Skip to content
Basenji Forums
  1. Home
  2. Behavioral Issues
  3. How we got through the first years of "whacko dog" and some tips for you

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

Behavioral Issues

Suggested Topics

  • P

    Couple of "Issues" with my Basenji

    Behavioral Issues
    11
    0 Votes
    11 Posts
    8k Views
    P
    I completely forgot about this topic, but I figure I would reply (after a 4 month hiatus) with updates. Thank you all for your responses. Marvel no longer bites (what a relief!). It stopped around the time that all of his adult teeth were falling out, so I assume it was related to the discomfort of his baby teeth. He will play bite every now and then, but nothing drastic. Marvel no longer wakes up absurdly early now that he's 6 months old, as someone pointed out. He typically gets up when we do except for the rare occasion here and there. Marvel has been marvelous and his behavior only gets better. The only "issue" we deal with now is his separation anxiety when we leave him in a crate. I'll probably make a separate topic on this. And he seems to be strangely attached/dominant to my girlfriends underwear when he manages to get a hold of it... Thanks! Peter
  • TimesthemythT

    Need some creative thinkers for confinement "anxiety" issue

    Behavioral Issues
    24
    0 Votes
    24 Posts
    12k Views
    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.
  • Chealsie508C

    Teenage years

    Behavioral Issues
    16
    0 Votes
    16 Posts
    7k Views
    svdreamerS
    I guess we did primative puzzle challenges with Jodi. We would play hide-and-seek, make him figure out which hand had the biscuit, or hide a biscuit in a pile of blankets. Or we would tell him get the ________", birdie, hammyster, kittycat, ect and he would run through the house to each room where the animal lived or stare outside at the fence for the cat or squirrel.
  • Tayda_LennyT

    Neighbors crazy dog dug into our yard and got bit

    Behavioral Issues
    12
    0 Votes
    12 Posts
    6k Views
    RivermoonR
    I hope nothing comes of it since it was their dog that was coming into YOUR yard and the parents are acknowledging that. Hopefully they'll talk some sense into their daughter too and she'll be extra careful about letting her little monsters dig. Putting bricks down should keep them out. Good luck!
  • anmusA

    "look what i can do"

    Behavioral Issues
    11
    0 Votes
    11 Posts
    5k Views
    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
  • J

    There was a little dog…

    Behavioral Issues
    9
    0 Votes
    9 Posts
    4k Views
    J
    Thanks for your replies. I guess in the spontanaity of the moment I did as I do with my other dogs, a no and then a quick taking the thing away since I'm boss and I'm the owner of everything ultimately. I do believe Rowdy was not being the bad growling type bite – he took his front teeth and nipped at my arm, pinching it, but it hurt! I will try to work on the "leave it" command, since I taught that to my mom's poodle and it worked well. Rowdy is smart and is finally getting some of the house rules down. Though he's sneaky when he isn't resting beside you and you forget to watch him... :)