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In need of a little assistance

Basenji Training
  • MothM

    I would recommend trying some one on one sessions with a good, positive trainer. I saw in your intro that you are in WI. I am in the Madison area and there are some pretty good places to train and many of the offer one on one sessions.

    Attention is something that can be taught. Training is the key to teaching your dog impulse control as well. There are also some very good books and videos out there that may help.

    I agree with other posters that trying clicker training and food based rewards with him might be a good way to start.
    Here is an article about capturing a behavior since you mentioned having trouble getting him to sit you might try this.

    http://www.clickersolutions.com/articles/2001b/capture.htm

    Visit the Curly Tailed Brigade

    http://curly-tailed.blogspot.com/

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  • P

    Try giving him his meals by hand and make him work for it. Wait with the food in your hand until he performs an action (possibly sit). Praise him and give him the food in your hand. Continue this throughout his meal. If you persist with this until he is paying some attention and continue the hand feeding for at least a fortnight you will find him giving much more attentive. Continue his training from there with help if you can find a suitable trainer..

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  • E

    Wow, thanks for all the input. I myself am in Eau Claire area. He started out nipping my little brothers and now whenever I show dominance he bites me.

    I've attempted to do some training away from the house but he is by far the most adhd dog i have ever met. Haha. Diesel wont eat out of my hand for some reason its like hes scared to?

    As far as his previous owner it was a guy who had custody of his two grandchildren and was handicapped so i have no idea. He was around a chihuahua and Pomeranian i believe

    Totally spaced on what else I was supposed to address. I cannot find a trainer to do one on one around here that isnt a complete wack job or even someone who knows what a basenji is.

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  • tanzaT

    Do you not know who his breeder is? Do you have his papers?

    Pat Fragassi

    Tanza Basenjis

    www.tanzabasenjis.net

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  • E

    The previous owner did not supply them . I'm a little skeptical. He looks purebred but I could be wrong

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  • eeeefarmE

    Oh, I think clicker training is perfect for this dog! You can make your first project taking food from your hand. :) Click/treat by tossing the treat at first, reward a closer approach, work with him until he touches your hand, then until he takes the treat from your hand.

    Once you get that, work on something else, like sit, down, "place", etc. There is a lot of information on clicker training on line, but if you are stuck for how to begin, just ask. Lots of clicker trainers on here. I would work with him in the house in a room with no distractions, and I would work without giving him any direction or modelling. Just look for something you can reward, and use successive approximation until you get the behaviour consistently, then name it.

    "In order to get along with a Basenji, you have to be at least half as smart as the dog!"

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  • E

    Any solutions to having him staying out of certain areas of the house? I know Basenji's are known to run so having him not leave his yard will be a challenge. Anyone have invinsafence?

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  • MothM

    @Enigmatic:

    Wow, thanks for all the input. I myself am in Eau Claire area. He started out nipping my little brothers and now whenever I show dominance he bites me.

    I am curious…how do you show dominance?

    Dominance theory in dogs has largely fallen out of favor... positive reinforcement works much better :)

    Visit the Curly Tailed Brigade

    http://curly-tailed.blogspot.com/

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  • E

    He knows the meaning of no and he gets angry like a child whenever i say no. Would it be possible for him to think I was his mate?
    I dont hit him if thats what you're implying, i do agree that positive reinforcement is the best.

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  • MothM

    @Enigmatic:

    He knows the meaning of no and he gets angry like a child whenever i say no. Would it be possible for him to think I was his mate?
    I dont hit him if thats what you're implying, i do agree that positive reinforcement is the best.

    No, I was not thinking that you hit him…I am sorry if I came across that way. It is merely that people have very different ideas on how to be dominant when it comes to dogs.

    Watson is not a fan of being told no either... :)

    They are actually quite aware that we are not dogs or pack members so to speak.

    There are good books about behavior and training out there and also videos if you need something more visual. Look into stuff by people like Ian Dunbar, Jean Donaldson, Patricia McConnell just to give you a place to start.

