When I got Maggii and OJ (my first two Basenjis) we had a cat… he never swiped at the Basenjis with his claws, had he I think that the male (OJ) would have been better. While my Maggii was the really the least bit interested in the cat, OJ was a mess... he was for sure that it was there for his plucking pleasure... They did finally figure out that he was part of the household, however if he ran, the chase was on... always... so much so that he lived on one side of the house and them on the other.... He (the cat) didn't really mind as he had his own kitty door to the deck in the master bedroom that was on 2nd floor and could come and go via the property fence. Maggii did play a game with the cat... she would lay in the back of the yard and wait for him to come walking along the fence, she would wait till he was on the gate, run as fast as she could and hurl herself against the gate, which would rock back and forth and see if the cat fell in the yard... Needless to say, we nailed that gate shut (there are more than one)
Mouthing problem with my boy Khalani
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Khalani has a habit of mouthing. He never bites hard but he does do it often. It's strange, but he never ever does it to people he meets in the street.
I discipline him immediately when he does it by either putting him in his crate for a time out and/or I cover his muzzle and tell him NO but he continues to do it regardless.
Does anyone have any suggestions that have worked for them? -
Update: we give them a rawhide chew (a 10" roll) every day for about 15 minutes. They need the chewing action very much and it keeps their teeth healthy.
I'm not an expert, but with our Lela we gave her toys and stuff to chew on, and just kept on correcting the bad stuff and noticed that over time it stopped. Beware though, that there is a puppy phase where the pup doesn't bite to play but to check if you really are the pack leader - you'll notice the difference immediately - it is not play. This is behaviour that needs to be corrected immediately and very, very clearly. Lela got it after a few times and then it was over.
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Khalani is only 18 months old, so I hope if I keep consistent he may grow out of it. I was hoping someone might suggest something I haven't thought of. I will try what kjdonkers suggested and find a toy he loves and substitute that when he decides to have a nibble.
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To those of you that are having problems with mouthing, holding the muzzle is not a good solution. Substitute a toy for your "body parts" or totally ignore the pup and the minute that the pup settles down, praise.
