Bug has always been sooo good at listening to me. But this afternoon she absolutely refused to leave the dog park after 90 minutes of running, playtime, social interaction.... I get that she was having fun, but she flat out ignored me when I called her. She wouldn't follow me to the gate. I had to trick her to get the dog leash on. Then as we were heading out, she laid down in a final declaration of "I don't wanna go!" Seriously?
I've heard many of you mention this type of behavior. Does this mean she's not going to listen to me anymore? Or, are these moments of protest typically isolated incidents? Should I just give in on occasion and let her have her way? (yikes, that sounds like a bad idea!) Any advice is appreciated.
How old is she? Typically they reach an age (equivalent to human teenagers) when they want to assert their independence. Giving in and letting her have her way? Absolutely not, once you have called her. If you're unsure that she's going to come, try to get hold of her without a command. Otherwise you are teaching her that she can ignore a recall. That you do not want! Once I have asked my dog to come I am going to do whatever it takes to make sure the command is obeyed.
One way to avoid this type of problem is to do frequent recalls which involve reward but do not involve leaving the park. What you want is for her not to know which time will be just a treat and freedom to follow, and which time you will actually be leaving, so getting the dog to come and putting on the leash, and then maybe even heading for the gate, followed by release and more play time can work in your favour, but may be hard to accomplish after she has already begun resisting the idea of coming when called. I would let her drag a long line for awhile, to enforce the recall if necessary. (but be careful because drag lines can get tangled, so best to do this when there aren't many others around).
At least Basenjis aren't too heavy. You can carry them around your neck and they won't protest, at least none of mine have.
Yes, Im pretty strict. There's one park where I can let my girl off and she has a wonderful run but when I decide to head home, we go. I have one word, 'here' and I repeat only that word. I crouch down and wait and don't move and boy does she test me, but Im firm. It gets to the stage of 'right here' and point to my feet. 'Here, right at my feet'. And she'll come in within five minutes. The I give her lots of pats and rubs and 'good girl' talk, clip her on and we go. I never give my dog treats, ever. She's never had them. Other dogs are the biggest distraction. The only slip up was yesterday we got caught in the rain (and you know how basenjis hate to be wet) and she took off in panic. Luckily she ran to a cafe and waited there for me to run over but I didn't get mad with her, she was just anxious. At least she picked a good place!
Sounds like your girl just wants to keep playing. But when it's time to go, it's time to go. My advice is to be firm, be the dominant one. I wouldn't do frequent recalls, that would just confuse my dog no end - are we going? are we staying? Dunno? How do I react?
The owner who said to pick your dog up and carry it out of the park has provided excellent advice. If there is another dog in the Park that is larger and plays too roughly then the best way to keep your dog safe is to pick her up and carry her to safety.
She is just testing you because she is no longer a puppy. She has a mind of her own and the reason I named my girl 'Antigone' is because like her namesake she REFUSED TO NEGOTIATE. She will come around but try carrying her out of the Park so she gets used to it.
Hang in there!!!
Try multiple recalls, saying "Treats". It usually works. Dont get into the habit of carrying her. Even my old girl on the walk, and it gets very hot, she stops in the shade and lays down when she wants. I wait and continue on the walk.
Mine react to my whistle - Keeper will turn on a sixpence and came racing back at speed, Hoover comes, but more leisurely. Sometimes they get a treat, sometimes not ! Suspense !!!
(But they live in hopes !)
She's just testing you - try not to let her win though ! Be firm and don't laugh at her antics. Basenjis love to think they've made you laugh, it was probably a one off - and remember its THAT time of year. Even if she has been spayed, something will be telling her otherwise and she will be skittish. The effect of neutering - which I am firmly agin anyway - can easily take two years to kick in and sometimes even longer.
A sure way of getting Hoover to come back is to put my hands in my pockets. I use a walking pole and if I hang that on my wrist, folded up, and put hands in pockets, Hoover is back like a shot.
Only trouble is - she follows anyone in the woods who has hands in pockets. By definition, in her tiny mind, they must have treats and Hoover will do ANYTHING for food !
::I have one word, 'here' and I repeat only that word. I crouch down and wait and don't move and boy does she test me, but Im firm. It gets to the stage of 'right here' and point to my feet. 'Here, right at my feet'. ::
You just totally contradicted yourself. One word--"Here" is definitley NOT "right here" or "Here, right at my feet."