    If my guy gets nippy everything stops...I walk away and ignore him, if possible I will even leave the room on him. His bad behavior makes something good go away (in this case my attention).

    Visit the Curly Tailed Brigade

    http://curly-tailed.blogspot.com/

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  • E

    Its not a problem. I think he actually gets jealous of my fiancee(haha) I've read some books but i'm just scared i'm going to do it wrong. I owned two pit mixes before him and just the breeds are so different.
    If I Ignore him when he gets nippy he does it harder and more and I cannot have this since there is children in the house.

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  • MothM

    They do get jealous and want attention ;)

    Yeah, basenjis are pretty different from many other breeds. Their intelligence and independence can make them a challenge. They do bond very strongly to their people despite some of them being more aloof.

    Can you redirect him when he nips? Does it happen in the context of play usually with the kids? Also when he nips at you is he grabbing at clothing to pull on to try and solicit attention or is he going for you?

    If he is pulling and nipping at clothes I would keep my hands and arms out of the way and use body blocks to move him, hip bumping him if he jumps and tell him no…then if he gives up and offers a acceptable behavior like a sit reward and praise.

    Visit the Curly Tailed Brigade

    http://curly-tailed.blogspot.com/

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  • E

    they're quite intelligent dogs though. I love him and he is my baby If he wans attention he ignores everyone else and comes straight for me.

    As far as the kids go theyre 8 and 11, he will just walk up to them and nip ankles, hands or certain sweatpants that the youngest wears. He also chews on everything but i've read they get bored easily even though he has a billion toys around the house.

    If he wants my attention he stares at me and puts his paw on me.

    He listens to my fiancee and one of my little brothers when we say'get out of the kitchen' but when i say it he just stares at me like,"Yeah, ok mom,n whatever"

    P.S as we speak he is hiding under the blanket from the previous storms and snoring away next to me.

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  • MothM

    When he does that I would separate him from the kids by body blocking him away and tell him no or give a no reward marker (that is what we do here…it is sort of an errrrr noise) to tell him this is not acceptable and reward if he breaks off the behavior and moves away. This may take a time, my guy tends to be very persistent. I rarely use my hands to move him away in situations like that because it may turn things into a game and also dogs tend to use their bodies to make others move.

    Same if you want him out of the kitchen and he ignores the verbal command use your body to make him move out :)

    Yeah...my dogs are snoozing away here too...I think we need to head off to bed :D

    I am serious though. If you worry about not getting the info just from reading training books try some videos. Here is a link to Kikopup on youtube she has some very nice training videos up :)

    Visit the Curly Tailed Brigade

    http://curly-tailed.blogspot.com/

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  • E

    Thank you, you're a life saver. Can I drive to you and you just train both Diesel and I? Haha. Bed is calling my name and i'm not even 21 yet. (I will be in July)

    Also, please excuse my poor typing skills. I've somehow managed to break most of my nails off so the tips are sensitive and its quite interesting to type

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  • MothM

    :D That is a long way to drive for training sessions ;) But a meet up of some of us WI might be fun.

    No worries…I have had some epic spelling/typing mistakes.

    Saw your pictures of Diesel...he is a pretty little brindle boy!

    Visit the Curly Tailed Brigade

    http://curly-tailed.blogspot.com/

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  • E

    Yeah, he's a pretty boy. I just love his white markings.
    Say… when Wattson gets tired does his tail go limp? I'm not sure if its just my boy or a breed trait.

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  • MothM

    Yeah, they uncurl their tail when they are tired, relaxed, or not feeling well…so yes it is a breed trait :)

    Visit the Curly Tailed Brigade

    http://curly-tailed.blogspot.com/

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  • E

    I'm a little worried about having a child and him being so hyper and possibly hurting the child. Granted I may not be popping out a kid for a year or two but meh. Do you have kids?

