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Basenji behavior in September

Behavioral Issues
  • KipawaK

    Kipawa and I are now back from our weekend trip to Therese and Kevin Leimback's wonderful home. The weekend was filled with unbelievable hospitality, lots of basenjis, great folks, tons of good food, interesting basenji stories, helpful training tips and HOT weather! I'll post more on Kipawa's weekend, along with pictures, in another post. :) Here's what I experienced regarding the behaviors of the basenjis at the event, and how Kipawa's recent nipping might be answered by the actions I saw.

    Now granted, this was my first FoPaw's basenji event (it won't be my last :)), but from my perspective, a relative newbie to the breed, it seemed that whether it was the heat, or combination of heat and the time of year, there were a number of basenjis that were a little 'testy'. There was loud jostling between basenjis, and in all combinations of girls and boys. Some interactions sounded like two basenjis were getting skinned to death! However, when the dogs were separated by just calm wording ("alright boys, alright girls, that's enough now") there were no dogs that were injured or even looked injured. Everything seemed to be about 'posturing'.

    Kipawa, who was recently neutered in August, did get into a few of the scuffles, but not a mark was left on him. I would pretty much say that most of the basenjis made sure the other basenjis were aware that 'they' were there. With that many dogs so close to breeding season, I would think it odd NOT to see them doing this. Other than these 'boxing matches', all of the basenjis were really well behaved, a testament to the wonderful breeding program Therese and Kevin have.

    If I didn't think so beforehand, I do now - basenjis are 'drama queens', the boys maybe more so. At one point when Kipawa was in one of the dog runs, he got a foot 'caught' - well not really an 'it's impossible to get my foot out' caught. Still, the sound coming out of him was horrendous! Everyone ran over to see what the heck was going on. Therese calmly helped him out of his situation and he was perfectly fine. Definite over-reacting to get attention. :)

    So I do wonder if Kipawa's recent nipping is due to the 'time of the year'. And perhaps there was some resource guarding going on. Since the nipping, Kipawa has not done anything similar, even in the same situation of laying down near his Dad while Dad was eating, with care aides walking by him. That said, I have been working on him behaving in these situations.

    Fran Harder, BAB

    With Barney in my heart

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  • MacPackM

    Glad to hear that Kipawa is 'back to normal'! And yes, they certainly can be dramatic, in fact 'calling for help' because they 'might' be in a jam is pretty normal! And the noise they
    make when they spar…people think many dogs are being killed, when in fact 2 are boxing and at most, have a wet spot from saliva! Quite dramatic, altogether.

    Hope Kipawa keeps his sweetness and stays out of trouble!

    Anne in Tampa

    Chipley, Missy & Lucky

    Topper, Nicky & Eddie in the clouds

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  • P

    It was certainly a good experience for you to see all the Basenjis interacting and yes, very typical for boys during the mating season although I hadn't linked Kipawa's nipping to the time of year - having more than one boy I'm more used to them being edgy with each other with frustration rather than with people. Still to each his own and I certainly wouldn't discount Kipawa's nipping being due to this reason whether neutered or not.

    I'm pleased that ther've been no more incidents - and the experience has added to your 'basenji knowledge'.

    I laughed (kindly) to Kipawa's reaction to getting his foot caught. I find the males are more wimpy than the females! (Rather like the human kind perhaps!)

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  • renaultf1R

    @Patty:

    It was certainly a good experience for you to see all the Basenjis interacting and yes, very typical for boys during the mating season although I hadn't linked Kipawa's nipping to the time of year - having more than one boy I'm more used to them being edgy with each other with frustration rather than with people. Still to each his own and I certainly wouldn't discount Kipawa's nipping being due to this reason whether neutered or not.

    I'm pleased that ther've been no more incidents - and the experience has added to your 'basenji knowledge'.

    I laughed (kindly) to Kipawa's reaction to getting his foot caught. I find the males are more wimpy than the females! (Rather like the human kind perhaps!)

    +1 to all of this. I agree completely with Patty…during breeding season I notice the dogs are more edgy with each other, but not with people. As I wrote in the original thread, the only mouthing that I have noticed at all is a nibble of sorts (no biting, no blood, no bruising...more like a little pinch) - foreplay on the basenji boys part. That typically has only happened when I've returned from a dog show (and most likely am carrying "that scent" on my clothes. As soon as the clothes go in the wash, the nibbles stop. Drawing blood would be a real concern for me and I agree with Patty that I wouldn't chalk up Kipawa's behavior to breeding season - I think that too much stock is being placed on the time of year and not the actual behavior...but just my .02.

