Wow, I am surprised to see so many posts regarding the aggression thing. I have a 3 yr. old who thinks she is the queen of the universe, and is totally the alpha with her b-mix sister, but she plays well with others at dog parks and elsewhere, with the exception that there are certain B's she will get snarky with. We've never been able to figure out what it is she doesn't like in some of her own kind. It doesn't happen every time but it makes the other owners nervous when it does happen, so I have stopped going to the dog park where the B's she has trouble with go. There are very rare situations with other type dogs. The only time she will start to "hair up" in a park is when she is tired from running and resting behind my legs at a picnic bench. If a dog comes up to get to her by going around my legs then, she will growl and threaten; I believe this is "go away I'm resting and get away from my person" because she doesn't come out fighting but sounds very serious about the whole thing. Also, if another dog tries to "mate," she will quickly sit down, turn around and snarl her displeasure, but won't push it any further. I do think basenjis may not have much patience with dogs they consider their inferiors.
My Wife's hand/ dog bite
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I have had this dog for 7 years and as with most basenji's you go to extreme love to extreme anger or like when he bit my daughter & wife, you have to wonder why are you doing this?
But when you come home that bad side is only a small part of his personality, which is very gentle & sweet. Still the vicious side exists and we have chosen to work with it.
Sweet dog 99%
Savage Dog 1%
They 1% dog draws blood!
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I agree that I can't blame him totally for lashing out for the above reasons, but still does not make it acceptable behavior. He did bite my wife's sisters leg when she stepped on his toes and did not get her foot off his foot right away-poor guy screamed really loud then bit her (-lesson learned-he stays in his crate when people are over). He tends to walk by your side, right next to you, so it happens frequently, but not if you appoligize the instant it happens.
However we can minimize most of what pushes his red zone buttons, but like stepping on his toes, him getting hurt or getting his nails trimmed (at the vet) just can't be foreseen or avoided.
I might also add that trimming his nails did not allows go so bad, but just increased over the 7 years (and we never trimmed them too short-bleeding) We used to be able to do it our selfs once in a while, then we went to groomer and he was OK, but slowly, he decided he was not going to have none of it from anyone for the most part - although he did let a Vet assistant trim them, the next visit he goes psycho?
You just don't know how he's going to react from one time to next, or with certain people.
Also these are smart dogs, what works one time (muzzle etc> ) he learns to avoid the next or he's just sees it and wont let you get near him. Also he learned if his sticks his head between his front legs you can't get a muzzle on and your too afraid, and vulnerable to get bit, to reach under him near his mouth.
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Our psycho-lab used to sometimes get what we called her "possessed devil dog" look in her eyes before she attacked our basset hound. I don't know if anyone else has ever seen that in a dog but it is creepy!
Pat
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This look?
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Have you tried any positive reinforcement from the muzzle or going to the vet?? When I do their nails (I file by the way no cuts or bleeding this way) they get a raw hide to chew on while dad holds them down. They're so busy eating they don't even notice the loud noise of the dremel.
Going to the vet was a scary experience (kinda like a kid going to the pediatrician for the first time yells & screams) growls & teeth. I knew it was just fear driven so now we go with yummy cooked hot dogs!
He sits on a scale..hot dog. He gets his muzzle on (with some room to chew) hot dog! hot dog! hot dog! We take the muzzle off hot dog! As we walk out of the vet hot dog!Get it?? Kinda like a child gets a lollipop after their shots…my kids get hot dogs
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This look?
Yep…that would be the possessed devil-dog look that says: I'm going to eat your face! :eek: :eek:
Pat
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Mine gets that look especially when he's being really goofy & is all excited!!
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My girls gets that look whenever she sees my boy. Except she's serious! They both get the crazy-face when they're having fun, too.
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My wife's hand is still really sore to the touch and she can't really do a lot with it. It's still pretty bad.
We were watching an ASAP adoption commercial and I commented that maybe we should rescue a dog from the pound for our next dog (after these two).
