Opposable "thumbs" (dewclaws)?

Behavioral Issues
Log in to reply
  • V

    I was wondering if anyone else experienced this. Yoshi, my basenji (probable) mix, has all four of his dewclaws and uses them in ways that I don't see in other dogs. His rear ones he uses like climbing spikes when he's scaling . He seems to be able to use his front ones independently (distressing!) to do things like hold onto windowsills, grab and hide the remotes, and manipulate his kennel lock. Am I gonna come home one day to find him typing away on the computer?

    0
  • Rita JeanR

    Mine does have declaws but set up the camera if Yoshi hits that computer he is a money maker. See money maker not trouble maker. We have to hide remote its free game. This was great thanks.

    Rita Jean

    0
  • jonny b.J

    dont be surprised when the pizza delivery guys shows up.

    jonny b. and HAnsel, he's so hot right now

    0
  • BasenjimammaB
    Houston

    yepp, you are in for a ride..make sure your credit cards are safe…
    Otis doesn't have his..and I don't think he knows to miss them.

    Petra and Pippin

    with Otis in my heart…

    0
  • MacPackM

    Nicky uses hers to help hold bones and bully sticks, and to clean her eyes and face. They are not really 'opposable' but go help grip and hold.

    Anne in Tampa

    Chipley, Missy & Lucky

    Topper, Nicky & Eddie in the clouds

    0
  • BARTB

    LOL! Wouldn't that be hysterical, a Basenji at the keyboard. What's that they say about 1000 monkeys at keyboards ultimately coming up with Shakespeare? It would probably only take 3 Basenjis….:)

    0
  • tanzaT

    @Varanus:

    I was wondering if anyone else experienced this. Yoshi, my basenji (probable) mix, has all four of his dewclaws and uses them in ways that I don't see in other dogs. His rear ones he uses like climbing spikes when he's scaling . He seems to be able to use his front ones independently (distressing!) to do things like hold onto windowsills, grab and hide the remotes, and manipulate his kennel lock. Am I gonna come home one day to find him typing away on the computer?

    In 25 yrs in the breed, I have never seen a Basenji with rear dew claws? Do you have a picture?

    Pat Fragassi

    Tanza Basenjis

    www.tanzabasenjis.net

    0
  • basiB

    @tanza:

    In 25 yrs in the breed, I have never seen a Basenji with rear dew claws? Do you have a picture?

    We have never had rear dew claws either thank goodness!!. It could be because Yoshi is a Basenji mix.

    0
  • BasenjimammaB
    Houston

    I was thinking that as well, not for B's but for dogs in general, so I did some research..i.e googled and there are dogs out there with dewclaws on the back paws, I had no idea. I have yet, needless to say seen one in real life. I would love to see a pick as well. Apparently the dew claws on the back paws are more of a fleashy type area, so the claw does not fuse with the bone like to front ones do, therefor they can be removed, rather painlessly for the dog. I would love to see a pic as well, really interesting.

    Petra and Pippin

    with Otis in my heart…

    0
  • basiB

    @Basenjimamma:

    I was thinking that as well, not for B's but for dogs in general, so I did some research..i.e googled and there are dogs out there with dewclaws on the back paws, I had no idea. I have yet, needless to say seen one in real life. I would love to see a pick as well. Apparently the dew claws on the back paws are more of a fleashy type area, so the claw does not fuse with the bone like to front ones do, therefor they can be removed, rather painlessly for the dog. I would love to see a pic as well, really interesting.

    Like many of the Nordic breeds the Buhunds have always had ugly rear double dews:eek: which we always removed.

    0
  • BasenjimammaB
    Houston

    I also read that Great Pyrenees have it as a breed requirement, meaning it is not considered purebreed without'em.

    I had no clue, just goes to show how truly blond I am…swede all the way..

    Petra and Pippin

    with Otis in my heart…

    0
  • tanzaT

    I had forgotten that Yoshi was a mix.. that would explain it since Basenji do not have "rear" dew claws

    Pat Fragassi

    Tanza Basenjis

    www.tanzabasenjis.net

    0
  • V

    Not only is he a mix, but I think he had a pretty rough life before me, so I doubt whoever produced him knew or cared anything about breed correctness (any breed!). If he were mine when he was a puppy, I might have had the rear ones removed, but now he seems to use them functionally. I was researching this also, and I found that few breeds even have double dew claws, so let me make sure I've got this right: a dog "should" have four toes on each foot, and the fifth is a vestigial "dew claw," correct?
    attachment_p_80690_0_img_0007.jpg

    0
  • BasenjimammaB
    Houston

    Wow, thanks for posting a pic..how cool. I have never seen that before, so to me it is very cool. I don't know about the four toe thing, but the research I did stated that 4 was the most common.

    Petra and Pippin

    with Otis in my heart…

    0
  • renaultf1R

    @Varanus:

    Not only is he a mix, but I think he had a pretty rough life before me, so I doubt whoever produced him knew or cared anything about breed correctness (any breed!). If he were mine when he was a puppy, I might have had the rear ones removed, but now he seems to use them functionally. I was researching this also, and I found that few breeds even have double dew claws, so let me make sure I've got this right: a dog "should" have four toes on each foot, and the fifth is a vestigial "dew claw," correct?

    Wow…that is so bizarre to me - never seen it before. :eek:

    0
  • V

    Yeah, it was really weird when I realized he was using them to scale things and to stay on rough terrain. I'll try to get an action shot, but obviously that's easier said than done.

