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Aggression ONLY when in trouble…URGENT

Behavioral Issues
  • lvossL

    Debra stated already, the baseball bat is NOT to be used to beat the dog off but to provide a physical barrier so the dog does not connect with human flesh when it charges the owner. You have latched onto one idea and are not reading what others are saying.

    Trying to touch or restrain a dog that has entered "fight" mode is a recipe for disaster and advising people that it okay to do it because they are ONLY 20 pound dogs is irresponsible.

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  • tanzaT

    And the "Bat" that she referred to was a "plastic" bat, not a wooden one… again to ward off the dog from connecting with flesh....

    Pat Fragassi

    Tanza Basenjis

    www.tanzabasenjis.net

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  • G

    I think the most important thing to emphasize here is:
    Do not underestimate the power of an angry basenji.

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  • tanzaT

    @gjrcvw:

    I think the most important thing to emphasize here is:
    Do not underestimate the power of an angry basenji.

    Well put…

    Pat Fragassi

    Tanza Basenjis

    www.tanzabasenjis.net

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  • B

    @lvoss:

    Debra stated already, the baseball bat is NOT to be used to beat the dog off but to provide a physical barrier so the dog does not connect with human flesh when it charges the owner. You have latched onto one idea and are not reading what others are saying.

    Trying to touch or restrain a dog that has entered "fight" mode is a recipe for disaster and advising people that it okay to do it because they are ONLY 20 pound dogs is irresponsible.

    I guess I was wrong to suggest something I had read in a book by Cesar Millan and have tried with success my self.
    I did latch onto the idea of a baseball bat, I offered my "suggestion" and just like some on this forum that do not agree with my suggestion, I do not agree with her's! That is all!
    Bottom line is that there is an issue with his dog that needs to be corrected… I was giving a suggestion, Obviously, I do not know her or her dog and can only suggest a method that has worked for me...

    www.basenjiblogs.com

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  • G

    It is good to share your experiences but you need to take seriously the advice of people who have experience and years and years in basenjis. I am telling you that with some basenjis your method will not work and is very very dangerous to both the human AND the dog, who will eventually end up euthanized because of handling in this manner.

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  • P

    Aggression begets aggression!

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  • DebraDownSouthD

    Well that explains your views… Milan. A man who is going to get someone killed. How about I save a lot of typing and suggest you read this thread:

    http://www.basenjiforums.com/showthread.php?t=9598

    And again, you object to using a plastic bat between you and a dog why? You have latched onto the "baseball bat".. let it go, then picked it back up with fervor. Normally I'd quote many passages and go all Debraly on you but I am just going to shake my head and move on. You can stop obsessing over your impressive twisting of using a plastic child's bat to keep the dog off into beating a dog with a baseball bat, or you can stop… read, and let it go. Up to you.

    Debra

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  • C

    I'm brand new to the list. We received Rosie as a rescue dog 18 months ago. Near as I can fugure, she a basenji/lab mix. We go running (I walk, she runs) off leash at a cross-country course every morning, rain/snow/sun. She has boundless energy and I am hopelessly in love with her. Problem: recently she has been running off into the woods and disappearing for 1/2 hour or 45 minutes. Since she has done this on and off for 18 months, I'm not too concerned for her safety. My problem is that I call and call for her, offer her treats when she appears and kove her up all the time. How can I train her to come when I call? Charles

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  • agilebasenjiA

    Try Leslie Nelson's Really Reliable Recall method. available in dvd or booklet from amazon or dogwise.com

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  • C

    Thanks agile. I'll give it a try.

    charles, Rosie Gullywhumper's dad

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  • Anubis's MommyA

    Just an update :) Ive got it under control for good now I believe. Ive got one of those 3 1/2-4ft tall baby gates with a walk through door. I keep it shut so he cannot access the kitchen when I am in the living room on my pc or watching tv. The living room is TOTALLY Basenji Proof…nothing for him to get into. If Im in my bedroom I put a normal gate up in the doorway that goes from my hall to my kitchen. Keeps him confined to my room and the hallway. It's been working great. No incidents...the last one was weeks ago when he got mad cuz he tried to eat my mail I had on the table. When he acts like that Ill just ignore him and walk away and stay calm. My calm body language calms him down fast and within minutes he's his normal spazzy self again.

    Kinda like a bully teasing a kid...if the kid being teased and picked on doesnt react...the bully gets bored with it because he's getting no reaction. Same kinda concept :)

    Owned by Anubis and Casey (the Pitbull mix)!

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  • agilebasenjiA

    thanks for the update on anubis. sounds like you two are creating a new history which is wonderful!

    charles - i should have said welcome to the forum!

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  • DebraDownSouthD

    Glad it is going well!

