Screaming must stop!

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  • @mikesull Ya know... I always tell my kid. Son, when you're grown up, got a job, are payin' all your own bills and have some left in you wallet for a hobby... find one. And don't let anyone give you grief about it. You're carrying your own weight. So, I don't care if you want your dog to sleep in a crate or on a bed. Your choice. That said... I admit to having a big ol' smile knowing that Felix is bunking with your 11yo. High Five! :raised_hand: :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes:

    I was never a crate fan till I got the two I have now that had been crate trained. OMG! Car travel is no longer a constant frantic drama scramble from one end the car the other the way it was for my first Basenji. I would encourage you not to give up crate training altogether. As I've leaned... It has it's place. :winking_face:


  • @mikesull - You can still crate train, feed him in the crate, give him treats in the crate and in the car for sure have him in a crate especially for safety. Think of it like your son being loose in a car and you have to slam on the brakes or in an accident... they would be flying all over the car... not safe for a human child or an animal.... period


  • @tanza 5! 😂


  • Why did your breeder sell the dog to you that young? I thought most pups didn’t go to their new homes until 12-15 weeks old...


  • @mikesull glad you have found a solution that works for your family and gets everyone the most sleep! As others have said you can still continue to develop positive associations with the crate. My 9 month old starts the night in her bed next to ours and joins us in our bed at 4am. Although she prefer the back of the sofa in the day, she often chooses to sleep in her crate (door open) and runs to it to eat any highly prized treats!


  • @mikesull And you will find that by feeding him around 6 and not giving him anything more to eat before bedtime, he will gradually go for longer. Kito sleeps with me and Mku, and for the first bit I carried him down to the garden every time he got restless. He pee-d instantly every time.

    But one night I just slept through - and so did he !

    So by 11 weeks I was only carrying him downstairs about 6.30 when I collect the (delivered) newspapers. Instant unleashing of the flood gates outside the back door ! And back to bed to read the papers.

    These days he just follows me down when I pick them up, no need to carry him.

    And absolutely no worries about accidents for the last month or so. He is 16 weeks today.


  • @channingsmom - Depends on the situation as to the age pups are sent home. I use 10wks as the normal, but if they have had Basenji experience or have an adult Basenji or another breed will do 9wks. I do 1st shots at 9wks and also eye exams before sending them home. But again that can change depending on the situations.


  • Quick update - Felix (now 12 weeks) slept in gated kitchen two nights in a row with zero - zero whimpers or complaints. Transferred from couch around 9pm to kitchen dog bed. Peed on newspapers only. I have a bed set up along with a dog carrier “den” that is not zipped shut. He seems to use them both throughout evening. He is getting tons of exercise daily. I think the reality is simply 8 weeks was just too young to do anything. The metal crate has been packed away.


  • @mikesull Great news - But there is one thing I would warn you about. The reason we use metal crates is because Basenjis tend to shred fabric ones !:face_with_tears_of_joy:

    There is probably (definitely !) a great deal of difference in the way breeders rear their pups in the first few weeks. Mine got their first shot at 8 weeks and went to their new homes at 8.5 weeks. But by then they were crate trained, almost totally potty-trained and certainly collar and lead trained. And born in the kitchen alongside the Aga, they were accustomed to noises - dropped pans, oven doors slamming, radio.

    You have done extremely well, given the frustrating start.


  • @jkent said in Screaming must stop!:

    I have a 9 month old who wanted to follow us everywhere at first. It was a lot easier once she was old enough to safely climb the stairs.

    As she has matured we are finding that she often chooses to stay in the other room or in her (open) crate as long as the door isn't closed and she can come and find us if she needs us.

    Looking back it was quite a short space of time that she had this intense need, but it was hard not knowing when it would end. Letting go and allowing her to follow us made it a lot less stressful.

    Interesting.. my B seems to go for anything and everything. The couch, walls, tv console (lol), etc. I can't imagine ever being able to leave him alone anywhere.

