All great advice above. Definitely not separation anxiety as elbrant says. It's normal. Practicing crate training a few hours a day at different times is important for when you need to run errands or if you travel with your dog. Mine whined a lot at first. He still doesn't like getting into the crate when he realizes that I'm on my way out (putting on coat, etc), but willingly goes in at our dinner time cause I feed him treats when he's in. We don't like him pestering while we eat. Feeding while in crate, and practicing rewards with the crate door OPEN the whole time, builds positive association with the crate, but a Basenji is smart enough to know the difference. In any case, it helps and the sooner you get started crate training and he or she learns to self-sooth and relax in the crate, the better.
Leave My Plants Alone!!!
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Chance and Kiya both have the house to themselves while we are away at work but lately when I come home I find the bottom of my houseplants chewed and the soil pulled out. I've looked online and saw that multiple garden forums say to spray a concentrated mixture of cayenne pepper/viniger on the plant and that will help keep em away.
Im not too thrilled on the idea of intentionally putting something out for my dogs that will harm them. I know cayenne pepper is going to burn like hell, especially up their noses!
Does anyone have some advice as to what to do. My poor plants can't take much more of this. :mad:
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Move them out of the way of the dogs…. other then that, you need to spray them.... pretty typical behavior for any dog.... I think however that I might try just vinegar and water spay first... And it will not harm them... just the taste will..... "deter" them.... at least for a while...
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I should of said that moving the plants is out of the question….they are over 40lb tropical trees. :o
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You can also try putting a few Vicks
tissues on the bottom of the plant as that will absolutely not harm the plant, and will keep the noses from getting too close. Also if they do get gutsy, they will just take the tissue and play with it trying to kill the bad smell, leaving the plant alone. -
Put an x-pen around the plants.
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A dab or two of Tobasco may do the trick. It doesn't really harm then, just gives a strong, immediate negative reinforcement to behavior you don't want.
Anne in Tampa
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put large stones on the soil. this might help so they are not able to dig the plants out. I have the same with the cats. They dig in the plantspots and even peee in there which is almost deadly for every plant. Since we have the bigger rocks in there it is ok. NO one touches them anymore.
Esther
