Skip to content

Play mouthing & ending play time

Behavioral Issues
  • Our 9 week old basenji loves to chew. For the most part, we've got this under control (by watching him carefully and replacing stuff he can't chew with stuff he can). Where we don't have this under control is when is comes to chewing us: every time he gets excited (ie play time) he starts nipping at us. He's not being aggressive, but it's still behaviour we'd like to "nip" in the bud. Lots of people seem to have had success with ignoring their dog for a little bit whenever he nips, so we'd like to try that, but we're unclear on a couple of points. First, how long do we ignore him for? And second, often he'll miss when he nips, sort of like snapping but much slower. Should we ignore him for this or wait until he actually connects?

  • How is your pup doing?

    Jennifer

  • On all but the mouthiness front, he's amazing - he's friendly with people and other dogs, he loves to sit in our laps (for now at least), and he's doing well in the basic commands we are teaching him. We're so happy to have him around! But ignoring him has given mixed results and little progress in the last week. Remi just turned ten weeks so we are not too worried yet. At the same time, it sure would be nice if we could solve it sooner rather than later. Also, any suggestions on your dog's favourite chew toys are welcome. We've got Remi some nylabones to gnaw on for the moment.

3/3

18 Feb 2013, 01:25

Suggested Topics

  • Potty time

    Behavioral Issues 17 Nov 2018, 17:15
    0 Votes
    10 Posts
    3k Views
    @kembe When she finally was put to sleep in my Arms I felt like I had lost my kid. I am sure many feel the same way. I will get another from a relation but I have to wait for my 14-year-old Killer Cat to pass. I refuse to euthanize a healthy animal and I know if I brought a Puppy or a Kitten here she would kill again. The thing is Cats kill other Cats more often than most people think. She killed my fave Cat and I have had at least 30 since I was 15 years old, and that silly little Cat with the Mustache was so delightful it will take me a very long time to get another Cat. The loss of my B and my fave Horse who was 25 nearly killed me. My Horse could have lived much longer but he had EPM which Dogs can get too. It is a parasite that the animal gets from eating grass that Raccoons and Opossums have left their Scat on and there is not a cure. It is basically Animal Multiple Sclerosis which cannot be cured but it can be managed. German Shepherd Dogs and the Belgian Malinois have something that causes them to lose strength their Hind Legs but that is not EPM. My Mom had a gorgeous Belgian Malinois and she treated him with Vitamin B12 Shots at the Vet and kept him as active as possible. He was pts when he was 14 years old and he was one of my favorite Dogs. He was brought to the US by his Handler who was a member of the Spanish Guard. He understood Spanish but took him a while to learn English. He also had a career as a Coke Sniffer at JFK. His name was 'Cokie'! I clearly love all animals and do not have a preference for Breed except for the Basenjis. The things that people have a hard time with are exactly why I love them! Horses are easy because they tell you all you need to know by reading their Body Language. Dogs are a bit harder because you may not have a clear idea of what horrible things have happened. Felines are a Mystery to me! Lupines are great but they are super quiet but are responsive to being part of the Pack. It is my experience that animals are rarely aggressive, they are DEFENSIVE. Sure there are dangerous Breeds like the Presa de Canario that have killed people. That is the exception and I think they are no longer allowed in the US. I am not sure of that though. :)
  • Anxiety & Behavior

    Behavioral Issues 28 Aug 2016, 22:36
    0 Votes
    5 Posts
    5k Views
    Acepromazine is a drug I will never ever give to a dog again. http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?A=570 I agree with Shirley, it seems very fearful. Sadly, that's often a trait you can work to help control, but it is something your dog simply may be born with. You can work on desensitizing to vet... by doing by, let them toss a treat, go home. Do it for quite a while. Ditto on muzzle.. do it at home for a few mins, take off and treat. Work on making both as unstressful as possible. But better to muzzle than have a bite incident.
  • Lets play soccer!

    Behavioral Issues 2 Nov 2010, 15:18
    0 Votes
    5 Posts
    2k Views
    my b greets me with excitement and her stuffed ball as well. we give her pats and then she bugs us to play fetch with her. so we do. then lots more cuddles. i think the pawing/poking is funny too. in our doggie play group theres a dog that doesnt like Hope so much (its a little fussy dog). instead of leaving it alone like the others she'll play play play with the other dogs, get closer to it and then go over to it and bat it with her paws or poke it as she goes past. Hopes new nick name at playgroup: Sh!t stirrer! lol (excuse the language)
  • 0 Votes
    89 Posts
    110k Views
    Hello, Im new here and have a question in regards to growling. We just rescued an older male Basenji that was just neutered. We have had him a week. He doesn't play with toys. Seems to like any dog he comes across. Tolerates small children and seems to want attention from any person that comes along. He doesn't seem to be food aggressive and is perfectly happy to sit by me most of the day when I'm home. I even come home for lunch to walk him every day. My question is that when we first got him he had no issues getting into his crate, but now he has started growling and getting his back hair up when I tell him to get into his house. Hes too new for me to want to allow him to wander the house with the cats alone. I tried giving him treats when he went in to make it a positive experience but he doesn't seem very happy and now growls every time I ask him to go in. Any suggestions to help with this issue?
  • 0 Votes
    10 Posts
    5k Views
    These articles were very helpful. I had never looked at it like that, but it makes sense. I will have to try it.
  • Why? Nip & Brawl

    Behavioral Issues 16 Apr 2007, 20:41
    0 Votes
    49 Posts
    14k Views
    @Quercus: you mean the dog that lived there first, right? Or do you mean the dog that gets to you first? Yes, the dog that lived there first