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

Behavioral Issues

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  • Dog Training

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    eeeefarmE
    What type of training are you interested in? Is this a housebreaking issue, obedience problem, or some behaviour you want to discourage? Since you have posted in behavioural problems, I assume you are having some difficulties with something. If you are more specific it might be easier to point you in the right direction, i.e. to an obedience trainer or an animal behaviourist.
  • "look what i can do"

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    KipawaK
    @Mango: I can't wait to have a little B ripping around the house… guess I'm a masochist, but it does sound like a lot of fun. Yes, exactly Mango. I too await the day where the Basenji 500 takes place in my home. It should be fun - we have hardwood floors! :D
  • Opposable "thumbs" (dewclaws)?

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    K
    Basenjis just have front ones, which most show breeders have removed from their litters. They can be nasty if they catch on something and rip. I do know German Shepherds sometimes have rear dews. Not sure about most other breeds. lol Again they are removed as newborns (the rears).
  • 0 Votes
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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...
  • Fear of dogs

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    C
    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!!!
  • Help with having "doggie friends" visit

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    TuckerVAT
    Feed them separately and then remove all food. Food aggression is quite normal in dogs. My GF has an Old English Sheepdog and she is very food aggressive and eats like a pig. She'll eat Tuckers food if he's not guarding it constantly. I have a gate on my kitchen and I feed Tucker in the kitchen, gated, and feed Maggie (the OES dog) on the balcony. After they eat, we recombine them. There are still a few 'toy issues', but Tucker just gets up high and eats his rawhide where Maggie can't reach him. Proper management typically can resolve most problems. Her dog is allergic to pretty much everything. The meds makes her dog constatly thirsty and Maggie will drink until the bowl is empty (if allowed to do so) and then puke everywhere. (It's actually kinda funny…) We keep the water gated in the kitchen and only allow her short visits to the water. Either that, or we put her on the balcony with all the water she wants and let her drink and puke to her hearts content. ;) Yes, it's kinda weird, but what can you do?