Im having a hard time getting my puppy to understand her name - lucky. Im am getting a tiny bit frustrated because we have had for for about 5 days. Please reply with some easy suggestions and pointers on how to get your puppy to quickly learn her name. Thanks!
Remember the aloof trait of basenjis, she will understand what she wants to understand, have you tried rewarding with a treat when she looks at you when you say her name, thats the easiest way.
Try this. When she isn't looking at you, hide. When she starts searching for you, say her name, and only her name. Then move where she can see you and say it again. Rinse, repeat. Try to use her name when she isn't distracted. When she responds by looking at you, praise, petting, treats. If she ignores you, ignore her for a minute or two, then try again. Until she understands and responds to her name, try not to use a lot of other confusing words. Also, say her name the same way, pleasantly, using the same emphasis each time so that it doesn't sound like different things.
Takes longer than 5 days…. any reaction you get, praise/treat/praise
thank you! can anybody recommend some good training treats for basenjis? I got bil jacks and she doesn't like them
It will take longer than a few days for your B to learn all the things you are trying to teach her. I carried treats around and said his name and when he looked my way he got one. He learned his name in about a week. I used plain boiled chicken breast for training. He loves it and it's something he will eat quickly enough to continue training.
Knowing isn't doing. Basenji puppies quickly learn lots of things that they don't always feel like doing, especially on command. Patience and repetition help, as do high-value treats for training. Chicken is good, as are bits of salmon and sometimes cheese. Try lots of things and see what your pup likes. If you're looking for a store-bought suggestion, Ava likes Fromm's salmon treats, and they're grain-free. I break them into small pieces and just give her a bite-sized nibble for each reward.
As others have stated, give it time. Each puppy learns at her own pace. As far as her learning her name, anytime you say her name and she looks at you, treat. If she's playing with something or distracted, it's not going to work as well unless you are more interesting than whatever she is paying attention to. Anytime you say her name should be friendly, excited, etc; her name should be associated with good things. It's very easy to scold using her name when she's doing something she shouldn't be, but try to avoid this.
For treats, cooked chicken is great. Our two go crazy for Zuke's Z Filets, chicken chips (dehydrated ground chicken), cheese, hot dogs; anything that can be cut up into small pieces will be good during training. Loki has recently discovered that he loves steamed broccoli and cauliflower once the stems are removed. I can use anything from store-bought treats to peas with Kaia!
Ava loves broccoli, cauliflower and peas, too! She also loves carrots, spinach and sweet potatoes. In hot weather, she thinks a floret of frozen broccoli or cauliflower or a frozen carrot chip is the best thing ever! All I have to do is open the freezer door, and she's dancing on her hind legs.
Perry loves carrots, which are a great low calorie treat for him. All of my dogs have enjoyed broccoli, tomatoes, many other vegetables. Green peppers are a particular favourite. Cut up hotdogs are handy for training, but I find I can use anything from carrots to kibble and Perry is happy.
I'm jealous of all these dogs that like food! Elliot won't eat much at all!
Ava loves broccoli, cauliflower and peas, too! She also loves carrots, spinach and sweet potatoes. In hot weather, she thinks a floret of frozen broccoli or cauliflower or a frozen carrot chip is the best thing ever! All I have to do is open the freezer door, and she's dancing on her hind legs.
The dancing is adorable! So far broccoli and cauliflower are the only veggies Loki will eat, everything else he spits out with a disgusted look on his face. I made homemade dog biscuits at Christmas and snuck bananas into 1 batch 
Watch the amount of carrots, they do have a good amount of sugar compared to some other veggies….
Best treats.... get yourself a dehydrator and make your own chicken treats... Mine Love, Love them... easy to do to! I use the chicken tenders, pound them fairly thin and into the dehydrator for 10 to 12 hours. Great for fruits too among other things. Never worry again what is in the treats that you are giving your 4 legged kids.
Mine too love almost all veggies, root veggies being the most favorite. But they like fruit, lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes.....
Sometimes it can take months before you start feeling she she gets her name, doesn't necessarily mean it'll take her that long to know it though. Try not to have such stringent expectations because that will lead you to become impatient. You don't want her to sense that otherwise she might associate training with anxiety or tension
I heartily recommend this book:
http://www.dogwise.com/itemdetails.cfm?ID=DEG966
It's loaded with great information on raising a new puppy right, even if you're not anticipating on your baby being the next agility/obedience/rally superstar.
There are several steps for getting a dog to respond to his name, but the first thing is to start in a quiet place inside your home. Have some bite sized treats. Get baby's attention using the treats, say his name, feed. Repeat many, many, many times.
I'm jealous of all these dogs that like food! Elliot won't eat much at all!
What have you tried?
I have yet to meet a dog that will pass up liverwurst or tripe (I get the tripe in cans). A trainer friend of mine recently told me about salmon paste she found at Ikea. I requested she pick some up for me next time she goes. (i have so far passed the experience of Ikea.) Sardines?
What I find interesting about this thread is that I have never made a conscious effort to teach a dog its name. Including when I changed the name of the first male I rescued at just under two years old. I didn't like the name he came with, so I started calling him something else. In no time at all, he began responding to it. With pups, I just addressed them by their name and within a short time they recognized and responded to it. I can't say a time frame, but it wasn't long and I don't recall ever being concerned about it. (I have also changed the names of horses, as well as raising some from foals. I know they all knew their names, as when I addressed them by name in a group, the appropriate animal would pay attention)
I need to add, I never did teach pups with treats. Didn't seem to make any difference to the learning curve. Older dogs I have taught specific behaviours with food rewards…....I should say older Basenjis. My Border Collie and cross bred Shepherd/Husky and Shetland Sheepdog would all work well for praise!
What have you tried?
I have yet to meet a dog that will pass up liverwurst or tripe (I get the tripe in cans). A trainer friend of mine recently told me about salmon paste she found at Ikea. I requested she pick some up for me next time she goes. (i have so far passed the experience of Ikea.) Sardines?
Oh I'm talking about his actual meals. Treats he likes.
Butu loves Orijen treats (the kibble, not so much…) I wish I could get away with Kibble as a treat...Butu gives me a very clear "That's not a treat - that's Food" look....
CrazySenji… he is an only dog, right?... makes it more difficult to get good eating habits... I have found, especially with males.... be consistent... it is much easier with competition and I feed in crates, but next to each other... and if one didn't eat, the other got to gulp the food... LOL... didn't take but one or two times for them to figure out if they didn't eat it, someone else would... same works with just taking the food away if they don't eat/finish...
As always they will not starve themselves.... if hungry they will eat... can take a male a few years to figure it out especially during Basenji Rut season (when it is typically breeding season, as they know regardless if you have a female and/or your male is in tact or not)... But I know your boy is in tact, right? Will he eat sweet potatoes?.... I cook mine in the steamer... they come out great... good addition to the kibble
