@patty and others that reference a responsible breeder: I got my Jessey (my friend dubbed him the Jester because of his loveable zaniness) - who is my second Basenji - from a responsible breeder and he was well socialized by her and then me. I took him to the dog park which he loved at first, but then after many visits, he became scared. He used to walk the neighborhood, but then became scared. Any boom/bang/bounce - he bolts home. My other Basenji was nothing like this. Jessey has his pack of BFF's but is usually snarky to other dogs (typical B!). My point is, it's not always the breeder. Dogs - like humans - can develop "head issues". It has been very frustrating for me having a neurotic dog, but I've come to accept that's him and would never love him any less! The vet gave me Solliquin to try, but I've been hesitant. Anyone out there tried it?
Ways to Tire Out High Energy Dog?
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the other thing to remember is that once she gets proficient with some behaviors, taking them on the road, can also be more tiring than doing them at home. (sort of a combination of what posters have suggested here.)
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How about nosework/scentwork? Once she gets the hang of it, you can use it as a way to occupy her time around the house by hiding treats or eventually scented items.
Oops, just noticed Chealsie508 said that. :p
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The advice offered here sounds all fine.
A question: are you yourself a calm person or do you have high energy also? (Your schedule with and without Ava sounds pretty intense…)
When Lela as a pup (and still occasionally) would go crazy, it would be because she was basically overly tired. One time, when corrections didn't work, I intuitively picked her up, and held her firmly, like a baby. She would settle down immediately and fall asleep in a minute.
On walks off leash I practice being active (stimulating their activities), and then settle down in a quiet place until Lela and Binti settle around me. -
LOL– yes, that's her theme song-- Girls just wanna have FUN!
Here is an updated photo of the little funster looking innocent. She has turned into an excellent retriever (cause that's fun, fun, FUN!)
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She is getting so big!!! How quickly time flies…one day they're little pups,the next big girls and boys!! Hopefully she will follow Oakleys path and one day just decided to be moderately naughty instead of extremely unbearably naughty...lol
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I'm so glad she's retrieving for you! Zest loves it too! She really likes the egg babies. I found i can just get the replacement eggs adn that's much better. (here's what Z has: http://www.kingwholesale.com/Shopping/ProductInfo.cfm?Item=27733 but those "eggs" are dirt colored, so I got replacement eggs that are brightly colored. found out we really just like the "eggs" anyway.)
If it helps, Zest!'s agility theme song is "Train in Vain"
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Unfortunately, Ava's not all that into scentwork– she gets easily frustrated and her frustration quickly turns to destruction when she can't find the treat right away, It's the same with those IQ toys-- if she can't figure it out pronto, she'll smash the toy... and damage floors, walls, furniture, anything nearby. It's like toddler tantrums. The behaviorist called it frustration intolerance.
And to answer kjdonkers' question, I'm neither super calm nor high energy-- I'm somewhere in the middle. I'm reasonably active and cool under pressure. But Ava can try my patience, and she knows exactly what will get my attention. Getting excited only revs her up, so I have worked at mastering calm. It's not easy-- and what's fun for Miss Ava isn't always fun for me. If I could just get her to do yoga with me...
BTW, Anubis' videos are amazing. They really are. All of you guys are doing incredible things with your Bs.
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Yes, she's so big– I can't believe it, either! She is absolutely a teenager-- no more puppy!
Here are a few more photos. I had to resize them to upload.
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Yes, I'm so glad she's retrieving, too, agilebasenji! Maybe she'll do agility like Zest– or even try skateboarding when she's a bit older. After we tried your leash trick, she caught on quickly. At first, she was reluctant to give up her prize, but she soon decided the treat was well worth it! Now she doesn't even expect treats. She just loves to chase it, and bringing it back means more chasing. Tennis balls don't really fit her mouth, but she loves the flying squirrel. It's her fave! Those egg babies look cute. Are they retrieving toys with the eggs or just play toys? I'll have to check those out.
And, Chealsie, I think you nailed it! I think Ava will be just like Oakley -- one day, she'll just decide to grow up and be the good girl and chief snuggle bug that she really is. I'm starting to see inklings of it already!
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I only use the eggs from the egg baby to retrieve. they're a little smaller than a tennis ball, but soft, fuzzy and sqeak. They fit easily in a pocket or pouch and roll nicely. i'll throw more than one at a time and say "good, now go get the other one". you can get just the replacements, which is what i'll do from here on out. some dogs, however, enjoy ripping the velcro open to get the eggs out of the "momma" animal.
and yes, they catch on quickly especially when they realize if they give it up, you'll toss it and they can have it again.
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BTW, Anubis' videos are amazing. They really are. All of you guys are doing incredible things with your Bs.
Thank you!!
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She really is so beautiful, such a deep,rich color…being beautiful helps with feeling less angry at them- many times the only thing that saved Oakley was his looks!!
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She is a beautiful girl, growing up fast. Wonder if she should have been a working hunting dog, maybe if she was in Africa she would be a prized hunting dog.
Jolanda and Kaiser
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Thank you! People ooh and aah over her, and she just laps it up. And, yes, Chealsie, she's like Oakley– their looks get them far! You just can't stay mad at those cute little wrinkled faces and curly tails.
