Skip to content
Basenji Forums
  1. Home
  2. Behavioral Issues
  3. Anxiety & Behavior

Anxiety & Behavior

Behavioral Issues
  • J

    Hi All :)

    I am new to this forum. I have had my Hemi for about three years and I had some general behavior questions and wanted to see if anyone had any of the same issues.

    1. Severe anxiety, to the point of aggression during any grooming or vet activities. Whenever I take her to the vet she has such severe anxiety even if I am in the room. She will not let the vet touch her, and if he tries she snaps. I have to muzzle her (which BREAKS MY HEART) to get any kind of an examination done. The last time I took her in for her booster shots she uh.. expressed her anal glands all over me - which I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. I have tried the homeopathic remedies, like calming chews but she is like a tank. I have fed her triple the amount suggested for her weight (25lbs) with no change. The same with grooming. Getting her nails clipped leaves me (and the groomer) with severe scratches because I physically have to hold her down. I know this sounds terrible, but her nails get SO LONG that I have to do something. She is never, ever aggressive towards strangers unless she is in a grooming/vet environment. I don't understand. People will come up and pet her on walks and she never has a single issue.

    2. She LOVES to lick feet, hands, and legs. Not to the point of obsession, and if I tell her "no" she stops and finds something else to do. But if I were to let her she would spend hours licking my feet and legs. I have been told it's a sign of affection - but it just seems so strange.

    3. Leash pulling. I know this probably isn't Basenji specific, because all dogs pull - but she is out of control. I stop walking until she stops pulling, and tell her no. But aside from those spiky collars (which I think is cruel) does anyone have any suggestions on how to get her to stop pulling. I understand that she is excited, but her an her 25lbs have pulled me (7x her body weight) so hard out the front door that I nearly fall down the stairs. I know she is STUBBORN (oh my word, is she stubborn) but she generally knows I am the boss in the house. Once we hit that front door, all bets are off! 0_1472423691506_hemi 2.jpg

    0
  • eeeefarmE

    #1 sounds like a fear reaction, especially the expressing of the anal glands. Her aggression is her trying to defend herself. The only fix for this (other than tranquilizers) in my opinion is taking a lot of time to make her comfortable and less defensive with basic procedures. Was she a puppy when you got her or a rescue? If the latter, there may be some history you don't know about. I would work with her at home, gently but firmly and with lots of rewards for good behaviour. There should be no areas of her body that you cannot touch. Be patient and preferably work alone. Dogs (and other animals) do not like being "ganged up on". Gain her confidence one step at a time. Make very sure that nothing you do hurts! Work on being able to handle her feet, and eventually clipping her toenails, but take it very slowly and reward for any progress. And work with her daily for short sessions. DO NOT BE CONFRONTATIONAL! Firm, yes, but very "matter of fact". When you get to the point where you can handle her all over and do basic grooming tasks, then it's time to introduce someone else under your supervision. She may not get over her aversion to vets. Face it, the dog knows where it is from the smell, even if they have not been to that particular clinic, so a muzzle may be necessary to ensure the vet's safety. Buy one and get her used to wearing it for short periods at home. Put it on her just before you go into the office with her, not after she is already all tensed up.

    If you must force the nail clipping, wrap her in a large towel (works with cats) to avoid those scratches and "bear hug" her as gently as possible. If you can walk her on pavement you may not need to trim nails very often.

    #2 Not unusual. It isn't affection, IMO. Basenjis can be very intent on "cleaning", themselves or others.

    #3 Again, pretty normal for a Basenji. Try a martingale collar and try reversing direction when she pulls. Not moving forward when she is pulling is a good strategy if you have the patience for it. Not everyone does!

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

    0
  • K

    Agree with eeeefarm:

    1. We went to another vet with Lela recently, and she had no problem putting ointment deep in her ear, whereas Lela usually fights to get off the table and does not want to be touched. Some got it, some don't. With patience I learned how to put the stuff in her ear without even holding her head.
    2. If you're not dry or clean, sit still, until you are.
    3. Big challenge! For us it works like this: On a long leash Lela and Binti can move around and sniff what they want. But when we take the leash short, they seem to understand that it's 'walk (sort of) next to the human'.
      Good luck!
    0
  • M

    You might want to try acepromazine when you go to the vet or the groomer. I know some don't agree but it works for my boy. He doesn't have to be muzzled or held down and the visits go much faster which my boy likes. I also bring special treats which he only gets at the vet's and have the staff give him the treats. It helps him to know that good things happen at the vet's too!

