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Aggressive Behavior

Behavioral Issues
  • Heinz57H

    My basenji's started growling/snarling at me when I approach him when he's hiding under the bed or behind the couch (he does this when he knows I'm getting ready to leave).

    He just started doing this in the last month or two.

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  • eeeefarmE

    Do you crate him when you leave? If so, perhaps he is objecting to the confinement. Try this. Put something he really likes to eat in his crate about 20 minutes or so before you are going out. Lock him out of the crate. By the time you are ready to leave, he will likely want that crate door open! (you can condition this before you use it for going out by doing it when you have no plans to leave.) If a crate isn't the issue and you normally leave him loose, just leave! :)

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

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  • DebraDownSouthD

    The longer you allow this behavior, the harder it will be to stop it. If you are going out, shut him out of the bedroom. Put a leash on him if necessary before he knows what's up. In fact, it is of course great to do that a couple of times a day for a few minutes so he doesn't KNOW what is coming. Treat when leashing. Treat and happy praise when you take it off. Get the leash, put in the crate and treat. Leave for a minute, let out of crate. Keep repeating til you can easily get him into the crate. Make the crate more fun.. food, toys, etc, because this is a 2 fold problem –- he is acting bad (which you cannot allow to continue) because he hates his crate. Working on getting him in there a LOT for a few minutes of something good on a regular basis should help decrease the drama til you can stop with the leash in a couple of months. OBVIOUSLY remove the leash in the crate and collar too if you are using one.

    Debra

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  • PearlsMomP

    Pearl used to be aggressive when she was asleep and we tried to move her. She would snarl, rather scary. We just stopped trying to move her. Really we wanted to roll her over to pet her tummy. So we just went over and let her know we were there, and pet her without moving her. She grew out of it, I guess, cause now she kind of rolls over by herself. I lover her so much!

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  • K

    I agree with PearlsMom, same with our Lela, less with Binti.
    Also, when you approach your dog, does she have a easy way out? Can she move away from you or are you blocking all exits? I find my B's get excited easily if they don't see a way out of a situtation.

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  • NemoN

    A way to do what Debra is suggesting in a game format is Crate Games, which you can get on DVD.

    You said this happens when you are getting ready to leave. Pay attention to exactly what you are doing before you leave and then see how your dog is reacting. You should be able to pick up on the cues that your dog is picking up on. You can try changing the pattern of how you get ready and potentially remove the cue to lessen the behavior until you can build the good associations others described.

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  • C

    strange behavior

    Behavioral Issues
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    DebraDownSouthD
    First, yeah they do the flip and butt in face. I see it as invitation to play/chase mostly. Kind of shaking my head here over the rest. You already have a breed known for dominance and protectiveness of property/family with the Boerboel. Basenjis (I assume you mean 6.5 not 65 years old :) ) are not known for tolerating same sex. Sometimes they do, but not a sure bet. Plus, your Boerboel is still a puppy. By age 2 or 3, that compliance with the Basenji being alpha can go down the drain at a drop of a hat. That happens, and he hasn't killed the basenji... you have to keep 2 packs running, ensuring they never have contact. Then you bring in a mixed breed... which is all a Mastador is. No way on earth to know how much it will take after the lab side or the Mastiff. AND it's another male. So now you have potentially 3 dog aggressive male dogs, with 2 of them large enough to inhale the basenji. I am not sure about the breeders who placed the Boerboel, certainly not the owners letting you bring in the Mastador. I want my male dogs to have a chance of a peaceful, unstressful life. I think the chances in your home are already approaching really low numbers, and the Mastador is going to bring that closer to zero. The safety of that poor basenji is beyond precarious. I wouldn't want those 3 males in the most experienced of homes, one already fully ready to and experienced in running separate packs. I sincerely hope you reconsider the Mastador. And no, getting a female won't help. Until the Boerboel is fully mature and you have a handle on what your pack is, adding any dog is going to up the risk of issues.
  • ShannaniganS

    Mealtime Behavior

    Behavioral Issues
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    ?
    Since Sonny joined the family three years ago its seems everyone has invested in a pub style table! my house, my parents & my brother. he can't reach so he doesn't even try. sometimes its just easier to out smart them! :D The two things that just overwhelm sonny are cheese and steak…he'll do anything to try and get it and I swear he blocks me out and is lost in a trance! ;)
  • N

    Eating behaviors..

    Behavioral Issues
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    N
    Hello, I just wanted to send a quick update on Nulla. She is doing so well! We started a dog training course where my boyfriend and I are the alpha dogs. There is not treats involved and it has shown amazing results. Nulla has been in the course for about a month now. We have had no eating problems from her (no barfing, no not eating what we set our for her), no behavioral problems (no chewing my shoes, etc). She seems so happy and I am sure she is gaining weight (although I have not weighed her). I think dog training is completely necessary and we've seen HUGE results in Nulla. Everything I posted about before is no longer a concern. Thanks for all the input though. Take Care :)
  • P

    Male Basenji aggressive behavior towards owners

    Behavioral Issues
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    jessi76J
    @sharronhurlbut: Crating a dog when your at work and then when you sleep is way too much. I am not saying this is the case…but imo, if your home, have the dog with you. I agree… mostly. a dog should be with it's family but, young pups who do not yet know the rules of the house, should be crated IMO, mostly for their own safety. You can't very well supervise a pup when you're sleeping. however, I do think there is a middle ground to it... I crated my dog at night until he was about 7mths old, and 100% reliable in the house (no accidents). I always kept the crate right next to the bed though. with the exception of night hours, our dog was never crated for longer than 4 hrs at a time. our goal was always to achieve no need for the crate.. which we reached when he was around 2 yrs old. I think a crate is a wonderful TOOL, but it's just that, a tool, not a way of life. We still have one of our crates set up, and occasionally our dog will choose to use it, but the door is never shut.
  • D

    Aggression

    Behavioral Issues
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    tanzaT
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  • SarahRNS

    Leash aggression??

    Behavioral Issues
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    basenjibratzB
    @Quercus: That sounds ideal! I do love the head collars…the ONLY drawback is so many dogs have fits when they wear them. But the control is awesome, particularly for reactive dogs. Glad it is working for you! Oh yes, Talker had a fit when he was younger and I tried the collar. I gave up because I felt so bad for him. I don't know what changed this time–whether I was calmer or he mellowed out or what, but he accepted the halti this time around and I'm loving it. There were so many times that he would be so anxious to be out walking that getting him to stop pulling was tiresome and the walks were not enjoyable. We were constantly stopping and starting and stopping and starting to re-adjust ourselves. Now, we just walk. Loving the halti!:)