Skip to content

Stop giving food if basenji seem like he is getting used to crate?

Moved Basenji Feeding
  • My 1 1/2 year male appears to be behaving better when we put him in the crate. We have been giving him a kong filled with kibbles and yogurt to ease separation anxiety. Should we start to give him less and less so it is not addictive and we are not reliant on using that to help keep him in the crate without too much pushback?

  • Why in the world would you change what is working?

  • I never crated Fred, or any of my dogs so I don’t have any experience...but If you have something that’s working, continue with it.

  • Agree you should keep doing what you're doing. The kibbles and yogurt in a kong are a great idea. This combo will keep a dog occupied for a while and they are usually ready for a nap after the hard work of getting a snack. :winking_face:

    In the context of observing that your dog is behaving better, It may be that your guy is just maturing. We've always been able to stop crating when the dog is about two years old. Seems like a magical age when they can be left alone and not be bored or disturbed or whatever. You can of course keep crating but you will likely have the option of not doing that shortly.

  • Someone told me, a long time ago, that with any other breed, food should not be used to get a desired behavior once it's learned. But with basenjis, it's ok to use food - all the time.
    My dogs are ok in a crate but to get them in it, I throw a couple of pieces of dry puppy food. I will be doing this as long as they live. It works!

    Keep up with the food - it works!

  • There's a consensus! I will continue as now. Thanks to all.

  • I occasionally throw a couple of treats in Binti's crate so when she comes by, the crate has magically provided food! She loves her crate now! Food works!

  • You can also FREEZE the kong. Makes it last much longer. :)

Suggested Topics

  • Dog Food

    Basenji Feeding
    10
    0 Votes
    10 Posts
    6k Views
    pennypenP
    @Ellusionz: I've just swapped my dog to Wellness Core. It's high in protein which I was told is really good for the basenji breed with how active they are. Also grain-free. But they say it shouldn't be fed to dogs younger than a year. They sell it at Petco. There's also the regular Wellness that Petsmart carries thats been rated just below the Core. I researched the ingredients in the brands on dogfoodchat.com I thought about going with a high protien …. i'll deff look into that for next time after this huge bag is done :)
  • Dry food and real food!

    Basenji Feeding
    16
    0 Votes
    16 Posts
    6k Views
    DebraDownSouthD
    Fran, what does BAB after your name stand for?
  • Rotating food

    Basenji Feeding
    11
    0 Votes
    11 Posts
    4k Views
    KanangaK
    Kananga approves. :D Local pet store that I go to carries all of the frozen raw diets offered by Nature's Variety. It's nice to have a good selection to possibly rotate proteins. I thawed out 3 medallions and it only took Kananga 20-30 seconds to realize this was yummy food. He's a big fan of this but hopefully he'll still like his dry kibble. :)
  • Changing food

    Basenji Feeding
    21
    0 Votes
    21 Posts
    10k Views
    barklessk9B
    I would highly recommend the fish oil. As I stated before in a previous post, I put Zak on a grain free diet and added fish oil pills daily and a Cosequin DS (glucosamine & chondroitin) capsule sprinkled on his food each day for arthritis and he has not had a problem with arthritis since. There are foods with these supplements included, however, it is my understanding that they are just sprayed on the food. My vet had in the past suggested for my senior dogs at least 1000mg fish oil daily for cognitive health and the arthritis. For Zak and some early kidney disease he is showing she is recommending, and I have also read on line, 100mg fish oil per 10 lbs. of body weight (2500 mg daily). I don't think you're going to find the best level of fish oil supplement in a kibble. Oh, and his coat this year is sooooooooo soft! :)
  • Food recall

    Basenji Feeding
    1
    0 Votes
    1 Posts
    2k Views
    No one has replied
  • Homemade food…

    Basenji Feeding
    8
    0 Votes
    8 Posts
    6k Views
    youngandtiredY
    I have now switched from Blue Buffalo food to Merricks wet and dry. The Blue Buffalo was hard to get, I had to buy it out of town. I get Merricks locally, and Sahara absoutely eats it better than all the rest. She is a picky eater and doesn't have a big appetite, but man oh man is she waiting when it is meal time now. She cleans her dish, a new thing for her. I am very happy, I use the dry also with about 1/4 cup of wet mixed in. I add alittle warm water to the dry (it makes it's own gravy) heat the wet alittle and add to the dry. Yes, I know Sahara is spoiled b/c I heat her wet food but what the heck, she is worth it, only takes a few seconds. Merricks is pricey $2 per can but I make it last for about 4-5 meals. Anyways, if you read the can and bag of the dry you will see what I mean, it is very good dog food and the family that has the company has been in business for 3 decades.