What worked for me was taking my Basenji for a short walk along the road that I live on every hour until she went. After just a couple of days it made a big difference and after that I increased it to 2 hourly, 3 hourly and so on. I think it worked because she became used to going outside and it felt less familiar going inside. Going outside and waiting for her to perform with her getting stressed, wanting to go back inside and not understanding what I was asking didn't get us anywhere and this was much quicker and long lasting. Now she goes for 2 decent walks per day (morning and night) and usually asks to go into the garden once in between (she is 18 months old). My Basenji was a puppy so if you decide to try this you may not want to start at hourly. The other benefit of this is that she doesn't tend to want to poo in the garden unless she has an upset stomach.
Where do I begin… (HELP!)
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It sounds to me, at least at first with this boy, one on one with a trainer needs to happen… one so that the trainer can evaluate him and really understand the problems...
And yes, it sounds like he has had a rough time of it... and it seems totally obvious to me that because of that there are going to be many behaviors that are not acceptable and will take time and patience to correct.
Oh and by the way... all Basenjis have "selective" hearing... gggg... so don't feel bad if he doesn't seem to know his name...
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yeah, I can guarantee that if you said his name and gave him peanut butter he would react differently to his name! LOL
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See the nick name thread-
he will aquire many names spoken in many tongues!
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After rescuing my little guy, I noticed a complete change in him… just as you've described with yours. At first all he wanted to do was sleep. Then he realized life was suddenly not as hard as it used to be... and he could start enjoying it again. That's when my adult male turned into a puppy! lol... I'm sure you can relate!! It just takes time and repetition. Classical conditioning to the rescue!!
Definitely wouldn't try socializing him until you two are good with each other. My male is aggressive toward every other male dog, basenji or not. He's neutered. It's just sometimes that way. Basenji's are real tough guys- even the little girls.
My little Lexi would take our Dobie any day. She always ate first and was alpha.Still waiting for those pics...
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The reason he doesn't respond to simple things (his name)on walks is because he literally can't hear you
I keep telling my wife that but she never believes me!
I think my kids have the same issue.
We have to throw rocks or socks at my son for him to hear us. It's the whole ADD selective hearing thing.
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Honestly, this is a really simple exercise, and every Basenji owner should be given the training steps upon receiving their dog (any dog, really)…but jys mentioned some GREAT training references in her earlier posts. But the "attention" or "watch" exercise, when propery trained and rewarded can be used to combat just about any undesireable behavior.
Absolutely, Name Response and Attention are such important behaviors and make all other training much easier. I have spent the summer training shelter dogs and teaching kids to train dogs and both of these have been invaluable tools. The kids in camp realized really quickly that I had a much easier time working even my "wild" puppy during camp because she was so heavily reinforced for watching me that even when the other summer camps would tromp by chatting and yelling over at their friends she would still look at me to see what we were going to do next. The best thing about both of these behaviors is they are easy to practice at home or when you are waiting in a class situation.
Another thing that I really encourage is keeping some of your dog's breakfast or dinner out and using those to reward good behavior around the house. It doesn't have to be anything you even asked the dog to do, just rewarding him for the times that he is calm will really help reinforce calm behavior.
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A few pictures. He has great teeth and I love his wrinkles, but as you can see, he still has a lot of weight to put on and his coat is in a sad state of affairs.
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One method that I've used successfully is to hand feed. No food in the bowl etc. I would have food placed up high and anyone could just grab a few kernels in their hand and sit. When the dog approached them and touches their hand - he gets fed.
Now this sounds tough but it is the fastest and most humane way to demonstrate who's in charge. the ONLY way this works is that he can get NO food unless it is out of someones hand.
That said - is there anyway you can find out any pedigree info - that might provide a clue on the potential of Thyroid.
email me off list if you want to 'chat' directly
dmcarty100@yahoo.com -
He's really skinny.
I imagine he will need to get his weight up slowly.
He will be a great looking dog once you fatten him up a bit. You won't recognize him from these pictures!
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Awww, definitely a thin little guy. Miles was the same way- thin and his coat was really dry and sparse.
I put mine on Blue Buffalo and it has really been good. Can't wait to witness the progress!! 
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Hey MileHighGuy,
I fully understand the whole disposable income thing. It can get to be expensive if you dont pay close attention. Check out your local petsmart. They offer dog training/obedience. Its not too expensive and a great way to introduce other dogs to Hunter.
I think its great you decided to take him in. Basenjis are great. Different but great. You will learn real quick that if its within Hunters reach…its his. Thats why I LOVE having baby gates to seperate off the house.
