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Training Questions

Basenji Training
  • When it comes to treats you will need to try different things and see what works. Natural Balance which comes in a roll that you can slice up into small pieces works well with some dogs, hot dogs quartered and sliced works well, small pieces of cheese.

    Next, if your puppy was raised outside in a yard where she could potty wherever, she may not understand the concept of pottying away from her living space because that is not what she has been taught up until now. You will need to really reward every time she potties away from the house which means always take her out on a leash so you are watching even for a quick pee and reward, reward, reward.

  • Earlier than 3:45? I am kidding. There are 3 trips out every morning before leaving for work and as soon as I get home. I will try the hotdogs and cheese.

    Any recommendations for using an electric fence (underground). I have read that it likely will not stop a B on the run so she has been on a leash since bringing her home.

    The breeder said she did not know how this happened. They were born on April 14th. I will not say she was not the most responsible breeder, I will even call it a puppy farm. 5 different breeds and horses. She did seem to care for them, but you could tell they were income and that was it.

  • I feel for you because Oakley always peed outside but only pooped in the house, we would walk, hike until the cows came home then, when we finally went in he barely made it through the door before pooping. After awhile I knew he was purposely holding it bc for whatever reason he thought inside meant poop- sticking it out and treating is key with basenjis and it's easier said than done– they are stubborn and love to play the " wait it out game"! Once Oakley realized peeing meant a cookie and pooping meant a dried sweet potato, it got a lot better. Hang in there!

  • @Sohini:

    Earlier than 3:45? I am kidding. There are 3 trips out every morning before leaving for work and as soon as I get home. I will try the hotdogs and cheese.

    Any recommendations for using an electric fence (underground). I have read that it likely will not stop a B on the run so she has been on a leash since bringing her home.

    Do you crate her when she is inside, and does she poop in the crate?

    An electric (invisible) fence will not work unless you spend a lot of time with her on a long line conditioning her to the fence and making sure she does not learn that running through it works, and even then I would not trust it too far with a Basenji. (i.e. I would not rely on it when you are not around to supervise) She is also a bit young to learn with an electronic collar, IMHO, particularly with an invisible fence, where the correction is pretty harsh.

  • I think invisible fences are the biggest rip off ever. They don't keep your dog from being hurt by any other dog who comes into the yard, if the b does get out, it won't come back because its getting zapped..really a barrier fence is the way to go…

  • Since she most likely came from a less then responsible breeder you need to start at square one as I would venture to bet that she has just went in a pen wherever she was kept by the breeder. With that many breeds, no way was any time spent potty training. So you are at a disadvantage right off the bat.

    And I would search the Forum for information about Fanconi Testing as I would guess that was not done either before that litter was bred.

  • @sharronhurlbut:

    I think invisible fences are the biggest rip off ever. They don't keep your dog from being hurt by any other dog who comes into the yard, if the b does get out, it won't come back because its getting zapped..really a barrier fence is the way to go…

    They work well for some people and some situations…..e.g. my girlfriend had three dogs on her farm, two spaniels and a GSD crossbred. These dogs were not inclined to stray but might visit the neighbour if my friend was not home. She installed invisible fence and it worked perfectly for the spaniels, and 90% of the time for the GSD cross. Occasionally she would come home to find her outside the fence, since she would run through it if the temptation was strong enough, but of course would not return through it and get zapped. But this was a dog who stayed home anyhow, and as a farm dog was always outside in the daytime....

    I think invisible fence can be valuable as an addition to a physical fence if you have a climber or escaper, as it will keep them from lingering near the fence long enough for either activity. Or to keep the digger out of your garden! :)

  • With a breed like basenji..no way on using a invisable fence..they are(as a breed) way too driven when temptation shows up..just my opinion…I can see other breeds staying in, but like Sharron said, how do you keep harm out of the yard..?

  • You can try the clicker training outside when she goes potty too. As soon as she starts give a quick click and when she is done then give her the treat. My boy figured this out real quick. He would go pee and I would click then he would come and get the treat. So as soon as she knows what the clicker means you will have to lengthen the time when you click, like almost at the end of her potty. If she poo's in the house instead of picking it up and throwing it in the garbage, maybe take it outside and put it where you want her to potty instead.

