Behavioral Issues

my b greets me with excitement and her stuffed ball as well. we give her pats and then she bugs us to play fetch with her. so we do. then lots more cuddles. i think the pawing/poking is funny too. in our doggie play group theres a dog that doesnt like Hope so much (its a little fussy dog). instead of leaving it alone like the others she'll play play play with the other dogs, get closer to it and then go over to it and bat it with her paws or poke it as she goes past. Hopes new nick name at playgroup: Sh!t stirrer! lol (excuse the language)

I agree with all the above. My oldest at 15 has spine issues and has been on rimadyl low dose for about a year with great results, he had pain before, but has had a very good year. Eddie (11) is on thyroid meds, he was a cranky-pants a couple of years ago and after thyroid meds, is a happier dog. A vet visit is in order to figure out what has caused his change, 11 is still pretty young.

If you neuter dogs after 5 mos, they already have all the ahem testosterone poisoning and behavior changes may be minimal, but should help not responding to bitches in heat. USUALLY helps prevent marking if the dog hasn't already started. I worry about Cara having pediatric neutering… I know rescues have no choice but I have become more and more of a believer in NOT doing full spay/neuters or waiting til at least 18 mos for their health. Sadly the research is becoming pretty clear that other than bitches with mammary cancer, the health issues clearly are on the "no neuter" side. Dog management is another issue. And yes, I think it is the only responsible option for rescues. But there is now a shot that keeps ALL MAMMALS from getting pregnant for at least 5 yrs. I hope it is commercially available soon. (basically to changes the egg surface so that it cannot be penetrated by a sperm) For some pretty clear discussions on neutering: http://www.seattlepi.com/pets/418134_pets08.html As for your dog, it really depends on how old he is and what his behaviors are now. If young, most behaviors will have to do with maturing and not necessarily having been neutered but at least it helps avoid the marking and wanting to go find a local in season bitch. :) If older and already has behavior issues, the decreased hormones help a little but you still have to train and address them… just neutering won't help much.

@davcoz: there are some people that he just does not like. These people tend to be the type that make my wife and I uneasy. Any ideas about this? **If these folks make you and your wife uneasy. Then why wouldn't you expect the same reaction from your B? He's lettin everybody know what he's feelin and your not sayin! :rolleyes:**

Sorry I haven't responded to this post sooner; I got busy & forgot about it. I don't check the forum nearly as often as I should. To answer above questions: My girls have both been around bulldogs before. Oddly enough, a guy I dated about a year ago had one, and although not outwardly aggressive or anything, they didn't seem to love her. She was attention starved though (first among reasons why a relationship did no develop with this guy…), and was very overwhelming, barreling around chasing them. They just tried to avoid her mostly. At dog shows and stuff, they don't seem to be weirded out by bulldogs. Otto does better with dogs than people, and he prefers small dogs/puppies to people. My girls seem to love everything except some other female basenjis. Otto is neutered, Lola is spayed, and Callie is not as she is currently being shown. Because the times we can visit one another are few & far between & having one on ones would require introducing them on Otto's turf, I don't think its feasible to introduce mine to Otto one at a time before the move. All three are crated when humans are not around, so leaving them out together unconfined is not an issue. My dogs are intense in that often when they meet a new dog, they will "rush" the dog, sniffing, etc. On leash, I don't allow this behavior with strange dogs, but at dog parks, etc, they sometimes can be overwhelming to more submissive or nervous dogs. My dogs are constantly meeting and playing with new dogs and are very well dog socialized. Otto is less so, but, again, tends not to have a lot of issues with smaller dogs. The meds have made a definite improvement in Otto's mood, but he still bites occasionally when he's overstimulated. The most recent occurrence was during a visit with my boyfriend's dad. His dad unwrapped a present that was in brown paper bag material. Otto was interested & started playing tug of war with dad. Otto got a little too excited, and when dad tried to calmly end the game, he got bit. Thanks for all the tips. Hopefully, everything will go just peachy, but we're trying to be as prepared as possible, with any little advantage possible. And Andrea, we will likely be in Richfield.

I'm a cheerleader for you and Tango! Please let us know what is going on, and remember, that we all have wonderful basenjis on our laps… I'm getting ready to go to bed, but here is my girl, all cuddled up in a cat-like curl, waiting for me to carry her to bed... and we live in FLORIDA? Too cute. :) Thank you for believing in Tango. He is new to this thing called life, and at the end of the day, all he wants to do is please you. I sincerely believe that basenjis are sensitive to our moods, and when they get scared/tense/mad and react, and then WE react... they react back. I'm so grateful that you didn't toss Tango into the basenji orphanage... I believe that he will be come the most loyal B there ever is! :)

LOL yep once they love raw they love it. I just feed mine in crates so no fighting.

@tanza: This is the beginning of Basenjis breeding season… boys know it.... in-tact or not... or it could just be a act of dominance.... as in he wants you to stop what you are doing To stop, put him in a crate when cleaning or working/feeding the kittens.... Question: When do males start to show this behavior? What is the earliest age?

