Sanji, at 3-months
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Hi all -
Looking forward to hearing of others' experiences with Basenjis. We had a cockapoo who was tragically killed by a car last December. I'm an avid mountain biker and took him often, though he wasn't really the right breed. But he did great. Researched and discovered the Basenji breed and was impressed: the only non-shedding short hair "active" breed very suitable for mountain bike rides. We drove from Michigan to N. Carolina on Feb. 5, when he was 6 weeks. If I'd have known then what I know now, I would have insisted on picking up at 10 weeks. I trained our last dog 9 years ago, but this time began an online course, "30 Days to Puppy Perfection" (DreamDog) with Michelle Lennon and it's been a BIG help.Sanji is, at 12.5 weeks, largely crate trained and potty trained, and we're doing well with sit, down, stay (for up to 30 seconds), come, and "heel" while short leash walking. But we're working on puppy biting. He's definitely different than a cockapoo. So fast, smart, and agile. It's almost scary. When energized, he's a "devil dog." When he's tired, he's a cuddly cute guy.
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replied to sanjibasenji on last edited by tanza
@sanjibasenji - Very cute... surprised that a breeder would place a pup at 6wks however. Also you do know that Basenji's do shed? Yes the hair is short and many time (until you sweep the floor or empty the vacuum cleaner) you will not see the hair. But they do shed and sometimes it is very heavy.
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Thanks. Misinformation abounds. I did see some dandruff.
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Yeah, six weeks is way way too young. You probably paid the price with your blood when your sweet little playmate learned on you how to pull those bites!
I'm not a big fan of a Basenji being a mountain biker. They can definitely do it from an athletic standpoint, but they are hunters and easily distracted. At the very least work on recall. Then work on recall. Then work on recall some more.
Also try and work on having him drink. Not drinking can be a problem with some.
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Basenji myths... hmm. So don't know if it's true or not but I recall hearing, if not reading (although I can't find a corroborating online source) that the leading cause of death for Basenjis is getting hit by a car. We were warned NOT to turn our first Basenji loose anywhere near traffic, and we never did. I still won't.
I agree with @DonC recall, recall, recall, and when you've got that down... more recall. It's been my experience that Basenjis can lose their head when they're either on a sent or see something they really really want. For mine it's squirrels. They see a squirrel... stern command, clicker, praise, treat... NOTHING MATTERS. Maybe a bit of hyperbole. Still, there could be a big ol' LOUD freight train baring down between them and the squirrel... wouldn't matter. They'd never see or hear it. Like I said, they'd lose their head IF I weren't there to intercede.
I'm not saying don't turn him loose. Instead, I hope I'm encouraging you to be really careful. All that said... He's SO cute! And I think he's found a great home. 6 weeks is early, but it sounds like you've risen to the challenge! Love the training so far too. :oncoming_fist: :winking_face: :thumbs_up:
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replied to sanjibasenji on last edited by
@sanjibasenji said in Sanji, at 3-months:
he only non-shedding short hair "active" breed
I would love to know where you saw this. So many people seem to think that Basenji's don't shed... hate to tell you this, but it's not true. btw, he is freekin' adorable! He's so cute! I'm jealous!
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replied to JENGOSMonkey on last edited by
@jengosmonkey said in Sanji, at 3-months:
I'm not saying don't turn him loose. Instead, I hope I'm encouraging you to be really careful.
Bells! Buy some "jingle bells" at your local craft store and zip tie them to a harness or collar. They make so much noise while chasing the bike (or just running around) that all the wildlife hides. Seriously. I take doodle out on a 30-40 acre private lot and let her just run around while I hike. We have never once seen a squirrel. (Did see a wild Turkey once, but it strutted off when it heard the bells.) Bells effectively eliminate distractions, warns others that doodle is there, and lets me know where she is even if I can't "see" her.
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My Basenjis sleep with me. And if you think they don't shed, all year around, come and empty my tumble-dryer filter after I have done the weekly bed-linen wash. It is thick with Basenji hairs !
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@eeeefarm
Hi -
Thanks for the reply and encouragement. He seems a lot more intelligent and a fast learner compared to our last dog. Biting is definitely an issue, but we're working on it and making progress. (I like your sign-off phrase!)
-- Elson -
replied to DonC on last edited by
@donc
Hi Don --
So true! I became not only his litter-mate, but his mother. Even at 13 weeks, he still suckle-bites my finger or ball of thumb when he starts to sleep and settle down. We have been working on recall, and drinking from my hand, which he seems to like. In contrast, my cockapoo wouldn't drink from anything but the creek (after jumping in) no matter how I presented (dish, hand, bottle, etc.) or coaxed him.It's tough to get a dog to recall with outdoor distractions. My cockpoo often just ignored me, but I didn't work too hard on it and it didn't seem to matter because he always did follow closely when I began to move away on my bike and he never got distracted while riding or ran off after anything, except when we stopped and I encouraged him to chase a squirrel in front of us. He never caught anything, was a terrible hunter, ha! But he loved the chase.
Thanks for the advice. Any is appreciated.
-- Elson -
replied to sanjibasenji on last edited by
@sanjibasenji - No they are not hypoallergenic. They are good depending on the people with some with allergies, but it is not a given.
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replied to JENGOSMonkey on last edited by
@jengosmonkey
Hi --
OK, thanks for the advise. I'm heading that more than I did before with Kai. We're doing extensive training and recall is a priority. We're building up. He's mastered indoor recall, so now we're transitioning to outdoors, first yard, then park, then later dog park, stepping up the distractions with each stage.I've also found that dogs will follow, and he seems to be learning this too. At the dog park yesterday, he began to move with another walker with a dog away from me until he realized I was out of sight. He quickly came running, which is what I was hoping for rather than me chase him down. This approach worked well with my last dog. They like to follow. But recall is perhaps more important when it's needed in dangerous or threatening situations.
Thanks again.
-- Elson -
replied to elbrant on last edited by
Hi --
Thanks! Gosh, I sure got that wrong and everyone's letting me know! Ha!
He's certainly a handful. I'm hoping someone will tell me that he'll settle down by the time he's full grown. Puppy's are do demanding, but we're putting a lot of effort into the training every day. It's paying off.
Cheers.
-- Elson -
replied to sanjibasenji on last edited by
@sanjibasenji A rock solid recall is priceless. It takes work but is well worth it.
Today, out in a different wood with a great deal more squirrels and fewer people which we tried because it is Saturday and our normal forest is crowded with pushchairs and dogs on leads at weekends, Kito (17 weeks old) chased Mku everywhere and Mku always brought the wee fellow back. But then Mku appeared out of the tall timber behind Kito who was haring along following Heavens knows what scent of his own.
I let him get a long way away from us and then I called, just once. Kito turned on a sixpence and came racing back. I was so proud of him. So now I know, his own recall is very good too. It has been in the forest but this was a strange place, lots of new exciting smells.
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Wow, that's impressive. Hope we get to that stage in a month. What training techniques are you using?
-- Elson