She said in a sad voice, that she just can't imagine owning another breed of dog other than a basenji- She just wants one that wont bite.
I was surprised, after the dog bites and getting her nose broke in two places from struggling with our other dog at the vet a year or so back.
Basenji's have the ability to wash away all the wrong they have done, it's crazy.
I told her maybe we can get a rescue basenji next time, that way we will know a little better what we are getting, and without all of the puppy training.
I would certainly love to get a dog like some of the ones people adopted here.
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Hopefully she has seen a doctor about her hand?
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Yeah, she saw a regular doctor than was sent to a hand specialist. The dog injured her tendon, which takes a really long time to heal, he said she will have to adjust to the pain.
I really feel sorry or her, she always get the brunt of the bad from our dogs.
The other dog broke her nose by jerking her head into my wifes nose at the vet. It was an accident, but still.
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The three b's I've owned were across the spectrum– one was badly bred and dominant, and a bite hazard with anyone. I have the scars to prove it. My girl Caddie was great with almost everyone, but I didn't trust her with kids-- she never bit but growled at pushy kids. Sol is very patient and gentle with kids, but because of past history I never leave him unsupervised-- except last week, when a 2 year old poked him in the eye by mistake-- he let out a surprised 'woof!' (one of the few times he has barked) but when I called the startled child back over to talk to him about why Sol barked (he was saying 'ouch!) Sol was fine and didn't growl. I still supervise, though, with new kids who may not be gentle.
Kris
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Sounds to me lilke you need to spend lots of training time (not just obedience but also setting up boundaries and who's top dog) with the dog. There's something that's pushing his buttons.
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Should i worrie about Stella the other night a freind came over who was drunk, put his hand through the window < not on perpous>
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I had a dog that broke my nose while playing with me and my son - not a basenji, by the way.
I hear stories all the time about sweet basenjis - they're always going to be spirited, and a rescue might be the answer, but there are some breeders out there that are really careful about temperment. My dogs can give me a run for my money, but are still really sweet (like you said, they make up for the mischef) and I really love them, but I have my eye on a breeder for the next round of dogs. I totally understand your wife. I, too, would like to stick to basenjis.
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By the way - the breeder that I referred to in my previous post is Rugosa Basenjis - she has a waiting list, but she sounds great. I'm sure she's not the only one out there.
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Maybe Stella felt you were threatened because she sensed the blood or maybe she just feels your friend is not good for you. You might want to contact a behaviorist.
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Uh, Stella's mom? That situation sounds like it would make ME freak out…and I would kinda understand what is going on. I certainly wouldn't worry about my dog's temperament if she freaked out after someone came into my house drunk, and put a hand thru a window. One of the reasons humans have dogs is to protect us....I don't understand why people get upset when dogs do their job. Chances are you weren't too thrilled about the friend's presence either, and Stella picked up on it.
I would just keep them apart and watch to see if she acts strangely around anyone else.
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I certainly wouldn't worry about my dog's temperament if she freaked out after someone came into my house drunk, and put a hand thru a window. One of the reasons humans have dogs is to protect us….I don't understand why people get upset when dogs do their job.
Agreed, our dogs know when something's normal or not, the way people behave or the way they enter our house or yard. Kids & teens come & go from our house all the time, without issue, but a delivery man or meter reader, they go into different mode. Dogs are way better at reading people than we are.
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My mom's 2 basenji boys go with her every time she visits my grandparents and stays at their house. Both are good tempered but the first time my uncle showed up in the middle of the night drunk they both put themselves between him and my grandmother and gave some pretty clear signs that they did not want him near my grandmother. My mom was able to diffuse the situation but they slept outside my mom's bedroom door on the top of the stairs that night and would not let him come up the stairs.
It really startled my mom because she had never seen protective behavior in her boys prior to that. Since then there has also been one other person they have behaved this way with and it is quite possible they had also been drinking prior to coming over to my grandparent's house.
