Skip to content
Basenji Forums
  1. Home
  2. Behavioral Issues
  3. Help please!

Help please!

Behavioral Issues
  • B

    To clarify, my husband does walk her when he is home (which is late evenings and weekends) and he does give her treats, etc. And up until she started her change in behaviour towards him 2 days ago, she would snuggle up to him and fall asleep on him every evening. That's why the only thing I can think that would help, is him (ONLY him) feeding her, by hand, on weekends.

    I'm hoping for advice that can help improve her anxiety towards him.

    0
  • T

    One trick that worked for our Sheba was to wet a hand and let her lick it. It helped her get over her fear of men.

    B 1 Reply
    0
  • D

    Puppies go through fear stages where they can freak out about something they were fine with previously. This is likely just one of those. If you don't over react is will likely pass quickly.

    Tanza's suggestion of having him feed her is a great idea. Having him give her yummy treats is also good. Nothing is better than a trusted food source!

    B 1 Reply
    1
  • B

    @tony thank you for the advice!

    0
  • B

    @donc We're doing everything else that was mentioned already, hopefully him feeding her (just him) this weekend will help :crossed_fingers: . Thank you for mentioning the fear stages, let's hope it goes by quickly! :slightly_smiling_face:

    D 1 Reply
    0
  • J

    A pocket with pieces of her favorite treat. The minute he walks in the door,and every time she makes eye contect and/or allows him to touch her. Does she have a favorite toy, in case she is one of those who is not food motivated, same process. Dont worry about over feeding, just cut back on regular portion during this process.

    B 1 Reply
    0
  • D

    @basenji_life Already good suggestions. Just to add, his reaction may be feeding the behaviour. When she doesn’t want him to pet her, then have him immediately ignore her.

    My first two dogs didn’t like strangers, however they warmed quickly when ignored. The more a new person would try to pet them, the more they would be suspicious. It’s a little reverse psychology, I think often when someone is trying hard the dogs pick up on that but view it as suspicious or threatening.

    I tell all visitors to ignore the dogs completely, then they become curious and before you know it they want attention. If they try to pet them, then they become suspicious and feel threatened.

    Often with my dogs, they want to be petted but “their way” lol. Sometimes I will pet their back and they get all annoyed because they want their chest petting. Most times I don’t care but once in a while I will tell them go away then lol. Then I get the offended look lol.

    Basenjis are very different and do have quirks!

    3
  • B

    @dagodingo This is interesting! Thank you we'll try this! :slightly_smiling_face:

    0
  • B

    @joan-duszka Thanks for the advice :) He'll give a treat every time he walks in!

    0
  • DebraDownSouthD

    I agree with the ignore. You can do that and treats. When he walks in, without looking at her, drop a treat and keep moving. Maybe place hand palm up with a treat on it while on the sofa. Let her approach and get the treat. Add in "good girl" when she's comfortable with that. This way she isn't pressured to respond except in clearly positive (walks, feeding) situations, and she does the approach at other times.

    He may have done something that startled her without realizing it. With patience she will get over it. Licking his hand to get his scent is great...maybe smear his palm with a little cream cheese or peanut butter (don't overdo it).

    We need pictures, btw.

    Debra

    1
  • B

    @debradownsouth This morning he feed her himself by hand, however she only came and ate when he looked AWAY :smiling_face_with_open_mouth_closed_eyes: as mentioned so thank you! It's progress!

    We went out with her today and did a few stops and we noticed she's reacting his way to all the men and she's fine with the women :upside-down_face:

    1
  • eeeefarmE

    @basenji_life said in Help please!:

    @debradownsouth This morning he feed her himself by hand, however she only came and ate when he looked AWAY :smiling_face_with_open_mouth_closed_eyes: as mentioned so thank you! It's progress!

    We went out with her today and did a few stops and we noticed she's reacting his way to all the men and she's fine with the women :upside-down_face:

    That's a big clue. Looking at her, particularly directly into her eyes, will likely be read as dominance or aggression and frightens her. When he does look in her direction it should be with unfocused eyes. Eventually when she relaxes with him you can teach eye contact. Clicker training is good for this.

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

    0
  • D

    @basenji_life said in Help please!:

    Oh and yesterday evening she started peeing on the sofa while looking straight at him... and she normally goes outside to pee... maybe she was upset that he was home?

