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Why is my 8 month old digging?

Behavioral Issues
  • W

    Hi all. We recently adopted an 8 month old Basenji from a shelter. We brought him home a few days ago and he's lovely. But whenever we leave him alone outside, he digs. When we see him and come outside to tell him to stop, he'll run away and dig somewhere else. He's already dug a hole under our fence to get to our neighbor's yard, and they have a husky, which worries me. I don't want him to get hurt and I don't want him digging up our yard. We've already tried cutting access to the areas he likes to dig, but he finds new ones.

    We feed him, give him fresh water, play with him, but he still digs. Is it a showing of disrespect? Is it boredom? What can I do?

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    17 month old castrated male: From trained to untrained overnight

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    @elbrant In the rutting season, any female is fair game - even neutered boys ! Basenji males don't discriminate at 'their time of year'. The rest of the year though their instincts quieten but if the female was in season at a different time of year they might show less interest. In a normal season season, yes, they would probably show more than a passing interest - just checking, you know !
  • Muro PadsM

    Hiperactive 16 month old B...

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    @Muro-Pads said in Hiperactive 16 month old B...: He's 16 months old. I did hire a personal trainer, and accomplish basic training, basenji style with no immediate come, short stay and no heel what's so ever šŸ˜œ Lol. But now that you mention it, I haven't been paying much attention to brain stimulation. I will try that. Any games in mind? He won't fetch...not that I expect him to... Well, you should be able to get an immediate come in an enclosed area. Even if you use a 40 ft line and reel him in, it does help. And heeling... they can do it but it's more fun not to. :) My basenjis all played fetch, btw. I start out with them inside, tossing the toy up in the air, playing tug with it... get REALLY revved up...toss off bed. They get it, bring back. Happy reward, more play. Then I work to the hall way. And I had to admit, once outside, it's 20/80 on getting it back more than a time or 2. HOWEVER, I took a lunge whip, tied a toy to it, and can get them to chase it in circles til their tongues hang out. As for mind/senses use. Teach scent games. :) My daughter used peanut butter on treats and went in room, down hall, places in the house, eventually outside. She was 8 working with a rottweiler who has far less ability than our basenji. :) Here's a page with some tips http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/pets/dog-behavior/fun-nose-games-for-your-dog Dog toys that they have to manipulate to get the treat help. I have to admit mine never liked them unless they were so noisy you needed ear plugs. Favorite ever was a freaking heavy wigler milk jug which I could throw a few treats in, toss outside and let the dog knock it all over the yard getting the toy out. But not really that mind stimulating once they figure it out. I keep looking at this one but not sure how well Cara would go for it: http://www.amazon.com/TRIXIE-Pet-Products-Board-Level/dp/B0054Q9TMA/ref=pd_bxgy_199_img_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=1226G4ZQN61BFCV4RSE9
  • G

    Digging

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    P
    Yes, like humans older dogs can go a bit senile but there is no need to woryy - take her to the vet and he should be able to help her. Jewel (my senior) isn't quite as bad as that but she does get a bit muddled - she'll go to her water bowl and stand by it wondering why she went there. Occasionally when she's outside she'll do much the same forgetting and I have to go get her and remind her what she was going to do in the first place.
  • J

    Please helpā€¦Tosca nipped at my 8 wk old!

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    I agree, growling should neither be rewarded or punished, it is telling you that she is not happy and distressed, especially as she is not a regular growler. It gives you the chance to de-escalate the situation and be sure everyone is safe and comfortable. A good trainer will teach you, they won't have to necessarily see it.
  • bcraigB

    Digging in heels on walks

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    bcraigB
    We are now in an area that is covered in many dog training books and/or websites, so you are welcome to research this subject on your own. I think the leadership ideas are pretty much the same even though we are dealing with Basenjis, the issue is using the right technique for Basenjis. We had 4 sessions spread out over about 6 weeks with a positive reinforcement-based trainer. I don't think you have to use a trainer but it does really help. Each week we would have questions because almost nothing went smoothly but she always had ideas to help us get through. I would divide what we did into two categoriesā€“changes that we made in how we behaved around Ella, and obedience training (tricks and commands) that helped to strengthen our bond and reinforced out leadership position. The behavior changes are pretty easy to implement. The main ones for us were making sure we led the way out the door on walks and were the first to enter the door upon returning. Eventually we taught the "wait" command so that she will sit at the door and allow us to step outside before we release her. So she is calm and submissive in front of an open door before we walk out. That is huge. Sets the tone for the whole walk. We had to do a lot of body blocking while teaching this but eventually it worked. Treats are keys. We made an effort to eat our dinner before she is fed. Also, she had to sit and wait for her food. She is not given treats just for being cute or for having a curly tail. We are generous with treats but she has to do something (even just a "sit") to get one. She was so forlorn and sad for the first few months we had her we had created bad treating habits...making her see us a submissive to her. I think equally important was at the same time we began teaching commands. At this point all she knew was "sit" and that took a long time (a moth or two) to learn. With a trainer and using treats and a clicker we were able to teach about 6-8 commands in about 3-4 weeks. When Ella picked up on a new command and the excitement it generated, I really felt connected to her for the first time. And because I was the one issuing the commands it made me the pack leader. It gave me a way of controlling her behavior a little and getting her attention. All good things. We learned down, stay, touch, shake, wait, roll over (very tough), up, here and come (the hardest command for a B). The final piece of the puzzle is getting it to make a difference on a walk. Any trainer will tell you that the energy you bring to the dog will be reflected right back to you. We had gotten so stressed with this digging in of heels on walks that it gave bad energy to the walks. It is a vicious cycle that is difficult to break. You just need to have one good walk, or part of one good walk, and build on it. Relaxed shoulders, relaxed hand on the leash, a care-free gait, these are all things a dog will pick up on. As bad as the vicious cycle is when things are bad, they can turn around just as easy. One good walk begets another. One successful commands teaches another. Hope this helps. We were at a low point with our new dog when I wrote that post. She is far from perfect on walks but we have made huge progress.
  • W

    Agression towards my 3 year old

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    J
    It's scary with a toddler in the house. Even though Willie has gotten soooo much better, when I recently had little children in the house for a short visit, I kept him on a leash. You just can't watch them 100 percent of the time. Here's hoping the best for Buster.