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  • MothM

    No…we have no wee ones here. But I believe there are a few members on the forum that can help out with basenji and child advice :)

    Visit the Curly Tailed Brigade

    http://curly-tailed.blogspot.com/

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    While it's sometimes easier to hope that the older dogs will teach the little one, that doesn't always happen. While I had it work with Apache, it didn't with Zuni. When I was house training Zuni I would leash her up and take her out into the yard and just wait until she went, then praise and treat. There were many times she wouldn't move, so we just stood there until she moved and went or went where she was. It can be a real pain, especially in the middle of the night…but that doesn't last forever. Any accidents in the house were just cleaned up and not acknowledged. When we lived in the city, the dogs did prefer to go while on walks, but would, if they REALLY needed to go, go out into the yard.
  • thunderbird8588T

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    thunderbird8588T
    @Patty: Shelley - I agree that Howards' was the better reaction but as I said it's understandable that you were worried because of your previous experiences. I hope now by everyones' comments and advice that you now realise that this is no major problem? Malaika is a different baby and she's yours to shape into a lovely girl - the good thing is that you've seen the worst and have the knowledge to avoid it!! Talking about growling - here's a laugh, Adonis, our Fula Tri, was excelled in obedience competition but from the age he started to the age he died he accompanied all his obedience actions with a low growl saying "I'm only doing this because you want me to." He had the sweetest temperament with young and old, known and unknown and the growl never meant "I'm going to bite you." :D:D Adonis sounded a real character and what a name, no wonder he had big ideas ;)
  • J

    Naughty Basenji need advice

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    @jinxed_1980: Beau has decided to take things out of the garbage in protest of being gated in the kitchen. The wierd thing is it is only in protest, he doesnt eat anything he just takes it out of the garbage usually the diapers and strategically places articles around the kitchen. Dogs don't do things "in protest". He is probably bored and just finding a way to entertain himself. That or he has learned that this behavior gets a reaction from you. Dogs are natural scavengers so he is only doing what dogs do. I'm surprised he doesn't eat it. Mine are inveterate trash hounds. Just get a good covered can so he cannot do this. Another thing he does is when he gets seperated from me he poops… He could have just went outside and did his business but if i leave for the gas station he will find the energy to realease another present for me on the kitchen floor. You might need to do a little remedial alone training. Sounds like it might be nervous deification. That or he learned not to poop in front of you, and is waiting for you to leave. I hate crating him and i dont think he likes it either, and i feel like a bad mommy. He screams and crys if i crate him up and i can hear him half way down the block when i come home from the gas station, so yeah thats a no go. This tells you he is not adequately crate trained, as others have said. Start from ground 0. Make the crate a super neat place where great things happen. Start by delivering rewards whenever he approaches it. Work up to him going inside, then inside with the door swung closed, then clipped, then inside door locked and he stays there a few seconds, etc. Also he wont be a good boy on the leash. I dont know how many dogs i have leash trained ( i have worked at kennels and doggy day cares and a vet) i know i know how to leash train a dog… Beau aint havin it. He even gives me the dirty eye when i correct him or suddenly change directions to get him to pay attention. The methods you're using are older, less effective ways of loose lead training. I suggest you get a Sense-ation harness or a Wonder Walker and sign up for classes with a good, positive reinforcement based trainer who can walk you through a good, fun way of teaching your boy to walk politely on lead. Good luck
  • S

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    IMHO, please be careful with the alpha roll over, I used to do that when I first started dog training many years ago, I eventually had an aggression problem with the dog, got bit pretty good. I guessed it was my fault and never rolled one since. I never used pacifiers with my son, so no dog troubles there, but his blanky got stolen often. gg It sure cannot hurt to put the litterbox there and see what happens, its easy, fairly clean, and better than cleaning the rug often. You could also try using a scatter rug over the other rug, see if that helps any! I have one spot where one of the dogs, having gotten too excited, peed, they still go there if excited. I love my dogs, oh well its only in the hall. ggg Good luck, hope you find a solution! Carole
  • spitfirekrl1S

    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.