Just give it time..Hunter will come around and before you know it...your gonna have a loyal basenji.
Which part of Colorado are you from? I used to live in Denver for over 14 years. -
Awwwww…..poor little skinny guy.....but I bet he will grow into a healthy beautiful B with tender loving care.
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Oh my! He IS skinny…but very handsome!
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Weight gaining can be a slow process, but you are doing great! He is beautiful.
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You have a lot of good help here.
Lots of us are wanting to help with any of the issues you will have with this wonderful basenji .
Sounds like your boy was very lucky to have found your home.
Oh, have you checked him for heartworms? -
He is a beauty! Welcome to the forum, you've gotten the best of the best advice! Keep us posted on how he comes along…
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MileHighGuy-I see you AND Hunter have been well attended to by these great & smart people here
I hope you & Hunter are doing better.I totally understand about the $$ my DH claims that the dogs are leading us to the poor house. My thought is if I have to get a second job just for them I would do it in a heart beat
that's how much a adore my little monsters.A couple of things…I am a HUGE Cesar Milan fan & his tips work for many dogs just not Basenjis (in my opinion). I'm not sure how to put it into words but B's are just "different" I was reading a book by another very well known & trained author on dogs..."Basenjis are the closest to the wild as domesticated dogs can get." :eek: That alone she tell you that they don't respond to many techniques like most domesticated dogs.
Some of the books I recommended have been successful for me & my Basenjis because the technique is all positive and it trains the dog to WANT to do what you want. And in my experience I have come to accept the following:
C3PO will never stop pulling..unless I'm on a bike or running at a fast pace..he HATES to walk. It's just too slow for him. He's kinda like a New York City walker trying to stroll in the slooooow south
it's not his thing!!Topaz will ONLY respond to her name if there's something in it for her
she knows her name but really it's gotta be interesting for her to respond.On walks we MUST have treats with us at all times...especially when other dogs are around or I want them to come sit by me. We have dog "issues" too & that's the way I get their attention. I may NEVER be able to leave the house w/o them but hey that's ok with me
They will only RUN to their crates when there is a treat involved. That's fine.
My Basenjis need to "work" for everything...they have brains & they need to use it otherwise they get bored & will do as they please...they need "sit" for dinner, they need "sit" before allowed into the living room, they need "sit" at the threshold before walking out the door, they need "watch me" before they get a treat outside, they need to "down" before they get a new toy :D, they need to "come here & sit" before they get petted. So they've learned I'm the boss & I call the shots
Good luck
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Our first basenji came to us much like yours–a stray with a bad history of neglect and who knows what. It took about 6 months for him to get comfortable and believe the new situation was permanent. The crate was a source of panic for him always. He chased the cats always--though when he caught them, there was never any actual violence. He destroyed things, but that abated eventually. He even lived with our pet rabbits running free in the house--all unsupervised! The number one good technique we discovered was jogging. It was his special responsibility to go running and he took great pride in it. It kept dog and mistress fit and really made a close bond. Most disagreeable behaviours disappeared when the running routine was kept to. He could run 1/2 marathons in his youth (we never tried for more than that.) He was still able to run 5 miles and faster than we could as an old man of ten. If you don't run, or don't want to start, think of another daily high energy activity that you can commit to--it will make you a pack leader faster and more pleasantly than any macho posturing. Consistency is the real key. Start slow to toughen up his paws without hurting them. Sounds like you're headed for success already. Good luck!
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For his coat issues, milehighguy, you might want to try giving him fish oil pills. You can get them at any drugstore/Target/wherever. Just one a day, and you can either puncture the pill and squeeze the oil over his food or give it to him like a pill (that's how I give them to my B and he doesn't like them as much as an actual treat, but much more than when I have to give him medicine.) But having a good diet and overall good health, which it sounds like you're on the way to, will help a lot, too.
Make sure you observe a training class before bringing Hunter there- Tana's previous owners, friends of ours, tried taking him to a Petsmart class and the trainer suggested a prong collar for him and was obviously clueless about the proper way to put them on and use them with the dog….she ended up getting bitten and our friends never tried a prong collar again because they saw the way Tana reacted.
When we got him, after a few months of wear and tear on my shoulders while walking him, I educated myself about proper prong collar usage and have been using one on Tana ever since. He's soooo much better behaved with it and it's saved him from doing typical basenji things so many times (running at moving cars, other dogs and animals.)
ETA: I should add, I've heard nothing but good things about Petsmart's training classes- my friend's experience seems to be an isolated experience, but it's still a good idea to observe before making a financial commitment.