    Right now I believe a big reason why he can be destructive is I can't exercise him properly since he isn't fully vaccinated. Very excited for that day (9 days~) so I can get this little dude a proper workout.


  • @yahtzee92 - After the first shot, you can exercise him.... you just need to use some common sense. Do not let him sniff other dogs poop, stay away from dog parks, keep mostly to the sidewalk or road...go to pet store, home depot, Lowes, etc.... lots of isles to wander in, meet and greet. Many make that mistake on socialization at critical ages.


  • @tanza Vets seem to vary over here in the advice they give. Some insist on not leaving the premises until the final jab - but of how many - two or these days it seems to be three ?

    My vet says a couple of days after the 2nd jab is OK but some of Kito's siblings have been told to wait for the third. Others say ok after the first.

    Personally, I think its OK to be careful after they have some protection and would agree with @tanza. No dog parks or heavily frequented areas, no sniffing dog's poo - somewhere quiet where the pup and you can relax.

    As for socialising - I have an excellent sling and mine have gone out with the older dogs, carried around my shoulders and not touching the ground but meeting all kinds of strange looking critturs including horses !


  • @zande - Also you need to work their minds, not just the body.... sit, down, stay, fetch, etc. And yes Zande, Vets here say the same not till after the 3rd shot... When I first got my Basenjis in the 70's I followed their advise. They got sick all the time... after that it was after the 1st shot we would go out... they need to be out to build up Immunity... never had an issue nor did they rarely get sick.


  • @zande said in Screaming must stop!:

    @tanza Vets seem to vary over here in the advice they give. Some insist on not leaving the premises until the final jab - but of how many - two or these days it seems to be three ?

    My vet says a couple of days after the 2nd jab is OK but some of Kito's siblings have been told to wait for the third. Others say ok after the first.

    Personally, I think its OK to be careful after they have some protection and would agree with @tanza. No dog parks or heavily frequented areas, no sniffing dog's poo - somewhere quiet where the pup and you can relax.

    As for socialising - I have an excellent sling and mine have gone out with the older dogs, carried around my shoulders and not touching the ground but meeting all kinds of strange looking critturs including horses !

    Been using a sling which has been great.. brought him to a bunch of places in it already.

    Finding a area people don't frequent in LA? Ha.. I did let him out to eliminate on a hike in areas "off the path" which I felt were acceptable.

    Anyways, he gets his last jab in a week. I've been careful so far so I can wait the extra 7 days to start walking him properly.

    @tanza My vet strongly advised to wait til the 3rd jab so I'm erring on the side of caution. LA is just too heavily trafficked and everyone seems to have a dog these days.


  • Hi all - just an update on Felix and the “non-crating”. He is doing sooooo well being gated in kitchen now. Zero whimpers or complaints when transferring from couch with me (he is always zonked) to his dog bed. Now that he is 3 months he is having less and less pee/poops on newspapers. I wake up two times during night and he goes outside for a minute to pee. So the crate is gone forever. What a difference.

    Other thing is I am getting him tons of exercise and maybe should scale back? He is limping today. Seems fine but maybe 3 months too early for so much action. The limp seems minor. Limps a bit and then i see him put weight on it 2 mins later. Might be nails as i clipped them yday. He snoozed all night long and after eating this morn he is out cold again lol. Have exercise in store for today but maybe scale back and get this little one some rest?


  • @mikesull That is brilliant news - He will soon be totally clean at night. Yes, it is entirely possible you are over-doing the exercise. He needs to grow stronger and mature before you overwork those wee leg muscles. They are so keen and eager, it is easy to do but try to scale it back a bit for another couple of months or so.

