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  3. Hi from PA! Need Advice on personality shift during owner pregnancy

Hi from PA! Need Advice on personality shift during owner pregnancy

Behavioral Issues
  • M

    Hi All -

    Our Basenji turned three this December and has been our whole world! Basenji's have always been our favorite breed. Zi (our pup) has always been very friendly with people and dogs, he is a lover - we used to be worried that he was too much of a lover and would go off with any random person who came to show him love.

    We are expecting our first child this April and as I am starting to show more, our pup has become more and more aggressive (growling and snapping) with everyone. With strangers mostly, or friends of ours he doesn't see consistently, but he has even been snappy and growly with my husband on occasion - never with me, he is always very calm, and cuddly with me and my growing belly (it's his favorite nap spot). I am not concerned about him being rough with the baby or with me, and I am comfortable crating him if I need to when friends come to visit or see the baby, but would rather not as he is such a major part of our family. I am concerned about his major personality shift with strangers we encounter on our daily walks and who come to our house. Our routine hasn't changed any over the past few weeks to trigger anything except for my physical appearance.

    We do have a vet appointment to make sure there are no physical ailments we are missing, and have an appointment to meet with a private trainer, but since this is such a unique breed I have a hard time trusting trainers who don't have specific Basenji experience (not a huge Basenji population in my area).

    Any thoughts or suggestions? Has anyone had a similar experience with this? Thanks to all!

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  • DebraDownSouthD

    First, congratulations on the new baby.

    Second, a contributing issue is simply that your dog has now hit maturity. Sometimes behaviors come out that weren't evident before. Is he neutered? If not, it may help some even at this age.

    Finally, your dog may very well be responding to pregnancy hormones and into protection mode. It isn't uncommon, but needs addressing, as you know. Some of the Nothing In Life is Free programs (K9Deb is excellent: http://k9deb.com/nilif.htm ) can help reset his mentality that it is NOT his job to make decisions about who can visit, your husband's movements, etc. It would be very helpful if you can have him doing all the feeding, most of the petting/grooming/letting in and out when he is home.

    Work on the leave it command, and look at me. Practice a LOT at home, then use them when visitors come or you go out if he even thinks about acting up. Mary Woodward's training lessons are so easy to follow it will make you feel faint. http://www.clickerlessons.com/index.htm

    I am sure others will respond, but the forum was down a bit so they may not notice the new threads as you have to look in other places now.

    Debra

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  • tanzaT

    Please make sure that you have a FULL thyroid panel done

    Pat Fragassi

    Tanza Basenjis

    www.tanzabasenjis.net

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  • K

    Agree with Debra: apart from any medical issues, it looks like he is protecting the new life. Cute as it may be, it's not his job. Your husband should step up to the plate and take first position in a clear way. All the best!

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    Sudden behavior change at this age is almost always medical. I am glad you are now keeping him separated, but honestly you should have the first incident. After the first bite, most courts or judges would rule you knew he was a danger and he could not only have been seized, but you sued for significant damages. You are lucky no one is filing. Thyroid is the primary cause that I am aware of for sudden change. Yes, brain tumors are possible, but more likely thyroid. Some forms of epilepsy also can cause a dog to attack, but typically this is truly out of nowhere-- not like what you describe when a dog is told no about something. Pain can also do it.. sadly cancer had been found in similar situations of sudden growing aggression. The ENCOURAGING part is you had several months without problems... so again, look at the most simple... thyroid. Make sure you get a full panel, not just an in-house partial. In the meantime, understand you didn't cause this, and it may be fixable. If thyroid, it's inexpensive medication. But you won't know until you get tests runs. Hopefully those wanting him put down will feel better knowing you are acting to find out if there is a medical issue.
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    D
    Do you know her history? Is she afraid of certain noises? If she had always lived in a cage/crate and never went out, she could be afraid of the grass/floor, etc. It sounds as if she has never been socialized to the outside world. Do you leave a leash on her when she is away from you? I have had to do this with unsocialized dogs so I could get to the leash without getting too close to them so they run from me. Since she is older, it will take more time than usual. The first tests I have done on a dog like this is a complete thyroid and an eye exam. Jennifer
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