New update: Tika is no longer in heat! Yay! Remy got neutered and is doing great! We got a dog trainer to come in assess the situation and she thinks it is starting to improve compared to how I described it when I booked her to come. Only Maia seems to need the muzzle, she seems to be very unsure of the puppy. We are working with her to build her confidence. The puppy doesn’t seem to have any stress with Maia around and won’t start anything. The muzzle is on just in case when I am home alone as I don’t want anything bad to happen when if I can’t separate them. The puppy is getting lots of training time to help her learn how to behave properly. With 2 people here we can have the girls on short leashes and they are fine together. They did have a small altercation of snarling but no biting and no one got hurt. The older female backed down and walked away. As much as I want her to be the top dog it seems that the puppy has a much more dominant personality. If they figure out the pack hierchy hopefully everything will settle down. The trainer says there are no pack instincts in domesticated dogs, but after having 6 basenjis I can’t agree with that in regards to basenjis. We can walk the girls together without muzzles now so I think things are more positive and they seem to be improving every day. When Remy is healed from his neuter I will get the puppy spayed and hope that calms things down even further. So far there is a lot more peace in the house. Please anyone let me know if there is anything else I should be doing to keep these girls on track. Thank you for all your advice and guidance! I am so grateful for this forum as what is normal for other dogs is not so much with these guys!
Our 2nd basenji has mean moments
-
@tanza said in Our 2nd basenji has mean moments:
also sitting next to them, not touching and talking to them.
I used to do that, it worked well. Part of "finessing" the situation. Rudely pushing them off will quite often lead a previously mild response into a snarkier one! But IMO it is a "respect" issue, as in, if you want them to respect you, you need to respect them and ask politely. When push comes to shove, however, it is your couch, not theirs!
Of course, the ultimate solution is to not allow dogs on the furniture, which was the case with my first Basenji, since it was my parents' home and their rules, so no couches for her! Or beds. She had a dog box in my room, from which I removed her every morning to loud complaints, but I needed to walk her before I left for work. I would phone home later and my mother would report that Val was back in her bed, sleeping in! Not an early riser, that girl.
-
@zande Thanks Sally, I'm taking your advice and trying to show a lot of love. She tries my patience at times but didn't know females and Tris were different.
-
@eeeefarm thank you for sharing that experience! I guess since our male B doesn't act this way I was surprised, but I'll try a combination of the advice received here. I'll be posting some other quirks about our first B soon that could use advice with.
-
@tanza yes she was the only girl in the home.. she is very territorial. Our breeder said to avoid Cesar Milan type training as basenjis respond to positive reinforcement... Thats why I wondered if the electric collar or mouth leash was negative...
-
@cognition said in Our 2nd basenji has mean moments:
Thats why I wondered if the electric collar or mouth leash was negative...
VERY negative !!! Somethings to leave in the back of cupboards or on the shelves in Pet Stores.
-
@cognition - Just curious about what you are calling a mouth leash? Never heard of a mouth leash, could you explain? Or are you talking about a Halti Head Collar (https://dogsnet.com/what-is-a-halti/). These work on the same principle as a Halter used on Horses. It does not go in the mouth, goes around the nose. They are pretty effective.
-
@tanza Yes I believe that is it! But I thought punishment isn't good to use on basenjis, only positive reinforcement.. do you think shock collars are also good?
-
@cognition - a Halti is not being mean... it is aligned to a halter for a horse... however a shock collar is MEAN>>> A Halti is not punishment it is used like a collar and leash...
-
@cognition a shock collar is punishment and mean as @tanza says..It should NEVER be used on a Basenji. A halti if you must but I would advocate a Gentle Leader.
-
@zande - Head collar and Halti are pretty close to one in the same. At least the ones that I have seen used. Basically used the same.
-
You have to be a little careful with head halters. Not a good idea to use them with a long line or flexi leash. Torquing the head around if they run and they hit the end could cause a problem, so like any other equipment care should be taken, particularly with introduction. Some dogs won't accept the nose loop easily. Also, be aware that some models can be backed out of, resulting in a loose dog. The best design I have seen is the Sporn head halter, because it pulls the muzzle down instead of to the side. It's effective and I think it is safer, and it also converts to a regular collar by slipping the loop off the dog's muzzle. My neighbour used one with their Golden Doodle to make her safe for their kids to walk. They had fingertip control over an exuberant dog, and as she got more reliable they mostly stopped using the nose piece, but it was immediately available if she got too wound up and tried pulling.
Any equipment can be "mean" if used incorrectly. When a dog is on a leash you are using negative reinforcement to control them (pressure and release). If the dog ignores the pressure, as so many do, then the experience of walking on leash can become uncomfortable or even painful, since some dogs won't stop pulling even if they are choking and gagging trying to get at what they desire. Of course, the solution is proper training, but from what I see when I walk many people will not take the time and are being pulled around by their dogs, especially the ones being walked on harnesses....
-
@tanza Possibly a language problem - No-Pull and Halti are not the same as a Gentle Leader over here. Very different.
-
@eeeefarm said in Our 2nd basenji has mean moments:
Of course, the solution is proper training, but from what I see when I walk many people will not take the time and are being pulled around by their dogs, especially the ones being walked on harnesses....
Exactly !!! Put a harness on a dog and there is no need to bother to train it.
That is it in a nutshell. Train your dog. Putting it into a harness is tantamount to admitting defeat (or unwillingness to put in the effort).
-
@zande - Head collar and Halti are pretty close to one in the same. At least the ones that I have seen used. Basically used the same.