11-week basenji nips my 5y/o.

[sharronhurlbut]

Thank you for giving us more info.

[mags]

Hi lvoss -

Thank you - really good advice.
I'm totally open to suggestions - I just never found any other way to make our pup stop biting. She actually is really good and stops herself from biting - she has always appeared to do the soft mouth bite and would look at us while she was doing this to our arms lets say and then we would say no bite and she would stop and start licking us. I mean, we've never seen such a smart, obedient dog. She seems to learn so fast so I swear we never had to hold her mouth closed for a long time. She learns commands after a few times and so its a matter of being consistent with her.

I wonder why Basenjis are so mouthy? Does anyone know where that comes from? I'm just curious. Our dog, Willow learned the "no bite" real quick but its almost like she cant control herself and just wants to put her mouth on you so just wondering why that is. Do they just do this as pups and eventually outgrow it or its just the breed that loves biting/chewing on everything?

Thanks for the tips.

[tanza]

All puppies are mouthy… that is how they communicate, it is not just Basenjis. Mine do not and never have "love biting".... Chewing, same thing that is what puppies do...

And if you watch two puppies play.... or even the entire litter... what do they use? Their mouth.. and it is biting "each other" that they begin to get the concept of "soft bite"... and again I stress... this goes for all breeds...

[mags]

Yes, I understand all breeds are mouthy and of course they communicate with each other that way but what I mean is that from everything I've read about Basenji's- they are known to always be mouthy and chew things moreso than other breeds so I was just trying to understand if its just part of their breed (where they are more destructive/mouthy than other breeds) or what the reason was…again, just curious

[lvoss]

Honestly, basenjis are not even close to the mouthiest of breeds. Labs are way worse. I grew up with labs and worked with many labs that got dumped at the shelter because they seem to stay adolescents forever.

Even within the breed there is alot of variation in the amount of mouthiness.

[tanza]

@mags:

Yes, I understand all breeds are mouthy and of course they communicate with each other that way but what I mean is that from everything I've read about Basenji's- they are known to always be mouthy and chew things moreso than other breeds so I was just trying to understand if its just part of their breed (where they are more destructive/mouthy than other breeds) or what the reason was…again, just curious

As they say, don't believe everything you read…. they do NOT chew more then other breeds,... Unless Bored... and then they do.... if there is a couch that they "dig" on and a thread comes loose... they worry it until they get to the "stuffing"... and keep going...

It comes to all about boundries.... which is true with all breeds...

[sharronhurlbut]

Re digging on couches. I find if I put a throw on the couch, the b's can dig on that, and the couch underneath is intact.
MAKE it a big throw!

[tanza]

@sharronhurlbut:

Re digging on couches. I find if I put a throw on the couch, the b's can dig on that, and the couch underneath is intact.
MAKE it a big throw!

Yes, Basenjis are "nesters"… and they will dig to get that spot just right to lie in...

[agilebasenji]

@lvoss:

Honestly, basenjis are not even close to the mouthiest of breeds. Labs are way worse. I grew up with labs and worked with many labs that got dumped at the shelter because they seem to stay adolescents forever.

Even within the breed there is alot of variation in the amount of mouthiness.

+1 I was thinking about labs too when "mouthiness" was metioned. Of course labs, as a breed, have been bred to have a soft mouth.

Also +1 with the throws on the sofa. I bought sheepskins for dogs from sierra trading post for a xmas present for my boys. One of the sheepskins is on the sofa, they seem to like it. Digital (aka "diggie") likes to dig a lot (it's a name thing I think. I did not name him) and it's still in good shape.

[basenji_fan]

I'd like to also suggest on top of the "good" suggestions of everyone else when the dog is nipping and grabbing the clothes: is to NOT pull back. To just FREEZE- stop moving, then give your verbal corrections then remove the clothing from the dogs mouth by putting the gentle pressure there at the corner of the back of the mouth until they open. If it is a towel or balnket do the same thing. Mine does this when I am drying him off and he gets excited, and I just stop drying, tightly grip the towel now give the verbal correction of "drop it" and he will spit out the towel.

