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.
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?
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/
Well, the lab I mentioned (chocolate overweight one) almost took me out by slamming into my knee. I commented loudly " he better not insure my knee!" No comment from the owner. Others were keeping an eye on this over exhuberant dog too. Many peeps were standing behind a bench for protection.
What really bugs me is that the park has very visible signs when you enter it that say you must have control of your dog.
If you ship him underneath in cargo, don't forget there are temperature restrictions. Where would you transfer planes at? This summer has been hot in many cities! Please check the requirements for the airline you will be traveling on. There is usually a limit to the number of dogs allowed on board and in cargo. You will need to make a reservation for him at the time you make your own. There may be additional requirements since you are coming from Canada, you will need to check with the USDA, the CDC and the State of Massachusetts. You can find the requirements on the USDA website and it has links to each state.
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_welfare/pet_travel/pet_travel.shtml
You need to make sure the carrier will fit under the seat so if the carrier you are considering is much larger than the large size Sherpa brand bag I doubt it will fit under the seat.
I used to travel with Arnie onboard about 10 years ago before 9/11. I trained him to get in and out of the Sherpa bag and to stay in for short periods of time. He almost always laid down in it. He never made noise even when we were in first class and they served food! Most people did not even know I had a dog. I also made sure I was comfortable carrying him in the bag. I figured if the airline employees thought I was struggling with him then he was too heavy and he would not be let on the plane. He was an older pup but weighed about 18-20 lbs.
Jennifer
Hollie will hide her treats and her dog food. Her favorite hiding place is under MY pillow in the bed. She has tried to hide her entire food bowl by pushing one of her plush toys with her nose in an attempt to get the toy on top of her food bowl. Why doesn't she just use her mouth to pick it up and place it on the bowl? Silly dog!
That is a great idea, but it should be an adolescent for sure (seems to be the most trying stage). My mom also really liked our dog (the look, the no bark, typical things most people like) and she quickly changed her ideas. We were telling her about the time we had to babysit another dog and the things she did to let us know that she did not like another dog in our house (she did some very naughty things)! My mom said 'wow she is really a manipulating dog'. I said, yeah they are definately not a breed for everyone.
