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Basenji behavior in September

Behavioral Issues
  • KipawaK

    Kipawa and I are now back from our weekend trip to Therese and Kevin Leimback's wonderful home. The weekend was filled with unbelievable hospitality, lots of basenjis, great folks, tons of good food, interesting basenji stories, helpful training tips and HOT weather! I'll post more on Kipawa's weekend, along with pictures, in another post. :) Here's what I experienced regarding the behaviors of the basenjis at the event, and how Kipawa's recent nipping might be answered by the actions I saw.

    Now granted, this was my first FoPaw's basenji event (it won't be my last :)), but from my perspective, a relative newbie to the breed, it seemed that whether it was the heat, or combination of heat and the time of year, there were a number of basenjis that were a little 'testy'. There was loud jostling between basenjis, and in all combinations of girls and boys. Some interactions sounded like two basenjis were getting skinned to death! However, when the dogs were separated by just calm wording ("alright boys, alright girls, that's enough now") there were no dogs that were injured or even looked injured. Everything seemed to be about 'posturing'.

    Kipawa, who was recently neutered in August, did get into a few of the scuffles, but not a mark was left on him. I would pretty much say that most of the basenjis made sure the other basenjis were aware that 'they' were there. With that many dogs so close to breeding season, I would think it odd NOT to see them doing this. Other than these 'boxing matches', all of the basenjis were really well behaved, a testament to the wonderful breeding program Therese and Kevin have.

    If I didn't think so beforehand, I do now - basenjis are 'drama queens', the boys maybe more so. At one point when Kipawa was in one of the dog runs, he got a foot 'caught' - well not really an 'it's impossible to get my foot out' caught. Still, the sound coming out of him was horrendous! Everyone ran over to see what the heck was going on. Therese calmly helped him out of his situation and he was perfectly fine. Definite over-reacting to get attention. :)

    So I do wonder if Kipawa's recent nipping is due to the 'time of the year'. And perhaps there was some resource guarding going on. Since the nipping, Kipawa has not done anything similar, even in the same situation of laying down near his Dad while Dad was eating, with care aides walking by him. That said, I have been working on him behaving in these situations.

    Fran Harder, BAB

    With Barney in my heart

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  • MacPackM

    Glad to hear that Kipawa is 'back to normal'! And yes, they certainly can be dramatic, in fact 'calling for help' because they 'might' be in a jam is pretty normal! And the noise they
    make when they spar…people think many dogs are being killed, when in fact 2 are boxing and at most, have a wet spot from saliva! Quite dramatic, altogether.

    Hope Kipawa keeps his sweetness and stays out of trouble!

    Anne in Tampa

    Chipley, Missy & Lucky

    Topper, Nicky & Eddie in the clouds

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  • P

    It was certainly a good experience for you to see all the Basenjis interacting and yes, very typical for boys during the mating season although I hadn't linked Kipawa's nipping to the time of year - having more than one boy I'm more used to them being edgy with each other with frustration rather than with people. Still to each his own and I certainly wouldn't discount Kipawa's nipping being due to this reason whether neutered or not.

    I'm pleased that ther've been no more incidents - and the experience has added to your 'basenji knowledge'.

    I laughed (kindly) to Kipawa's reaction to getting his foot caught. I find the males are more wimpy than the females! (Rather like the human kind perhaps!)

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  • renaultf1R

    @Patty:

    It was certainly a good experience for you to see all the Basenjis interacting and yes, very typical for boys during the mating season although I hadn't linked Kipawa's nipping to the time of year - having more than one boy I'm more used to them being edgy with each other with frustration rather than with people. Still to each his own and I certainly wouldn't discount Kipawa's nipping being due to this reason whether neutered or not.

    I'm pleased that ther've been no more incidents - and the experience has added to your 'basenji knowledge'.

    I laughed (kindly) to Kipawa's reaction to getting his foot caught. I find the males are more wimpy than the females! (Rather like the human kind perhaps!)

    +1 to all of this. I agree completely with Patty…during breeding season I notice the dogs are more edgy with each other, but not with people. As I wrote in the original thread, the only mouthing that I have noticed at all is a nibble of sorts (no biting, no blood, no bruising...more like a little pinch) - foreplay on the basenji boys part. That typically has only happened when I've returned from a dog show (and most likely am carrying "that scent" on my clothes. As soon as the clothes go in the wash, the nibbles stop. Drawing blood would be a real concern for me and I agree with Patty that I wouldn't chalk up Kipawa's behavior to breeding season - I think that too much stock is being placed on the time of year and not the actual behavior...but just my .02.

    Kipawa, please don't take this wrong...in my house if this behavior had happened, there is no way in heck that I would be allowing Kipawa, near his dad or care workers while food is being served - quite so soon...but that is just me. I know you are working with him, but it just seems a bit too fast for a miraculous turn around. Also, have you looked into a behaviorist? I hope I'm wrong and just want you to be careful - good luck with everything.

    I too laughed at Kipawa's drama to getting his foot caught. Both of my boys are the drama queens - the girls look at them both like, "what the heck is wrong with them". Quite funny actually.

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  • eeeefarmE

    @renaultf1:

    Kipawa, please don't take this wrong…in my house if this behavior had happened, there is no way in heck that I would be allowing Kipawa, near his dad or care workers while food is being served - quite so soon...but that is just me. I know you are working with him, but it just seems a bit too fast for a miraculous turn around.

    I agree. And I also don't think that you can just chalk it up to time of the year…....and even if you could, it is unacceptable behaviour. I think you are taking a chance unless you are watching him like a hawk while he is in the same situation that somehow triggered the behaviour in the first place. Actually, watching closely could give you a hint as to why it occurred, as well as the opportunity to step in and prevent it.....but you would have to be quick. Basenjis certainly are....