    0
  • DebraDownSouthD

    Acepromazine is a drug I will never ever give to a dog again.
    http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?A=570

    I agree with Shirley, it seems very fearful. Sadly, that's often a trait you can work to help control, but it is something your dog simply may be born with. You can work on desensitizing to vet... by doing by, let them toss a treat, go home. Do it for quite a while. Ditto on muzzle.. do it at home for a few mins, take off and treat. Work on making both as unstressful as possible. But better to muzzle than have a bite incident.

    Debra

    0

Suggested Topics

  • BethB

    Separation Anxiety

    Behavioral Issues
    7
    0 Votes
    7 Posts
    3k Views
    elbrantE
    @beth Try behavior training before you add another dog. This is going to take a bit of repitition over the better half of a morning, and a few days of follow up training -- but it works. Do whatever preperation you normally do to leave. Tell your dog that you will be "right back" (insert whatever command word/phrase you want to use). Then exit and lock your door. Walk around the corner of the building, then return. Praise your dog as you greet them. Wash, rinse, repeat, gradually increasing the amount of time you are gone. Start at a few moments, then trips to the store, etc. This reassures them that you will come back,. but you are actually teaching your pup the routine ques. It alerts the dog that you are preparing to leave (without them). Slightly different for when they get to go with you. Your dog will learn the difference ("Hey, if she picks up the leash, I get to go, too!"). I (personally) use bribes as a tell-tale. I give my pup a kong filled treat, or a frozen neck bone (her favorite) to chew on if she's staying at home. If I call her and pick up the leash, she's coming with. But she's ok, even on the rare occasion that I'm gone for 6 hours!
  • sabaS

    Weird Behavior ???

    Behavioral Issues
    17
    0 Votes
    17 Posts
    5k Views
    KipawaK
    @DebraDownSouth: Fran, there are times when I might mean to be condescending, but I assure you that it won't be "a little" or usually any question. That you could take my comment above as condescending… I can only suggest you may simply want to block my posts because it is entirely unlikely I will write 100 words to say what I said in under 20 because SOMEONE might see my observation as insulting. Now if I had said it condescending, such as: How could you THINK it could be that? Don't you think any dog living with females would already have reacted? How silly! The person threw out the idea of periods, which sometimes could be it .. and btw, pregnancy hormones set some dogs off… but it hit me he had lived with them too long for that to be probably. It wasn't an insult to the OP, just a response. People contradict my ideas daily on here, doesn't make them condescending or insulting. THEN, I could see it. I simply tossed out a quick response addressing that logically it probably wasn't that. If you read that as condescending instead of my own view, I am sorry. One helpful rule for forums is that you look at any post and see if there is another TONE than the one you ascribed. If there is, take the other. Like your post. I COULD think you are a jerk, not at all "friendly," addressing this here and hijacking the thread instead of sending me a private message. Instead, because I see you post a lot and like you :), I took it exactly at face value... you simply are expressing your view and trying to be helpful. So please remove any tones you might ascribe to the answer. The tone in my head is simply factual, that I am not responsible for your taking that as condescending and probably won't be able to stop you seeing other posts that way. Now if I actually say something you cannot take any way than as an insult, feel free to let me know. But the above... sorry, Fran, it was simply a logical observation. LOL, and in fact, let me now be "condescending" to my post. (I am joking while making a point.) SOMEONE (but it will be me, since it just hit me where I could easily be wrong...) could have responded to my post and said: Yeah, but dds, you are wrong because maybe she has an infection or urinary tract infection also with a period, that might do it. See? Debra, not a problem. Thank you.
  • N

    Separation Anxiety?

    Behavioral Issues
    14
    0 Votes
    14 Posts
    5k Views
    Shaye's MomS
    Your situation sounds like mine was, when we had only Shaye. She had a serious case of separation anxiety and the minute we tried leaving, she would pee, wherever she was, along with screaming. Everyone told us to get her another b, and when we got Gemma, it was magic. So long as Gemma is with her, she is fine. Maybe Aries just feels more secure with Katie than with Petey. Is Petey less calm than Katie?
  • N

    Eating behaviors..

    Behavioral Issues
    16
    0 Votes
    16 Posts
    6k Views
    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 :)
  • D

    Separation anxiety

    Behavioral Issues
    7
    0 Votes
    7 Posts
    3k Views
    wizardW
    I'm having the same problem with my current basenji that gbroxon mentioned - it's not the crate at all. And working on solving SA (different from boredom) is tough, I've found. You just need patience and lots of it.
  • youngandtiredY

    Strange behavior!!!

    Behavioral Issues
    11
    0 Votes
    11 Posts
    5k Views
    P
    I think you should go back to your vets especially as this has been happenig ever since the emergency surgery. It could just be coincidence I suppose, but if she were mine I'd want to check. As Pat says more information is needed before suggestions can be given.