Teaching B to keep his bones outside?

[PocoTaco]

Each time my B gets a bone we go through a cycle:

1. When it's fresh and meaty he is on high alert guarding it, chasing off the cat and only anxiously accepting our petting. He has also occasionally growled, but I have broken that (fingers crossed) by saying "look", and giving him a treat when he makes eye contact. He will stay outside until late chewing the meat off.

2. As the bone is shredded to just fat and sinew and is developing a stink, at night he insists on bringing it inside. Me and my girlfriend escorting him back outside or throwing the bone back outside has turned this into a game where he will loudly announce his presence with the bone and await a mad chase around the lounge room and outside.

3. The bone will be completely stripped, dry up and he'll basically lose interest, so I throw them out.

Has anyone had luck teaching their B that bones are for outside only? I know why he wants to bring it in, it is just like humans sitting around a coffee table. He wants to be with his pack and quietly enjoy his bone… But they stink too much for me to allow that.

Outside he has a bed with comfortable blankets, it's not enclosed so maybe he feels more secure inside... But that doesn't equate with phase 1. where he is protective yet stays outside.

[tanza]

Have never even thought of keeping them outside…. and if outdoors the bones will get "critters" on it... ants and other insects.... that I would not want my Basenjis to eat... and the smell would attract (at least in my neighborhood) racoons.....So I have a place inside and a blanket for chewing meaty bones. If they take them outside, I do not leave them there... I have if still pretty gross... wrap them in a plastic bag and put them in the frig for later.....

[eeeefarm]

I am assuming you have a dog door so that he can enter the house without you observing the bone? If so, I would block the door when he has a bone, and let him "ask" to come in…....and only grant admission minus the bone. Should solve the problem.

[lisastewart]

never wanted bones or toys outside, too many ants.

[CrazySenji]

I've never given my B anything food related outside unless it's for training. He's far too busy squirrel hunting!

[Timesthemyth]

Not 'outside' exactly, but I usually put Beo into his enclosure to eat bones - while leaving it open. I can't have stinky bones all over my bed.

The x-pen is his 'safe zone' so if he steps outside of that safe zone he gets his bone taken away, teeth brushed, hygiene stuff, etc. He's learned that if he doesn't stay in that one little area his bone will be taken away. Now, this doesn't mean I can't go in there or that he's allowed to be food possessive…I make sure to go in there touch the bone while he's eating, etc....but I can't take it away from him, or force him out. He has to be outside the safe zone in order for me to do that. For awhile he would keep bringing it out, but they catch on quickly when it comes to food.

In theory you could do the same for outside.

But, if you haven't already worked on food possessiveness beforehand maybe not the best idea....dog has to be secure with you taking away things from them first. Clicker training is great for things like this; then later maybe connect it to a command. It has to be consistent in order for them to really get it.

Otherwise, the easiest thing to do is put up a physical barrier to keep them from going where you don't want them to go.

[PocoTaco]

Thanks for the input. I guess I wasn't clear enough in my explanation, but simply blocking his entrance does not keep him from persisting. If I lock him outside while I'm home, he will cry about being locked out.

With the last bone i confiscated it overnight and gave it back in the morning, he then tried the whole game again. So I put a bed in the laundry and let him eat it there - this is a semi-ok compromise. The smell lures in flies and being in Australia, we have swarms of flies. We don't have meat eating scavengers like raccoons, maybe rodents but I don't think they would try it with my B eating the bone. My main concern is keeping the flies out, so outside really would be best. I'll try making his area outside more comfy and establishing it as a bone only zone. - though I think his motivation is to eat with company…

[eeeefarm]

@PocoTaco:

Thanks for the input. I guess I wasn't clear enough in my explanation, but simply blocking his entrance does not keep him from persisting. If I lock him outside while I'm home, he will cry about being locked out.

When he cries, let him in…...minus the bone! He will figure out that he can't have it both ways, and I'm sure when the bone is fresh he will give it his attention for awhile before he prefers to come inside without it. At least that is what I would expect with my own B, who doesn't like to be locked out either!

[stash]

So funny how they learn a routine so fast by mistake, I can't blame your B for wanting his juicy bone with him, we stick to feeding our boy his bones(dried venison tendons, deer kneecaps mainly stuff that is easily eaten) in his crate, he just started taking them into his crate one day and now automatically goes in when I say do you want a bone or he sees me go to the cupboard and the box they are in, I know he knows no one will annoy or touch his food and it's safe in there as he is crate fed his raw meals. His Deer antler which must have a lesser value just stays on the sofa for boredom chewing. Only food I feed outside is fish and raw egg which again is eaten quickly. Your problem is one of the reasons I don't give our boy raw bones that can't be eaten, and isn't it when it's stinky it has more value so needs to come in with him at night, I'm with your boy on that one. Good luck.

Jolanda and Kaiser

[DebraDownSouth]

I think crates a perfect place for yucky yummy food. Put down a towel you can wash, remove the bone when done or even bag and refrigerate it for the next time.

[mixie]

We do prey-model raw and mostly feed indoors for a variety of reasons. Animals are fed in their own areas in the utility room. The cats very quickly learned that we strictly defend their food in their places, but if they try to carry it away, the dog(s) get to take it. Our older (non-basenji) dog was never given the option to eat anywhere else except by special circumstance. In the event he gets a bone he can't finish in one sitting, we bag it up and put it in the fridge or the dog food freezer for another time. We mostly feed softer bones, though, so they're generally consumed in no more than an hour or two. Hard weight-bearing bones are bad for teeth.

Our nifty new basenji's first raw meal will be in the morning, her first bones later this week!