He should adjust in time to losing his companion. However long that takes is questionable though and he will continue to be angry and feel neglected and reflect that anger with destruction just out of loneliness. It may improve with time and may not. You have to ask yourself is this fair for your dog? I would spend nearly all my time with him when I was home taking walks, etc. and if you can't do more than 2 hrs. it may be best to find a better home for him where he has a better environment. If his new home is a better place where there is a yard to run, and owners that can spend more time with him he will gradually accept the new home and owners. I know that is hard but may be the best. When your living situation improves you may think about owning another dog.
Other than that, working 2 jobs leaves the dog alone too much to be fair so you need to get someone…the same person all the time... over to your apartment to spend time with him if you don't want to give him up. He can bond to that person and that will help the loneliness somewhat. If you decided to give him up, the new owners could come over frequently for walks and visits before you gave the dog to them so that the dog would consider them friends before adoption, that would help the dog transition. I would not give that dog to an inexperienced owner though. That could end in disaster. It will do the same things with the new owner although it should get over the transition quicker because it will be in a better environment. Also, was your husband the dog's leader? You now have to be a positive leader for him because it sounds like he lacks leadership.
2yr old Basenji nipping problem HELP!
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our Basenji Koufax recently got kicked out of daycare because he kept nipping at the workers (to get them to play). They said he also has issues with nipping other dogs.
Koufax is a such a great dog he never growls and only nips to get you to play. He is never aggressive over food, toys…anything out of possessiveness.
I dont think Koufax knows when to stop playing when he is in the "zone". Sometimes the other dogs growl and he will keep trying to play. How do we train him to understand enough is enough? Its like sometimes he has no stop button. Im afraid he will get badly injured all in the vain of just wanting to play...
My boyfriend has all but given up on daycare and thinks Koufax needs a playmate aka another basenji(female puppy pref). Is this a good idea? Will Koufax annoy them... or do basenjis adapt better to other basenjis? Has anyone out there added additional basenjis to the family or had a basenji that just wont stop playing?
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What does Koufax breeder suggest?
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When we got Eddie he was almost 3 and friendly but not well socialized with other dogs. He did the same thing, nipped to get someone to chase him. If the other dog was OK and willing to chase him and they played well, fine, but if not, I leashed him and gave a time out. It took a long time but he finally stopped nipping so much; but he also became less playful. He only knew one way and has not really learned any other play patterns. He still will nip a little to get play started, but if the other dog growls, he will stop.
As for nipping humans, he needs to stop, he could nip the wrong person and be labeled a biter and get a fine. We call it a nip, but many feel that if a dog has his open mouth and teeth on them, it is a bite. I have heard (never used it myself) that a citronella spray is very useful in stopping nipping. Doesn't harm the dog, just makes them go "yuck".
But as Sharron said, if you have contact with his breeder, ask what they suggest.
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I'm going to suggest (surprise!) Control Unleashed. If you are fortunate, you can find a CU class. If you cannot, there are 2 CU dvds, a CU book and a CU list through yahoo groups. You can find the book/dvd through dogwise.com or cleanrun.com. If you get the book, read it at least twice. I'm going to suggest lots of Whiplash turn, Leave it, Relaxation Protocal and the OFF SWITCH games. I put the Off Switch game in all caps for a reason as I think you will benefit greatly from this, but do the others too.
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Thanks so much guys! We will try some of these suggestions and keep you updated on the results
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Well, ouch… Cara is extremely mouthy and does the nipping for Arwen to play. Arwen puts her in her place fast, so that helps. I have worked on her having a very soft mouth, and she leaves no marks, is careful. But she will hold my hand in her mouth as she goes to sleep rubbing me with her tongue, lol. I do love it.
However, teaching no bite is critical if there is a problem. My friend Kathy worked with a few of my friends who had problems with mouthy nippers. Hope this article helps. If not, you can write her directly.
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=1128&S=1&SourceID=47
You also have to teach him a new way to get attention. Such as come SIT in front of you. THEN PLAY. Nip? Ignore.
http://k9deb.com/nilif.htm -
I was just watching Uzie play, and was reminded of Buddy and B's in general. Uzie jumped and nipped the withers of his housemate Candi and though she is very forgiving, the nip only got the play to an escalated non-play and growl that I extinguished right away before any aggression. That is the B way of playing. Another B may be the best answer for you if you can manage. Playing is better exercise than any walk on the leash we can give them anyway. They tire themselves out, and Bingo, you got happy, napping Basenjis.
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My B is also a bit nippy at times, but he's learned (over time) to be more gentle. I think Basenjis in general have this type of mentality with playing (as it seems common within the breed). I suppose the key thing is managing the behavior and not letting it escalate to being too rough.
I agree on the last post about playing vs. walking. I can take my Basenji on a walk for a solid hour and he won't be very tired. Encourage a few B-500s and play a few games with my B and he'll be napping in no time.
I think the short bursts of high intensity exercises become more effective at wearing these guys out. Just my opinion though.
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I agree on the last post about playing vs. walking. I can take my Basenji on a walk for a solid hour and he won't be very tired. Encourage a few B-500s and play a few games with my B and he'll be napping in no time.
I think the short bursts of high intensity exercises become more effective at wearing these guys out. Just my opinion though.
I totally agree. In the course of Kipawa's day, we go to an off-leash dog park so he can run like crazy. For the evening walk, we do controlled leash walking. He is definitely more tired after the off leash play time where he runs like a bat out of hell!
