@jengosmonkey
LOL this is a really important convo to be having! I'm honored that it takes place on my thread 😆 and yes, I absolutely agree with the points y'all are making.
People do need to know where their pups are coming from and whether they were responsibly bred. To think of it coldly, I wouldn't buy a house without looking into its history and possible problems, or I might face ridiculous stress, expense, and emotional trauma from subsequent issues that come up later. As a consumer, one should do their homework not only on the breed but on the breeder.
A breeder who produces puppies carelessly is basically a horrible human being in my book. It was a huge, thoroughly thought out moral decision for me not to adopt but to buy a purebred puppy, as I've worked with rescues before. I took this step with the possible goal of being a custodian. If a breeder is irresponsible in all the aforementioned ways, not only are they producing dogs with a higher possibility of suffering, muddying this ancient breed, and swindling people, they are needlessly taking potential homes away from dogs that need one AND frequently causing dogs to be abandoned! If there weren't any PMs or BYBs, imagine how many people would get schooled by rescue folk and responsible breeders into taking dog-parenting seriously before they ever took one home!
Sorry for the rant; I COMPLETELY understand the internal screaming that happens within some of you when you find out a pup is from a mill or crap breeder. If people like you and I keep yelling about it, we will change a few minds, which make all the difference to a few dogs which is better than no dogs 🙂
Hello
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Hi, my name is Charlotte. I adopted a two and a half, possible basenji mix in December. His name is Tucker. I am having some growling/aggression issues when it comes to other dogs. Any advice would be awesome
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It might help if you had some idea with what Tucker is mixed with…......if you look around the forums here you will not find it uncommon for basenjis to become less tolerant (ruling out any medical issues) of other dogs at about 2 years or so. My dog is about three now; he also underwent a change in personality, and became less willing to entertain 'rude dogs' or puppies over time. ................but there is a not-so-fine line between growling and aggression.
If your dog is physically harming other dogs, that needs to be taken care of immediately. If your dog is fighting with other dogs, or growling, but not leaving marks or biting.......you have room to work on whatever is going on. A dog needs to be able to defend himself through body language provided they don't escalate to violence, or provoke other dogs. A reactive rover class might be worth checking out.
Leash aggression is very common in dogs of all breeds; is he ok when off leash with other dogs? If that's the case then it might help to switch to a harness,. Anything pulling on my dog's neck will aggravate leash aggression.
Prevention is your best friend; it would be best to avoid all dog parks, or other dogs, as much as possible. An eye contact command; getting his attention off other dogs and on to you for when other dogs can't be avoided.
I think aggressive gets thrown around in our society a lot....a truly aggressive dog is not easy to deal with at all. The owners of these types of dogs have a responsibility to keep their dogs out of the public, away from other dos, as much as possible. These would be dogs who have mauled people or killed other dogs. These dogs are very hard to rehabilitate and are either 1.) put down or 2.) need to be locked up for the rest of their lives.
My guess - based on little information - is that Tucker is merely communicating as dogs do. It's my personal (and unfounded) opinion that dogs should absolutely be allowed to defend themselves without reprimand; but with the owner making sure the situation is deescalated, and provided that he's not leaving marks. If he is not actually hurting other dogs - but nipping at them, or snarling as a warning......he's trying to get a message across. In that case it might help to work on any fear issues he might have.
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Aggression is an all encompassing term. As pointed out above, there is quite a range! It is not unusual for Basenjis to be dog aggressive. Mine is, and I just avoid other dogs because I know his intentions are not good. Some are same sex aggressive and fine with members of the opposite sex, and some may just be making a statement when they are leashed. If you describe what you are seeing more specifically I am sure lots of people will have common experiences and possible training fixes to share.
I would love to see some pictures of Tucker, and welcome to the forum!
