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1st time dog owner

Behavioral Issues
  • I crate mine but do leave him confined to the Laundry room with toys food and my big dog if I am going to be gone longer than usual. This weekend someone left the bathroom door ajar and he managed to get in there, shut the door and lock himself in the bathroom!…....with a brand new roll of toilet paper........wow what a disaster when we got back. Luckily no permanent damage but he was so scared he was shaking and so nervous. I think he would rather have been in his crate!

  • Ha! My dog was left in the bathroom and he ate the shower curtain, rendered the door in need of a new paint job and chewed the corners off my built in.

    I thought my husband may actually stroke out or kill Giz. Luckily Giz gave us his "I'm too adorable for words" look just in time :D

    We crate both of our dogs (on B and one Terrier mix). Giz, the Basenji, took a while to get used to it, but he is fine in the crate now. We accidentally left Angel's crate door open one day and she was so confused that when my hubby came home for lunch, she was crying and pacing. She ran straight for her kennel and waited for him to shut the door before she would calm down! haha. Our house and our dogs are safe when we aren't there. If you have dogs that don't get into things when you are gone, great. If you don't it isn't something to feel guilty about when you crate them. IMO.

  • I just think it is easier for them and it makes them feel secure when you have to take them in the car etc. I had mine in the car in the crate and in trying to get him out and leashed for a walk he got scared and ran back in there. Also I had a workman at my house with all the crawl spaces open, in and out the front door etc and my b found solace in the crate and I felt that he was safe while there were people working. I just wonder if he lays down while I am gone, it seems he is always standing ready to exit when I approach hopefully he is not like that the whole time I am gone!

  • When I got Sahara she was 8 wks. old and I crated her, now that she is 1 I never use the crate. I work only 3hrs. a day at night, so I never crate her. She uses the doggie door and I close the door to my living room and bedrooms, bathrooms. She stays in my den with the tv on of course to keep her company. Even if I am gone for the day I don't crate, she sleeps alot on her special blanket in the recliner, and spends alot of time outside. Lots of times when I come home she is outside watching the cats and dogs. I have underground electric fence to keep her in the yard. She gets into my things when I am home, not when I am gone. I look around before I leave to make sure everything is up high and not where she can get them. Knock on Wood, So Far, So Good!!!!!! haha!!!!!!

  • Although I wish I could crate my B, he has mild separation anxiety and though we worked to overcome his crate problems, he always, when alone, would get anxious, mess in it, "clean it up" (if you know what I mean) and then usually get sick from the clean-up. So, in return for agreeing to let my husband expand his pole barn, he built Magnum an indoor/outdoor kennel in our lower-level laundry room. Magnum can now be inside or outside, depending on his whim. He's got room to roam in either place to work off his anxiety, and I don't have to worry about him getting into things he shouldn't.

    If we could have gotten him comfortable in his crate, though (we worked with him for months on it), it woulda been a lot less expensive!

  • I just wonder if he lays down while I am gone, it seems he is always standing ready to exit when I approach hopefully he is not like that the whole time I am gone!

    I have doggie cam & they do actually sleep ALLLLLL day long. I worried that they would stress all day but they do settle down. I like the doggie cam so I can keep an eye on them & make sure they're ok while I'm not home.

  • @gbroxon:

    Although I wish I could crate my B, he has mild separation anxiety and though we worked to overcome his crate problems, he always, when alone, would get anxious, mess in it, "clean it up" (if you know what I mean) and then usually get sick from the clean-up. So, in return for agreeing to let my husband expand his pole barn, he built Magnum an indoor/outdoor kennel in our lower-level laundry room. Magnum can now be inside or outside, depending on his whim. He's got room to roam in either place to work off his anxiety, and I don't have to worry about him getting into things he shouldn't.

    If we could have gotten him comfortable in his crate, though (we worked with him for months on it), it woulda been a lot less expensive!

    That sounds really nice! We had the same situation with Querk. He is very trustworthy in the house…and has been since he was about 1-2 years old. We knew when we tried leaving him loose for the first time that we might be buying a new couch, though. But he did fine. Not every B can be trusted like that, but some can.

