• When starting pups for work, we expose them to every obstacle we can think of including water. If they do it as pups, it is second nature as an adult. These shot are of Aru as she follows Axel across a very fast moving stream.
    attachment_p_150578_0_p6113437.jpg
    attachment_p_150578_1_cross.jpg
    attachment_p_150578_2_copy-of-cross3.jpg
    attachment_p_150578_3_cross6.jpg
    attachment_p_150578_4_cross7.jpg


  • More river crossing pics….these were simply for fun. One of the factors we look for in puppies is drive for certain things. Drive will help to harness activities such as these.
    attachment_p_150579_0_img_0305.jpg
    attachment_p_150579_1_img_0306.jpg
    attachment_p_150579_2_img_0307.jpg
    attachment_p_150579_3_img_0308.jpg
    attachment_p_150579_4_img_0309.jpg


  • They can dock dive, too!!!

    attachment_p_150581_0_pa090114.jpg
    attachment_p_150581_1_pa090115.jpg


  • Love the dock diving pic. My girl would leap off the dock in pursuit of water skiers. I've had two Basenjis that didn't mind swimming, three that would but weren't thrilled at the prospect. And even the swimmers didn't like to go out in the rain…..go figure! 🙂


  • Oh my two have a lot of drive, but when it comes to water not a chance…..


  • These are really great as it shows the Basenji in action! My B would do well in these activities as he has no fear or back off in the environment. When I took him to the beach he ran right into the ocean to play with the Labs that were swimming. Thanks for sharing Jeff!


  • Both my girls will swim and have since they were puppies… The first time that C-Me jumped in we thought it might have been an accident as she was chasing the ducks and wondered if she didn't really have a clue... but after the 2nd and 3rd time, there was no doubt. Franie watched her a time or two and then joined right in....

    However both will avoid puddles when out walking!

    But those are wonderful pictures, Jeff.


  • Great pics!

    Spencer gets a few drops of water on his head while I'm watering the plants and it's like I've scalded him with hot grease. Next time, I'll try harder– and earlier-- to acclimate a puppy to water.


  • Thanks for all of the nice comments.

  • First Basenji's

    Adventure B's!! Fun pictures.

    When we went to the beach a while back, my Shiba was having terrific fun splashing in the water, but Bowpi was having none of that. At one point, Bowdu and I ran on top of an exposed rock just as the waves pulled back. When the waves came back in, we were completely surrounded by water, but dry enough on the rock. I stood there with Bowdu and called Bowpi for a long time, but she wouldn't even walk onto the wet sand.

    Yeah, I know which dog is NOT likely to pull me out of the water if I'm drowning!! 🙂

  • First Basenji's

    Those are great!!! Our basenji won't go near the water- and we live on the Ca. Delta!!! (Except for a puperoni treat!!!)


  • Great pictures! My present Basenjis will only go in water after prey!


  • Love the pics. We live so close to you. Which lake are you in?

    We are moving to a lake in few months. Curious how Dolce will take to the water. Any suggestions to introduce her? She'll be about 2 1/2 yrs when we move there. She absolutely HATES rain. She'll "hold it" for as long as it's coming down. She even has a rain coat. If there's a little mist in the air, okay, but serious rain, not a chance. I'll carry her across the street and put her on the sidewalk only to get dragged back to the house. Thankfully, she will NOT go in the house. On another note, I'm still in surprised how long a Basenji can "hold it."


  • Introducing B's to water…I introduce my B's to water just like I do any other dog. They follow me or other dogs into it while young. It can be hard once they are older unless there is an older dog model to learn from. If you were near us, I would say come hang out and have your dog watch ours swim and chase things in the water. This is by far the best way. I also will ditch my dogs on small streams and waterways forcing them to negotiate it if they want to stay with me and the other dogs. This is similar to how a mother canid teaches her babies how to do things.

    We often can create water or other types of phobic responses in the way we react to things. For example, if my dog did not want to get his feet wet in order to get from one place to another, I would leave him in the place he is at until he makes the choice on his own. If I carry him across, he will immediately learn that if he balks I carry. He quickly trained me to do his bidding. Basenjis seem to train their owners pretty fast compared to other breeds...part of the intelligence and calculation factor with the breed I love so much but also goes to some of the frustration people can have.

    The long and short of it is my B's don't get away with being babies around anything. They have to jump, climb, swim, and be dogs just like any of the other breeds we work with. I think they are happier for it...I know I am.


  • Jeff, thanks for the info. I certainly want her experience to be a good one. I definitely agree that a good dog as a role model would be great. If you are still in Canton, we are near and would love to get together with you and your B's sometime. If you don't mind, I'll give you a call. Besides it's great to know other local B's.


  • OK, great! I am going to be in and out of town a lot of the next few months but I am sure we can get something to work. You can call the office at 770-721-6959 and we can make a date. Swimming right now is probably out because it is so cold…mine won't even go in right now, but we can do some introductions and maybe run the woods out back. Here is our web site facility page. You can click on the Google map link to get directions.

    Look forward to meeting you.

    Jeff


  • Oops forgot the link!
    http://www.gak9.com/our-facility/


  • That's so cool! I'm hoping to see that our basenji will swim too. He took a dip with my flat coated retriever this autumn, but it was one dip, and that was enough. But he's a bug on my other dog, and that dog LOVES to swim, maybe the basenji will follow - we'll see. 🙂

Suggested Topics