Skip to content

Pulling on walk

Basenji Feeding
  • Does anyone have any ideas for my pulling Basenji when we go on walks? He is 1 1/2 and still gets so excited on his walks. By the time I get home my fingers are blue.

    Thanks!

  • When Maya does this i just put her collar right up under her jaw (like you might in the showring), they cant pull with the collar there. She soon gets the hang of walking nicely ::)

  • I've heard of someone using a walking stick when they take their pulling dog for a walk. When the dog pulls, they place the walking stick in front of the dog. It worked for them. The dog stayed back from the stick, and eventually they were able to walk the dog without the stick. It might be worth a try.

  • To stop him from practicing pulling while you train loose leash walking, a front clip harness like the Sensation Harness works well, http://www.softouchconcepts.com/

    Here is an article with several approaches to training loose leash walking, http://www.clickersolutions.com/articles/2001/walking.htm

  • learn to run?????
    i walk our two basenjis at once. want to talk about pulling. lol
    some days are better than others. depends on how many SQUIRRELS are out. and if other people are walking their dogs. :)
    usually they are pretty good… until a leaf, walmart sack, bird, cat, squrrel runs in front of us. my sister asked if i ever had any fun walking them. i think they are GREAT fun. :) i get a GREAT work out.

  • You can try the tree trick, everytime they pull stop walking, dont start walking until you get a loose leash. Or you can try turning everytime they start pulling, that way they learn to get their queues from you.
    It has taken us about a year of the tree trick to get our dog to stop pulling, he still does a wee bit but he understands "no pull" and is fairly good.
    Those front clip harnesses are really good as well.

  • I'm hearing that excessive pulling causes strain on the knee joint and damages the patella. There is a harness available that rides under the "arms" and when the dog pulls it doesn't injure the dog, but it is uncomfortable enough to stop the pulling. It's called the Sporn anti-pull harness: www.sporn.com/cgi-bin/commerce.exe?preadd=action&key=SPUS3 Perhaps it will help. I used it on a very strong ACD and it worked like a charm.

    Also, I use Maya's idea of placing the collar in the show position when AJ is having trouble with distractions. He doesn't have any choice but to not pull.

  • Just a word of caution about harnesses. They can cause damage because they restrick the shoulder movements. Many dogs that are in harnesses will begin to windmill their front legs to compensate for the harness.

    Some are made much better than others and the one that AJ Human has posted is one of the better ones.

  • Hello everyone. I am new to the forum. My Basenji is Rudy. He is 5 months old and pulls almost during our entire walk. Everything seems to excite him, people, other dogs, cats, rabbits, pieces of paper etc. So far I have tried a choke chain which I hate and the gentle leader which he hates but doesn't pull as much. Will try some of your suggestions.

    Jerome

  • @jhickmond:

    Hello everyone. I am new to the forum. My Basenji is Rudy. He is 5 months old and pulls almost during our entire walk. Everything seems to excite him, people, other dogs, cats, rabbits, pieces of paper etc. So far I have tried a choke chain which I hate and the gentle leader which he hates but doesn't pull as much. Will try some of your suggestions.

    Jerome

    Have you taken him to puppy training? And have you discussed with his breeder?

  • I would try the harness. I would also try taking him to places that are open with fewer distractions. Try short periods and then reward him for doing well. Get into the habit of stopping and staying put when he pulls and then rewarding him he does not.

    Like any training it takes time…

  • Thanks. I will give it a try.
    Jerome

  • I did take him to puppy class and he seemed better for a while. We are going to another class soon and I hope that helps. At this point I am willing to try whatever.