  • Jys,

    How do you view the doggie cam while you are away from home? This sounds like a great idea.

    Thanks.

  • My techie husband got it to work…so I'll do my best to explain. We bought a camera to attach to our computer about $35 and then a software that takes pictures & uploads it to a website. You can create a free webpage with Yahoo Geocities. So the camera takes a picture every 15 sec & automatically loads the a pics up to the web page and will be replaced every 15 sec with a new pic that is uploaded.

    Not a bad deal $$ wise either :)

  • I crate mine when I go to work or leave the house. I am in total agreement with BDawg. It's safer for your dog and your sanity to have them sleep in the crate while you aren't around.

    I agree. I now take Caesar and Cairo to work with me and all they do is sleep. Caesar and Cairo are in a kennel when I am out of the house. There is always an adjustment period where there is a bit of whining, but it is a nice thing to train them to do if you go out of town and have to have them in a kennel.

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    @kembe When she finally was put to sleep in my Arms I felt like I had lost my kid. I am sure many feel the same way. I will get another from a relation but I have to wait for my 14-year-old Killer Cat to pass. I refuse to euthanize a healthy animal and I know if I brought a Puppy or a Kitten here she would kill again. The thing is Cats kill other Cats more often than most people think. She killed my fave Cat and I have had at least 30 since I was 15 years old, and that silly little Cat with the Mustache was so delightful it will take me a very long time to get another Cat. The loss of my B and my fave Horse who was 25 nearly killed me. My Horse could have lived much longer but he had EPM which Dogs can get too. It is a parasite that the animal gets from eating grass that Raccoons and Opossums have left their Scat on and there is not a cure. It is basically Animal Multiple Sclerosis which cannot be cured but it can be managed. German Shepherd Dogs and the Belgian Malinois have something that causes them to lose strength their Hind Legs but that is not EPM. My Mom had a gorgeous Belgian Malinois and she treated him with Vitamin B12 Shots at the Vet and kept him as active as possible. He was pts when he was 14 years old and he was one of my favorite Dogs. He was brought to the US by his Handler who was a member of the Spanish Guard. He understood Spanish but took him a while to learn English. He also had a career as a Coke Sniffer at JFK. His name was 'Cokie'! I clearly love all animals and do not have a preference for Breed except for the Basenjis. The things that people have a hard time with are exactly why I love them! Horses are easy because they tell you all you need to know by reading their Body Language. Dogs are a bit harder because you may not have a clear idea of what horrible things have happened. Felines are a Mystery to me! Lupines are great but they are super quiet but are responsive to being part of the Pack. It is my experience that animals are rarely aggressive, they are DEFENSIVE. Sure there are dangerous Breeds like the Presa de Canario that have killed people. That is the exception and I think they are no longer allowed in the US. I am not sure of that though. :)
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  • Yes my dog is friendly?

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    She was also unable to leave. It is not uncommon for dogs to growl or even snap at other dogs who are in their space when they are on a leash or tie out because they do not have the ability to leave. Also, alot of dogs are really rude and adult basenjis do not tolerate "rude" well. Many dogs rush up into other dogs' space which is very rude. So in the case of the Sheltie in the front yard, the provocation could very well have been the dog invading her personal space without her permission. The second incident could very well have been exactly what Pat said, her protecting her puppy pack member.
  • There was a little dog…

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    Thanks for your replies. I guess in the spontanaity of the moment I did as I do with my other dogs, a no and then a quick taking the thing away since I'm boss and I'm the owner of everything ultimately. I do believe Rowdy was not being the bad growling type bite – he took his front teeth and nipped at my arm, pinching it, but it hurt! I will try to work on the "leave it" command, since I taught that to my mom's poodle and it worked well. Rowdy is smart and is finally getting some of the house rules down. Though he's sneaky when he isn't resting beside you and you forget to watch him... :)
  • Dog agression?

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    my dog plop herself down when she sees another dog or person. I believe she does this in play.