    Recall: http://www.clickerlessons.com/recall.htm

    Debra

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  • P

    I'm so pleased that you are solving your problems with Anubis. Just goes to show that it only needs the right response.

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  • C

    Agile,
    Thanks for the welcome. I feel so lucky that Rosie has a community of basenji-lovers to refer to. How do I insert an image of my girl?

    charles

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  • Shaye's MomS

    Just another suggestion regarding the trash. Shaye used to get into ours all the time - I'd just go over the pick it all up, ignoring her completely. Eventually there was nothing there so she'd back off. Problem not really solved. Then, we bought a trash can with a lid that opened when you step on a lever on the bottom. She figured out how to step on the lever. So, we turned the trash bucket around, she couldn't get to the lever, and couldn't lift the lid, and the problem went away. Just a suggestion - and be sure to get a heavy one. I also agree with everyone who has said Cesar Milan's methods are about the exact opposite of how to train a Basenji. They just don't care enough what you think when they want to do something, and coming on strong with them triggers aggression. Distraction and showing them something they might want more works best for me. When that does not work, the squirt bottle has saved many many confrontations.

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  • M

    Early morning aggression

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    It is not unusual for Basenjis to enjoy sleeping in. Pretty much all of the five I have owned have been like that! One question: do you feed her breakfast when she gets up? I find a meal is a good incentive for them. Usually my boy shows up shortly after I prepare his breakfast. I am wondering about how your current problem began? Just out of the blue, or did something happen that upset her? In any event, it is important that she realize bed is an option, not a right, and that bad behaviour will not get her what she wants. I think I would start requiring some sort of "work" before she is allowed on the bed, and as Debra suggested, a key word that means "get off", and enforce it if she does not comply. Stay cheerful, but use the leash when you must to get compliance. Try to head off any aggression by distraction. "Oh, Macie, look at that!" and throw a toy or something. Let us know how you get on.
  • kdubs518K

    Fear Aggression

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    Thanks for the suggestions everyone. I know I have a lot of work ahead of me, but she is definitely worth it. I'd do anything for my best friend! Oh! I think we're having some progress with her. My neighbor's granddaughter is staying the week. The first few days Pippin would bark at her anytime she got near the fence. I had the girl just sit at the fence and I would treat Pip every time she looked at the girl or walked near the fence. Eventually I had Pip eating treats out of her hand!!! (I told the girl not to try to give her treats or pet her unless I'm outside, of course. Just in case Pippin would get spooked.) But I'm super excited about this progress!
  • L

    Food aggression

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    QuercusQ
    @JazzysMom: Let me ask you this, Pat {and all}….. I've always fed my dogs separately, esp. since Keoki came into the picture because he will scarf his food and run to see if he can get what the others have. I don't crate them, but they are fed in separate rooms which puts them about ten feet away from one another. Keoki has learned NOT to hover over the other dogs, but he does kind of watch and wait for either of them to finish and then he runs over to lick their bowls. I don't have a problem with that, as they all run from bowl to bowl at the end of the meals, licking whatever {icky} they can find there. It's funny because they all get the same food. Lately, in the mornings only, Jazz won't eat UNTIL Keoki finishes and and then she will growl and ruuuuun for her bowl. So, the last few days I have put her bowl near his {as an experiment}-- w/in maybe 2 feet -- and she will immediately eat while he does. He eats faster, and it's almost as if she slows down when she knows he's finished. She picks up one piece of food at a time to carefully chew it, with the occasional quiet growl to remind him that it is hers. What is up with that? Honestly…sounds like a fight in the making to me. Eating faster is the first level of resource (in this case food) guarding. She may be eating slower for any number of reasons...the first one I thought of was a calming signal to him? I doubt she is trying to tease him...but she may be trying to make a point...mine, calm down, mine, calm down... These kind of things tend to escalate, so IMO, I wouldn't even experiment with it. Why not feed them separately, like with doors in between? It has got to be less stressful for the dogs if they don't have to worry if the other dog is going to bully them for their food...or on the other hand, if they can bully the other dog.
  • SarahRNS

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    @Quercus: That sounds ideal! I do love the head collars…the ONLY drawback is so many dogs have fits when they wear them. But the control is awesome, particularly for reactive dogs. Glad it is working for you! Oh yes, Talker had a fit when he was younger and I tried the collar. I gave up because I felt so bad for him. I don't know what changed this time–whether I was calmer or he mellowed out or what, but he accepted the halti this time around and I'm loving it. There were so many times that he would be so anxious to be out walking that getting him to stop pulling was tiresome and the walks were not enjoyable. We were constantly stopping and starting and stopping and starting to re-adjust ourselves. Now, we just walk. Loving the halti!:)