    Jerome

  • Malaika is improving on the lead but we realy have to work at it and be almost 100% focused on her.
    At class we have been taught to hold the lead in the right hand and walk the dog on the left. I still have to have food in my left hand and reward her periodicaly when she walks on a loose lead.
    If she doesnt respond to food i resort to turning around everytime the lead goes tight, she doesn't like this (neither do i, but it seems to work)
    Sometimes we think we've cracked it and other days she's rubbish ;)

  • @jonny:

    learn to run?????
    i walk our two basenjis at once. want to talk about pulling. lol
    some days are better than others. depends on how many SQUIRRELS are out. and if other people are walking their dogs. :)
    usually they are pretty good… until a leaf, walmart sack, bird, cat, squrrel runs in front of us. my sister asked if i ever had any fun walking them. i think they are GREAT fun. :) i get a GREAT work out.

    My Basenji Benji walks me every day, he usually pulls and is very eager to get to the park we go to, then for the walk home he's calmed down and more reserve.

    In my mind I've convinced myself that when we first leave the house we are going "hunting", but after a failed attempt we stroll home casually and modestly.

    Basenji's are so crazy. :D

  • What the puppy trainer taught me (and it's worked for me) is when she pulls I simply stop walking, and then wait until I can get her attention by saying her name once or she will look back to see why I've stopped walking. Tap your pant leg and call her back and when she gets to you praise her. She often walks in front of me and the trainer told me that should be acceptable (it has nothing to do with dominance) as long as she isn't pulling and I decide when/where we go.

Suggested Topics

  • Teething safe chew toys/treats

    Basenji Feeding
    14
    0 Votes
    14 Posts
    1k Views
    ZandeZ
    @lustopher No ! they will gum them if they can't chew and it all helps with teething.
  • Raw Food

    Basenji Feeding
    2
    5 Votes
    2 Posts
    657 Views
    D
    Thanks for posting.
  • Is My Senior B Too Skinny?

    Basenji Feeding
    11
    0 Votes
    11 Posts
    1k Views
    PhocoenaGirlP
    Thank you everybody so much! I appreciate all the info. I had some vanilla Breyer's all natural and gave my guy a taste of that... boy does he seem to think that's a great treat! Obviously, though I don't want that to be the only thing I do. I'm going to follow up with our vet on getting a draw for the full thyroid panel at hemopet once next pay check comes through. You were right he was only checked for T4. Thank again basenji forums! I was looking back at pics from when he was younger and weighed more. I think he's always been a bit taller than standard and had a little barrel chest. Used to call him a basenji bouncer at the dog park. He was all about playing with the labs, pits and other big dogs - probably because he knew he could outrun them if they ever got too rough. He's much more about slow walks with me and lap snuggles these days ❤
  • Food

    Basenji Feeding
    18
    1 Votes
    18 Posts
    2k Views
    S
    I would find out what he scared of or what he dislikes about the car. Is it the car itself, the sensation of being closed in, the movement when the car is being driven? Then work on whatever the problem is, with food. As for food, I use raw duck and vegetables. And I hand-feed all meals, so I never have a problem with not eating/partially eating. I would also recommend hand-feeding for anyone who does have a dog with food issues. Shredded chicken is good (as long as he doesn't have any reactions). But that and some kibble isn't a balanced meal. You may wish to look into a vitamin supplement, specifically something that has a focus on omega 3 (since chicken is high in omega 6), Vitamin C & the B vitamins (because if all he's eating is chicken and kibble, where is his source of vitamin C and the B vitamins?), zinc & copper (same reasons). All the best. EDIT: I just realized this thread is a year old and was bumped by what is almost certainly a bot.
  • Kibble recommendations?

    Basenji Feeding
    38
    0 Votes
    38 Posts
    5k Views
    M
    I'm trying to keep up with comments directed towards me but I just want to thank everyone for your experiences and recommendations about food and everything else on this thread. I appreciate all of you!
  • 1 Votes
    8 Posts
    3k Views
    S
    I had a somewhat similar experience. Joey had a seizure which I correlate to taking Simparica. He looked terrible so took him to the vet when the first seizure happened and he was late Stage 2. Put him on Royal Canin kidney kibble and Hills kidney wet food and 4 years later he has only had 1 more seizure and his kidney values have remained constant. I will believe your homemade version is most likely better if you have the correct proportions. All the best to your Bs! Joey will be 15 in November.