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Looking to get a Basenji, but not sure with my 2 y/o

Behavioral Issues
  • A basenji is a big dog in a small, fabulous body. They want to be treated respectfully, and they will respect you in turn. But they do need a firm, kind and loving leader.

    When people ask me about kids and basenjis, I usually ask, "If the kid is chasing the dog or hurting an ear, and the dog gives a corrective nip–no blood or puncture, just a 'leave me alone' nip, do you consider that a bite?" If they say, yes of course and I could not tolerate that, I tell them that most basenjis would not be right for you. They are 'fair' and may give a grrr or nip to another basenji or to the kid, if cornered or frustrated. But attack for no reason and chew their face...never heard of such with a basenji. Many years ago a basenji of mine appeared to bite my grandson, my son used great restraint and didn't drop-kick my dog, and when we looked at the child, there was not a mark to be seen. But we saw the strike and the child screamed. The dog just had excellent mouth control and did a "could have had you, now behave" move. And the 2 year old child DID respect all the dogs after that.

    My Nicky was evidently raised with kids, she loves them...for their toys and for low-held food. My friend Ginny was raised with basenjis and raised her 2 boys with basenjis in the house, but she is a "what did you do to the dog?" person. And her sons always put away their shoes and toys if they wanted to use them again!

    Basenjis are perpetual toddlers, so I would not consider getting one, even a nice mellow adult, till your boy is 7 or 8, old enough to participate in care and training, and to really understand mutual respect.

    They are my favorite breed, obviously, but they are not usually a 'lay on me, beat on me, pull my ears' dog !

  • Glad you are waiting. But if you were actively watching and the child actually was not interacting with the dog and it bit him, put the dog down. The dog is not safe anywhere.

  • I find Basenjis are quite individual in their attitude to kids. My first would never have bitten anyone, no matter the provocation. My second would warn an adult who had the temerity to try moving her out of a comfortable spot, but would tolerate young children with great patience. I caught my two nieces…..ages probably 4 and 6 at the time.....fighting over possession of the dog.....literally one at each end, trying to pull her apart! And she didn't say a word! But when they were older, they lost their "special status" and she would warn them if they bugged her. (I think the only person she ever bit was me......in an altercation over a hole she was digging to China. Yeah, I lost my patience and suffered the consequences. I would call it a draw. I got bit and she quit digging.....permanently, at least for that location. :) ) Of my other three Basenjis, one was fine with kids, the other two I wouldn't trust.

    Dogs raised with kids are supposed to be better, and perhaps they are......depending on the kids they were raised with! :D

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    We adopted a Basenji who had only ever lived outside and with one lady owner. He was a very tolerant dog but just didn't appreciate being ordered around by my 4 sons. He would wait until they turned their backs and 'bite' into the air!

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29 Aug 2011, 22:06

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    @skookum9: Sorry for the misunderstanding. I guess I never thought about anyone out there thinking that anyone could suggest lifting a dogs weight by its ear, I guess I'll have to rethink the lack of common understanding in the care of dogs. I will no longer be posting any input on this forum so there will no longer be any misunderstanding of what I write. I will sit back and watch for a spell to see if there is anything that I can possibly learn from this forum as I had initially hoped. If not, I will simply remove myself from here entirely. There certainly have been a few of you here that have been helpful and I do appreciate it and I give my most sincere thanks to those of you who did but I am not interested in getting anymore ridicule about training that one person cannot comprehend. I do wish you all the best but I think I would be best to stay away from this forum for the most part, other than to listen to what others think anyway. I will continue to love and care for my beautiful little girl but I am just not cut out for this place. I think it might be an over-reaction to leave the forum because we misunderstood what you wrote. Forums are a good place to get lots of different perspectives, and different views. There are quite a few regular posters here who have lots of experience training Basenjis, and we generally agree on the best methods for training dogs…that doesn't mean we don't welcome people with different experiences and opinons. That being said, I feel it is important to clarify advice given on a public forum, to make sure that novice owners/trainers don't think a piece of potentially dangerous advice is a generally accepted technique. Don't feel like you need to leave, or be silent :)
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