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Walk-attitude change

Behavioral Issues

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  • B

    Recent Growling at Dogs During Walk

    Behavioral Issues
    11 30 Oct 2017, 14:29
    30 Oct 2017, 14:29
    0 Votes
    11 Posts
    6k Views
    F
    Unfortunately we have the same problem with our boy (9) and girl (10). Off leash they play well - 95% of the time. The other 5% can be a disaster especially with small frightened dogs. My guys have gone after such animals and even bitten them - once drawing a small amount of blood. This behaviour seems quite instinctive and regrettably I have not been able to curb it. I do hope your pleasant little fellow doesn’t go this far. But we are talking about a very primitive breed.
  • S

    Major behavior change after 10 years!! Help!

    Behavioral Issues
    22 17 Aug 2016, 17:41
    17 Aug 2016, 17:41
    0 Votes
    22 Posts
    12k Views
    J
    @rocky1 I'm so very sorry for your loss. They become such a part of our souls. I've already had a few tears over just the thought of what it will be like without him.
  • B

    Digging in heels on walks

    Behavioral Issues
    19 6 Aug 2009, 15:50
    6 Aug 2009, 15:50
    0 Votes
    19 Posts
    11k Views
    B
    We are now in an area that is covered in many dog training books and/or websites, so you are welcome to research this subject on your own. I think the leadership ideas are pretty much the same even though we are dealing with Basenjis, the issue is using the right technique for Basenjis. We had 4 sessions spread out over about 6 weeks with a positive reinforcement-based trainer. I don't think you have to use a trainer but it does really help. Each week we would have questions because almost nothing went smoothly but she always had ideas to help us get through. I would divide what we did into two categories–changes that we made in how we behaved around Ella, and obedience training (tricks and commands) that helped to strengthen our bond and reinforced out leadership position. The behavior changes are pretty easy to implement. The main ones for us were making sure we led the way out the door on walks and were the first to enter the door upon returning. Eventually we taught the "wait" command so that she will sit at the door and allow us to step outside before we release her. So she is calm and submissive in front of an open door before we walk out. That is huge. Sets the tone for the whole walk. We had to do a lot of body blocking while teaching this but eventually it worked. Treats are keys. We made an effort to eat our dinner before she is fed. Also, she had to sit and wait for her food. She is not given treats just for being cute or for having a curly tail. We are generous with treats but she has to do something (even just a "sit") to get one. She was so forlorn and sad for the first few months we had her we had created bad treating habits...making her see us a submissive to her. I think equally important was at the same time we began teaching commands. At this point all she knew was "sit" and that took a long time (a moth or two) to learn. With a trainer and using treats and a clicker we were able to teach about 6-8 commands in about 3-4 weeks. When Ella picked up on a new command and the excitement it generated, I really felt connected to her for the first time. And because I was the one issuing the commands it made me the pack leader. It gave me a way of controlling her behavior a little and getting her attention. All good things. We learned down, stay, touch, shake, wait, roll over (very tough), up, here and come (the hardest command for a B). The final piece of the puzzle is getting it to make a difference on a walk. Any trainer will tell you that the energy you bring to the dog will be reflected right back to you. We had gotten so stressed with this digging in of heels on walks that it gave bad energy to the walks. It is a vicious cycle that is difficult to break. You just need to have one good walk, or part of one good walk, and build on it. Relaxed shoulders, relaxed hand on the leash, a care-free gait, these are all things a dog will pick up on. As bad as the vicious cycle is when things are bad, they can turn around just as easy. One good walk begets another. One successful commands teaches another. Hope this helps. We were at a low point with our new dog when I wrote that post. She is far from perfect on walks but we have made huge progress.
  • V

    This B needs an attitude adjustment!

    Behavioral Issues
    27 6 Feb 2008, 07:58
    6 Feb 2008, 07:58
    0 Votes
    27 Posts
    8k Views
    B
    The other kind of guarding - for things that he gets by accident - that still continues, but less and less, although I don't trust him fully. He has been trained to go in his crate very willingly because he always gets a treat when he does. If he has something I don't want him to have I tell him to "get in your crate!" which almost always works the first time. He gets his treat, I close the crate, and then I clean up the mess without any worry. For our dog, if it's something like a cookie or pizza, nothing will stop him from devoring it.
  • J

    Odd behavior change with guests

    Behavioral Issues
    8 27 Nov 2006, 15:30
    27 Nov 2006, 15:30
    0 Votes
    8 Posts
    3k Views
    Q
    <> Cute! Good idea too! I am truly not offended :) I think I just misread the post. Nothing worse than giving advice when it wasn't wanted...and I felt bad that I might have stepped on your toes :)
  • G

    Basenji teaches a toddler to walk

    Behavioral Issues
    3 31 Jul 2006, 04:35
    31 Jul 2006, 04:35
    0 Votes
    3 Posts
    4k Views
    jys1011J
    OMG!!! :eek: that is so incredible!!! I pray & pray that one of my dogs will be good with kids. We hope to have them one day & they are so incredibly spoiled with us now…