You'd think I'd have learned my lesson too!

Basenji Talk

  • @Basenjimamma:

    What a great idea, the towel Idea. I might have to try that. Otis loves to steal my daughters stuffed animals, he won't tear them up, but slobbers on them and it drives her crazy..maybe I could get him interested in a towel instead. Do you have his own towel or does he do better with "your" towel?

    I used to give him a towel when he was crated at a younger age (before I concluded that he was crate phobic). He liked to chew on the towel to release his anxiety. So the same principle seems to work with general anxiety out in the open.

    I just gave him an older kitchen towel I don't use anymore. It's slowly deteriorating. He won't completely shred it unless he's with it inside a crate (the last vet clinic found that out the hard way….. hehe).

  • Houston

    Sounds like it would make sense. I have not tried towels but will do that, we have a lot of old, in my mind nasty towels, that he probably would love..Thanks for the tip.


  • This is what awaited us after a short trip to the shops today! The items include a roll of kitchen paper, a very large bag of pasta and plastic bags. She managed to get in to the cupboard and went on a destructive frenzy!:eek:

    Still every cloud has a silver lining, she is now minus one baby canine tooth that was wedged in behind the adult one, that I was worried about and that I was anticipating a large Vet?s bill to remove. She has just eaten her dinner so pasta, paper and plastic was not to her taste!:)

    Steve.
    attachment_p_78413_0_poppy-damage.jpg


  • Now that's impressive! :D


  • Kananga - I envy you - Spring and Gbala, who are my worst chewers swallow it all - their poo is a sight to behold and a bit shocking to other people who can't understand what the multi colours are decorating the dogs' yard.


  • Be a bit careful with things like towels… if they shred/eat them the strings from terry cloth can cause blockages in the gut... and can even wrap around strangling the intestines....


  • If you have Susan Coe's book, The Basenji there is a picture in there of B pups and the mess they made of everything in the room including the plants. The pups belonged to Bushbabies Basenjis here in California…

  • Houston

    That's true, I have heard horror stories of dogs with obstructions. Our neighbors dog once ate a pecan and it lodge itself in her intestines and she had it there for weeks before they even knew anything was wrong. By the time she was vomiting her own poop they figured it out and over $4000 later they have a healthy dog again..It is scary, for their lives and for your wallet.


  • @tanza:

    Be a bit careful with things like towels… if they shred/eat them the strings from terry cloth can cause blockages in the gut... and can even wrap around strangling the intestines....

    I've watched him before with the towel. He likes to simply shred them to small pieces. He doesn't eat any. Believe me, the only thing he will eat is his food. No treats, no pills, nothing. He just likes to turn one toy into many. There are small pieces of towel allover my living room right now. When I'm home he seems to find the small pieces as toys and throws them around. Whatever entertains him I guess… :rolleyes:


  • In my many years of fostering and owning Basenjis I have never had a blockage although they have swallowed many things. The Basenji of a friend has eaten two leather collars - plastic buckles and all. I advised her to wait and indeed eventually all pieces were passed through!

    Perhaps I have just been lucky?

  • Houston

    True, My vet told me that the most common thing dogs get obstructed with is leftover. i.e cooked bones. My dogs get raw bones but I am still leary. Our dachshund Gus will actually swallow chicken and turkey necks whole, all 3+ inches of it and freak me out, especially when he starts making this really weird whiny sound.. pop him on the back and down the shute it goes…FYI, now Gus gets his necks in nice bite sized pieces..I am not having a heartattack every day when he eats..


  • @Basenjimamma:

    True, My vet told me that the most common thing dogs get obstructed with is leftover. i.e cooked bones. My dogs get raw bones but I am still leary. Our dachshund Gus will actually swallow chicken and turkey necks whole, all 3+ inches of it and freak me out, especially when he starts making this really weird whiny sound.. pop him on the back and down the shute it goes…FYI, now Gus gets his necks in nice bite sized pieces..I am not having a heartattack every day when he eats..

