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  3. Anyone have advice for a male basenji afraid of kids? Brigs is 8 years old and will try try to bite

Anyone have advice for a male basenji afraid of kids? Brigs is 8 years old and will try try to bite

Behavioral Issues
  • C

    Help my nephew ( 5 years old) is visit next week from out of town and my 8 year old basenji is afraid of kids.. Briggs basenji will go up to kids and growl and try to snap ..Cant crate..confine him , he trys to break out and will hurt himself doing so..

    Any ideas will be appreciated..My 10 year old female basenji is fine wth kids

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  • eeeefarmE

    Obviously, keep the dog away from the kid! If you can't crate him, is there a fenced backyard where you can put him some of the time? Otherwise, you could tether him to yourself and keep him away from the child that way. Or perhaps there is a kennel or doggie daycare where you could park him for a few days? You can't really afford a bite, so it is up to you to keep both your dog and nephew safe. There are possible longer term solutions, but IMO there isn't really enough time to work on it when the visit is so soon.....

    "In order to get along with a Basenji, you have to be at least half as smart as the dog!"

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  • DebraDownSouthD

    Wow, I'm afraid that's pretty overwhelming to deal with and like eeeefarm said, no way on earth to do it in a week. However, you do need to begin working on it soon and plan on a very long time to turn this around. Because this dog has shown he will grown and try to bite, your risk of him actually biting, and your legal liability are huge.

    If you can buy or borrow a secure crate (they aren't cheap) that he can't get out of or hurt himself in, do so. If you can't, do what eeefarm suggested, and make darn sure that leash and collar are totally secure.

    Once your nephew has left, please get a trainer to start working with your family and this dog on both children and crating. They are very important and it can be overcome.

    Debra

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    It would be useful to know more about this dog. Has resource guarding been an issue in the past? Has he bitten either you or your wife before? (a real bite, not playful nipping). Or anyone else? A dog that isn't used to children may be fearful of their loudness or quick movements. Perhaps you could do some socialization work with him, e.g. hanging around places where young kids congregate to accustom him to their noise and activity. Obviously not allowing any interaction as you are unsure of his behaviour. Dogs react differently to newborns. In my experience bitches are more likely than dogs to be tolerant, but it is very much the individual dog's reaction that counts. People have been blindsided when their supposedly tolerant and gentle dog turns out to be hostile to a young child. Bottom line, no dog should be left unsupervised around young kids, so in any event you would have to monitor his behaviour carefully once your baby arrives. On a personal note, of the five Basenjis I have owned, two bitches were entirely reliable with kids, the other was tolerant as long as they respected her space. One of the males adored children and was curious about them, the other curious but uncertain and would react to fast movements. I did not trust him and controlled any interaction closely. IMO, he would have bitten had he felt threatened. And kids, especially babies, tend to grab and pinch, ears, tails, whatever. Caution is always the safest route.
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    Thanks for the advice. It may be worth a try.