Skip to content

Play mouthing & ending play time

Behavioral Issues
  • Our 9 week old basenji loves to chew. For the most part, we've got this under control (by watching him carefully and replacing stuff he can't chew with stuff he can). Where we don't have this under control is when is comes to chewing us: every time he gets excited (ie play time) he starts nipping at us. He's not being aggressive, but it's still behaviour we'd like to "nip" in the bud. Lots of people seem to have had success with ignoring their dog for a little bit whenever he nips, so we'd like to try that, but we're unclear on a couple of points. First, how long do we ignore him for? And second, often he'll miss when he nips, sort of like snapping but much slower. Should we ignore him for this or wait until he actually connects?

  • How is your pup doing?

    Jennifer

  • On all but the mouthiness front, he's amazing - he's friendly with people and other dogs, he loves to sit in our laps (for now at least), and he's doing well in the basic commands we are teaching him. We're so happy to have him around! But ignoring him has given mixed results and little progress in the last week. Remi just turned ten weeks so we are not too worried yet. At the same time, it sure would be nice if we could solve it sooner rather than later. Also, any suggestions on your dog's favourite chew toys are welcome. We've got Remi some nylabones to gnaw on for the moment.

Suggested Topics

  • Getting a basenji to play with a puppy

    Behavioral Issues
    1
    0 Votes
    1 Posts
    1k Views
    No one has replied
  • Simple question about playing bitten each other

    Behavioral Issues
    19
    0 Votes
    19 Posts
    11k Views
    M
    thanks clokatys, i must to say that here we got 35-40 C i think 95 F -104 F and even we get at 44 at top 111F So when its to hot my girls sleep on the floor getting fresh .. inside the house of course or inside a cartoon box that they like and even with these hot weather they take some sun baths. But they dont like so much the comfort beds at the day because is too hot. So i cant explain to me leaving them inside a crate, i think is too hot. I even let a fan directly to my bed so they can go there and sleep with the air. I let almost daily the tv or the computer with the radio on, so they got the same noises that get when im there. And i left some clothes or pijama over my bed in case that the smell give some comfort. I adopted Laika because dont want that Maca was alone all day sure, i dont have such advise here or i were getting a male. They sleep all day and are very happy at nights getting outside the house to walk and getting some fresh. The house is so hot on the second floor, but the first floor is more fresh and they spent the day on that place and can go outside to make pee well… Maca does, Laika dont.. Or can go to check the lizards or the neigbours dog, we have 5 months on these new house and some days i left separate.. pff i must do that today.. Maca was anxious and i fail to read that.. just know writing i get the idea that i must left one inside and one outside on the garden, that have a little roof to give shelter from the sun and the rain. Well, so i thinks is too hot and boring having them crate.. so i separate them when Maca is anxious and these is the days that i must do that. Will carry on checking their plays and stoping when is too much. I notice too, lately that sometimes one invite the other to play rolling and showing the belly so the other grab the neck of the one showing belly or try because the other escapes and then they switch. Some times Laika do that, i mean push Maca with her side and then Laika seek the belly position to escape asap. The day they fight was when i was leaving the house to work and was on january i think was the strees of the new house, i must left separte and fail to recognize that. I need to learn to read them. I hope wont find any injury bad. On weekends i spent all day at home and they sleep and play or go to take sun baths or follow me while i do my house chores and get happy at the door to take walks that days. Will carry on checking his plays.. will make a video so you can check the kind of plays, sure all with hunting practice..
  • Aggression at bed time

    Behavioral Issues
    16
    0 Votes
    16 Posts
    6k Views
    Robin_n_JackR
    Jack does that when he is sunbathing. He finds the biggest patch of sun he can find, and lays down crossways with his legs poking straight out and his head thrown back. He also likes to sleep with his head propped up on something, like a pillow….or my legs!
  • Chewing on each other - playing or fighting?

    Behavioral Issues
    20
    0 Votes
    20 Posts
    12k Views
    M
    I know this is an old thread, but it seems to be what we are experiencing…so rather than start a new one, I thought building on an old one would be best. We adopted a brother/sister pair of 5 month old Bs. They do well with other dogs, rarely nip at other dogs (unless they are overly excited and the other dog is a little too friendly - nothing serious so far), but my goodness do they roughhouse with each other. They will start the B-500 while taking them for a walk, and wrestle and tackle, nibble, grab each other by the throat, ear, leg, etc. Sometimes there's noise, sometimes not, lots of legs flying everywhere as they wrestle each other to the ground. By what I've read so far using the search feature, this seems pretty normal B behavior. But occasionally we fear someone's going to call the police and tell them we have a dog fighting ring going! Luckily for us it's only with each other that they wrestle. Other dogs don't interest them except to prove they can run faster. So the $64,000 question is...should we try to train this out of them, or do we just need to learn to live with it - as long as they keep it to themselves and don't involve other dogs. Many thanks!
  • Biting all the time

    Behavioral Issues
    14
    0 Votes
    14 Posts
    6k Views
    tanzaT
    @Gooby: An old school technique my grenpeppy taught me way back when is to wait for your dog to mouth your hand and then grab his lower jaw. If you use your thumb to apply a light pressure on his tounge he soon learns that biting people's hand is a very unpleasant thing. to speed it up try putting bitter apple spray on your hands That is an old school technique, and I never found it to work much.. and you have to be really quick to catch them each and every time…
  • Indoors dogs & sleep

    Behavioral Issues
    7
    0 Votes
    7 Posts
    3k Views
    BDawgB
    Oh, the other thing I wanted to mention was that Lexi will go forever if she has woods– like squirrels to chase. Here in DC, we have graveled-treeless dog parks that are small. Lexi does not like those at all. It's too boring.