@abonnard Pee pads got me through in the end, she would pee every 20 mins for the first months, then 40 mins, then she suddenly went to being able to hold it for many hours. One of the best purchases I got before she arrived was a small carpet washer, saved my sanity. The cleanup is so key otherwise they go back to the same spot.
Tika Lynn, the monster
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As someone who does rescue, I ask you please, don't grab her muzzle.
Maybe dogs are damaged that way, hands, human hands should only give good things.
A yelp when she nips you, with you turning away and ignoring her, will work, if your consistant.
Also, a squirt bottle is an excellent way to get her to stop bad behavior.Bitter apple spray on items you don't want chewed work for some folks.
It works for my 2.give all these suggestions a try. I think you will see more positive behaviors.
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I totally agree with Pat and Sharron and especially about holding her muzzle when she nips. In my opinion this is the worst thing to do.
You asked whether she can be let off leash. This all depends on where you are walking and on the Basenji. I've had Basenjis who I can safely let off lead (although I never advise others to do so) and others who when they get their heads in the wind are totally unreliable. My current family are not safe to run free - they are killers (their natural instinct). Some of my previous Basenjis I have been able to let safely run amongst my sheep. It all depends on how much they are in tune with their natural instincts.
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Re letting off leash, while your having these issues with your b, you don't have the bonding you need to get your dog back, if its loose.
My 2 are only allowed off leash on the Oregon coast, when there are no other dogs running free.
My 2, will head off in another direction, if they smell something to be sniffed, but we walk the other way, or just stop. They come to see what we are doing.
I know this is a risk, any loose b can bolt..you can lose a beloved member of your family, so its totally up to you to make sure they are as safe as they can be, if you let them off -
Well, when she goes for the walks/runs, it is usually for an hour a day - and my husband runs her pretty hard. But, yes, maybe she does need more than that! She does get out for other activities; for instance, we just got back from my sister's house. She and her husband have two black labs. Tika LOVES to play with her cousins, and they play on a regular basis, chasing each other, and she chases them when we play frisbee with them. She does like to play with her toys. She brings us one of her balls nearly every evening, and she is always throwing her squeaky toys around and playing with them. I would love to be able to have her run off-lead more often, but that is my problem. How can we do that without her running away? Thanks for the suggestions - apparently she needs more exercise than she is already getting!
I have spoken to my breeder about it some. The breeder is fabulous - she is from Oregon. She never has her dogs anywhere off the lead, and I do not think they get near the exercise Tika gets, so that is why it is nice to hear from other Basenji owners. Our breeder mostly has her Basenjis as show dogs, so they are very well-behaved, and taken care of, but just a different lifestyle than ours.
As to what she does when she is not going for walks - she is usually running through the house, in and out of her doggy door, or napping. It depends on if we are home or not. While we are at work, she typically naps, I think. Although, a lot of the time we see her running in the yard when we get home, so I know she plays some. When we are home with her, it is a lot of "fetch" with her ball, so, more running on her behalf (just not ours.)
I will try yelping each time she nips me instead. Thank you - that is a good suggestion.
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oh, and we do not really have a problem with her chewing up household stuff that could be sprayed - she typically goes for clothing (socks and such) or her new favorite thing is to run into the bathroom just after I have taken a bath and she steals my razor, runs through the doggy door, and by the time I get outside it is destroyed. (Scary!) I am now extra careful with the razors, but she just gets weird fetishes like that. The items change every few weeks.
I am sad to hear that grabbing her muzzle was the worst thing to do. Now I feel bad!
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haha Just an example of her energy… she has done nothing but run for the past 6 hours, playing with the Labs, or just sprinting back and forth in the yard as we were playing with her. Now we are home, I am typing, and she is running through the living room, grabbing her toys and flipping them in the air, and jumping around.
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Dogs are built for physical exercise so it takes an awful lot of physical exercise to wear them out. We usually wear out long before they do. Dogs are not as good at mental exercise so it wears them out alot faster. Try feeding her meals in puzzle type toys like a Busy Buddy or Kong so she has to figure out how to get the food out. Hide treats around the house for her to search for. Work on training her, a short training session can be more exhausting than an hour run.
