Skip to content

Major issues

Behavioral Issues
  • She is left alone for no longer than 4hrs.

  • Patricia McConnell has a book on working with dogs with separation anxiety, I'll Be Home Soon.

    http://www.patriciamcconnell.com/product/dog-separation-anxiety

  • How much exercise does she get before being crated? Total exercise per day? Does she get a treat upon entering the crate and does she enter voluntarily or pushed in?

  • that's not excessive but has she always been left or is it a fairly new arrangement? Why i ask is if it has always been the arrangement, she should be used to it by now. But if not, maybe she still has to adjust. Can anyone look in on her for you while you are out, say after a couple of hours? Have you tried leaving a radio on, some background noise. Do you take her for a good long walk when you get home? etc

  • We do not exercise her before we crate her bc it's usually early in the morning. She has been crated ever since she was 6wks old and still hates it. She gets a treat in her crate but we do have put her in there. We leave the radio on while we are gone and my mom comes by to take her out if we will be gone longer than 4 hrs.

  • Everyone on here question???? Could it she has came into season causing this???? Would this not be her first time?????

    Rita Jean

  • It sounds like she has never truly been crate trained and that is contributing to her anxiety.

    http://www.askdryin.com/movies/CrateDogLR.pdf

  • Thank you Ivoss for the article. We will try these tips but we will still have to put her in the crate while we are gone. This won't confuse her?

  • You may want to use a large vari-kennel plastic crate so it is different then the crate she now has the negative associations with.

  • Haha yeah we have one of those too. That is what we tried to begin with. Would using a muzzle her while in the crate be cruel?

  • Not only would using a muzzle in the crate be cruel, it could also be life threatening.

  • I have used the process in the video and even after a day of intensive work there is a difference but it is a long term process. You could use that in conjunction with DAP spray or diffuser to help with anxiety.

    Since this has been going on for quite sometime, you will proabably be best served by hiring a behaviorist or trainer to help you with the short term and develop a long term plan.

  • I would highly recommend that you get the book that lvoss recommended. It is inexpensive and very helpful. In the meantime, buy a large sheet of plywood to put under the crate to keep her from eating the carpet. A muzzle is a bad idea. The dog is stressed out enough already and a muzzle would only compound the problem.

  • I bought the book on amazon. We will try the wood under the crate and work with her to be stress free. So the muzzle should be a no-go then?

  • Right, you should never muzzle an unattended dog.

  • I do a lot of stange things but I would never use a muzzle and go away. Just to many what if's.

    Rita Jean

  • What happens if you just leave her loose when you are gone?…. Have you tried that?... is there a way you could leave her in an area that is gated off from the rest of the house... ?....

  • I had a similar situation with Cody when I first got him. One of the things that helped was that I put an old sheet in his crate that smelled like me. I slept on it for one night before putting it in there.

    I don't have to crate him regularly anymore, but I still put it in there (wash it once a week, sleep on it for a night, the put it back in there). I also still put his favorite treats and new toys in there instead of giving them directly to him. Now he willingly goes in his crate when he needs some alone time away from Moe (or my family :) ).

  • We got chill pills from the vet too. they did not change the personality( although the first time we dosed it was too strong so we lowered it and that was ok) it is about 20 cents a pill and we give one a day. It was AMAZING the difference it made. we started out with 3 a day and it was way too much … went to 2 a day and now are down to one a day. just helps them be very much calmer and less anxiety. sometimes i think i would like one too.lol but it really helped..... was not expensive and made the worry much better.

  • @tanza:

    What happens if you just leave her loose when you are gone?…. Have you tried that?... is there a way you could leave her in an area that is gated off from the rest of the house... ?....

    Oh no I don't think we will ever try that! I think our couch or entertainment center would be chewed on. In this apartment we have a small laundry room but we have never tried to leave her in there. We are at the point we will try anything.

Suggested Topics

  • Biting Issues

    Behavioral Issues
    24
    0 Votes
    24 Posts
    12k Views
    eeeefarmE
    You aren't likely to find a Basenji specific trainer. You need to look for someone in your area. Perhaps some other forum members know of someone. Any good trainer can probably help you, but it would be advantageous if they have worked with the breed. Best way to find out is by referral from someone else with a Basenji, but otherwise check out what you see on line, and phone them and ask. Whereabouts in Michigan are you located? Ah, Pat, you beat me to it! :)
  • Sleeping Issues

    Behavioral Issues
    9
    0 Votes
    9 Posts
    3k Views
    krunzerK
    Yeah they do the whole 'omg my fur is all messed up' shake turn around 3 times then flop their furry butts down back in bed. I know about the super light sleeper thing. I too can wake up at the first sound of puking puppy and either throw a towel underneath them or try to get them to the bathroom in time so they can vomit in the sink. Once they get they get those ears going it's hard to stop!
  • Jack has a couple issues…

    Behavioral Issues
    17
    0 Votes
    17 Posts
    8k Views
    TuckerVAT
    You'd need a huge litter box to keep a male B from missing the box and hitting the wall or floor around the box…unless you are talking about an enclosed one with a single entrance... Do they make them that big? My male is 28lbs and when he cuts loose on the sofa...it's a 4' line buy the time he's done. He likes to get ALL the cushions in one sitting. :)
  • Smaller issues..

    Behavioral Issues
    24
    0 Votes
    24 Posts
    8k Views
    Rita JeanR
    That is just to funny having to chase the dog with underware and guests. At least you had something to talk about that night that was different. Rita Jean
  • Sleep issues

    Behavioral Issues
    16
    0 Votes
    16 Posts
    5k Views
    BookwormB
    We've been leaving the crate door open. The worst thing he has done is during the night, he goes to the other dog's pillow, plops down, and the other poor dog gives up and moves somewhere else. We haven't heard a peep out of either of them all night, so we can sleep. Only problem is stepping on them if you don't know where they are! Right now we have two visiting dogs for a month - big female yellow (clueless) lab and a big blonde retriever mix. Buster thinks he can go up and nip their necks and he growls and snaps at them. I know I've read about this type of behavior on the other discussion boards. The thing is, for the first few days, they were getting along and playing. Now, Buster is getting a little more aggressive. Is this just part of the Basenji charm?:confused:
  • Behavior or health issue?

    Behavioral Issues
    23
    0 Votes
    23 Posts
    6k Views
    tanzaT
    Hmm, didn't realize that she was just spayed, could be end result of surgery and healing… and in that case just a fluke... But keep and eye on it.. as sometimes when they are spay/neutered if the surgery is not done perfectly they have problems with peeing... and they are not able to control it on their own... for myself I have never had that problem with any of mine after spay/neutered, but I know of people that have.