A trainer friend decades ago asked us "what is your word for come?".... then "What is your REAL word(s)". Mine was "don't make me come get you."
End of that, like eeefarm said, give the command one time, then go get them. Otherwise your come command simply means "think about going soon, but not right now."
I'd like to add, what works for one dog may not for another. Most Basenjis are highly food motivated, but some are not. One thing that made an impression on my boy....and got him paying more attention to me when he was off leash.....was me disappearing when he was distracted. I would hide and wait for him to notice I was gone. Usually resulted in frantic racing about, looking for me, and an instant recall if I helped him out by calling him. Of course, it will be different in a dog park with the ongoing distraction of other dogs, but worth a try if your dog isn't impressed by food rewards.
And to reiterate, if I am not sure of enforcing a recall, I will not use my command word. I'll just use a suggestion, e.g. his name and a comment "what are you doing?" or "see what I have here" (hand in pocket). In a desperate case, e.g. your dog is loose on the street and playing "keep away", try lying down on the ground. Usually the dog will wonder what's going on and come to investigate. This will likely only work once with a smart dog, but it's in my emergency toolkit and I have used it successfully a few times with different dogs....
Thank you (everyone)!
I did pick her up, like a child, and carried her to the car. She acted as if I hurt her feelings for a couple of hours and then we "made up". It was the first time she did it... now that I look back on it, she had met a new playmate that was giving her a "run for her money". Not many dog park pals can keep up with her in a game of tag and this girl was (and more). I think I just need to give her a bit more playtime the next time they are there together. It's kind of nice to see her assert herself a little bit. She's trying to find ways to communicate with me. That makes me feel good. Maybe I should pay a little more attention and listen to what she's saying.
Hi, my female, Roxie has some seriously stubborn moments, lol. Fortunately, I thoroughly researched her breed before adopting her. I live in the country 1/10th of a mile away from roads on 69 acres with lots of trees and a huge yard but it isn't fenced. She is the only inside dog but I had 2 large outside dogs. As soon as I let her go outside off leash, she took off like a crazed jack rabbit. She absolutely refused to come to me if I was standing. If I went after her, the chase was on. Soooo, I decided to sit down and wait to see what she would do. She acted like she didn't know her name for awhile. She did, she just pretended she didn't, lol. When I sat a few minutes and pretended to ignore her, she came to me. I learned quickly to use treats to get her back at first, then her soft squeakie toy. She took longer to learn commands than my previous huskies, shepards and terrier. Then, I began using hand signals with words. She respond so much better and more quickly. A BASENJI IS TRAINABLE! Evidently, the human has to be trained first, LOL. She suffered from separation anxiety, hated rain, cold, bathes, having her nails clipped, etc. I bought her a rain coat, winter sweaters, etc. Fifteen months later, I rescued a 1 yr old female Yorkie, IsaBella, who was seriously abused and afraid of everyone. There was jealousy at first but it vanished quickly with extra love, hugs, etc. Having company seemed to help both dogs with anxiety. They both act like they've been alone a week if I'm away a few hours so they stick to me like glue. IsaBella- Yorkie, has been far slower to learn than Roxie-Basenji, but is squeaky ball crazy. She will chase these until YOU drop. I've learned each dog is an individual and different just like people. Now, 5 1/2 years later, Roxie still has stubborn episodes but is such a loving girl. She only gets grouchy and growls if she's bumped under the covers when sleeping. She has imitated my other dogs and now has learned a type of bark, LOL. She is a serious clown at times and the funny sounds crack me up continually. She rarely growls at IsaBella-Yorkie but when she does IsaBella backs up. I fell in love with Roxie-Basenji's face at first sight. I've never regretted adopting her or her sister, IsaBella-Yorkie. Hopefully, others might try using hand signals WITH words to train their Basenji's. 
NEVER use physical punishment on your Basenji or other breeds either. A firm Aaaank sound is all I need to stop an unwanted action or I say No. It works, training just takes time, consistency, and love. They are extremely smart.
Hey everyone... just wanted to add that our next trip to the dog park: no problem! She played, was well behaved, and didn't give me any problems when it was time to go. whew!