    Kipawa, please don't take this wrong...in my house if this behavior had happened, there is no way in heck that I would be allowing Kipawa, near his dad or care workers while food is being served - quite so soon...but that is just me. I know you are working with him, but it just seems a bit too fast for a miraculous turn around. Also, have you looked into a behaviorist? I hope I'm wrong and just want you to be careful - good luck with everything.

    I too laughed at Kipawa's drama to getting his foot caught. Both of my boys are the drama queens - the girls look at them both like, "what the heck is wrong with them". Quite funny actually.

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  • eeeefarmE

    @renaultf1:

    Kipawa, please don't take this wrong…in my house if this behavior had happened, there is no way in heck that I would be allowing Kipawa, near his dad or care workers while food is being served - quite so soon...but that is just me. I know you are working with him, but it just seems a bit too fast for a miraculous turn around.

    I agree. And I also don't think that you can just chalk it up to time of the year…....and even if you could, it is unacceptable behaviour. I think you are taking a chance unless you are watching him like a hawk while he is in the same situation that somehow triggered the behaviour in the first place. Actually, watching closely could give you a hint as to why it occurred, as well as the opportunity to step in and prevent it.....but you would have to be quick. Basenjis certainly are....

    Of course, it may be that he won't do anything while you are in the room, as that was part of the original conditions. Which sort of takes you back to square one.

    "In order to get along with a Basenji, you have to be at least half as smart as the dog!"

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  • Shaye's MomS

    I agree that Basenjis are drama queens (and kings I guess, from this thread). When going to the dog park, my two girls are clipped by 4' leads to grommets in the back of our SUV. They sometimes walk around each other and get tied up, and the "fights" they get into when that happens would make anyone think total death and destruction was the only thing on their minds. But when we get to the park and untangle them, there's never a mark on either one. Same when they are "play fighting" at home - the noise they make, especially the B-mix, is really scary until you realize no damage is being done, and they are not serious about the whole thing.

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    I can only comment on my experiences with Kipawa, my first basenji, who is just shy of 2 years old. @viv58: 1. OBS #1: they were only affectionate on their terms and didnt like to be petted or picked up.Is this more common than not. They wanted to be by you, but hands off for the most part. 2. OBS#2: Off the leash - they are unpredictable and may not come when called. Had some wild roaming experiences at the off-leash beach. Always kept treats -and 95% of the timeit worked.Can you train them to counter this? or is this a stretch ? 3. OBS#3: Not snuggly 4. OBS#4: Only looked me in the eye when I had food- everything was a distraction. 1. Kipawa is just an extremely affectionate dog. His affection for me is special, but he recognizes all family members and care aides who come into the house and enjoys their attention and gives it back. He loves being petted and adores being massaged, but has a preference for it being from someone in his 'pack' (family members and care aides). He will tolerate being picked up by anyone, but prefers it when I do it. He is a little uncomfortable when turned on his back, however, we practice this quite a bit and he's getting better at it, especially if tummy rubs are included. 2. The only areas Kipawa is off leash is in our backyard or dog parks that are fully fenced. For these places, he is predictable, because he is very used to them. He usually comes when called, but if it doesn't work, I carry the squeaker part of a squeaker toy with me, and that most always brings him back. If he needs to come to me based on an emergency situation (say he got onto a street by accident), I have a word/sound that I only use in emergency situations. He is excellent at responding to that. All this said, if he spotted a bunny in the dog park, I don't think the emergency recall would work. Based on his breeders seeing him this summer, they have indicated he has a very high prey drive. 3. Kipawa is super snuggly all the time and is also a 'velcro dog'. We are tightly bonded. He is on my lap when I watch TV, or at least laying against me. He sleeps under the blankets on my side of the bed. 4. He easily looks me in the eye. If I am talking to him, we have full eye contact. He enjoys when we give each other 'soft eyes' - the slow blinking a person/dog might do when fully relaxed or before settling down for a nap. If he is distracted (only happens outside) I use the command 'watch me' to get eye contact. Usually 95% success rate, but that would go down to zero should he see a bunny. I can't answer your other questions. Kipawa will be a solo dog in our home. As for the breeders, his breeders were Therese and Kevin Leimback (FoPaws Basenjis) from Washington state. We researched for a year before selecting them. Their breeding program concentrates a great deal on temperament. Hope this helps.
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