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    Thank you all for your replies. Today was a liiiiiiittle bit better than the previous car rides we have done with him. Not constant screaming. But he still screams, and it’s a scream that can make ears bleed... But anyway, a little better today. He lied down and stayed quiet for about 5-10 minutes of the 20 minute ride. On the way home. Hopefully if we keep up with daily car rides where he always gets his toys and treats with him, and as long as we go someplace fun every time this will help getting him calmer in the car. I will also try the Rescue Remedy, it can’t hurt I guess :)
  • 4 yr. old WILL NOT stop peeing the house!

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    Obviously I agree that a vet check for a medical issue is first and foremost. The dramatic increase is a signal that something medically is off-- could be urinary track, hell could be crystal or thyroid or many things. A full evaluation is called for anytime your dog has a sudden change or increase in a behavior. However, >>We've always had a bit of difficulty getting her entirely housebroken - she messes in the house every once in a while, but had a months long streak of being good.<< is not a great sign. Even if she has a medical issue, you still have a problem because you have a dog that is not housebroken and it is so much better to spend the next 3 or 4 months really addressing this than spend the next 8 to 10 yrs living with it. Housebreaking is a bit like being pregnant... you are or you aren't. Sure, a sick dog doesn't count. But unless sick, or some crisis leaving a dog so long it has no option, pottying in the house is simply not okay. So once you get the medical checked out, go back in time, and retrain as if a puppy. It's a little easier since she already knows to go out when you are home... but a whole LOT harder because when she does potty, you generally aren't. I see no way to do it without returning to crate training, not just when you are gone, but home also. Basically you are going to have to go out with her to potty, sing her praise, give her a treat. Take her out when she gets up in the morning, every 3 or 4 hours during the day, after meals, before bedtime. If she doesn't ever potty in the house at night, great. If she does, then her new sleeping zone is a crate. It helps if you have one where she generally sleeps and a 2nd on near the main action for during the day... because you need to start putting her in the crate when you cannot actively watch her even when you are HOME until you get 100 percent no house accidents. I'll put a couple of links with clear instructions. Since this mostly is if left alone, separation anxiety might be the stimulus. Sometimes medications for a while, plus really good toys they only get when left alone (especially mind stimulating ones like Shirley suggested), Kongs with some smeared cream cheese or peanut butter (don't use a lot!! Keep a couple in the freezer!), safe chew toys, can help get the dog over the anxiety. Talk to your vet, because you can't effectively do housetraining while not helping with the separation issues. http://www.vetstreet.com/dr-marty-becker/its-never-too-late-to-house-train-an-adult-dog-heres-how-to-start http://www.canineprofessionals.com/housebreaking-adult-dogs
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    He told me that he mashed it up with his normal food. Nouno was eating everything when he was a puppy. Now he decided not to eat cucumbers ,potatoes and citrus fruits. Regards
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    yeah she likes california natural. didnt know it would help with her energy level. great news! just got back from a nice 3 hr walk w/ a friend. Now we're passed out on the couch and mommy has some quiet time. Good day. :) also, i vaccume stuffing at least 3 times a day. my neighbors/tennets must think i'm an impulsive cleaner!! haha. take care!
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    My female (Katie) will lick on the DH and DD a scab, scar, cut, mosquito bite, etc
, anything perceived as an "owie" to the point of re-opening a wound. We always thought of it as her overly active maternal instincts. (She's spayed--never had a litter--thank the B. gods;) ) We never had a licker of inanimate objects. Leather sofa I can see....scent or smell attraction. Katie did go through a phase where she started to lick herself, usually a mosquito bite or something irritating, and she slobbered so much on her leg that the couch or bed around her was wet, so she'd OCD and want to clean the slobber area, thus creating a larger and larger Basenji spit area. There's nothing like getting into what you think is a nice, cozy warm bed, then finding a huge damp spot--PANIC, PANIC, PANIC--first thought is someone has a peed on the bed, so you immediately, without thought, stick your nose right in it to smell:eek: We also use the "that's enough" command, then re-direct the B's attention to a more appropriate object/behavior.
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