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Off leash can be OK…..

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  • K

    How did you get your basenji to walk off leash?

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    DebraDownSouthD
    @eeeefarm said in How did you get your basenji to walk off leash?: What I find interesting is the change in attitude to dogs on leashes. At that time, many people walked their dogs off leash, and many left them loose on their properties all day long. First, and probably foremost, you're a excellent owner. We disagree on a lot of training things (like e-collars) but you are uber responsible. On the "in the old days"... I see parents talk about not how they roved the neighborhood or all over small towns and how safe. But I also worked with women over the age of 70 who had been sexually assaulted as children and never reported it. I am not sure kids were massively safer in the good old days except for the fact that back then, your neighbors DID look after your kids... they'd scold them or call you without being fearful of being called meddling... because it was about caring. We've lost that. As for dogs, yep... we're similar aged and I remember my grandmother's farm and the fairly steady stream of new farm dogs because they got killed by wild life/snakes etc or roving dogs. It was business as usual. Dog disappeared or dead-- get another one. I know many still feel that way. Rather have to dogs run free and happy and dead young than "cooped up." Our value for dogs as companions has dramatically changed, and our view of our responsibility for them. We always had cats and dogs who were allowed out, and like you, most stayed on the property. But I remember 3 dogs who didn't (one small, probably stolen) and cats didn't live long. We just took that as the norm. Obviously I have look back at that and am horrified. (Though there was an Irish setter who would NOT stay on his property and if the owners weren't there, he followed me about a mile to my house when I walked home from school. His owners laughed, would come get him when they got home if he didn't go back. I thought that was kewl back then but not so much then.) But my experience, and I lived in a very small town then, and a smallish one now, is very different. Then and now, dead dogs and cats on the road are incredibly common. The litmus test is research statistics. Cats who are even allowed out a few hours a day loose have dramatically decreased life spans. I haven't bothered to look about dogs, though a look at shelters should be enough to prove that dogs loose are often dogs lost. The number with electric fence collars demonstrates how ineffective even that is if prey drive kicks in. (for the record, your dog your choice. Loose cats however have an almost unimaginable impact on wildlife, so it IS my business if your cat runs loose.) Yep, times have definitely changed.
  • M

    Can't wait!

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    tanzaT
    Chris has some very nice Basenjis. None of mine are related to hers, but you have a good breeder
  • ?

    Change can be hard…..

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    KanangaK
    @TikaLynn: I think Basenji's just are very alert dogs, and at night there is a lot of "activity" outside we may not see, but they do! I think that's a big part of it. As they say, "ignorance is bliss". Basenjis are certainly not ignorant when it comes to their surroundings. I noticed Kananga always has his ears back when we're outside at night, or certain times during the day. He can sense something and it makes me nervous at times. :o But this is what makes them great hunters and generally great at surviving out in the open. They are smart, and with that comes anxiety since they are aware.
  • NerdyDogOwnerN

    How much more growth can I expect?

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    tanzaT
    @Kingsley1230: I am definitely wondering the same thing about lilu(B mix), she is 3 1/2 months old and she is already 7 kilos….looks like shes gonna be a big gurl! The fact that she is a mix, you never will know how much she will grow or how big she will get…. as they say, what you see is what you get...
  • MarleyJoM

    Sheba pulled me on her leash tody!

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    MarleyJoM
    Thank you all for the kind words but you are giving us way to much credit. True our last pooch ( Marleyjo ) died suddenly from brain cancer. She was a Fanconi dog that we treated for many years ( more than 7 years ). The day after her passing we found this group and it helped us remember all the wild and trying times we spent with "The Mo". You all helped us smile again. We volunteered with BRAT and were immediately contacted by Sharron. We wanted to donate time and $$$ to help us grieve. We were hesitant to foster knowing we would probably keep everything we fostered. After hearing Shebas story ( starting in a puppy mill in Modesto in 2001 ) and knowing she would take some work and money to get her back to health we had to try or feel guilty for not even attempting. We are VERY lucky. Flexible work schedules. Quiet one story house. Travel frequently with our previous dog. Sheba came to us already potty trained and totally trusting. No behavioral issues that normally come with rescue dogs. Just health and handicap stuff. We could hold her and bathe her and hug her and squeeze her and spoil her. To this day she has not grumbled once. So thank you again for ALL of the kind words and accolades but we were truly just VERY lucky and were inspired by all of you crazy Basenji people. Hopefully we will get several more good years with her and I promise to keep you all up to date on our adventures. She has already spent several weeks traveling the west coast and we plan to continue for years to come. [image: attachment_p_62240_0_img_2235.jpg]
  • JazzysMomJ

    Off leash park in newspaper

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    RockysWomanR
    @Barklessdog: I went to a dog park near me once when our dog was a year old. When I let him off his leash he seemed confused and just walked by my side unleashed the whole time… I agree wholeheartedly. My MIL has a dog park by her house and we took Rocky there once or twice. But he to acted very different. At home (or at friends houses with enclosed yards) he goes Mach-5 and runs/leaps/bounces all over the place. At the dog park, he just trotted off about 15 feet away, checked out the direction of the wind, and trotted right back to me. And there he stayed. We even went at a time when there were fewer dogs, and the dogs there were all ones he knew. Go figure.