New update: Tika is no longer in heat! Yay! Remy got neutered and is doing great! We got a dog trainer to come in assess the situation and she thinks it is starting to improve compared to how I described it when I booked her to come. Only Maia seems to need the muzzle, she seems to be very unsure of the puppy. We are working with her to build her confidence. The puppy doesn’t seem to have any stress with Maia around and won’t start anything. The muzzle is on just in case when I am home alone as I don’t want anything bad to happen when if I can’t separate them. The puppy is getting lots of training time to help her learn how to behave properly. With 2 people here we can have the girls on short leashes and they are fine together. They did have a small altercation of snarling but no biting and no one got hurt. The older female backed down and walked away. As much as I want her to be the top dog it seems that the puppy has a much more dominant personality. If they figure out the pack hierchy hopefully everything will settle down. The trainer says there are no pack instincts in domesticated dogs, but after having 6 basenjis I can’t agree with that in regards to basenjis. We can walk the girls together without muzzles now so I think things are more positive and they seem to be improving every day. When Remy is healed from his neuter I will get the puppy spayed and hope that calms things down even further. So far there is a lot more peace in the house. Please anyone let me know if there is anything else I should be doing to keep these girls on track. Thank you for all your advice and guidance! I am so grateful for this forum as what is normal for other dogs is not so much with these guys!
A fight with the mini blinds
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My B is always good when I leave him home alone. He is free to run around the whole apartment and we never have an issue. Until now. I came home and couldn't get my front door open. Something was in the way. So with a little shove I got in and found the mini blinds from my bedroom on the ground blocking the door to my kitchen. I was super confused. As I walked down the hall there was a path of destruction: shelves were knocked over, pictures were on the ground, knickknacks every wheres but there was no Basenji.
I was still a little confused and slightly worried. I called and called but no B. I started rushing through the house panicking. I finally found my B downstairs under my living room couch. He absolutely refused to come out. He was shaking and all the hairs on his back was standing on end. After much coaxing I got him to come out and he jumped right into my arms and wanted to be held. :p
The best theory I can come up with is that B was looking out the window watching the cats walk through the woods behind my apartment. (A typical way he spends his time) Somehow he must have got stuck in the string of the mini blinds. Pulled them off the window and freaked out as he tried to get them off of him knocking over everything in his path. I don't think he got out of his tangle until he reached the kitchen. Then freaked out from freight and hid downstairs until it was safe.
Mini blinds: 1 Basenji: 0
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Sounds like what happened if he's been good all this time. You don't pull the blinds up or open when you're not home?
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Oh the mini blinds are always open. I only close them on really cold winter nights. I think he got stuck on the string that hangs from them and pulled the whole thing off the window.
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Sorry to rehash my mantra about blinds….ALWAYS put the blinds all the way up AND wrap the hanging cords high up as well.
Luckily, I was home when Ty got wrapped in and was choked with the cord. Scared the crap out of me. I never leave the house with the blinds down or the cords hanging anymore.
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Yeah. I think I have done everything to Basenji proof the house, but he always seems to come up with something I never thought of. I guess that's how you learn. Luckily he wasn't hurt… well maybe just his ego.