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My first basenji could be let off the leash while I did garden work in front but not on walks - but it wasn't until he was 7-8 yrs old before he could be trusted to do that! I would never ever let my current one off as her hunting instinct is very high and very well developed.
I agree with the comments about the muzzle grabbing and instead use bitter apple spray as soon as she begins to move towards your ankles - even if she's only playing its not a good thing. It may be the muzzle grabbing is reinforcing her view that you are lower in the pack as well; she's maybe tell you to get out of her way.
It also sounds as if she needs more mental stimulation - for whatever reason this is showing up more now than before. If I'm not paying enough attention to mine, she'll go into the bathroom and grab the tissue box and rip up tissue all over the hallway until I either play with her or feed her. Toys that have space for kibble or treats work great - although I've found I had to go through a bunch of different kinds before I found the ones that are of interest to my dog. I also will hide kibble and treats in different places in the house before I leave for work (in her toy box or under her bed covers etc.). -
I do hide little treats on occasion throughout the house, but I guess I can do it more consistently. I will try to get some of the Bitter Apple Spray today. That sounds like it may be a good solution. It's not harmful to them, is it? (Tika has grabbed the tissue box before as well. That was fun, picking up tissue all over the house and yard, haha) I do agree she seems to need more mental stimulation. She is SO smart and it is apparent. Sometimes I feel like she does things, just to prove to me she can, and we cannot stop her. It is a little game to her, and we cannot help but laugh.
How did you work up to being able to walk off leash? I have definitely noticed she mimics other dogs A LOT. So, when she is with my sister's labs, she will come when they come. It seems like the solution may be working with her, with them around? The labs listen really well, and Tika has already learned a lot of games from them. When she is playing with them, there is nothing in the world that would make her run off. Maybe my solution is to get another dog??
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Did you get your Basenji from Kathy Britton?
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Pat, that was going to be MY question. laugh
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TikaLynn
Don't feel bad about grabbing her muzzle - you didn't know and now won't do it again. That's the wonderful thing about this forum - there is so much good advice from experienced basenji people. -
No, not from Kathy Britton. Tika has not really been responding to the yelp and ignore method, but, it is kind of funny. The day I saw on here to try that method, and maybe get bitter apple spray, I went out and bought the spray, and was all prepared to yelp and ignore. Believe it or not, Tika went DAYS without nipping at me or anybody. That has NEVER happened. haha She must have known! The first time she nipped at me, I yellwed, "Ouch, and turned my back, so she jumped up at my back (I was sitting) and bit at my back. I got out the bitter apple, started to spray it, and before I even got any on my arm or anything, she was gone. I will keep trying the yelping method, and see if it works. I think more than anything the warmer weather is beginning to help, because I think she plays harder when she is outside now, and she sun bathes when not playing, and the sun drains anybody's energy!
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Who did you get your girl from?
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I am not sure I feel comfortable posting the name of the individual I got my Basenji from on here, simply because without permission, I would never want to post anybody else's name or information online. I am not trying to be evasive, as I have no reason to be - the individual is reputable, and was truly a pleasure to work with. I just really do not think I should mention any names without permission.
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Whatever you are comfortable with, many of us have related Basenjis, so just wondering if yours is related to anyone here….. If they are a responsible breeders they most likely are on the BCOA website as breeder referrals or if members of a regional club on those website also.
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I looked on the BCOA website, but do not see them on there. I am sure quite a few people on this forum know them, though. I actually contacted somebody with BRAT initially to look into getting a tri, and my process went through a few different breeders before finding the ones out of Oregon. After many phone conversations, exchanged emails, and pictures, we met her halfway, because she, nor my husband and I, agreed to "shipping" the dog. We have all kept a close relationship, and I know she keeps in very close contact with other Basenji breeders, and is very involved with dog shows. Tika comes from a long line of champions - but the only showing she does is her own prancing around at the dog parks!