    0
  • thunderbird8588T

    Realy unusual

    Shelley

    Basenji Malaika

    Basenji Malaika
    Basenji Kwame

    0
  • K

    Basenjis just have front ones, which most show breeders have removed from their litters. They can be nasty if they catch on something and rip.

    I do know German Shepherds sometimes have rear dews. Not sure about most other breeds. lol Again they are removed as newborns (the rears).

    Kelli Harmon

    Kiroja Basenjis

    Southgate, MI USA

    0

Suggested Topics

  • P

    Couple of "Issues" with my Basenji

    Behavioral Issues
    11
    0 Votes
    11 Posts
    7k Views
    P
    I completely forgot about this topic, but I figure I would reply (after a 4 month hiatus) with updates. Thank you all for your responses. Marvel no longer bites (what a relief!). It stopped around the time that all of his adult teeth were falling out, so I assume it was related to the discomfort of his baby teeth. He will play bite every now and then, but nothing drastic. Marvel no longer wakes up absurdly early now that he's 6 months old, as someone pointed out. He typically gets up when we do except for the rare occasion here and there. Marvel has been marvelous and his behavior only gets better. The only "issue" we deal with now is his separation anxiety when we leave him in a crate. I'll probably make a separate topic on this. And he seems to be strangely attached/dominant to my girlfriends underwear when he manages to get a hold of it... Thanks! Peter
  • TimesthemythT

    Need some creative thinkers for confinement "anxiety" issue

    Behavioral Issues
    24
    0 Votes
    24 Posts
    10k Views
    TimesthemythT
    Ha, I know, forum posts are like a novel sometimes - except sometimes you don't always find out what happens at the end. There are lots of posts here where I'm like "well, what happened?!" The long and short of it: we have a "success story". He's always been kind of a strange dog, never doing things by the books. For his anxiety…...nothing I did really helped him. I originally put him on Prozac as a last resort, but overtime he just improved on his own; I know it's not due to the medication, because he's been off of it for awhile. He still hates confinement but he's learned that once he's in...he's not getting out. SO he basically goes through cycles where he'll whine for about a minute or two every so often (30 minutes to 2 hours) or so then goes back to sleep, until I get home. It gets better and better each time. One of our biggest issues I think was him being able to escape, and that fear was feeding off itself. In the beginning he would pull out all the stunts to try and escape, some of them working of course. Once I made it so he could not escape, the major destruction and psychological issues died down. I ended up putting wood pieces around the crate (as suggested above) and that helped immensely to fortify the area. He still does cry, and rip things up while I'm away...sure. But, as long as he isn't endangering himself, getting too worked up, or making a huge racket? It works. After we got that solved. I moved onto trying to get him to be ok in a crate - which has been successful. He goes into it fine, lays down and doesn't cry a whole lot, or try to escape. I think his 'anxiety' is not unusual, or inappropriate. Just a natural fear that dogs have of being alone, confined, and in a new space. I also didn't go over 30 minutes when I was teaching him as a puppy....big mistake. Things that have helped: Music, not having the light on, making the pen one giant bed (instead of allowing an area where he could stand), leaving random tissues around in the pen, not letting him out of the pen directly after coming home, giving a single cookie before leaving and returning if quiet, having the area be inescapable obviously, and brushing his teeth if he comes out of the pen right away. Things that didn't really help: thunder shirt (was working until he ripped it up), medication, mirror outside of the pen, leaving delicious food or toys inside the pen, DAP diffuser, etc.
  • S

    Frequent little "sprinkles" on walks

    Behavioral Issues
    7
    0 Votes
    7 Posts
    3k Views
    Chealsie508C
    This I always my "rule of thumb" and only based on my experience but frequent long urinations= possible UTI and several quick squirts=marking….but every dog is different, even so my mind still automatically looks for those signals
  • anmusA

    "look what i can do"

    Behavioral Issues
    11
    0 Votes
    11 Posts
    4k Views
    KipawaK
    @Mango: I can't wait to have a little B ripping around the house… guess I'm a masochist, but it does sound like a lot of fun. Yes, exactly Mango. I too await the day where the Basenji 500 takes place in my home. It should be fun - we have hardwood floors! :D
  • bellabasenjiB

    What about male dog fights over females in heat…do they try 2 attack "privates"?

    Behavioral Issues
    7
    0 Votes
    7 Posts
    3k Views
    bellabasenjiB
    @Quercus: …I can't imagine a dog in a real fight taking the chance of turning his back on the attacker. Though, I am used to seeing girl, girl fights...where neither girl is willing to surrender...it could be that a dog who really doesn't want to fight will try to protect his head and neck by offering other 'parts'...it would definitely indicate that the other dog wasn't reading his signs correctly...either by the dog offering surrender, or running away...it isn't really appropriate for the attacking dog to continue attacking... This is probably what may have happened. I don't think anyone actually saw the fight… So it's hard to tell, but my friend now thinks it is a part of male dominance fighting! I told them I would ask on here and see if it is common or not...
  • Tayda_LennyT

    Lenny "likes" other dogs!

    Behavioral Issues
    5
    0 Votes
    5 Posts
    2k Views
    Tayda_LennyT
    yeah, it really was… especially with all the drama i have going on with my current living situation it is a relief that something is going right. My boyfriend has been having a heck of a time finding a place to rent that will allow my dogs and me to visit on the weekends. So we finally found a place that would allow it, and then we had to visit to make sure the dogs got along. i was so relieved that not only was Lenny polite, he was playing! yay. anyway, i'm moving out of my apt at the end of November... thankfully my company is going to move me again so I don't have to do it myself! Good thing i haven't really unpacked yet!