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How we got through the first years of "whacko dog" and some tips for you

Behavioral Issues
  • @patty We do not really differ. I am only trying to get others to understand the Risks of feeding RAW anything am well aware that a lot of B Owners like to feed RAW meat. As I have said ad nauseum it is best to source the Origin of the Meat. I know the USDA, FDA, DOI are violating food safety laws constantly. This has been going on for years.

    I just want to elevate the importance of sourcing the RAW meat because the Grocery Store is NOT the best place to buy Raw Meat. In order to be safe, you must buy grass-fed beef that is guaranteed by the Farmer to be antibiotic and Steroid-free.

    As I was doing research for a Legal case I came across a fact that the Chinese were putting Melamine in the Grain Dogs and Cats were dying and the FDA investigated and determined this building material was in the Grain that was going into the Pet Food

    Forgive me for wanting people who may or may not follow what the Feds do to our Food Supply, how they illegally Slaughter Horses and their Cousins, and they are discussing creating Dog Slaughterhouses in Iowa

    As if there are not enough Dog eaters on the Planet. No breed is immune from being eaten The Swiss eat their famed Mountain Rescue Dogs the Saint Bernard, Korea has dog slaughterhouses and China has Dog and Cat slaughterhouses

    I know what I post is not comfortable to read but ignorance is not bliss and ignorance of the Law is no excuse There are plenty of groups Worldwide that are working to stop the vile practice of Dog and Cat Slaughter. I have the NGO Status and I work with other people in other Countries to support the end of this repulsive practice.

    I do not see myself as differing, rather I see myself as very cautious when it comes to feeding my animals and myself BTW, after the Melamine scare I cooked for my Dogs, Wolves and Cats I went to a Farm near where my Mom lives and bought fresh drug and steriod free Beef. I never fed it Raw but every few days I would buy fresh meat. My B ate everything except things she knew not to eat. Raisins, Prunes, Milk Chocolate, Almonds and a few other things that are toxic to Dogs. Bs are the most intelligent of the Hounds in my opinion. I just adore them and their stubborn personality.

    I suggested you author a book since there are so many out there and maybe what you have to say is better than the rest! I had no idea you are retired from Breeding; something tells me that is a loss for the Breed.

    Best,

    Antigone

  • @debradownsouth As far as I know to call someone an Alpa anything is not an insult. You do not like what I say as it runs counter to what you believe. Nothing I have ever posted would put any dog or other animals in danger. People will do what they want no matter what you or I say.

  • @harold just to say I'm so sorry that you've had any bad reactions to your post which indeed raised lots of healthy questions. However, that's your choice and I'm only contacting you now to say that I hope I haven't been rude in any way. This is a good and helpful forum so please reconsider if you wish to raise any queries. Best wishes to you and Harry.

  • @antigone - I do understand what you are saying. We are fortunate in the UK because meat free of steroids and antibiotics is more easily available. I know too how one can get into campaigning mode about issues they feel strongly about. However, like Harold I'm leaving this post now -we seem to have wandered a bit from his original post. Best wishes.

  • @harold >

                    debradownsouth..
    

    -i had a cockapoo "DOG" not a bird. a cockapoo is a dog that is a mix of cockerspaniel and poodle. maybe you are thinking of a "kakapo"
    which is a large flightless bird also known as an "owl parrot". Never owned a bird.

    Okay, I cannot believe I read cockatoo instead of cockapoo. My apologies.

    Last I'll say on autism. I have worked with people with it, with parents of autistic children, on state associations for mh/mr. Casual labeling is derogatory. In the old days, people who were differently abled were called "retarded" and it became a hurtful mean slur. Autistic is going the same route. I understand you didn't mean it that way, so again, we can simply agree to disagree that people who are not actual behaviorist or psychologists/psychiatrists for people, should be putting such a label.

    There are ways to work with your dog to instill more confidence and make it's like better. Please stick around. Try to at least understand the dismay at the diet is because people see it as so unhealthy. You get to say buzz off and do what you want, but please recognize the concern from others.

  • @antigone said in How we got through the first years of "whacko dog" and some tips for you:

    I am only trying to get others to understand the Risks of feeding RAW

    The stop ambusing everyone's posts and make your own thread. Eating dog meat, rants about raw food, etc isn't the topic. Eating dog meat isn't a basenji board topic period.

    As for saying I don't like what you say... I don't like with you give false information as facts. But I'm going to work hard at ignoring it and trust others to check your info.

  • I hope that you noticed, @Antigone that the original poster has left the "building" due to his post being hijacked...... yet again. Could you please stop doing that?

