bad UTI. He actually pee'd blood waiting in the vet. My fault for not taking him in right away when I suspected something.

I agree that Basenjis are drama queens (and kings I guess, from this thread). When going to the dog park, my two girls are clipped by 4' leads to grommets in the back of our SUV. They sometimes walk around each other and get tied up, and the "fights" they get into when that happens would make anyone think total death and destruction was the only thing on their minds. But when we get to the park and untangle them, there's never a mark on either one. Same when they are "play fighting" at home - the noise they make, especially the B-mix, is really scary until you realize no damage is being done, and they are not serious about the whole thing.

You're probably quite right about living in the country. I live in a remote area where there are no sounds of traffic or people going by so have to be extra observant of socialising puppie to such things. I use a CD of traffic noises etc. when they are babies On the other hand there are lots of noises here that they don't get in towns so it can work both ways. One of my dogs got spooked at a show by the noise of an ice cream maker starting up!

I haven't commented so far as my advice ould be similar to the others. Please let us know what Therese and Kevin suggest, it may help others as well. I hope you had a good weekend.

This is the doghouse we used for years for our outdoor Border Collie. I realize Alberta can be colder (although we have seen -30C at this location), but you are talking about daytime use, not overnight. We used straw for bedding, and when my dog emerged in the morning after a cold night, he was quite warm and the interior of the house was also (I checked). Sized and insulated correctly, this design will keep a dog warm. (you could obviously change the dimensions to allow for more insulation if necessary). The only caveat is, will he use it? My BC was happy to retire to his house for the night, but during the day tended to lie in the "porch" so he could see what was going on. Of course, much of the day he spent his time with me, so it was a non issue. (one addition…...we put a couple of cement blocks on the roof after it blew off one day in a windstorm!) http://www.kwhumane.com/uploads/Documents/Ideal_Doghouse.pdf