    Of course, it may be that he won't do anything while you are in the room, as that was part of the original conditions. Which sort of takes you back to square one.

    "In order to get along with a Basenji, you have to be at least half as smart as the dog!"

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  • Shaye's MomS

    I agree that Basenjis are drama queens (and kings I guess, from this thread). When going to the dog park, my two girls are clipped by 4' leads to grommets in the back of our SUV. They sometimes walk around each other and get tied up, and the "fights" they get into when that happens would make anyone think total death and destruction was the only thing on their minds. But when we get to the park and untangle them, there's never a mark on either one. Same when they are "play fighting" at home - the noise they make, especially the B-mix, is really scary until you realize no damage is being done, and they are not serious about the whole thing.

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  • C

    strange behavior

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    First, yeah they do the flip and butt in face. I see it as invitation to play/chase mostly. Kind of shaking my head here over the rest. You already have a breed known for dominance and protectiveness of property/family with the Boerboel. Basenjis (I assume you mean 6.5 not 65 years old :) ) are not known for tolerating same sex. Sometimes they do, but not a sure bet. Plus, your Boerboel is still a puppy. By age 2 or 3, that compliance with the Basenji being alpha can go down the drain at a drop of a hat. That happens, and he hasn't killed the basenji... you have to keep 2 packs running, ensuring they never have contact. Then you bring in a mixed breed... which is all a Mastador is. No way on earth to know how much it will take after the lab side or the Mastiff. AND it's another male. So now you have potentially 3 dog aggressive male dogs, with 2 of them large enough to inhale the basenji. I am not sure about the breeders who placed the Boerboel, certainly not the owners letting you bring in the Mastador. I want my male dogs to have a chance of a peaceful, unstressful life. I think the chances in your home are already approaching really low numbers, and the Mastador is going to bring that closer to zero. The safety of that poor basenji is beyond precarious. I wouldn't want those 3 males in the most experienced of homes, one already fully ready to and experienced in running separate packs. I sincerely hope you reconsider the Mastador. And no, getting a female won't help. Until the Boerboel is fully mature and you have a handle on what your pack is, adding any dog is going to up the risk of issues.
  • J

    Basenjis that can't stand other basenjis

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    wizardW
    My previous males never had an opportunity to meet other basenjis (outside their breeder kennel) so don't know if the experience with my current female is "typical" or not. The first time she encountered another, it was a tri-color older female that was a real bitch and instantly got aggressive (now whenever they see each other its "hackles up"). The first time I took her to a lure coursing event, mine was friendly enough until a little blind female came up and bit her. The second time I took her to a LGRA event, a lady came up behind us (while mine was trying to potty) with her tricolor female and her dog attacked mine. So now hackles go up any time another female comes within shouting distance.
  • sabaS

    Weird Behavior ???

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    KipawaK
    @DebraDownSouth: Fran, there are times when I might mean to be condescending, but I assure you that it won't be "a little" or usually any question. That you could take my comment above as condescending… I can only suggest you may simply want to block my posts because it is entirely unlikely I will write 100 words to say what I said in under 20 because SOMEONE might see my observation as insulting. Now if I had said it condescending, such as: How could you THINK it could be that? Don't you think any dog living with females would already have reacted? How silly! The person threw out the idea of periods, which sometimes could be it .. and btw, pregnancy hormones set some dogs off… but it hit me he had lived with them too long for that to be probably. It wasn't an insult to the OP, just a response. People contradict my ideas daily on here, doesn't make them condescending or insulting. THEN, I could see it. I simply tossed out a quick response addressing that logically it probably wasn't that. If you read that as condescending instead of my own view, I am sorry. One helpful rule for forums is that you look at any post and see if there is another TONE than the one you ascribed. If there is, take the other. Like your post. I COULD think you are a jerk, not at all "friendly," addressing this here and hijacking the thread instead of sending me a private message. Instead, because I see you post a lot and like you :), I took it exactly at face value... you simply are expressing your view and trying to be helpful. So please remove any tones you might ascribe to the answer. The tone in my head is simply factual, that I am not responsible for your taking that as condescending and probably won't be able to stop you seeing other posts that way. Now if I actually say something you cannot take any way than as an insult, feel free to let me know. But the above... sorry, Fran, it was simply a logical observation. LOL, and in fact, let me now be "condescending" to my post. (I am joking while making a point.) SOMEONE (but it will be me, since it just hit me where I could easily be wrong...) could have responded to my post and said: Yeah, but dds, you are wrong because maybe she has an infection or urinary tract infection also with a period, that might do it. See? Debra, not a problem. Thank you.
  • shep_18S

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    You can check out this site. It might help. http://ccpdt.org/rstr/OH.html
  • J

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    it is just socialization….my australian shepard was that way with men with facial hair because my dad and brother were always clean shaven....
  • jys1011J

    Is my basenji dangerous?

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    Basenji people are dedicated to our breed, and we all seem to be very responsible. Basenjis don't like all other dogs, so we socialize them the best we can and keep them on the leash so they can't attack other dogs or sprint off after a squirrel and get killed by a car. But there are still dog owners out there who just don't understand the principles of responsible dog ownership. You don't just worry about dogs attacking each other but people as well. I posted the story about how I was attacked by a doberman and nearly killed several years ago. If not for the mailman I wouldn't even be here to talk about it. The owner said he didn't think Raggs would ever attack anybody, so he would just open the door and let him out on his own to go potty. I'm so glad we basenji owners are more responsible than some folks out there who just don't seem to get it.