  • @tanza The Original poster contacted me via email. He left because he AGREED with me about Sourcing the Raw meat. He knew about the USDA and THE FDA making a Rule regarding Antibiotic and Steroid use in Animals that was Voluntary. He himself has health issues and he had problems with an injury that became infected and it took a long time to get something to resolve it.

    He did not have a problem with me.

  • @debradownsouth I am not ambushing posts. Basenjis are being slaughtered in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. THAT is a valid topic for this Forum. I am working to stop it but you prefer to ignore the reality. No breed is immune from being eaten. ISIL is in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and they are eating the Basenjis.

  • @antigone STILL NOT A TOPIC FOR THIS THREAD OR BOARD

  • @antigone said in How we got through the first years of "whacko dog" and some tips for you:

    @debradownsouth I am not ambushing posts. Basenjis are being slaughtered in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. THAT is a valid topic for this Forum. I am working to stop it but you prefer to ignore the reality. No breed is immune from being eaten. ISIL is in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and they are eating the Basenjis.

    @Antigone, please start your own thread if you want to talk about this, valid or not it DOES NOT BELONG on someone else's thread.

  • @tanza I guess I will never understand why the ways these Dogs, and all Dogs, being eaten is not a valid topic. I am disgusted at the thought and am working with others to stop it. I guess even if I gave a link to a petition that nobody here would sign it. That is just sad.

  • Harold is one lucky pup to have found you and your wife!! Sounds like a wonderful family. Thanks for sharing the story with us!!!!

  • @antigone - Seriously? No one said that it was not a valid topic... just don't hijack someone's post. Start your own

  • @patty and others that reference a responsible breeder: I got my Jessey (my friend dubbed him the Jester because of his loveable zaniness) - who is my second Basenji - from a responsible breeder and he was well socialized by her and then me. I took him to the dog park which he loved at first, but then after many visits, he became scared. He used to walk the neighborhood, but then became scared. Any boom/bang/bounce - he bolts home. My other Basenji was nothing like this. Jessey has his pack of BFF's but is usually snarky to other dogs (typical B!). My point is, it's not always the breeder. Dogs - like humans - can develop "head issues". It has been very frustrating for me having a neurotic dog, but I've come to accept that's him and would never love him any less! The vet gave me Solliquin to try, but I've been hesitant. Anyone out there tried it?

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  • My dog bit me.

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    DebraDownSouthD
    :::Note: I’m not a professional trainer, I have a degree in psychology and im a teacher; a dog is like a 2-4 year old. Every dog is different though, maybe I’ve just gotten lucky, but what I’ve been doing has been working for me; maybe it will for you.::: LOL, not luck... good common sense. We do basic training to get solid responses in controlled environments, which gives a good base for expanding it to other situations. Like eeeefarm, I don't thing animal aggressive dogs need to socialize with strange dogs. I keep them separated. For the unexpected, working at home on basic commands (Leave It!, "look at me" to focus on you and understand the other dog is off limits, solid 100 percent down-stay) can help you avoid your dog getting revved enough to bite. That means you have to stay on top of things, change directions if necessary, and be firm and loud in asking others to not approach with their dog. Training is wonderful bonding, and it exercises their brains. http://www.clickerlessons.com/index.htm
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    TimesthemythT
    Ha, I know, forum posts are like a novel sometimes - except sometimes you don't always find out what happens at the end. There are lots of posts here where I'm like "well, what happened?!" The long and short of it: we have a "success story". He's always been kind of a strange dog, never doing things by the books. For his anxiety…...nothing I did really helped him. I originally put him on Prozac as a last resort, but overtime he just improved on his own; I know it's not due to the medication, because he's been off of it for awhile. He still hates confinement but he's learned that once he's in...he's not getting out. SO he basically goes through cycles where he'll whine for about a minute or two every so often (30 minutes to 2 hours) or so then goes back to sleep, until I get home. It gets better and better each time. One of our biggest issues I think was him being able to escape, and that fear was feeding off itself. In the beginning he would pull out all the stunts to try and escape, some of them working of course. Once I made it so he could not escape, the major destruction and psychological issues died down. I ended up putting wood pieces around the crate (as suggested above) and that helped immensely to fortify the area. He still does cry, and rip things up while I'm away...sure. But, as long as he isn't endangering himself, getting too worked up, or making a huge racket? It works. After we got that solved. I moved onto trying to get him to be ok in a crate - which has been successful. He goes into it fine, lays down and doesn't cry a whole lot, or try to escape. I think his 'anxiety' is not unusual, or inappropriate. Just a natural fear that dogs have of being alone, confined, and in a new space. I also didn't go over 30 minutes when I was teaching him as a puppy....big mistake. Things that have helped: Music, not having the light on, making the pen one giant bed (instead of allowing an area where he could stand), leaving random tissues around in the pen, not letting him out of the pen directly after coming home, giving a single cookie before leaving and returning if quiet, having the area be inescapable obviously, and brushing his teeth if he comes out of the pen right away. Things that didn't really help: thunder shirt (was working until he ripped it up), medication, mirror outside of the pen, leaving delicious food or toys inside the pen, DAP diffuser, etc.
  • Introducing a dog with "issues" to basenjis