Ava would be a good working dog, though I'm not sure about the hunting-- she doesn't seem to go after the bunnies and squirrels in the yard. She needs a job, though-- something to use up some of that energy and keep her occupied. I wish I could train her to clean the house... or dig up weeds.
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I wish I could train her to clean the house… or dig up weeds.
let me know if you get the housework thing figured out!!!! Of course i know some dogs who dig up weeds . . . and the flowers.
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Tucker really loves the Egg Babies. I found one in the shape of a house and it has little animals inside like squirrels and birds etc. It didn't take him long to figure out that there were other toys inside the big toy that he could take out. I used that to tire him out a lot as an adolescent it's a good thinking/mind game. He got so fast at it though it would take him less than 30 seconds to take all the animals out, then he would walk away until someone put the animals back in the house. But then again…he likes to unroll rolled socks.....
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Ava goes at warp speed all day long. I take her to daycare, where she plays non-stop, tiring out all the other dogs until they need time away from her. She goes crazy in the car all the way home. She's still revved up, so I take her for a long walk, feed her, clicker train, then she's still going strong, so we play fetch and other games. I feed her in a kibble ball to keep even mealtime active and can get maybe a half-hour of downtime out of a bully stick. Around 10, she gets the zoomies and races around the house before finally settling down. She gets me up at 6, and we do it all over again. She won't nap.
Of course, there are many labels for this behavior. She's only six months old, so I'm hoping she will grow out of most of it. Has anybody had a dog like this? Any suggestions for ways to release energy or better cope with this non-stop activity? Maybe a different food? Some miracle toy that will occupy her? Herbal magic potion? (DAP and Rescue Remedy have no affect at all.) I don't have nearly as much energy as she does… and I'm afraid she's starting to wear out her welcome at daycare.
My goodness, you do have a spitfire on your hands!!!! Did the daycare employees say that they don't like her there??? Because, Ava is doing a lot of there job by playing out the others'! Believe me, the owners love that their dogs are tired when they come home! By the by, what do you feed her? It is wild crazy that she goes all day like that! but when you said she is restless in her sleep, it raised a flag. Might not be the food, but she and my grandson are similar. He did not get good sleep at night, did not take naps (young dogs and children need the sleep too!) Had night tremors, bad dreams, and low attention spans etc and then started having frontal lobe seizures. Unknown why at this time, but the pattern of not sleeping and being hyper is similar. I know two different species, but similar non the less. AND- not saying that Ava is on the way to seizure activity, but maybe it is something related in the nervous system???? What did your Vet say? The bee story was too much! PS: Uzie gets his breakfast via a food ball that keeps him busy for a longer period of time than just from a bowl.
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I'm sorry to hear about your grandson, Buddy's Pal, and hope he's okay. That sounds scary! Ava eats a mix of Fromm Adult Gold and Surf 'n Turf. She has tested fine medically, but the behaviorist did give me neurological signs to watch for– none of which Ava has exhibited. Thank goodness! She just seems to have a ton of energy to burn, a short attention span and a low boredom threshold. But she's a friendly girl-- she likes everybody and everything!
They don't seem to dislike Ava at daycare-- they just think she's two handfuls! I picked her up one day, and they came carrying her out sopping wet with mud. Apparently, Ava was in the pool(!), then decided it would be fun to mud wrestle with another dog. I didn't ask any questions, because the harried girl carrying Ava was covered in mud, and Ava was squirming and batting her hair with filthy paws. It would be fair to say that Ava was thrust at me with great gusto. I brought cookies for the staff the next day, and even so, I was expecting to be asked to take Ava elsewhere.
I'm so glad to know about the egg babies (and egg houses)! I ordered an egg baby and an extra set of the bright-colored eggs for Ava. I hope she likes them as much as Tucker and Zest do. I'm getting a few new fun toys and yummy chews (bribes?) to hopefully keep her occupied after her spay. I dread it, because I hate putting her through that... and I don't know how in the world I'm going to keep her quiet for 1 day, much less 10!
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I was also dreading keeping Kaiser quiet after his neuter and umbilical hernia fix, the day he came home was ok the next day I was running around telling him slow down slow down and there was no stopping him from getting up on the sofa so could only pull my ouch face and hope he learnt it hurts to jump around he worked out what was comfortable to do and what wasn't, do wish the drugs kept him drugged longer than the first day I am amazed he didn't pull out any stitches( 9 for the hernia and 4 for the neuter) two of his neuter stitches did pull a little but healed up fine. Found he healed really quick and only over licked a couple of days before they were to come out, must of been itchy from healing . Kaiser had his in for 13 days as we had a long weekend around the time they were due to come out. I would be looking at something to keep Ava calm as Kaiser is already a calm boy and I found it hard with him, maybe the Vet can give you something or recommend something natural since she is so full of energy. Did find that I worried but he came through fine, did go back once to the Vet just to check some swelling but it was from him having had a nibble clean on the area, not the hernia protruding but had to check, better safe than sorry. All the best for the spay, know how you are feeling.
Jolanda and Kaiser
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Wow, 13 days sounds like such a long time! Ava also has an umbilical hernia, which will make her incision larger. I'm really worried about keeping her quiet. The vet will send us home with pain pills, but I'm hoping they'll prescribe some tranquilizers as a backup, in case she gets rowdy before it starts to heal. I would like to wait until she's a little older, but everyone feels it's best to do it before the first heat, so I guess the time is now.
