Faro doing well but…

[McCannClan]

We are so proud of Faro, he has seemed to master potty training and the sit on command as well as stay (sometimes). Now I want to know where you would go next, leave it, come on demand (because now he comes when we call him and he THINKS it is a good idea,,,lol). I seem to be stuck, any good ideas on leave it training tips? Or any other ideas, please feel free. we need all the help we can get.

[thunderbird8588]

Glad to hear Faro is doing well. I know what you mean by not knowing what to do next.
We have had dogs all our lives but our last Basenji was a rescue and was very difficult to manage. We are determined to get it right with Malaika.
Like Faro she is doing well with toilet training and has learned to sit, we are working on recall in the house and also leave it.
We have booked her into Puppy classes and are looking foward to these as i'm sure she will enjoy it and it will provide some structure and support for us.
I have also purchased the Basenji manual from the evergreen club and have got a couple of training books for ideas.
We tell Malaika to leave it if she bites our clothing, chases the cats etc. We also put a treat in the left hand and tell her to leave it, if she manages this we reward her from the right hand.
Just speaking to her breeder today who reminded me not to do too much at once otherwise she may rebel .

[Kipawa]

You could try this command order: sit, down, stay, leave it (if you get him to watch you place one of his toys somewhere), and then okay, for him to go get an item or come to you. Both the toy and coming to you are the reward, or you could provide a small treat while you are first doing this training.

[McCannClan]

Thanks for the ideas. I am so glad to her Malaika is doing well too. I will definately be working more on leave it and the command order was just what I was looking for. If there are any other ideas comments etc please feel free. thanks again.

[Patty]

Shelley - I agree with Elaine, too many 'teachings' at once can make a basenji rebellious. It's great that Malaika is doing so well - she is so clever.

I did notice her jumping at a sleeve in your video. Possibly something to stop quite early as it can lead to jumping up at people's clothes. I know its cute but it can become a habit.

[thunderbird8588]

@Patty:

Shelley - I agree with Elaine, too many 'teachings' at once can make a basenji rebellious. It's great that Malaika is doing so well - she is so clever.

I did notice her jumping at a sleeve in your video. Possibly something to stop quite early as it can lead to jumping up at people's clothes. I know its cute but it can become a habit.

Yes she is clever Helena, you can almost see what she's thinking.
She does try to nip at our clothing and us, especialy when she gets over excited. We are discouraging this as i've read that a leader wouldn't allow this and she certainly needs to know her place. We tell her No if she lunges at our faces:eek: and leave it if she's pulling at our clothing etc.
Thanks for your imput, i realise these are a challenging breed to train and all help gratefully recieved

[Nemo]

Here is an example of how to teach "leave it" in two parts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eld8n3cH-Ok

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bu-MTUQ1Z1g

[sharronhurlbut]

I would take her to a gentle puppy training class. It helps them learn to listen to you, helps you learn to work with your dog, and helps with socialization.
Pet Smart has them, or you can ask your vet.

[tanza]

@sharronhurlbut:

I would take her to a gentle puppy training class. It helps them learn to listen to you, helps you learn to work with your dog, and helps with socialization.
Pet Smart has them, or you can ask your vet.

While I agree with a training class, the trainers at PetSmart are all different… I would suggest that you visit a class and see how the training is done first before going.... they are not (the trainers) taught by anyone.. they are independent contractors and all have different ways of training.

[lvoss]

Actually, Petsmart uses clicker training but the the trainers' experiences and backgrounds can vary greatly. When looking for a trainer, I recommend start at the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers site, http://www.ccpdt.org/, that way you have an idea about their experience and knowledge.

[Shannanigan]

I was forced to teach "leave it" to Paco as soon as he came inside the apartment and wanted to chew everything. LOTS of "leave it" and then a treat. Then we moved on to using a leash, placing a treat on the floor, telling him "leave it" and giving him a treat we had in our hand when he stopped struggling to get to the one on to floor, or if he stopped and looked at us.

Eventually, we had taught him "get it" to fetch things that we threw, and we were able to tell him to "leave it" with a treat on the floor and then say "get it," and he waits for the "get it" command to move.

This came SO in handy when a friend brought her baby over and the baby was dropping things EVERYWHERE, lol. I was so proud of how he even listened to my friend saying "leave it" and not just me.

[McCannClan]

Wow that is so inspirational. It is spring break and my husband and I are both with him all day. Leave it is our command of the week. Thanks everyone.