New update: Tika is no longer in heat! Yay! Remy got neutered and is doing great! We got a dog trainer to come in assess the situation and she thinks it is starting to improve compared to how I described it when I booked her to come. Only Maia seems to need the muzzle, she seems to be very unsure of the puppy. We are working with her to build her confidence. The puppy doesn’t seem to have any stress with Maia around and won’t start anything. The muzzle is on just in case when I am home alone as I don’t want anything bad to happen when if I can’t separate them. The puppy is getting lots of training time to help her learn how to behave properly. With 2 people here we can have the girls on short leashes and they are fine together. They did have a small altercation of snarling but no biting and no one got hurt. The older female backed down and walked away. As much as I want her to be the top dog it seems that the puppy has a much more dominant personality. If they figure out the pack hierchy hopefully everything will settle down. The trainer says there are no pack instincts in domesticated dogs, but after having 6 basenjis I can’t agree with that in regards to basenjis. We can walk the girls together without muzzles now so I think things are more positive and they seem to be improving every day. When Remy is healed from his neuter I will get the puppy spayed and hope that calms things down even further. So far there is a lot more peace in the house. Please anyone let me know if there is anything else I should be doing to keep these girls on track. Thank you for all your advice and guidance! I am so grateful for this forum as what is normal for other dogs is not so much with these guys!
Smart Basenji - Dumb Owner!
-
This morning I ran the water and filled my coffee cup up to make some instant and she was right there and stared at me and the cup. I told her no, it's for me. The third time it happened, I went DUH! Sure enough, her water dish was empty. Always amazed at these critters!
Dave -
My B's water dish will evaporate before he touches it but he will take a drink from the toilet. :eek:
-
They figure out how to get our attention one way or another.
I usually get reminded if I'm 30-60 minutes late of feeding Kananga. Of course he will not remind me if I somehow feed him twice by mistake.
-
If I am late feeding or his water dish it empty my guy will actually bring me his dish and put it on my lap. They are so smart!
-
If I'm late going out to lunch (a daily event) my guy will sometimes bring his Kong upstairs to remind me to fill it for him. He is really saying "Would you please get out of here so I can have my lunch?" (he gets the filled Kong and a roller ball full of kibble). Not bad for a dog that used to have separation anxiety…...now he lobbies for us to leave!
-
If Shaye's water dish is empty she will come and stare at me then walk into the kitchen; if I'm sitting on the couch, she will bounce the decorative bowl on my coffee table a few times and stare at me. If I'm too engrossed to notice, she will go throw her water dish around making enough noise so I have to notice. Smart dog, stupid owner indeed.
-
HaHaHa! these stories are so funny! I guess this is what I have to look forward to. Thanks for sharing.