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Poor dog socialization skills

Behavioral Issues
  • Has anybody dealt with a basenji that simply would not get along with any other dog? Every time he sees another dog he will remain quiet until he's within touching distance and begin to growl. This instigates the other dog who 100% of the time is initially being friendly when approaching him and then instantly turns them into an aggressive dog towards my basenji. It's frustrating that I cannot take him to the dog park when we see other dogs there or let him come over a friends house that has dogs. We've tried professional dog trainers and no success.

    If you have had this issue and found a way to resolve it please do tell. I want to be more social with my basenji but I cannot deal with him attacking every dog he sees.

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  • Aggression towards other dogs

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    @DebraDownSouth Thanks Debra, you've given me a lot to think about. I think I'll start immediately with the "leave it" training at home and then get in touch with some trainers/behaviorists in my area. I'm not expecting any miracles here but, like you said, even just learning to ignore other dogs would make such a difference.
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    On the couch Gossy either justs sits on my lap or curls up next to me; on the recliner she prefers directly in my lap. On the other hand, if I'm on the couch in the evening Teddy will slowly climb up onto my lap as if he thinks I won't notice then he'll curl up leaning against my chest and go to sleep! If Gossy is already in my lap, he'll try to squeeze in between :)
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    djaan, how about removing your spam link… then people might think your posts are serious.
  • Yes my dog is friendly?

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    She was also unable to leave. It is not uncommon for dogs to growl or even snap at other dogs who are in their space when they are on a leash or tie out because they do not have the ability to leave. Also, alot of dogs are really rude and adult basenjis do not tolerate "rude" well. Many dogs rush up into other dogs' space which is very rude. So in the case of the Sheltie in the front yard, the provocation could very well have been the dog invading her personal space without her permission. The second incident could very well have been exactly what Pat said, her protecting her puppy pack member.
  • Dog to dog greeting aggression question

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    I will take a bit of time, but it does work. Please let us know how it goes.
  • Fear of dogs

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    My son has been afraid of animals his entire life. We didn't know it until we were visiting a friend when he was 1 year old and their cat WALKED across the room. He freaked out. From that point on he was afraid of any live animal, but loved stuffed animals. He is 6 now and we just got an 8 week old Basenji. We talked about it alot, (he has slowly gotten used to our friend's cat, but every time the animal made a sudden move he jolted). He was excited to get the puppy, and we sat with him while he got used to exactly what the puppy would do. It has only been 2 months and my son is so good with our dog that he is not afraid of the dogs across the street who are high strung little fluffy things that always sent him runnning and screaming into the house. When I asked him about it he said he wasn't afraid now because he had one now. We waited to get a dog until both of our kids were older and could handle some responsibility. It was the best decision we made. He is still uncomforable around large dogs and other large animals, but has made remarkable progress. I don't know how your nephew will respond, but as he gets older he may realize that he has some control over the animals and that may help. Good luck!!!