Is he in the B Pedigree Database? I am curious about his pedigree. Jennifer

My 2 dogs don't use our backyard unless its an emergency. We walk them to "do" their business away from their yard…

None of the problems you have described warrant a behaviorist. A good trainer yes, and probably a basic obedience class too. @eizenga13: Still gets overly excited when people come to visit. She will be loving and ears back when the guests first arrive. And once guests are relaxed out come her teeth… She doesn't BITE she Mouths... If she gets to excited she will Mouth a little harder than other times... The moment she puts teeth on anyone, she needs to get a 10 second time out. Every single time. Once you've marked the naughty behavior (I like "too bad") say nothing else to her. Just calmly collect her and time her out. You must be absolutely consistent. This works. @eizenga13: She licks herself like crazy… I mean LIKE ALL THE TIME. Lick-lick-lick-lick... that is all we hear her doing... I know a clean dog is great but MY GOD!! Any ideas here?! Is this a problem? Is she causing damage to herself? If so, see your vet. Otherwise I'd leave her alone. @eizenga13: If she is sleeping on me and my lady tries to pick her up to crate her she snarrles and growls and will absolutely try to bit and is extremely vocals.. This is a problem with either resource guarding or body handling. You need a trainer to help you with this. For now, don't move her bodily. Call her. When she arrives have her do a sit or a down and then, give her a food reward. Then ask her to crate up. I assume she goes in willingly. If not, that is a whole separate issue. You should never force a dog into a crate. @eizenga13: She (Kevin) for the first time ever has chewed up not only our bed spread in the dead center of the bed but also a very expensive couch cushion, that I flipped when she tore it up 3 days again and today she tore up the other side…... This has never been something she has done She should not be allowed access to things things that will upset you if destroyed. You know now she has a propensity for it, so manage her. @eizenga13: Loves to steal our socks and underwear and run around with it (since she was a baby she knows it gets a rise out of us so I am pretty sure I don't know how to NOT get a rise from this?). Now I know that if we don't go after her she would relax with it because it doesn't 'get our goat' but she has ruined too much stuff when we simply try to ignore it. See above. If you cannot ignore it, don't allow her access to socks and underwear. See a trainer to teach you how to train her to "drop it". @eizenga13: When she want to play we will but we make it on OUR terms not hers…when we want to stop, well that is when the mouthing starts up and we again... try to ignore it and she will simply go after any extremity she can... so she will go to time out. When play time is over, say a phrase like, "All done!" and then totally blow her off. The second her mouth so much as touchs your skin or clothing, say "too bad" and time her out for 10 seconds. Every. Single. Time. It also sounds like your dog isn't getting enough exercise. Dogs should have 40 min to an hour of cardio. A walk is not cardio. Also try enriching her environment by feeding her out of work to eat puzzles and take her to training class. The destruction sounds like a bored dog, the rest is adolescent stuff. Mostly very normal stuff that any decent trainer can help you with.

I will concur with Lisa. See a CAAB or a veterinary behaviorist so that your dog can be evaluated and possibly put on medication. SepAnx is simple to treat, but by no means easy. The sad fact is that many dog owners do not have the time or financial means to handle it because step one is to stop reinforcing his fear. That means that during treatment, the dog cannot be left alone. This means that when you go out, you'll need someone to stay with him. Please at least consult a good local trainer who can give you a training plan to get started on and who can evaluate whether or not drugs are warranted.

Anubis's Mom - thanks for your reply. With the possibility of Anubis pooping in a larger crate, I can see how the smaller crate works out best for you. I'll keep this in mind for future reference.

What a sad outcome for that pup, but good to hear that you'll continue to love basenjis and basenji rescue. It's so hard to stop at one. :p Bet you'll be adding to your B family at some point, all the wiser.

Thanks for the advice. It may be worth a try.

You'll have to market Raptor - he could earn a lot of money!!!!!

I would go back to the basics and leave the crate in the bedroom. And once he is calm, start moving the crate towards the door. Then outside the room (still in view to see you) and so on, gradually moving to the desired spot you want him to sleep. Patience is key. My B, Gizmo (is 1 years old) will very often sleep in my bed. But if I want a break, he will happily sleep in his crate. The loose stool/pooh, could be a result of him being so uneasy/nervous. It does not take much for puppy's to get loose pooh.

@Quercus: Kim, one of the reasons your situation worked out sooooo well, is that you made Ryan's presence a huge benefit for your dogs,; they got to spend just as much (if not more) time doing things with you and the baby. All kinds of good stuff happened when Ryan arrived, so they made a positive association with him. The way you handled it is ideal….and it has paid off for all of you :) Thank you :) Just after we made the decision we wanted a baby, we talked and thought about how we could get this result. When we were sure we thought about everyting, we got pregnant :D It's important that you can/try to think the way your Basenji thinks and work with that.

As some of you may recall, I had HORRIBLE problems getting Keoki to crate – took me until he was 9 mos old {and three crates!!} before he would sleep at night at all w/out screaming and shredding his bedding. For him, the issue was NOT crating, but separation. I could put him in the crate and while wasn't crazy about it, he would lie down and go to sleep as long as I was in the room w/him. As soon as I moved to leave, he would go absolutely insane. X-pen didn't work either as he tore his nose up while moving the pen across the floor. I finally bought a large crate {-a great dane could be comfy in our current crate} and we crate Keoki and Jazz together. Jazz would prefer to be alone, but she has always been a dog that rolls with the punches, so she does fine. Keoki now runs to his crate if I just say, "Go to bed". They go to bed at 10 PM and although I open the crate door at 5:30 AM, the seldom come out before 9 AM. I can crate them when guests are over if necessary {Jazz gets uncomfortable if too many people are over}, when we go out, and all night w/no complaints. {I am home all day, most days}. My family says he still whines at the window for a few minutes any time I leave the house, which is funny to me because he doesn't seem to be particularly attached to me when we're all home together although both dogs seem to know that I am THE MAMA and they behave best and listen most to me. I wonder how often the dog's anxious behavior in crates is like Keoki - not a crating problem, but a separation anxiety issue.

Buana is the 'senior' dog in your home, doing his job protecting his family. What a great dog, a nice story, add that to Ryan's "Baby book" stories! He sensed that this dog was a threat, not like your friendly dogs you meet on your walks. Good boy!