Crystals in urine (cystine)
-
You can use treats sparingly for training. When you are teaching a new behaviour treats may be appropriate (depending on the dog) but once the behaviour is on cue it is not necessary or desirable to reward every effort. Anything frequently available loses its value. Reward with praise, again, "good dog" or similar is sufficient for routine obedience, keep the effusive praise for an exceptional effort. An unpredictable schedule of rewarding is generally more effective than the "reward every time" method used by many.....think "casino". You want your dog to try again and again, hoping that this is the time they will receive the treat! You might consider using part of his daily food ration as rewards, giving something "special" only occasionally and for a particularly good response.
-
There was a round table discussion about this at the Nationals this year, here is the link https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8388795/
-
@Lustopher - Also if you want I can try and connect you with a breeder in the Pacific Northwest that has a Basenji with crystals so that you might talk to her about feeding and issues. Message me here or email me, email can be found on my website, see link below.
-
Sorry to be so late on commenting here. There are several Facebook groups you may want to join. 2 are Basenji specific.
Bladder Stones Basenji - https://www.facebook.com/groups/1505737939475808/
Canine Cystinuria - https://www.facebook.com/groups/1264949876904169/
The third group is secret and you need to be Facebook friends with a member in order to join. Contact me if you are interested in joining - Basenji Cystine Bladder Stone Awareness.
