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Very bad behavior

Behavioral Issues
  • bcraigB

    I am reluctant to even mention this suggestion because it is loaded, but our Ella was only briefly and unhappily crate trained and we just made the leap (over several days) of leaving her alone and free in the house. While her record has not been perfect, overall the change has been a huge improvement. She would rarely relax inside her crate but now that she has freedom inside the house I am pretty certain she spends 90% of her time alone curled up on her bed asleep. That is pretty much how I find her twice a day. We thought the problem was separation anxiety but it was crate anxiety. So we removed the crate. I am sure we will have regrets in the future that Ella cannot be easily placed in a crate, but on a daily basis I think it may be worth a try.

    My experience with Ella is that her destructive behavior occurs when WE ARE HOME and not paying enough attention to her. When she is alone she rarely causes trouble. My friend's Basenjis are the same way and are also not crated. She is the one that gave us the inspiration that a Basenji could be trusted. Of course, we do our best to basenji-proof the house before we leave to take care of known trouble spots. And no "goodbyes" and explanations of comfort and concern. Just walk out the door as simply as possible.

    I know this is the Basenji forum and not the Labrador forum but somebody had to suggest letting the dog free in the house.

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  • nobarkusN

    My last 2 I left alone in the house all their life as they hated the crate. I never had a problem with them as there's a dog door to get out to the backyard. The tri I have now will without problem stay in a crate 10 hours. I'm lucky as he's a go with the flow type and doesn't make a fuss or sound. I only did that for the first month as I now leave him in the backyard with the crate back there with the door open in case he wants to sleep in there.

    Buddy, Paolo and Dan

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  • thunderbird8588T

    Basenjiprince i feel for you and your poor Basenji, i do hope you manage to resolve things.
    We didnt use a crate with our Basenji, simply because we werent familiar with them. As bcraig says our Basenji slept while we were out and caused trouble when we were in and not paying enough attention. We will try a crate when we get her because i think they can be a good thing. However your Dog sounds realy distressed so it may be worth a try if you are brave enough, lol.

    Shelley

    Basenji Malaika

    Basenji Malaika
    Basenji Kwame

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  • agilebasenjiA

    I have a dog that I've always left out (my exceptional Brindlewonderkid), but if you read the first post, the dog is distructive after getting out of the crate. My bet is that the dog has separation anxiety and if that's the case, there's a high chance the dog will be distructive perhaps to the point of hurting himself.

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  • Shaye's MomS

    My girl is crate phobic and had bad separation anxiety - we gave up on the crate; started leaving her for a few minutes with run of the house, except bathroom and bedroom door closed - put the trash out of her reach, raised the venetian blinds, basically put everything up she could really damage, and little by little we have her now so we can leave her for a couple of hours, and she is fine. We run her first, and give her a busy bone to work on when we leave. Some dogs just cannot be crated. Mine's one. Five years though - that is a long long history of this behavior - best of luck to you - I think a professional trainer's advice is what you need.

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  • basenjiprinceB

    Thank you all for the info and comments. I have tried to start some of them. I have been playing alot more outside with him and also making the crate a "good" place. any time he does something good or gets a treat it goes in the crate. ive also pulled the crate out of the bathroom while we are home so that he can explore and realize it is always out besides just when he has to go inside when we leave. he has done ALOT better. no chewing on the crate and only a little bit of pee. things are getting better… thank goodness!!!

    Melissa and her "B" Buddi

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  • thunderbird8588T

    Great stuff Melissa, sounds like things are improving.

    Shelley

    Basenji Malaika

    Basenji Malaika
    Basenji Kwame

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  • renaultf1R

    Fantastic Melissa…it is so great that you really committed to helping him thru the problems. Please keep us posted. :):):)

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  • BasenjimammaB

    Sounds like there is light at the end of the tunnel, great news. I am glad things are looking up. yes , please do keep us posted.

    Petra and Pippin

    with Otis in my heart…

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  • Buddys PalB

    Hey Melissa, How did it go over the weekend? Did you get it to where the enclosed area can be his place while you are at work? I have had a B for 71/2 months now. They are unique on the one hand with some breed specifics, but a dog none the less. Any dog needs exercise and mental stimulation(esp B's! A tired Basenji is a Happy One!) and since they are social animals, they need companionship. It sounds like you are strapped financially like us all, but I can only offer you three alternatives: 1)doggy day care or a sitter, 2)another dog, 3)get him to a home where his needs will be met. It's not to be mean or belittle you, it is just that being fustrated is not healthy for you mentally or physically, nor your little boy.

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  • C

    strange behavior

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    DebraDownSouthD
    First, yeah they do the flip and butt in face. I see it as invitation to play/chase mostly. Kind of shaking my head here over the rest. You already have a breed known for dominance and protectiveness of property/family with the Boerboel. Basenjis (I assume you mean 6.5 not 65 years old :) ) are not known for tolerating same sex. Sometimes they do, but not a sure bet. Plus, your Boerboel is still a puppy. By age 2 or 3, that compliance with the Basenji being alpha can go down the drain at a drop of a hat. That happens, and he hasn't killed the basenji... you have to keep 2 packs running, ensuring they never have contact. Then you bring in a mixed breed... which is all a Mastador is. No way on earth to know how much it will take after the lab side or the Mastiff. AND it's another male. So now you have potentially 3 dog aggressive male dogs, with 2 of them large enough to inhale the basenji. I am not sure about the breeders who placed the Boerboel, certainly not the owners letting you bring in the Mastador. I want my male dogs to have a chance of a peaceful, unstressful life. I think the chances in your home are already approaching really low numbers, and the Mastador is going to bring that closer to zero. The safety of that poor basenji is beyond precarious. I wouldn't want those 3 males in the most experienced of homes, one already fully ready to and experienced in running separate packs. I sincerely hope you reconsider the Mastador. And no, getting a female won't help. Until the Boerboel is fully mature and you have a handle on what your pack is, adding any dog is going to up the risk of issues.
  • J

