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Basenji meets Two year old

Behavioral Issues
  • My daughter and her husband and our 2.4 year old came for a visit. To my knowledge, Uzie had never been around toddlers or miniature humans…He is very wary to strangers to begin with, has gotten better since the 9mos with us, and especially when they proffer a treat, he will even take it gently with uncurled tail! Anyway, long story highlights: when Drew has a meltdown as most children will do out of their element and no nap, the screaming really made Uzie nervous. (my body tenses too!!) I was in the other room, my daughter who is 7mos pregnant was carrying Drew to the living room (not making any sounds at this point, but I guess he just could not comprehend the two headed figure...!) and had to pass Uzie on his bed. I heard this blood-curling girly scream and ran to find out that it was not the baby being eaten by the dog, but Uzie having the meltdown... would not move from the bed until I came into the room to let him outside. Up to this point, his 'fear' had subsided and was generally ok with the new comers, though looking at me, like " why do they have to be here???" Drew is a mini dog whisperer as he lives with a Pom and Pom/chihuahua mix. He literally does not look, talk, or walk towards (any) of the dogs and they like this of course. Anyway, Uzie would growl etc when someone besides me would walk into the room. I of course sat next to him on the floor the first day and night, and he slept in my bedroom separate from the guests all three nights. I guess I am pretty proud of him as he had no inclination for escalated fear or aggression towards anyone. Got a lot of exercise and outside time. Right now he is VERY emotionally happy to have normalcy to our routine. Just one thing to add, he is not feeling to well physically as he got stung by four ground dwelling yellow jackets on our walk this am so he has something else to deal with today. PS: cortisone cream mixed with Adolf's meat tenderizer helped with the swelling and itching as well as a Benedyl....Never a dull moment. He is the most vocal Basenji I have ever met, no sounds like the one I heard on the rescue page from BCOA. Anyone else experience this sound???

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8 Jan 2012, 19:19

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    Wow, I'm afraid that's pretty overwhelming to deal with and like eeeefarm said, no way on earth to do it in a week. However, you do need to begin working on it soon and plan on a very long time to turn this around. Because this dog has shown he will grown and try to bite, your risk of him actually biting, and your legal liability are huge. If you can buy or borrow a secure crate (they aren't cheap) that he can't get out of or hurt himself in, do so. If you can't, do what eeefarm suggested, and make darn sure that leash and collar are totally secure. Once your nephew has left, please get a trainer to start working with your family and this dog on both children and crating. They are very important and it can be overcome.
  • 0 Votes
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    Congratulations on the future new addition. Boy/girl is a good combination. As others have advised let them meet on neutral ground and take them for a long walk together. For every good interaction praise both inordinately. As Curlytails says don't rush it. Keep us posted, please and best wishes to you all.
  • Old dog, old tricks

    Behavioral Issues 25 Nov 2010, 20:42
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    Hi Jay, welcome! Did you have your dog posted on Craig's List? I'm grateful that you found our website, and that you are looking for solutions for Trey. Giving him away before addressing his behavior just pushes his issues onto someone else, who doesn't love him like your family does. If Trey hasn't been to the doctor, you may be able to find some low-cost vet options. When the economy gets tough and we all pinch pennies. It's easy to overlook checkups for our dogs, especially when the Dr says, "let's run some tests." :eek: That has $$$ all of it, you know? In Tampa, because the vet offices are slow, they are running great specials to keep busy. Maybe you (or your wife) can call around to find someone who will give Trey a good check up without costing an arm and a leg… I'm glad to hear that your daughter is in 4th grade (versus 4 years old), because she's at an age where she can respect Trey's boundaries. I don't think a basenji would simply chomp on someone without sometime of forwarning... unless he's sleeping, and wakes up grouchy? :confused: If that's the case, as long as everyone knows, I don't see her in imminent danger. Hopefully you or your wife can spend some time reading up on the quirks of a basenji. It's one thing to visit a basenji, and another to live with them. :) Like Anne said, the basenji breed is very smart and common training methods with other dogs don't necessarily work. Does Trey get along with your lab? Are they bonding? It is a lot of change for everyone in the house, including the dog.... mutual respect and love will go a long way. :) I hope it's a happy home for all, even if times are tough. I hope we can help you out!:)
  • 0 Votes
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    we don't have a problem with the trash, but we no curtians left as Chaos thinks they are her personal chew toys.
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    It's scary with a toddler in the house. Even though Willie has gotten soooo much better, when I recently had little children in the house for a short visit, I kept him on a leash. You just can't watch them 100 percent of the time. Here's hoping the best for Buster.
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    I agree with Catherine, socialization is a must, but it depends on the personality of the individual dog. When we had 4, they all slept on the bed together and ran together and rarely did we have any problems. We added a puppy and things were still going ok, just really crowded. However, one day our youngest girl decided she was all grown up and didn't want to be bossed around anymore by our 'wanna-be' alpha. Neither of them was a true alpha. We managed to defuse the situation, but a month later it happened again. The girls could never be together again. In fact, the tri developed a predjudice against all red girls after that! Both girls were terrific with people and with Basenji males and even with males and females of other breeds. I had 2 intact males, brothers, who stayed together with absolutely no problem for almost 4 years until one went to another home. They even got along during season. Terry