Skip to content

My dog ate a bird??

Basenji Talk
  • New basenji owner to Milo, 6 months old. He is outdoor/indoor dog and we found him going to town on a bird. Is this normal? And what anout chasing rabbits?

  • Totally normal! I've heard of a B jumping in the air to catch birds as they pass by and succeeding. B's have a very high prey drive anything that catches their interest they chase. Mine chase squirrels here.

  • Oh, congrats. today's kill at my house was a rabbit. Our agility lesson went downhill quickly after that.

  • The only thing you have to watch out for is bugs, parasites, etc. I have two girls that are very good at 'catching' critters.

  • Birds? Oh my yes - my female catches them just as they begin their takeoff from the ground!
    Rabbits? Mine have all learned to corner these and then …
    Chipmunks? Yes indeed.
    Muskrats,
    Mice,
    etc

  • Absolutely wizard, birds, rabbits, chipmunks, squirrels, I've even known a few to take on possums and raccoons. Egads! Tough little buggers, aren't they?

Suggested Topics

  • Dog Tales

    Basenji Talk
    17
    2 Votes
    17 Posts
    6k Views
    sanjibasenjiS
    I found the transcript from the documentary. If the age part is true, the rest is not (unless there's difference between our European bred Basenjis and those in Africa): NARRATOR: Sharing the same curly-tailed trait [as the Akita] is the venerable African Basenji. DEBBYE TURNER: Basenji is the granddad of ancient dogs. However, they’re not that trainable. They will not do obedience tricks like other breeds. Come back here. And here’s an example! NARRATOR: There is something else very wolf-like about a Basenji… SOUND OF DOGS HOWLING NARRATOR: …its yodel. These breeds reveal much about how dogs may have appeared and acted after they first transitioned from pack hunters to scavengers and provide clues as to why they may have first appealed to humans. DEBBYE TURNER: You won’t see Basenjis doing tricks, but because of their closeness to their wolf ancestors, they are considered very adept hunters. Here's the video link. Basenjis mentioned 25 min. into it. https://www.pbs.org/video/dog-tales-vskr2y/
  • 0 Votes
    8 Posts
    7k Views
    DebraDownSouthD
    In your position, where you really have to take her out a lot, I understand. And I hope her comfort continues. My point was it is situational need, not dog need to be that social. :) I have a slim chance of that having worked with my current 2, but with my incredibly dog aggressive first one, I'd have been out in a basket muzzle and warning everyone to keep their dogs away.
  • Does your dog do this?

    Basenji Talk
    8
    0 Votes
    8 Posts
    5k Views
    Rita JeanR
    Jaycee digs same way but she does somersaults head down over she gos first time neighbor saw it they could not beleive it. I think neighbor came over every day for a week waiting to see it again and Jaycee would do it. Yes I very much second that digging usually will cause the great B-500. Rita Jean
  • What about the birds ??

    Basenji Talk
    5
    0 Votes
    5 Posts
    4k Views
    SenjiShowgirlS
    I have three birds, all of them game birds, an indian runner duck and two button quail (pets for me though) and while very cautious when they are around the dogs I have never (yet) had a problem with Zumi (my B) being too rough or killing them. I think he realizes these birds are MINE and are not to be touched unless I let him. he does like to chase the birds outside though, like robins, finches. oh and hte chickadees, they are a favorite as they play back!. he respects their space, my duck gave him a nice peck on the tail and he stays away now. my birds do not fly, per se, I have clipped the flight feathers on my quail and my duck is a ground duck, it cannot fly, its a baby yet anyways. Zumi dislikes the quail as they do a sort of odd "squee!" sound that he hates if he gets too close. I let all the birds out for a few hours everyday, and the dog I am worried about most is my chow chow, who is very prey-driven, Zumi has never touched my birds yet, but i would never let them loose in the house with the dogs without me right there. Zumi also gets along great with my rat for some reason, they slept together even, odd little dogs B's. ~Charlene
  • Dog escape

    Basenji Talk
    4
    0 Votes
    4 Posts
    2k Views
    luzmery928L
    Who let the fox in..hahaha
  • My dog ate my….

    Basenji Talk
    12
    0 Votes
    12 Posts
    6k Views
    jys1011J
    Cell Phones, Remotes, Reading Glasses, Remote Car Keys, etc. etc. etc….all tasty treats for a CHEWY B :D :D :D