Behavioral Issues

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.

@elbrant said in basenji screams when left alone: @yahtzee92 said in basenji screams when left alone: especially when he can see her in the backyard). Presuming that the yard is enclosed/fenced, why not have him outside with her? Because you are presuming incorrectly! That said, he has gotten much less anxious as he is more used to the house and people going in/out. Neighbors did finally put a fence up in back though (new houses got built very close to ours).. now I'm looking for something to block off the part of the yard that is exposed between the garage and house. Hard to find something that stands out or, mainly, taller than 3 feet

@jengosmonkey - I mostly agree with you but you had a bit of a different situation because you got Logan as an adult.... sort of like a stranger that is now feeding that boy.... so you did the right thing for the process of taking in an adult. The result of you laughing at him and then moving him was the right thing as you didn't take him serious or freeze up... you just let him know that was your spot and he needed to share! Good job

@elbrant and all of you thanks!

@vizzy Hello, I'm experiencing exactly the same. My dog nearly 2 years now, becomes increasingly aggressive towards dogs and neighbour's. I don't have an idea how to react to this. I had already 3 times a dog trainer here, but so far none could help. The breed is very little known, also with the comportementalists. Very hard to find someone who can help. I feel really desperate with this situation

On feeding, when I had multiple dogs I always did the same as Zande, all dogs fed at the same time, although not always the same place. When the weather was nice I sometimes fed outside. But wherever, I sat and supervised until everyone was finished. I had one who would try to poach if not watched, but she knew better than to make a move with me sitting there. Never had a serious fight with any of mine, and never a disagreement over food, but a breeder I know had to permanently separate two bitches who hated each other and would fight instantly if they had the opportunity....the cause of their dislike had nothing to do with food and everything to do with one bitch interfering with the other one's pups.

@sandy-hovis, totally agree with you. I didn’t want to do this but did it after redirecting to toys and positive reinforcement did not work. Did work (:

Three 15 minute walks a day is not nearly enough ! Try a couple of hours at least, morning and evening. If I do 2 - 3 miles, the boys cover at least 5 or 6, probably quite a bit more. These are hunting hounds and they need exercise - to be able to run and run ! She is just not tired enough and probably also bored.

@eeeefarm said in Adolescent howl and behavior changes: I no longer have a dog :(

Ellie is fine 99% if the time, but very occasionally (every couple of months) if she's asleep on someone on the sofa and they move slightly she lets out a very aggressive snarl/snap as described in the article. She then wakes up and looks very confused. It feels like she has no control over it and I wonder if it's when she's in a specific stage of sleep. Interestingly she has never done this in our bed at night. We have been training her the "off command" which is rewarded with a treat and that now works well even if she's asleep - she jumps straight off knowing there's a piece of chicken coming her way afterwards!

Take the dog for walks and bring high quality food rewards (like steak). Give the rewards while at a distance from strangers. The dog will tell you how much distance you should keep between the strangers and the two of you. (i.e. when the dog starts to react, you're too close; the idea is to communicate that strangers are nothing to be scared of. This is done by giving food to the dog in the presence of strangers. Depending on how reactive the dog is, you may have to keep a lot of distance at first. Keep doing this for several sessions, getting closer to strangers over many sessions, at your dog's pace. If the dog is too reactive to even take food rewards, then you need to go back to confidence building, or try from an even further distance from strangers. Best of luck.

@elbrant Yes. I had one who hated 5th November and heavy lorries on the motorway. But Rescue Remedy dropped into the side of his mouth (they hate it !) worked wonders. Otherwise, @eeeefarm has the right of it. Don't over-react, laugh at the silly people making that stupid noise and let Doodle see you don't mind it and find it a joke.

My go to remark when I find a dog doing something to an item that isn't "legal" : "Is that yours?" They know exactly what I mean!

I have never placed a puppy in an apartment. Not particularly by design but it just panned out that way. Even the relatively high percentage I have exported have gone to houses with gardens of some kind and access to lots of exercise. Many of these myths have only really gotten a toe hold since FaceBook and social media generally. I had one potential owner visit a few times before deciding, yes, her allergies did not extend to Basenjis. She had three pups from me over a span of about 15 years before being an established and successful breeder herself. @rhughes89 Well done for wanting to persevere. I am sure that, with the will and the right mind-set, you will prevail !

@zande said in Shivering ? Shaking?: I am not sure that I find this endearing - nor does my lovely cleaner, much as she adores the boys ! :smiling_face_with_smiling_eyes:

Cara is 11. She has only love our Samoyed in her entire adult life. No animal is worthy of breathing air. While Pam did take her about 5 years ago for a refresher course, she learned to ignore the other basenjis, not like them. If she freezes, she is definitely waiting for prey. Usually she keeps walking slowly, eyes seemingly forward, until she is within striking distance. I wouldn't trust my dog to lie in wait until you truly are sure of their intentions. Even then, do you know if their behavior may be stressing out the other dog? And how many dogs and how much time do you have to play out this behavior? On a good day, Moose the Samoyed runs into up to 10 of his harem on a long walk (usually 3 to 5). He's out to play, that's the goal. On a potty walk when my daughter or her fiance are in a hurry, they give him very little play time and he accepts it. No, he's not a basenji...but also an ancient independent thinking breed. They live to play. We get to decide when. My point being, I understand that a behavior may be normal...but I am surprised at owners throwing up their hands and letting it go. There are many situations where you need the dog to keep moving, and you want training in force before that occurs. I am not sure at the resistance against that view.

@jbuckee how are things now?

@haroldmcmullen I am so sorry for your loss. I still cry over my losing very difficult but extremely devoted Basenji, Ella. [image: 1621983219182-20046559_1721996551427575_7518595403178128604_n.jpg]

I found a really excellent method which fixed this quickly. I just give house guests (esp males) a few pieces of chicken and have them freely give it to the pups when they meet them. They LOVE house guests now.

@bernadette My doodle seemed to have some slight personality disorders this spring as well. I didn't consider that it was related to getting back to normal after Covid. I do think it may have been related to the typical mating season. Now that the season has passed and all of the canine hormones have settled down, doodle has as well. I'll keep an eye out to see if the behavior pattern repeats this fall.