One Paw? Lol

[Anubis's Mommy]

Is it just Anubis or do all ya'lls Basenji's do this? I think its too cute! Will try to get a pic sometime and post. Okay, if Anubis knows hes going to get a treat or something and he sits patiently in front of me he ALWAYS has to have ONE paw up lol. Or if hes just patiently sitting and waiting for ANYTHING…to come inside...for his food or a treat. It's funny. His paw is ALWAYS up in the air haha.

[Kipawa]

Kipawa will do that sometimes. He's done it while both sitting and standing, and when treats were being given and not. I'm not sure why he does it. But I love all of his antics, so I enjoy this one as well.

[Shannanigan]

Paco will use one to paw at us…like, stretch it out, touch our toes or hands, as if he were a child tugging at us for it, lol. Also, if he's really worked up, agitated, or annoyed with us, he will sit back hard on his butt (which is unusual for him) and crank his head back until it looks like his neck might snap. It's such a crazy dog look that it gets my friends laughing every time he does it.

[DebraDownSouth]

Arwen does it, but Sayblee and Cara, no. But Arwen ALSO lifts one paw if she is waiting for you to rub her chest or back. I have no idea why. I used to try to tell her she would be more BALANCED if she put the danged leg down, but over the years I just gave up, lol.

[Anubis's Mommy]

Anubis will also sit with his butt and back to me when he gets mad….like when I crate him before I leave. Ill put him in and then go gather my things and if I look at him he will whine really quiet, sit down, and put his butt and back to me as if he was mad lol. He is so hilarious...thats what got me hooked on this breed! They are SOOO quirky and have wonderful personalities. In the future when Im not renting anymore and can have more than 2 dogs Im considering adopting a 2nd B from BRAT. Right now I have Anubis and his buddy Casey who is a 6mo Lab/pointer mix.

[Kananga]

Kananga will always come up to me when I'm at the computer, sit towards me, and rest one paw on my chair. They are an interesting breed. :)

[Anubis's Mommy]

Kananga, Anubis does that all the time! Its so cute. If I ignore him when he does it he will put BOTH paws on my chair or leg and make this WOOF noise to get my attention lol

[lvoss]

Many dogs of all breeds do paw lifts. It is a calming signal.

[Kipawa]

@lvoss:

Many dogs of all breeds do paw lifts. It is a calming signal.

Thanks Ivoss, for the background on what that means. I'll pay attention to it the next time and see what is going on in the environment.

[Shaye's Mom]

Shaye lifts one paw while on walks if she spots a squirrel or rabbit. She goes real still, lifts one paw like a setter or a pointer, and when she believes she is in range, the chase is on - at least until she runs out of leash. When she wants to play, on the other hand, it's the butt that goes up, and the whole front goes down just before she leaps to chase.

[Nemo]

@Kipawa:

Thanks Ivoss, for the background on what that means. I'll pay attention to it the next time and see what is going on in the environment.

In the original context given, you can somewhat interpret it as compliance or "hey, I'm listening to you". I noticed as I have put more manners-type structure in place with the dogs ("say please by sitting" type of thing), paw raises have increased a lot likely in anticipation of some sort of reward.

[bcraig]

Ella does it all the time. We even have a name for it. We call it "question mark paw" because the shape of the arm vaguely resemble a question mark (?). We find that question mark paw is used to convey a variety of messages, depending on the context. It often means she is anxious about something (she wants to go outside, she wants her dinner), and it also is commonly a sign that she wants us to pay attention to her–play with her, scratch her ears, etc...

[Kipawa]

Speaking of computers and basenjis - Kipawa lays beside me and then tosses his head around and hits the 'delete' key with his nose!