    Anxiety & Behavior

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    DebraDownSouthD
    Acepromazine is a drug I will never ever give to a dog again. http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?A=570 I agree with Shirley, it seems very fearful. Sadly, that's often a trait you can work to help control, but it is something your dog simply may be born with. You can work on desensitizing to vet... by doing by, let them toss a treat, go home. Do it for quite a while. Ditto on muzzle.. do it at home for a few mins, take off and treat. Work on making both as unstressful as possible. But better to muzzle than have a bite incident.
  • V

    Basenji behaviors common ??

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    KipawaK
    I can only comment on my experiences with Kipawa, my first basenji, who is just shy of 2 years old. @viv58: 1. OBS #1: they were only affectionate on their terms and didnt like to be petted or picked up.Is this more common than not. They wanted to be by you, but hands off for the most part. 2. OBS#2: Off the leash - they are unpredictable and may not come when called. Had some wild roaming experiences at the off-leash beach. Always kept treats -and 95% of the timeit worked.Can you train them to counter this? or is this a stretch ? 3. OBS#3: Not snuggly 4. OBS#4: Only looked me in the eye when I had food- everything was a distraction. 1. Kipawa is just an extremely affectionate dog. His affection for me is special, but he recognizes all family members and care aides who come into the house and enjoys their attention and gives it back. He loves being petted and adores being massaged, but has a preference for it being from someone in his 'pack' (family members and care aides). He will tolerate being picked up by anyone, but prefers it when I do it. He is a little uncomfortable when turned on his back, however, we practice this quite a bit and he's getting better at it, especially if tummy rubs are included. 2. The only areas Kipawa is off leash is in our backyard or dog parks that are fully fenced. For these places, he is predictable, because he is very used to them. He usually comes when called, but if it doesn't work, I carry the squeaker part of a squeaker toy with me, and that most always brings him back. If he needs to come to me based on an emergency situation (say he got onto a street by accident), I have a word/sound that I only use in emergency situations. He is excellent at responding to that. All this said, if he spotted a bunny in the dog park, I don't think the emergency recall would work. Based on his breeders seeing him this summer, they have indicated he has a very high prey drive. 3. Kipawa is super snuggly all the time and is also a 'velcro dog'. We are tightly bonded. He is on my lap when I watch TV, or at least laying against me. He sleeps under the blankets on my side of the bed. 4. He easily looks me in the eye. If I am talking to him, we have full eye contact. He enjoys when we give each other 'soft eyes' - the slow blinking a person/dog might do when fully relaxed or before settling down for a nap. If he is distracted (only happens outside) I use the command 'watch me' to get eye contact. Usually 95% success rate, but that would go down to zero should he see a bunny. I can't answer your other questions. Kipawa will be a solo dog in our home. As for the breeders, his breeders were Therese and Kevin Leimback (FoPaws Basenjis) from Washington state. We researched for a year before selecting them. Their breeding program concentrates a great deal on temperament. Hope this helps.
  • KanangaK

    Outside Behavior

    Behavioral Issues
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    KanangaK
    @LBRunyon: I have a supplementary question along these same lines . We got our BRAT Ricky two weeks ago ( YIPPEE!!!! ) He is WONDERFUL . The only problem we are having is that he WILL NOT potty in our fenced in yard . In fact , it seems he won't go within 1 block of our house . We walk in the am and pm . He is very particular about where he will go, though he sniffs every available surface . While the weather is nice , I really don't mind this . We would be walking anyway . But when the frigid cold hits , it would be nice to open the door and have him go out , do his business quickly , and return . We have tried waiting him out in hopes of praise and treats once he goes in the yard . But Mr. iron- bladder- steel- sphincter WON'T go in the yard. Are there any suggestions ?Oh , by the way, once we are out of the yard and down the street he goes after a few quick sniffs . I have to take my B outside no matter what. It's nice during the spring/summer/fall, but the midst of winter is just simply brutal. -20F with a nice wind (colder windchill) will make any B go quickly, but it's still painful for us humans.
  • luzmery928L

    Agressive behavior

    Behavioral Issues
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    luzmery928L
    Well last night was good. My daughter wasn't feeling to well so I went to lay with her on her bed and our B came with us. When it was time to get off the bed, my daughter took him down and he did not show any aggresive behavior and when it was time to exit the room he didn't growl or anything. This is a good step though I still haven't been able to stop the nipping but hey it's still good!
  • spitfirekrl1S

    Rude Behavior?

    Behavioral Issues
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    jessi76J
    @jys1011: How should you allow dogs to "meet"?? Neutral territory or in a home?? Should you use a gate in between first? Or just on leash?? I agree neutral territory is best - not in one or the other's home. if you must - do it outside. as for a meet & greet routine, I allow "first name, last name" first name = head or nose sniff. last name = toosh sniff. I let my dog meet & greet on leash, so I can correct any bad behavior. if all goes well, I let them play in a safe area (fenced or in house) and let them sort things out - supervised of course, incase a serious fight breaks out - but that hasn't happened (yet… knocks on wood).