@julia87 How much do you know about Basenjis? Have you met any? It's highly recommended to learn as much as possible about them before making a decision to acquire one. This would be a good place to start.
Separation anxiety
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She is really attached. I don't want to get in the habit of never leaving her alone, we are trying not to do that but you do sort of feel like you can't leave. Hopefully this will get better. Is your Oakley crate trained?
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I would say that is normal basenji puppy behavior. I always warn new owners they can expect 3 months of screaming by an unhappy puppy who is not getting its way. Mine all screamed themselves to sleep when we left the house for about the first three months. DAP might help, have you tried a Kong toy to amuse her while you are in the shower? Most do outgrow this, but it takes time, don't expect quick results. Unless she is hurting herself, there is no reason she can't have a scream fest till she understands better.
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Thanks, what is DAP? Also what is a kong toy? We are all new to this so I am not familiar with all of these things. The funny thing is she does better at night than during the day in the crate, not sure why that is. Was that your experience as well?
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Also is a kong toy safe at 10weeks
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I totally agree with Chealsie508 - don't give in! Dexi needs to know that when crated, it's not a bad thing. Have you tried feeding her in her crate, leaving the door open? That way she might see the crate (during the day) as a good place to be.
Kipawa has pretty bad separation anxiety, even if I leave the house and he is left with my husband.
Kipawa and I are joined at the hip - he is my little shadow, and I love taking him most places I go to. But there are times when I need to go out without him and my husband says that he runs around the house looking for me, in a very anxious state. Sometimes he calms down after about a half hour. If my husband and I BOTH have to go out…. well.... let's just say it is much worse.What we are planning to do is going to take some time because of his high anxiety in the crate, but I believe it will work:
1. Crate Kipawa for 5 minutes twice a day. Go into into the garage, make no noise. Then come in and quietly let him out. Do this for one week.
2. Crate Kipawa for 10 minutes, same process, for one week.
3. Crate Kipawa for 15 minutes, same process, for one week.
4. Crate Kipawa for 1/2 hour, same process, for one week.
5. Crate Kipawa for 1 hour, same process, for one week.You might want to try something like this, adjusting the time and frequency as you need to, based on the results you are getting. We have to go back to doing this again, as somewhere along the line, Kipawa has kind of forgotten that the crate is an 'okay' place. I will let everyone know how it is going.
A kong toy can be found at almost any pet store. They are a harder rubber toy with a hole through the middle. You can put some peanut butter or whatever her favorite treat is the hole and freeze it. Whatever the treat is, make sure she has to work to get at it. When you need her crated, take the Kong out of the freezer and give it to her in the crate. Most basenjis like peanut butter and will settle down with the Kong.
DAP is a phermone product that can produce a calming effect. It comes in a spray, a collar, and a warming oil that you plug in. Some people have had good success with it. We tried all 3 forms of it with no success. Whatever you do, just keep consistent and don't give up. Good luck, and let us know how it goes.
We have ordered through this company with no hassle:
http://www.entirelypets.com/dapdog.html -
She goes in the crate during the day by herself to sleep, the problem is when we leave the room or the house. Thanks for your advice and I hope all goes well with Kipawa.
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A DAP is a diffuser that plugs into the wall, it gives off a pheromone to help soothe distressed dogs. For some it does nothing and for others it works great, it's worth a try. A kong is an "indestructible toy that has a hollow inside that you can use to put treats and food into an even freeze peanut butter of mashed vegetable to keep them occupied and keep them busy rather then fretting. With Oakley, he was so distraught I could put a turkey in there and he wouldn't touch it….Oakley is crate trained but not thanks to me. On one of his escaped excursions from the crate he got into a whole box of gum, ended up in the hospital with xylitol poisoning and spent three days in a hospital crate on high doses of anxiety mess/ sedatives... After three days without his mom and with no attention he realized his life wasn't bad. Since he hasn't tried to tear anythig up in or near his crate, doesn't try to escape, and is actually calm and somewhat ( dare I say) likes being in his crate watching animal planet while I'm at work.
I dont sugget you "get lucky" the way I did... I am so thankful he survived with no permanent damage and came out of it miraculously cured... I played no part in his crate anxiety recovery...
I will never allow taking short cuts and giving in to happen with my second because the consequences I suffered an Oakley suffered were horrible, stressful, unnecessary and draining.
Stick with it, stay calm an if you feel bad about leaving, your pup probably senses that. Go about your normal life and allow your dog to fit into it, not RUN IT. Lean from my mistakes! -
Thank god your Oakley was ok! The main reason I am working so hard to crate train is for safety. I already have a 5 yr old human running my life so I am trying to not let that happen with our puppy. Every time we go out I do think to myself maybe we shouldn't but I want her to learn its ok to be alone.
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Do you feed her in her crate?
Jennifer
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Not usually, we feed her in the middle of the kitchen, so as to avoid food guarding
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I feed all my dogs in their crates. Feeding associates the crate with something good!
Jennifer
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Thanks for all the help everyone!