    Did you solve this issue? I had a dog who didnt like kids. Someone told me it could be because the previous owner had kids who scared the dog. So it could be a traumatic experience for the dog. And when kids were around, the dog would bark a lot always.

    0

Suggested Topics

  • C

    Basenji Reactivity- please help!

    Behavioral Issues
    25
    2 Votes
    25 Posts
    6k Views
    DebraDownSouthD
    Cara is 11. She has only love our Samoyed in her entire adult life. No animal is worthy of breathing air. While Pam did take her about 5 years ago for a refresher course, she learned to ignore the other basenjis, not like them. If she freezes, she is definitely waiting for prey. Usually she keeps walking slowly, eyes seemingly forward, until she is within striking distance. I wouldn't trust my dog to lie in wait until you truly are sure of their intentions. Even then, do you know if their behavior may be stressing out the other dog? And how many dogs and how much time do you have to play out this behavior? On a good day, Moose the Samoyed runs into up to 10 of his harem on a long walk (usually 3 to 5). He's out to play, that's the goal. On a potty walk when my daughter or her fiance are in a hurry, they give him very little play time and he accepts it. No, he's not a basenji...but also an ancient independent thinking breed. They live to play. We get to decide when. My point being, I understand that a behavior may be normal...but I am surprised at owners throwing up their hands and letting it go. There are many situations where you need the dog to keep moving, and you want training in force before that occurs. I am not sure at the resistance against that view.
  • H

    Help

    Behavioral Issues
    7
    0 Votes
    7 Posts
    4k Views
    S
    Do let us know what you found out from the vets.
  • L

    Please Help!!!!!!

    Behavioral Issues
    11
    0 Votes
    11 Posts
    4k Views
    S
    Fran, my older b and I are also those who can't sleep throught the night. So, we all get up and take care of business. At least your pup will out grow this… Any chance we will see you at the EBC specality in Aug in Auburn Wa again? I would love it!
  • J

    Please help…Tosca nipped at my 8 wk old!

    Behavioral Issues
    25
    0 Votes
    25 Posts
    14k Views
    MacPackM
    I agree, growling should neither be rewarded or punished, it is telling you that she is not happy and distressed, especially as she is not a regular growler. It gives you the chance to de-escalate the situation and be sure everyone is safe and comfortable. A good trainer will teach you, they won't have to necessarily see it.
  • tashaT

    He Snapped at the Baby…Please Help!

    Behavioral Issues
    10
    0 Votes
    10 Posts
    4k Views
    wizardW
    In my experience (only as a long time dog owner; and several dog personalities) dogs don't like to be awakened suddenly - it's a survival instinct. I don't think anyone/dog was at fault in your situation but I would definitely heed the advice given in earlier posts, including training your baby how to behave around the dogs as well (babies learn early about the world around them). I've found that even young children can elicite unexpected responses from my EL D – the neighbor girl (preschool) across the street likes him but has a (bad) habit of shreeking whenever he comes to her -- not only does it get on my nerves, her shreeking iritates EL D (his hair starts to rise) and I have to always talk/pet to him to calm him. Another neighbor has a grandson (with a constant grin on his face) who loves to call EL D to him and then tries to poke him in the eye or nose. Luckily so far EL D has always taken that as accidental (which it clearly is not) and has generally turned away. People have a tendency to train/change dog behavior but ignore/forget training the behavior of children.
  • L

    Afraid of the dark? Help Please

    Behavioral Issues
    18
    0 Votes
    18 Posts
    6k Views
    L
    So I went out and purchased two other posts for my ground lighting timer last night. So now the lights automatically come on in the morning also. I got the kids up today and put Zaire on a leash and took her out back with with me to her spot. She went right away. I let her off the leash once she was done and she stayed right with me untill I went back into the house. I then gave her breakfast and opened the back door and went outside. When she was done eating she came out to the door and saw that I was out in the yard. She cam out and did her after breakfast buisness. I am thinking that she really just wants to have a little light out in the yard to see what she is doing. I am going to try tomorrow to just take her out without a leash, but with the lights on and see if she seems more comfortable. I just want to thank you all again for your knowledge and willingness to share experiences….it is such a benefit to everyone that we have this community. :)