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Puppy Nosework, Week 2

Basenji Training

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  • Puppy biting

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    DebraDownSouthD
    @drew82 I've been doing rescue and breeding (not Basenjis, and not for 20 yrs now)... and I have to say that among responsible trainers, rescues, breeders and professional veterinary behaviorists, you won't find any who will say under 8 weeks is okay for any breed... and for many, 10 to 12 weeks is recommended. It is in fact illegal to take puppies under 8 weeks from some states and it should be in all of them. Call a few dozen rescues and ask them how many animals they deal with that have issues started from being placed too young. It is good you are working on things, just hopefully the physical responses won't continue. No breed needs to be swatted or even mildly hurt for training. Basenjis even less so than many. It hurts your relationship with the puppy, and you are punishing a baby for being a baby... there is no "rebellious thing"... just normal behavior you have to patiently train away from.
  • Nosework and no flexi leads?

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    D
    I can see where the Flexi would not be ideal for both dog or person in certain circumstances. I've seem many instances where users just can't figure them out, or are not good at using them and that is hazardous to all involved! However, I live in the country and find that the long 27' Flexi is a good way for her to burn energy on our walks where there are no people or cars around. If my dog sees a squirrel, deer, groundhog, etc. and dashes towards it as most Basenji's do, I anticipate it getting to the end of the lead and already have my arm in a back position and cushion the dog when it gets to the end by letting my arm go forward in a "shock absorber" fashion. Also, my dog has learned how long the lead is and will usually slow itself down when it knows the end of is near. IMHO, I see no harm in it if used properly and in the right areas and circumstances although one has to be very aware of what is going on around them. For where I live in the country, I don't see much sense in having my dog walk perfectly beside me. Basenji's like to run and sniff things out so I let them. It is her time to enjoy. Just my opinion.
  • Puppy Nosework, Week 3

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    lvossL
    I am working with him on this as a game for us to play. Nosework is a very new dog sport but it is alot of fun and the founders have worked really hard to make it a sport everyone can enjoy with their dog and to make it a very positive experience for the dogs. I have been working my adults at it also. They really enjoy the game. We are working towards pairing the food with a target scent. Our first scent will be birch but that is still several weeks away for L'Ox.
  • Nosework

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    lvossL
    Nosework is different than tracking though it is a related sport. The dogs are not following a laid track. They are brought into an area and must find a target odor, birch, anise, or clove, hidden in that area. At least that is the long term goal. At the beginning, we are using either a prized toy or treat as their target. It is sort of like the work a drug sniffing dog would do.
  • Puppy Crate training

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    tanzaT
    @BellaJane: Oh yeah and his name is Ringo…. Where did you get Ringo?
  • Puppy class fun

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    NemoN
    @bernicem77: I took Luke to his first puppy class tonight, and WOW. He would not listen to me at all. He was more concerned with what the other dogs were doing than what we were supposed to be doing. What kind of treats did you guys use when trainning your B's? Like I said in my previous post, this is similar to what happened with me. Zoni had to get comfortable in the room, sometimes took her about 10 minutes or so. After a while she got used to it but was still very interested in everyone else, particularly if we were moving around the room. Really practice on attention exercises at home and that will help. I went through a range of different treats, and I think I found for class the smellier was better for getting her attention. Although not smelly, beef lung worked really well for me too and it is easy to use and break up into little pieces. Little biscuit-type treats weren't high value enough for her in class.