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Need your opinions - is this training method okay?

Basenji Training
  • Me too– We could all do with kinder folks around. Lord knows I wish I were more like you.

  • Oh my goodness. That is INSANE. I would have walked out. That is NOT okay.. I know that my boy is very sensitive. I don't know his past as I only adopted him in July and he's been through so many homes. High stress situations make him anxious.. I have had GREAT success just training him myself. He now knows sit, stay, down, no, roll over, high five, low five, back, and spin. Positive reinforcement is key!! And tasty treats haha!

  • I still think about that class, and know that I am lucky Kipawa and I left when we did.

    Kipawa has come along marvelously. I remember that trainer saying that by the end of our classes, our dogs would be walking beside us with our leashes forming a nice loose "J". I wonder what sort of method she would have used for that. A broom? Okay, that is a little catty of me, but probably something like that would not be that out of line for her training methods.

    I found it quite simple to do with Kipawa, using positive reinforcement. I usually carry a few treats in my pocket, but now he thinks I always have treats in there. It works very well.

    It would have been nice to know how things worked out for the couple that had Kato. Perhaps I will see them in a dog park one day. They were really nice, as was their dog. Their dog just needed to be worked with more.

  • I know this is about horses, but I think the same would apply to dogs. I like John Lyons three guidelines for training. 1. The training must be safe for me. 2. The training must be safe for the horse. 3. The horse must be calmer after the lesson than before it started. (which tells you the animal understands and is comfortable with what you are trying to teach him). I also like his "three second rule", and would apply it to any biting dog. ;-)

  • Agree 100% eeeefarm, that this would apply as well to dogs, especially rule #3.

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  • Training Blog

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    P
    This a very interesting article, Andrea. I'm not a professionla trainer and only have little experience in the field of professional dog trainers here. Those I do know mainly use positive reinforcement but I also know some old school trainers who while professing to now use positive reinforcement do rather confuse the two. I love and totally agree with his statement that 'training is not something we do to our dogs: its something we do with them'. This I think sums up completely the way we need to train our Basenjis for the best results. Toughand Prissy, thank you for posting that excellent video link.
  • Background info on positive training methods

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    agilebasenjiA
    Thanks, i had not seen that page. Here's one of my favorite links: http://www.clickersolutions.com/articles/index.htm
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  • Clicker training

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    lvossL
    Edward, Positive reinforcement methods like clicker training work wonderfully with basenjis. All four of my basenjis are clicker trained. I guess you could even consider Sophie to have started before birth since I was clicker training her mom while she was pregnant with the litter. The purpose of the clicker is to mark the behavior that you want so you could also just use a word like "yes" or "Yay" or "good dog" followed by a treat. I use clicker training to train a variety of behaviors such as sit, down, attention, name response, stay, stand, go to mat, front, point, hand targeting, and the list goes on. I also use it in agility training.
  • Basenji slave in need of potty training help

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    nomrbddgsN
    I do hope she losses interest. My B girl Sugar climbs. X-pens are definitely out unless they have a lid, and then she'll scream. I can block the kitchen off with baby gates if I have visitors but not from her-she'll hop right over from a sit. She has climbed the fence to get at a squirrel, but since I watch her I got to her before she got over. I'm just waiting for the tree climbing to start!
  • Need some advice…

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    QuercusQ
    <> He may not find a kong with PB all that important. I am sure there is something out there, that he would find rewarding enough to go into the kitchen when he KNOWS he is going in for the day. Try a raw marrow bone...like a knuckle or femur that you can get from a butcher. Try not feeding him at all, until he goes into the kitchen in the morning...if he wants to eat, he has to go into the kitchen. Other than that, it sounds like you are handling it very well. He may have to wear a lead to get him into the kitchen, then you can remove it. I imagine he was allowed to pretty much do whatever he wanted in his last home...so he is confused with the new restrictions, and boundaries you have put in place (ones that he should have had from the beginning). It is hard when a dog has to start from square one, especially when they have learned that using their mouth can get them what they want. Good for you for hanging in there. He will eventually learn that he has to cooperate. I would definitely use his food for reward for good behavior. Doesn't mean you have to withhold his food if he doesn't cooperate...but you can use his food to help him realize what you want him to do.