She is so bored. How do you keep them entertained?

[FernRN1]

@eeeefarm Thank you for the input!! She is food motivated for sure, loves treats. I did get one of the roller balls you fill with treats, and they have to roll it to get the treats out. She watched me roll it around so the treats would come out...it is still sitting there with treats in it, she is not interested. I did learn today she has buried some of her treats in the sand by the pool, thought about putting some in for her to "uncover" but I really do not want to teach her she gets rewarded for digging.

[FernRN1]

Thank you all so much. I have gotten some good ideas and great advice!!

[tanza]

@fernrn1 - Not sure I understand the "pool"...

[FernRN1]

@triggers-dad hadnt thought of the dog park, the man at the shelter said she was "indifferent" to other dogs., and when we go for our walk she will stop and look at them, but never makes a move to interact with them, a lot of times she hides behind my legs. I do have a friend who has 4 german shepards, but I dont know if I should "expose" her to all of that. She is a rescue dog and has been beaten, so she is skittish -- she will not let other people get near her.

[FernRN1]

@tanza I have an above ground pool ----- we set it up each year, ..... on a sand base in my yard.

[tanza]

Thanks and I get that.. but that does not replace interaction with a dog... so don't think that this would resolve the issues.... I still say you need to work on telling her no... when you do not want her to continue to pester you to pay attention to her... again my opinion

[tanza]

@fernrn1 said in She is so bored. How do you keep them entertained?:

@triggers-dad hadnt thought of the dog park, the man at the shelter said she was "indifferent" to other dogs., and when we go for our walk she will stop and look at them, but never makes a move to interact with them, a lot of times she hides behind my legs. I do have a friend who has 4 german shepards, but I dont know if I should "expose" her to all of that. She is a rescue dog and has been beaten, so she is skittish -- she will not let other people get near her.

I would be very careful with a dog park, that is not usually a solution to this type of problem... in fact I have never taken any of my Basenjis to a dog park. That could result in a dangerous situation... again in my opinion

[RugosaB]

I have to agree with the Doggy Day Care idea.
We had our first basenji, Sugar, for a year. She was a wonderful introduction to the breed, and she felt it was her job to keep me busy. I did when I could, until the kids got home but after a year we thought Sugar needed another. We got a male and though we added another dog, my job was cut in half!
Your girl is very bright and needs things to keep her busy. these types, if you don't give them something to do, they will?FIND something, and not always something you'd approve of.
Sugar was a fun loving dog, with a wonderful temperament, and taught me that having a basenji is like having a permanent 2 yr old child! She loved new things and loved walks because it was a way to discover new things.

[brindlebasenji]

My little Tess absolutely loves fetching. She will not fetch endlessly, but still loves it. She is 16, and winding down, but we have had fun.

She was trained most of the way through Open obedience with some Utility.
In true Basenji form, she would perform flawlessly during training, because it was fun, and then go open loop in the ring.
Too many interesting smells and sights.
I was accused of not having trained my dog by a one judge, who apologized the next day.
One judge was very impressed with Tess’s performance one day, only to ask if I had brought the same dog the second day (Tess stopped to dig a hole in the outdoor ring).

She loved fetching and jumping, but liked doing her own thing more than my thing. She is such an independent girl. But training was fun for her and kept her busy. It was a great for bonding.
I think Tess enjoyed the company of the other dogs in her training class and the fun of learning new things. She is a real show-off!

It was worthwhile, and I recommend it if you have the time and inclination.

Tess did very well in the Rally ring, she has her novice rally title and her advanced rally title.
She learned that the yellow star meant exit. And would gaily leave the ring. I had to keep up with her to avoid losing points.
Her performance was anything from “stunning,” judge’s words, not mine, to: “you’ve passed, please leave the ring,” spoken by an exasperated judge who was tired of watching me cajole Tess to down.

I gave up on obedience, she just didn’t want to behave in the ring. But, I’m not sorry we did the work. We had so much fun as a team.

So, I guess what I am saying is this, consider training you basenji.

My Naomi loved agility. She never left my side. She never even knew there was a fence around the big field we played agility in. She just wanted to run and jump!!!
She is gone, and I miss her so much. I am so glad we had those days together.

So, find something fun to do with your B, even if it is a series of behaviors that you make up and then find ways to make it fun for your B and for yourself.

It will be worth it.

[brindlebasenji]

I also want to add that training needs to be entirely positive. Your B won’t want to play if you push or demand. It has to be fun!

[elbrant]

The best thing I can offer is: variety.