Sometimes he will get froggy and grab my pants in play, and I stop play and say "drop it" he spits out my pant leg. He unfortunately learned the pant leg thing from my boxer though. Same thing can be done with long sleeved shirt.

If you pull away from the dog you are showing them that you are trying to play a "tug" game with them. Just stop moving and then teach them the "drop it" command.

[chronicresearch]

@basenji_fan:

I'd like to also suggest on top of the "good" suggestions of everyone else when the dog is nipping and grabbing the clothes: is to NOT pull back. To just FREEZE- stop moving, then give your verbal corrections then remove the clothing from the dogs mouth by putting the gentle pressure there at the corner of the back of the mouth until they open. If it is a towel or balnket do the same thing. Mine does this when I am drying him off and he gets excited, and I just stop drying, tightly grip the towel now give the verbal correction of "drop it" and he will spit out the towel.

Sometimes he will get froggy and grab my pants in play, and I stop play and say "drop it" he spits out my pant leg. He unfortunately learned the pant leg thing from my boxer though. Same thing can be done with long sleeved shirt.

If you pull away from the dog you are showing them that you are trying to play a "tug" game with them. Just stop moving and then teach them the "drop it" command.

Thank you! I'm trying to teach the kids to stop, but they seem to have a natural tendency to back away. My 8 y/o has learned to deal with the nipping by herself, but my 5 y/o still has a tendency to back away while yelping, so i intervene there quickly.

[Kipawa]

@basenji_fan:

If you pull away from the dog you are showing them that you are trying to play a "tug" game with them. Just stop moving and then teach them the "drop it" command.

Thanks for mentioning this. I so agree with stopping the tug of war game if it starts. I've never thought of the "tug" game as anything but setting up for biting and mouthy play. If you do it, I think it's like you are telling your dog that it is acceptable for him to use his mouth harshly and to also get into a battle of power. Having a kong with a bit of peanut butter (if no allergies to nuts) inside of it is a much better way for a basenji to satisfy his chewing needs.

[listeme]

We despaired that it would ever stop with Zelda. My sister (basenji breeder) kept saying it will stop, don't worry, keep doing the "playtime over" thing! And then all of a sudden we were noticing, hey, she's not doing it. And now it's really done.

Zelda is – er, what, 20 weeks? Around now is when I start using months instead of weeks She's almost five months. So you should be getting real relief very soon using this method.

[chronicresearch]

@listeme:

We despaired that it would ever stop with Zelda. My sister (basenji breeder) kept saying it will stop, don't worry, keep doing the "playtime over" thing! And then all of a sudden we were noticing, hey, she's not doing it. And now it's really done.

Zelda is – er, what, 20 weeks? Around now is when I start using months instead of weeks She's almost five months. So you should be getting real relief very soon using this method.

Thank you. If nothing else, this is encouraging!!!

[tanza]

Everyone needs to remember that puppies are no different in a way then toddlers… how many times do you parents tell your toddlers the same thing over and over?.... How many of your toddlers listen the first time, second, third.... 50th, 500th... (gggg).... puppies are no different. They have a very short attention span... you can NOT expect that they will get it just because you tell them 10/20 times, several times a day.... it takes time... weeks... sometimes months. And remember your puppy is changing every day... and quickly.. They too have been through lots of changes already...

[listeme]

@tanza:

Everyone needs to remember that puppies are no different in a way then toddlers… how many times do you parents tell your toddlers the same thing over and over?.... How many of your toddlers listen the first time, second, third.... 50th, 500th... (gggg).... puppies are no different. They have a very short attention span... you can NOT expect that they will get it just because you tell them 10/20 times, several times a day.... it takes time... weeks... sometimes months. And remember your puppy is changing every day... and quickly.. They too have been through lots of changes already...

Exactly. The funny thing is that I knew this stuff, trusted my sister, knew RATIONALLY that it was working, and still kept bugging my poor sister. She's a saint, I tell you. We human grownups need to be told things 10/20 times ourselves!

[davidthompson]

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