Socialization problems
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I got my basenji/ carolina dog mix back in September of 2016; she is around one and a half years old and the only animal we own and our first basenji. My husband and I try to socialize her on hiking trails or going to our family and friends houses who also have dogs; but every time we end up having to leave early due to her behavior. Nala is not aggressive with other dogs but barks, jumps and becomes overly playful. All other dogs she comes in contact with do not like this behavior and try to attack her. She listens amazing while we are at home, but while in this situation she does not listen to us at all. We have thought about taking her to obedience training classes, but I wanted to ask for advice on this forum for other options.
Thanks in advance.
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@Geebs93 said in Socialization problems:
Nala is not aggressive with other dogs but barks, jumps and becomes overly playful. All other dogs she comes in contact with do not like this behavior and try to attack her. She listens amazing while we are at home, but while in this situation she does not listen to us at all.
Sounds like she is "acting her age". Still a bit of a playful pup. I assume the dogs you are introducing her to aren't all that interested in being playful. I don't know anything about Carolina dogs, but Basenjis are not noted for listening or obeying whenever there are any interesting distractions around. Obedience classes might be helpful, with socialization as well as assisting you in getting her attention. BTW, are we talking off leash here? Basenjis are also not noted for coming when called, so you may want to ensure you are in a secure area if you are giving her freedom.....
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One thing that MIGHT help is to really exercise and wear her out before you go out. But I do think obedience classes will be a great boon for both her listening during distractions and being around other dogs. It would be very helpful if you can find a few buddies that will go walk with you ... keeping the dogs on leash, separated, but just strolling around getting used to being around but not playing with another dog.
You may get a lot more out of it if you have obedience well underway first, so that you are fine tuning her there. Mary's site has just about every basic training, and she is simple and easy to understand.
http://www.clickerlessons.com/index.htm
Okay so on your dog mix... If you can afford it, I'd do a wisdom panel. It isn't cheap, but it is excellent. I hope for your sanity they find your dog is NOT actually a Carolina dog because ouch. Both basenjis and carolina dogs are "primitives"... and although Basenji DNA is more consistent than the Carolina dog (which has a lot of other breeds mixed in since they lived wild in the USA with a lot of other breeds around to mate with, whereas until recent times Basenjis were more isolated from other groups), you've got a double dose of "yeah maybe I'll listen, maybe I won't... and I really am good at running off and doing my own thing." Having the DNA might help show how much of the primitive genes are in there. Sadly the Wisdom Panel doesn't test for Carolina dog as a breed, and I can't find any that do. But they can look for those primitive lines.
That said, having lived in SC and living in GA, I have met a few Carolina dogs. Obviously with my love for Basenjis and Chows, I'm fond of the primitives. But you have to train smart. Really glad you found the forum, will be fun watching her mature!
