It's been my experience that sometimes my basenji just gets it in her head that she doesn't like another dog, and for seemingly no good reason. I have been able to mitigate her behavior, but this is not a cure….
First, an excited basenji is a biting basenji. Make sure he's calm. Make him sit. Exert your dominance. Stand over your dog, look him in the eye. You need to snap him out of his mindset and remind him that you're in charge and he doesn't need to be aggressive.
It will take time and patience, but he can be made more comfortable...
I've also found that walking together as a "pack" helps. The two humans in the middle, the dogs held on a very short leash to either side, and you ignore your dog's aggression, focusing them on the walk itself. After a short while, they should just about forget one another. But this also acclimates them to each other. Good luck!
Dog Sitting Questions
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Hey everyone. I wanted to ask those of you who use dog sitters/walkers for some tips in selecting a good one. My schedule has recently changed at work and I would like to have the kids taken out for a half hour to 45 min walk 3 times a week while I am away for 5 hour.
I have never had a dog sitter before (other than family members), and don't really know what all to look for. I checked out a local dog website here in Portland, and found 4 or 5 different dog sitting walking companies. Just wondering what I should be keeping in mind to help me choose.
As always any helpful advice is much appreciated. -
I am soon to be in the same boat as you.. I am getting a new job and will be travelling for weeks at a time.. my partner is gone over 10 hours a day, so I will soon need a dog walker.. It's so hard to find because I don't trust anyone with my dogs except me and my partner!
I would have the potential walker over to your house to see how they interact with the dogs.. I dont know specific questions to ask, but i'm sure just by talking to them you can get a feel for if you trust them or not.. I would explain specific behaviors of my dogs that would be important for them to know (like if they go crazy when they see a small animal like a squirrel) and see how they respond.. Mine are very prey driven, so I get nervous with strangers walking them, Diego can pull your arm off when he wants to chase a rabbit!
But I think the #1 concern would be can you trust them with your dogs, and do your dogs seem to get along with them.. Good luck in your search!
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Here is a link to the National Association of Professional Petsitters,
http://www.petsitters.org/index.cfm -
Here is a link to the National Association of Professional Petsitters,
http://www.petsitters.org/index.cfmThank you so much this is a great help.
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So I have set up consultations with three different pet sitting companies for the end of this month. All three companies offer free consultations, so I thought I would take advantage of this and see who gets along with the kids the best. I start my new schedule in early June, so that should give me a little time to make my choice.
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Well I had my first Consultation last night with one of the dog sitters. I really liked her.
She works part time as a vet tech and part time as a dog sitter.
I liked that she has a vet tech degree, and is comfortable with canine first aid/CPR. I would hope that all dog sitters are trained in this, but now I know to ask about it in the future.She walked in and was so surprised to see a Basenji in Oregon (She is originaly from Florida). We had a great hour long consultation. I reallt think she may be the one I go with, but as this is my first time needing a pet sitter I will go through the other two consultations before making up my mind.