I have a 3mile loop for our typical walk, but we don't always go the same way. And I mix it up. Today I couldn't take doodle out until after lunch and it was already in the high 80s... so we went to the woods instead. A treat indeed, we haven't been in quite a while. She had a blast. The bell on her harness scared off a turkey. A real live Turkey! Right in the middle of the woods in the city!!! (secretly glad she didn't see it, I would have been horrified if she caught it!)

Don't tell anyone, but we ran across some of her doggy pals at a little play park and we broke the rules and let them run together for a bit. They had so much fun, the four of them put their noses up together with tongues out kissing eachother. Sheer joy! (and shared doggy germs, ewww, LOL)

I guess what I'm trying to describe is a daily adventure as an occasional sustitute for the same walk, around the same block, over and over again, can go a long way to making life fun for your dog (and you).

[tanza]

This is a rescue girl... so until you are in a very safe place and for sure know that you have recall, I would never suggest off lead... but don't know if that was what Elbrant was suggesting. Still say that you need to tell her NO... when bothering you.. as as far as I can tell you are giving her plenty of walks.... which is a good thing

[DonC]

@brindlebasenji said in She is so bored. How do you keep them entertained?:

In true Basenji form, she would perform flawlessly during training, because it was fun, and then go open loop in the ring.
Too many interesting smells and sights.
...
I gave up on obedience, she just didn’t want to behave in the ring. But, I’m not sorry we did the work. We had so much fun as a team.

So, I guess what I am saying is this, consider training you basenji.
...
It will be worth it.

Wow. The first part is so funny and so easy for a Basenji owner to relate to. The last part is so true. Good advice.

[Zande]

Mine have an 'Intelligence Cube' - always have had, but it doesn't affect waistlines. I measure out the day's kibble ration in the morning, whether its for 8 dogs or, as now, just 2. The cube gets a few pieces in it and I take a pouch of it with me to the woods (when lockdown lets me go there). All comes out of the daily ration - so no additional treats at all.

I'm confused by the '3 miles' ethos. If I walk 3 miles, my Basenjis go (and opinions vary) 2, 3 or 4 times that distance. So even if I go just 2 miles (more usual at the moment cos time is of the essence, we are restricted to how long we can leave home for and there are always vigilantes around) they still get a decent run.

It sounds as though your B is very demanding - you should make it clear to her that you will ignore her demands. My new puppy has a box of toys and bones. He LOVES the bones and so do I cos his sharp baby teeth are being blunted on them. He doesn't mind that they have long ago been discarded by more discerning adults.

Its time for our morning exercise !

[FernRN1]

@tanza I would be very afraid to let her off leash, I do not know that she would come to me if I called her. From what everyone has said, I am leaning towards obedience training, as a first step. But have also read that you cannot have just any trainer as the besenji is a little more difficult of a bread?

[tanza]

@fernrn1 - It is really not that they are more difficult, it is because they are a thinking dog as in "what's in it for me".... You need an instructor that uses positive reinforcements. Try to find one that has worked with Basenjis before or any sighthound

[FernRN1]

@elbrant I do give her a variety, we have 4 different paths around my home, and I have taken her to the state park a couple of times. She has one path that seems to be her favorite....as she spends a lot of time sniffing all the smells, there are a lot of dogs that use the path. And she definitely lets me know which way she wants to go for the day!!

[FernRN1]

@zande I am sorry if I wasnt clear, we have 4 different paths we can choose from each day for our walk, (actually it is her walk) and each is around 3 miles long. Some days if I am feeling up to it, or the weather is a little nicer we will go for longer.

[FernRN1]

@eeeefarm I did not see the link initially. That is amazing! DidI hear a clicker in the background?

[Zande]

@tanza said in She is so bored. How do you keep them entertained?:

it is because they are a thinking dog as in "what's in it for me"..

A normal dog, anything less intelligent, planning and scheming than a Basenji, will routinely learn to do all the disciplines in the same order, every training session. And be perfectly content, Smug even.

But a high intellect Basenji will do the routine 3 - maybe even 4 times and a trainer who doesn't know the breed will be ecstatic !

But then the rot sets in. "Did this last time, no sense in doing it AGAIN. What's new ?"

A canny trainer will vary the routines, never follow the same order for the exercises. Keep the Basenji guessing. "Ohh, did that, that was fun, now what's coming next ? What do I get to do next ?"

(This could be why so (relatively) few Basenjis make it to the top in Obedience. Short sighted authorities set the same routines in the same order, every competition. How often do you see a dog who clearly knows ahead of the command what it will be ?)