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Grooming-chewing?

Behavioral Issues
  • ZenGrrrlZ

    My female, Zhara, likes to "chew" on Ziggy. She runs up to him and begin chewing, or nibbling, on his neck. These are very tiny, very fast movements and she's never biting or, from what I can tell, hurting him at all. He just sits calmly, basically ignoring her. She generally then licks his face a few times.

    I'm wondering if this is some type of grooming behavior … has anyone else seen this type of gentle "grooming-chewing" in their Basenji?

    Lori

    The Z-Pack: Zen and Ziggy

    In memory of Zoe and Zhara Baroo

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  • MayaM

    Maya does this all the time, to herself, the other dogs AND me! It doesnt seem to hurt her or the other dogs but she has pinched my skin a couple of times when she did it to me.. Naughty girl!

    My cats groom like this also though, i wonder if thats one of the reasons for the basenjis reputation of being cat like :)

    Jess

    http://www.silverbriar.co.uk

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  • T

    Amina is our most persistent 'nibbler.' We joked that she would have hairless puppies if she continually nibbled them the way she does all the other dogs. None of them seem to mind it; I agree, I think it's grooming.

    Terry

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  • renaultf1R

    I call it flea-ing - All of mine do it to each other.

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  • tanzaT

    @renaultf1:

    I call it flea-ing - All of mine do it to each other.

    LOL, we call it "de" flea-ing!! Franie does it to C-Me all the time and C-Me really likes it… she will stop what she is doing, even when chewing a really good bully stick!

    Pat Fragassi

    Tanza Basenjis

    www.tanzabasenjis.net

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  • MacPackM

    We call it 'flea-biting' and grooming. Some do it, others don't, no one seems to mind it. I would call it natural and affectionate!

    Anne in Tampa

    Chipley, Missy & Lucky

    Topper, Nicky & Eddie in the clouds

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  • S

    My girl Wheat does that to me when we are just getting settled down to bed.
    I think its a bit of love they do with their mouths…very gentle.

    Sharron Hurlbut

    BRAT, basenji rescue

    Evergreen basenji club

    Seattle Purebred Dog Rescue

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  • DebraDownSouthD

    Cara flea bites me a lot but omg, poor Leora, it's almost nonstop when she is home. One day she made her get under the covers, then said in a sad voice "now she's flea biting my thigh." LOL

    Debra

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    Random yelps when grooming/licking

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    She now did this after getting up from a loong long 2 or 3 hr nap , after doing her downward dog and cat stretch , stretching down then back into a normal position she whined and turned to her left hind side , muscle cramp ?, stifle stuck?, is really weird I've squeezed every place it might be and nothing , she does go into a sit when I'm around her back end and squeeze her back end ? Could that be an issue ??
  • M

    Laika chews

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    My red & white grew out of chewing up stuff when he was about 4. He had mastered unzipping the couch cushions and destuffing them! It was his duty to destuff any couch with a zipper! My female will be 8 next month and she (I'm afraid) will never grow out of destuffing/chewing! Small hole in a comforter, no problem, let's make it bigger and destuff it so the room looks like snow! Toilet paper, hanging on the toilet paper dispenser? Never in my house! It only lasts 2 minutes and then it is set on a path of distruction…down the hall....in the living room.....in the bathroom.....on the bed..... Unfortunately, she is teaching the toilet paper destruction to my almost 3 year old rescue. But he doesn't shred, he litteraly eats anything he is destroying. We have had to be extra dilligent to keep chew dangers out of his way. He is tiny for a male (20 lbs) and we don't want him to ingest something and not be able to pass it. I echo everyone else's statements. It's like baby-proofing your house, except it's basenji-proofing! And when you catch the chewing something they aren't supposed to have, scold them and give them one of their own toys. These are intellegent dogs, they get it....after a while!
  • RedVelvetLynxR

    Carpet Chewing

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    RedVelvetLynxR
    @Shaye's: Shaye has never chewed on stuff she shouldn't until the last week or so - she's almost 6 months though, and lots of her behavior has gotten worse - if we go into the bathroom she starts chewing at the door jambs - she has also discovered carpet is a good toy - and if we are not paying attention to her, she purposely starts doing something she knows she shouldn't - my friend b owners tell me it's her "teen phase," pushing all the limits - hope she grows out of that soon…..maybe that's what your dog is up to - Exactly. Trinity was so good about not chewing on things she isn't supposed to until a few months ago - I thought I must have been blessed with the best behaved chewer ever! Ah-haha! It started with the base board corners & has moved to carpet threads. I would like to believe she doesn't realize what she's chewing on, but this isn't so. When I catch her in the act, there are no no toys around her, unless she's carried one over for a decoy. Otherwise, she sniffs around until she finds a spot. As soon as she stops & starts digging her nose in the threads, I know the chewing is not far behind, so at least I have an opportunity to nip it in the bud. I happen to think the chewing has also become an attention-getting mechanism. She wants to play ALLLLL of the time - it gets ridiculous! :eek:
  • phoenix3P

    Phoenix chewing at his Paw ..

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    My B chews her paw sometimes too..doesn't last long and its like she is cleaning herself so we just ignore it.
  • MiaM

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    My first basenji used to bite his nails all the time. He especially liked doing it around 2 in the morning.:eek:
  • F

    Chewing

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    BasenjiDivaB
    Cory seems to really like her crate at night. It is beside our bed and when she sees that we are on our way to bed, she goes right in and does everything but shut the door after herself. My husband is away on a trip and so the other night I left the crate door open at bedtime to see what she would do. She still stayed in there all night. She didn't come out until my alarm went off the next morning. At least if she starts to shred at night I should hear it. I'm going to keep my fingers crossed and hope that doesn't happen. Is Keoki in the room with you? Pat