no chance of being a failed foster with sebastian
he has separation anxiety
ive had him for about 1 1/2 weeks and havent been able to leave the house without him
im starting to get a bit stir crazy at this point, im cancelling appts and having to find someone to stay with im so i can do things like go to the grocery store
have been talking with someone at brat about it but dont want to overload her with the problems (although she is aware of them) and has given much advice, she has been very supportive and helpful
this is my first foster, and i really dont want to complain but …...
if i leave the room for more then 60 seconds sebastian searches til he finds me.
if im outside and he cant find me he starts to howl and howl and howl, he'll stop for a few minutes then starts again
if my roommates are home he is fine or he whines and paces a bit then settles down.
if im in the shower he stands outside the shower curtain looking at me til im done
i dont think its a question of his fearing i wont come back i think its a case of sebastian doesnt want to be alone period!
i am wondering if this was the reason sebastian was found running loose and the shelter couldnt find the owners, they may have gotten tired of dealing with the problem.
not sure how to fix this issue, wish i had another basenji companion for sebastian to see if that would enable him to be without humans in the house.
another issue sebastian has is excessive cleaning, he loves to lick himself, spent about 4 sleepless nights with sebastian bumping up against me everytime he licked himself 5 or 6 times a night pretty much solved that by having him wear his coat to bed. if i try to interrupt the cleaning procedure(he is usually at my feet under the covers so i put a foot in the way) he growls at me
last night he actually tried to lick the entire surface of the bed and then started licking his coat, i think he soothes or relaxes himself by doing this but its beginning to get on my nerves,especially when i havent had a good nights sleep because of it.
last night he spent half the night coughing, he'd cough a few times at the end it would sound like he was trying to bring something up, he' stop coughing then in a few minutes he would repeat the entire sequence this went on for hours. not a cough out of him this morning.
hes been checked by the vet and is free and clear of all issues,
having said all of this sebastian is the ideal basenji!!!
he is incredibly elegant in the way he moves and the way he carries himself, everyone at the dog park comments on this
it took 2 squirts of water to keep him out of the trash
he doesnt counter surf, tear up paper, get in the bathroom trash.
he doesnt do any of the things basenjis are known for doing
hes already learning the word no
hes good with everybody, hes improving daily when meeting new dogs at the dog park, walks beautifully on the leash when using a harness.
hes so smart and so sweet and will gaze into your eyes for minutes at a time when you talk to him
he sits when asked and will actually stay on a long rope when you are outside for hours at a time just sleeping the sun, i think you could take him to an outside cafe and have coffee with friends and he would be perfectly content, i never thought id find a basenji like that !!
he doesnt like the crate, i dont think crate training him will help with the anxiety, and hes not destructive, so im not pushing it.
my last basenji was very independent during the day so im not used to a dog who who is with me literally 24/7, especially when he spends most of that time cleaning himself, over and over and over argh!!!!
but im committed to fostering him for as long as it takes,
im just hope someone can come up with some idea i havent heard to deal with the issues sebastian has, maybe someone has a dog like sebastian and found a way to solve the issues?
having said this im on a limited budget so trying over the counter remedys etc is going to be difficult,
kongs are expensive so i bought some marrow bones hollowed them out and have peanut butter inside them this keeps him busy for about 15 minutes or so, he doesnt like rawhide and eats pigs ears in about 20 minutes
sebastian doesnt seem to know what play is, at the dog park his main interest is collecting info, ie: licking male dogs penises and sniffing, tasting their urine, he doesnt do this just to greet them, sebastian is on a mission, after the initial greeting he will follow a dog around just trying to sniff and lick,completely intent on doing this for a long period of time.
sebastian doesnt play per se his idea of playing is to watch the dogs run, and as they are running he figures out a line of attack, he meets them at an angle and tries to bite at the top of their shoulders, he loves to tear out their hair if he can.
he was fascinated by a newfie that was there one day couldnt stop taking out hair with his front teeth.
he has barrooed several times while watching the other dogs play so i have hopes that he will join in
sebastian will follow other dogs and their owners when they leave the park, which makes me think that he just wants to be part of a pack and that may ease his anxiety when being left home alone.
so would appreciate any input from anyone :))
as you can imagine im a bit isolated since im here at home 24/7 with sebastian, email and the dog park are the only interactions i have with other people since he arrived
so please excuse the long post, imjust trying to give a good portrait of sebastian and his issues
thanks all
heather