I've been involved with Basenjis for many years and can only remember one occasion where one Basenji was startled by one particular noise ( ice cream mixer van starting up), otherwise they seem completely immune to noises even the loudest ones. Of course there will always be the odd exception.
Have toys won't play
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My B loves to steal stuff, usually my stuff. She goes after things she knows are Mommy's so I will chase her. Tonight I started reading a new catalog I got in the mail today and after finishing it I threw it down on the floor next to my recliner. Don't you know that my B, Sahara, the little rascal ran off with it. So I decided to ignore her and went to the bathroom and here she comes following me with that thing in her mouth, it was so funny. Well, she dropped it and that was it. No interest on my part, no running off with my stuff. Case closed, you gotta love those Basenjis!!!! haha!!!!!
Ha! SoooooTruuueee! I've nicknamed our puppy to "Bandit" He takes anything that isn't his…Just the other day I walked away from my food and he decided to help himself. I was in my office..I realized something was wrong when I heard silence. Silence + Basenji = TROUBLE :p He ate my dinner. But he was so good at acting like he did nothing. The only way I could figure out was his breath! hahahha:rolleyes:
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My first and most clever basenji would do a bait and switch. He loved cappucino. My father would always come home with one after work, and Mowgli would immediately set his eyes on the prize. Once he ran to the back door, and began scratching frantically like "I've got to poop right now! 911! 911!" My dad ran to the back door to let him out, and Mowgli ran the opposite direction around the house. While Dad was wondering, "What happened to Mowgli? Where'd he go?" Mowgli had already stolen the cappucino off of the end table, and ran into another room carrying it (without spilling its precious contents mind you). He had it behind a couch ferociously lapping up the contents. By the time Dad realized what had happened it was way too late. Now he had to find where the little shite was hiding before he could get his cappucino back, and let alone administer the appropriate admonishment. He would bait my Father away from his cappucino using various methods over the next year or two(interspersed of course, he wouldn't want to look too obvious). It took a few times for Dad to finally overcome Mowgli's supreme trickery!
He would also stalk up on people reading the newpaper in the living room. It really offended him when people would park their face behind that much paper, completely ignoring him. So, he'd sneak up ever so quietly right in front of them, and right when they were lost in the troubles of the war, or political battles he would remind them what was important in life. HE WAS!!! He'd snatch it out of their hands, and take off running with it, as it was torn to shreds under his fast basenji feet.
I've had Dogs since Mowgli, but he was truly my "once in a lifetime" dog.
Vegas
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Hollie likes her Kong, but only when there's food/peanut butter in it. I don't invest alot in stuffed toys, because she destroys them. There are a couple of stores here where I can buy $1.00 plush toys. It's worth a $1.00 just to watch her "kill" the squeaky inside, destuff it and then continue to play with the "shell" of the toy.
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I don't invest alot in stuffed toys, because she destroys them.
That's "gutting" of toys has got to be an instinctual trait. The way they stand on it with both front feet, grab hold, and riiiip back. It is fun to watch, but usually over in short order.
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That is funny becuse I always say that my B only wants what he can't have. Once we give in and give him wha he wants, he looks for something else to steal..Our own little clepto…we are so pround..hahaha
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LOL @breaking the law! That says it all!
My only caution about using items such as shoes or socks might be it's hard for them to know it's NOT ok to steal your laundry and everyday shoes. I try to find the fuzzy stuffed animals they like to throw around and maul (again: NOT ok if you have kittens/cats). B's are hard to engage in play at times–they don't consider it a worthwhile occupation of their time if not fully challenged. Chasing and running are fun to them--try and incorporate some of that? -
Yeah well does chasing and running after them when they take a hold of whatever they know they can't have count?..I mean it, he is such a little clepto. I give him all his toys and boom he comes back in and strecthes those little paws (by the way I've never seen another dog do this before) and will attempt to take whatever he wants. I've given him his own undergarments to rip up (the ones already ruined by Mr. Champ) in order to avoid it taking me 10 hrs to fold the laundry. I do believe u r right, he loves the chase more than the actual item.
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@Vanessa626:
Sometimes you will find that the best toys are the ones that come from the home
The expensive shoes, the pants you love, etc.
Everytime I do the wash I end up one sock missing. I swear my washing machine eats it. Anyway…I just tie it up in knots and give it to our little guy. He loves it and hey...It saves you some cash on those expensive toys
I recently tried this out. I found a couple of my husband's old socks and tied them in knots together. This is now Dacia's favorite toy! And she hasn't managed to rip it up yet like she does with stuffed toys.
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@Vanessa626:
Silence + Basenji = TROUBLE :p He ate my dinner.
Your are so on the money.. If I'm soing dishes or just not paying close attention to my B I ask myself what is he doing now. Just like a toddler. I'm laughing at my computer just thinking about it.:D
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Yes we know have many old socks due to our B. But I did not want to leave them for him to play out of fear that he might eat them but now I've discovered he just likes ripping them apart. Along with my Victoria secret bras (How do they know the good stuff). I like that idea about tying them together, will do that tonight. And along came the at home favorite toy..plastic bottle with treats and he loves to throw it around until they come out (he just loves doing this before bed time). I definetly recommend this cheap at home toy, removing the ring and under supervision.
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Hollie likes her Kong, but only when there's food/peanut butter in it. I don't invest alot in stuffed toys, because she destroys them. There are a couple of stores here where I can buy $1.00 plush toys. It's worth a $1.00 just to watch her "kill" the squeaky inside, destuff it and then continue to play with the "shell" of the toy.
A people thought we were nuts when we were pregnant and strictly forbade anyone from purchasing any stuffed toys for our new baby. Rocky loves to shred them! My mother in law bought him a teddy bear three christmas's ago and it lasted all of one week (and that was with us hiding it 23 hours of the day!)
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Sahara loves to steal, and she will do anything for a chase. I tried the great idea of making a toy out of soda bottles, the 20oz. size, I put some of her dry kibble in it and she loved it. Of course she loved chewing on the bottle as well, I watched her the whold time. I had to throw it away b/c it was so chewed up. So now I am saving bottles, and Sahara is happy, isn't that my job. haha!!!! I was thinking the other day about Sahara's mother and father, the father's name was Jesse James, after the gunslinger, thief, I believe, Now why does Sahara like to steal, I wonder!!!!!!!!!!
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I absolutley love to watch my B play. He looks like a cross between dog, cat and horse. They are so energetic. He loves when I chase him around the house. I wish I could make a living staying at home and enjoying my B all day.
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Another favorite but to be used sparingly… laser pens. All my dogs love them and the cat (if the dogs would let him) would chase it for hours. But the papillion goes a bit neurotic while playing and that just gets our B- rilled up (it stops looking so much like play and more like dominance behaviors) so it's rarely (if ever) brought out.
