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Growling basenji - aggression towards male roommate

Behavioral Issues

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lizvilla
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I've had my basenji for about a year now, he recently just turned 3 years old and ever since his "birthday" he's different.
I recently went to the vet for his health check up and he's completely healthy.

But his behavior is on a downhill spiral.

I need advice, please. This is the background story …

I moved in with my male roommate (I'm female) in December, which has been about 5 months .. Sherlock (my basenji) has only recently started growling as my roommate when he enters the living room, or kitchen .. any room the dog is in, really.
Until last night, my roommate would just carry on with his business and ignore this behavior.

But last night, my roommate came home, simply walked past my dog and Sherlock snipped at him! This has never happened before and I need to know how to fix it ...

When we aren't home, Sherlock isn't crated - he has free range of the apartment (except for my roommate's room - blocked off by baby gate)
meaning, he sleeps on the couch and hangs out there all day ...

for today i blocked him into my room and will not allow him back on my bed or couch unless invited but how can i correct this behavior properly?
My roommate never feeds or walks the dog as he is mine .. should he get more involved in the dog's life/activities or??

I know you cannot treat aggression with aggression so when Sherlock growls, we take him off the couch by looping a leash around his neck ... he doesn't like it but we have to show who's alpha ..

Any suggestions will help, please and thank you.
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@jengosmonkey - I mostly agree with you but you had a bit of a different situation because you got Logan as an adult.... sort of like a stranger that is now feeding that boy.... so you did the right thing for the process of taking in an adult. The result of you laughing at him and then moving him was the right thing as you didn't take him serious or freeze up... you just let him know that was your spot and he needed to share! Good job
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• • • viv58

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I can only comment on my experiences with Kipawa, my first basenji, who is just shy of 2 years old.

@viv58:

1. OBS #1: they were only affectionate on their terms and didnt like to be petted or picked up.Is this more common than not. They wanted to be by you, but hands off for the most part.

2. OBS#2: Off the leash - they are unpredictable and may not come when called. Had some wild roaming experiences at the off-leash beach. Always kept treats -and 95% of the timeit worked.Can you train them to counter this? or is this a stretch ?

3. OBS#3: Not snuggly

4. OBS#4: Only looked me in the eye when I had food- everything was a distraction.

1. Kipawa is just an extremely affectionate dog. His affection for me is special, but he recognizes all family members and care aides who come into the house and enjoys their attention and gives it back. He loves being petted and adores being massaged, but has a preference for it being from someone in his 'pack' (family members and care aides). He will tolerate being picked up by anyone, but prefers it when I do it. He is a little uncomfortable when turned on his back, however, we practice this quite a bit and he's getting better at it, especially if tummy rubs are included.

2. The only areas Kipawa is off leash is in our backyard or dog parks that are fully fenced. For these places, he is predictable, because he is very used to them. He usually comes when called, but if it doesn't work, I carry the squeaker part of a squeaker toy with me, and that most always brings him back. If he needs to come to me based on an emergency situation (say he got onto a street by accident), I have a word/sound that I only use in emergency situations. He is excellent at responding to that. All this said, if he spotted a bunny in the dog park, I don't think the emergency recall would work. Based on his breeders seeing him this summer, they have indicated he has a very high prey drive.

3. Kipawa is super snuggly all the time and is also a 'velcro dog'. We are tightly bonded. He is on my lap when I watch TV, or at least laying against me. He sleeps under the blankets on my side of the bed.

4. He easily looks me in the eye. If I am talking to him, we have full eye contact. He enjoys when we give each other 'soft eyes' - the slow blinking a person/dog might do when fully relaxed or before settling down for a nap. If he is distracted (only happens outside) I use the command 'watch me' to get eye contact. Usually 95% success rate, but that would go down to zero should he see a bunny.

I can't answer your other questions. Kipawa will be a solo dog in our home. As for the breeders, his breeders were Therese and Kevin Leimback (FoPaws Basenjis) from Washington state. We researched for a year before selecting them. Their breeding program concentrates a great deal on temperament.

Hope this helps.
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lvoss, thank you very much for that link. It was very informative and lots of good advice. I got carried away and read and watched other of her training hints. What a super site!
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And sometimes you have to "push" and/or demand for the complete test that is not usually done by the labs that your Vet might use…
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Some basenjis seem to have particular kinds of dogs they don't like. My Abbey is best friends with a rottweiller, a black lab, and a dalmation, but she hates golden retrievers! What do they go by, coat color?? She goes after anything that moves at the vet's though. My first basenji many years ago, Pumpkin, climbed trees to get after squirrels, and fences were no problem either.

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Growling basenji - aggression towards male roommate

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