    I know…it is scary....the first time one of the dogs swallowed a rib whole I about died....

  • Houston

    Andrea,
    my Westie Bogus did that one time, and I managed to get it out of his throat, only to watch him do that again..I let him alone after that..and never gave them left overs again..only raw. I actually think my dogs eat better than we do, I today bought a huge brisket, cut all the fat off and cut the meat into chunks so I can freeze it into individual packages..I don't spend this much time making dinner for my humans…I might just very well have my priorities(sp?) wrong...might.


  • @Basenjimamma:

    Andrea,
    my Westie Bogus did that one time, and I managed to get it out of his throat, only to watch him do that again..I let him alone after that..and never gave them left overs again..only raw. I actually think my dogs eat better than we do, I today bought a huge brisket, cut all the fat off and cut the meat into chunks so I can freeze it into individual packages..I don't spend this much time making dinner for my humans…I might just very well have my priorities(sp?) wrong...might.

    Just FTR, these were raw bones :) And I still couldn't believe that they went right down the gullet and disappeared!

    I used to put a lot more effort into feeding the dogs….now it's just food out of the bag ;)

  • Houston

    I

    Just FTR, these were raw bones

    I know, I just happen to back in the day, break the law and give my two boys leftover cooked bones, never after that incident though..


  • This is very ironic story. I am literally reading the comments how b's have destroyed property. My dog was just walking around and looking at the backyard. I was enjoying reading and noticed she wanted to go outside. When I got up, I noticed ripped toilet paper all over the floor! I just laughed to myself as I know toilet paper is no comparison to the above however my basenji is always up to something.


  • Just shows that one needs to keep a frequent eye on them - I'm afraid I get so engrossed on this d…. forum that I often lose track of mine!!!!


  • Y'know, everyone tells me my puppy will be better if I get her a companion - are these dogs "singles" like mine? Does that really work to have more than one? So far her damage is relatively simple - venetian blinds, which I've learned to keep up, couch pillows, not really torn up but scratched up - the fuzz off her dog beds - a couple DVD cases. But she's "on the move" constantly, demanding attention - normal for a puppy, I know, and that's when people say she should have another dog - what do you guys think about this subject?


  • Yikes! I actually feel lucky, never thought I would. My first B was crated for 9 years, so no problems. I came home one day and he met me at the door!! He had escaped from a wire cage! To this day, don't know exactly how! But, to my surprise, no destruction in the apartment. He didn't even get into the trashcan! From that day forward I left him out with no problems. He went to the Bridge and, not knowing new guy, I crated him for a while as well. Same thing, he escaped from the plastic cage, twice. I figured out how and fixed it and then my house got broken into. For the second time in 14 months. Just glad that, whoever it was didn't decide to "have fun" with my baby. Ever since then he's been out while I've been gone and I have had no issues. (I have, of course, Basenji-proofed as much as possible)


  • @Shaye's:

    Y'know, everyone tells me my puppy will be better if I get her a companion - are these dogs "singles" like mine? Does that really work to have more than one? So far her damage is relatively simple - venetian blinds, which I've learned to keep up, couch pillows, not really torn up but scratched up - the fuzz off her dog beds - a couple DVD cases. But she's "on the move" constantly, demanding attention - normal for a puppy, I know, and that's when people say she should have another dog - what do you guys think about this subject?

    I think 2 is better than one - but that may depend on what personality type you end up with. Our female is very active & the breeder of our boy did a fantastic job in selecting the most laid back pup of her bitch's litter to go home with us. He likes to sit around & chew on Nylabones. I would have him out all day & night in a minute, but our female is nowhere near that type of trust. I would come home to an absolute mess! In any case, I opted for 2 because I felt obligated to entertain Trinity all of the time & felt guilty if I didn't - now at least she has Denver to pick on! If I had ended up with 2 Trinitys…shudder

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