  • I think incorporating some crate training if none is being used will help. If you take him outside and he does not go potty, when you bring him back in, he must go in crate for about twenty minutes or so and not be allowed to roam or play. Then outside again to potty spot. If he does not go again repeat in crate for twenty minutes then out to potty spot and naturally praise like crazy when he does go. The idea is to get him to go potty when you want and where you want. I felt using the crate was extremely beneficial.

    Chris Battistelli

17/17

26 Jul 2011, 21:28

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    @sanjibasenji said in Crate training: I have much respect for that accumulated knowledge, but, not to sound rude, that does not make that person a certified or licensed trainer. I actually was offended by what you posted. You said you respect the knowledge, but disregard it because they aren't a "certified or licensed trainer"? These are well-intentioned breeders who volunteer to engage with others on the Forum in an attempt to educate and celebrate this amazing dog breed. They share their knowledge. You don't have to agree with them. Offer your opinion and move on. Please don't suggest that their opinion, experience, and education isn't valid because they aren't "certified" or "licensed". Your overall intent screams that you believe yourself to be better than the rest of us: "I'm a scientist with a PhD." Which puts the rest of us beneath you? In education and social stature? You couldn't know about anyone's socioeconomic status, educational achievements, or expertise on any subject. But you deemed to think it was appropriate to put us in our place. And that, was rude. Even the analogy you offered is an indication that you don't value anyone who doesn't have a degree. Frankly, if you are hearing conflicting opinions about the same piece of art, get a third opinion. The person with the degree may have just scraped by with a C+, while the person who devoted decades may have been under the tutelage of a Master Artist. And really, if you are planning to purchase such a prized piece of Art, shouldn't you educate yourself so you can make an intelligent decision instead of allowing others to tell you what to buy? As an aside: The original YouTube link remains, but we certainly do not need her entire catalog of videos. Sharing information is one thing, advertising for someone is another. I would hope that you understand that not everything you see online is true. Including claims to be an expert, certified, trained, Dr., etc., etc. Lots of people in the world are just selling a story.
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    @pacificNWbasenji: Thanks for all of the great suggestions. Quercus: I will try opportunistic clicking/rewarding when he is nesting, hopefully it will help reinforce the desired behavior rather than confuse him. Agilebasenji: Surprisingly enough my guys do not roll on damp towels, very unbasenji like of them. They do insist on grabbing towels, running off with them and promptly killing them by giving them a great shake before stealing the stoled goods from each other. They ignore them during our training sessions because I have taught them 'on your bed' where they will run and place themselves on the area I point at (dog bed, place on couch, towel or blanket laid out) Thanks for the advice. Clay: Matter of fact we just began targeting on Saturday as well, with the nose touch. Dude does have a great high five so I think that paw touch won't be difficult. Tonight I began directing him onto the towel and doing a low five and click/rewarding when he would give the five and his paw would land on the towel. Lvoss: That's what i'll try next as soon as I can get him to exhibit a bit of the behavior. Thanks! Cool. Let us know how it works out.
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    @tanza: I think you are waiting too long. You should have two complete sets of shots before class. Waiting till they are 15/16wks you are missing critical socialization skills. Waiting for "all the shots" is pretty much old school these days. My pups go out even before that to things like lure trials… you just need to be careful and not let them "get" into anything like "old poop" laying around. I'm planning on taking her around the time of the 2nd shots if I can. But the problem is that the next round of puppy classes doesn't start till the last week of March, which would be around 14 weeks anyway. Maybe they will let me join the last half of the previous class but I'd have to check into that.
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    Basenji Training 30 May 2008, 02:21
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    HA! We did the up& back method at my petsmart class. Jack is so flexible, he would actually follow the treat back with his head, until his head was almost lying on his back. I think what I finally had to do was push his butt down with one hand, while holding the treat in front of his face with the other. He got really good at it…now, he sits when I snap my fingers, when I say sit, or, my favorite, when I salute him. Good luck!