• Shaye shivers if it's below 60! Sometimes she also shivers when very excited about something. Also if we are sitting and she wants to be on someone's lap, she will sit and look at us and shiver - we think it's because she thinks we'll hold her if we believe she's cold. They are pretty clever at manipulation. It always works, too. If we don't happen to notice her, she generally will just jump up and get comfortable on us of her own accord. Yes, we are furniture.


  • The only time Kipawa has shivered is when I was out walking him in the winter. Even though he had his coat on, he was still cold.


  • I notice Scarlett will shiver when she needs to go out and it's been a while, like in the morning.


  • Mine shiver anytime its below 80 & Callie shivers to get sympathy/attention. She has perfected the "Poor poor me I'm dieing to death" look and uses it indiscriminately to try to draw the attention and sympathies of suckers in the hopes of securing food/treats/pets/warm lap/whatever else you have that she wants.


  • I'm glad to see this thread as I was about to post about Ziggy's shivering. It doesn't seem to be related to cold, excitement, needing to pee/go out, or going on walks or riding in the car. There's nothing that I can tie it to, and if he's not asleep or eating, he's shivering. He's also 14 years old, so I'm wondering if this might be common in older Basenjis. Any ideas?


  • @ZenGrrrl:

    I'm glad to see this thread as I was about to post about Ziggy's shivering. It doesn't seem to be related to cold, excitement, needing to pee/go out, or going on walks or riding in the car. There's nothing that I can tie it to, and if he's not asleep or eating, he's shivering. He's also 14 years old, so I'm wondering if this might be common in older Basenjis. Any ideas?

    I do know it is common in dogs with kidney failure. All of my basenjis have their pj's on right now. We are currently experiencing a spring snow storm, so it's a bit chilly.


  • My Spencer started shivering about 14 or so. It didn't seem to be related to anything specific, so we thought it might be caused by arthritic pain. We started him on a light daily dose of pain meds, and the shivering stopped.

    This may have nothing to do with your Ziggy, but if he's having arthritic issues (Spencer's x-rays showed arthritis), it might be causing him some discomfort. Love the old guys!


  • @ownedbyspencer:

    My Spencer started shivering about 14 or so. It didn't seem to be related to anything specific, so we thought it might be caused by arthritic pain. We started him on a light daily dose of pain meds, and the shivering stopped.

    This may have nothing to do with your Ziggy, but if he's having arthritic issues (Spencer's x-rays showed arthritis), it might be causing him some discomfort. Love the old guys!

    I'll check into that. Thanks for the tip!

  • First Basenji's

    Bowpi gets shivery and quivery with stress too. When it's REALLY cold, she just peeps and tries to hide from the elements or burrow into someplace warm… whether blankets or dirt.

    [EDIT: Oops sorry, didn't realize it was a bumped thread from the archives, and didn't see the second page updates until after posting.]


  • I've noticed it can be cold (especially for Binti with her thin coat) and it can be adrenaline: just yesterday I sat on the porch with my neighbour who keeps pigeons. Lela lay on the ground, seemingly relaxed, but shivering every once in a while with so much birds just beyond reach…


  • Had never had this so looked it up. I thought maybe old age and inability to retain heat but this doesn't say so. Seemed logical, lol.

    http://pets.webmd.com/dogs/my-dog-shivering-trembling
    QUOTE:>> Old Age and Pain. As dogs get older, some develop tremors in their hind legs. Sometimes the tremors may be in the front legs as well. These tremors usually don't affect how your dog moves or walks.

    It's easy to assume that symptoms like shaking legs are due to your dog "just getting older." But trembling can also be a sign of other issues such as pain. So always talk to your vet if your aging pet develops tremors.


  • @ZenGrrrl:

    I'll check into that. Thanks for the tip!

    You're welcome! Small doses of Tramadol were a huge help to Spencer, giving him a better quality of life with no side effects. I was grateful for that.

  • First Basenji's

    Shivering in a young dog vs older where it may be pain is 'fear' As the thread started out with a young dog, I was wondering if you can recall the circumstances before the actual shivering. Also remember that dogs' noses can be 10,000 times stronger than ours, hearing 'way better', and recall the animals that could tell when a tsunami hit, or bad storm, (barometric pressure for example or thunder way, way out there) the vibrations: of a train, a gun shot, a backfire of an engine, the list can go on. The fear is just something they are not understanding as it is not a (sound) that they are sensitized to, esp young dogs in a new home (up to a year….) Hope this helps (here is a link http://dogs.about.com/od/dogbehaviorproblems/a/signs-of-fear-in-dogs.htm )

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