    Behavioral Issues
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    AndrewA
    Sorry I haven't responded to this post sooner; I got busy & forgot about it. I don't check the forum nearly as often as I should. To answer above questions: My girls have both been around bulldogs before. Oddly enough, a guy I dated about a year ago had one, and although not outwardly aggressive or anything, they didn't seem to love her. She was attention starved though (first among reasons why a relationship did no develop with this guy…), and was very overwhelming, barreling around chasing them. They just tried to avoid her mostly. At dog shows and stuff, they don't seem to be weirded out by bulldogs. Otto does better with dogs than people, and he prefers small dogs/puppies to people. My girls seem to love everything except some other female basenjis. Otto is neutered, Lola is spayed, and Callie is not as she is currently being shown. Because the times we can visit one another are few & far between & having one on ones would require introducing them on Otto's turf, I don't think its feasible to introduce mine to Otto one at a time before the move. All three are crated when humans are not around, so leaving them out together unconfined is not an issue. My dogs are intense in that often when they meet a new dog, they will "rush" the dog, sniffing, etc. On leash, I don't allow this behavior with strange dogs, but at dog parks, etc, they sometimes can be overwhelming to more submissive or nervous dogs. My dogs are constantly meeting and playing with new dogs and are very well dog socialized. Otto is less so, but, again, tends not to have a lot of issues with smaller dogs. The meds have made a definite improvement in Otto's mood, but he still bites occasionally when he's overstimulated. The most recent occurrence was during a visit with my boyfriend's dad. His dad unwrapped a present that was in brown paper bag material. Otto was interested & started playing tug of war with dad. Otto got a little too excited, and when dad tried to calmly end the game, he got bit. Thanks for all the tips. Hopefully, everything will go just peachy, but we're trying to be as prepared as possible, with any little advantage possible. And Andrea, we will likely be in Richfield.
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    bellabasenjiB
    @Quercus: …I can't imagine a dog in a real fight taking the chance of turning his back on the attacker. Though, I am used to seeing girl, girl fights...where neither girl is willing to surrender...it could be that a dog who really doesn't want to fight will try to protect his head and neck by offering other 'parts'...it would definitely indicate that the other dog wasn't reading his signs correctly...either by the dog offering surrender, or running away...it isn't really appropriate for the attacking dog to continue attacking... This is probably what may have happened. I don't think anyone actually saw the fight… So it's hard to tell, but my friend now thinks it is a part of male dominance fighting! I told them I would ask on here and see if it is common or not...
  • Its Me Or The Dog…..

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    i'm feeling your pain on this one. dan and i broke up a few months ago so i moved home and mia went from sleeping with rocky and maggie on the couch to sleeping in bed with me. if i'd go out at night, my mom, instead of crating her would let her sleep in bed with my parents. (because she cried and mom felt bad) then dad told mom he didnt want her in bed with them so mom would sleep in a spare bedroom just to keep her from crying in her crate! (typical grandmother.. she spoiled her rotten) Now dan and i are trying to work things out so i brought mia with me last night to stay over and he keeps maggie and rocky in the laundry room with their beds and they are content with that, but Mia was NOT having it. she sat at the gate and cried for a good 2 hours. They aren't allowed in the bedroom because he got new furniture, so she has to get used to it i guess.. Only time will tell i suppose.. but uggh that crying.. its enough to make you wanna pull your hair out. im hoping when the 3 warm up to each other again she'll stop..
  • Fear of dogs

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    My son has been afraid of animals his entire life. We didn't know it until we were visiting a friend when he was 1 year old and their cat WALKED across the room. He freaked out. From that point on he was afraid of any live animal, but loved stuffed animals. He is 6 now and we just got an 8 week old Basenji. We talked about it alot, (he has slowly gotten used to our friend's cat, but every time the animal made a sudden move he jolted). He was excited to get the puppy, and we sat with him while he got used to exactly what the puppy would do. It has only been 2 months and my son is so good with our dog that he is not afraid of the dogs across the street who are high strung little fluffy things that always sent him runnning and screaming into the house. When I asked him about it he said he wasn't afraid now because he had one now. We waited to get a dog until both of our kids were older and could handle some responsibility. It was the best decision we made. He is still uncomforable around large dogs and other large animals, but has made remarkable progress. I don't know how your nephew will respond, but as he gets older he may realize that he has some control over the animals and that may help. Good luck!!!