Sanji, at 3-months

[DonC]

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.

[JENGOSMonkey]

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.

[elbrant]

@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!

[elbrant]

@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.

[Zande]

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 !

[sanjibasenji]

@tanza
Hi Pat -
Yeah he's cute and at times a real devil dog! Definitely so different from our last dog. Wish I knew then what I know now... six weeks is too early. So, they DO shed! But they're hypoallergenic?

[sanjibasenji]

@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

[sanjibasenji]

@sakuhn62
Hi --
Yes, he has been doing the "zoomies" and I do just let him go like you suggest. He definitely needs to expend lots of energy. Curiously, he gets rather cranky, even aggressive, before he sleeps. But we're learning to deal with it.
-- Elson

[sanjibasenji]

@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

[tanza]

@sanjibasenji - No they are not hypoallergenic. They are good depending on the people with some with allergies, but it is not a given.

[sanjibasenji]

@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

[sanjibasenji]

@elbrant

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

[sanjibasenji]

@zande
Hi Sally --
Ok, I got it! They SHED. When he get's 100% potty trained, we'll let him sleep with us too. But maybe we'll change our minds if the hair gets too much. Glad to know. Thanks.
-- Elson

[Zande]

@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.

[sanjibasenji]

Wow, that's impressive. Hope we get to that stage in a month. What training techniques are you using?
-- Elson

[Zande]

@sanjibasenji Entirely my own ! I have always trained all my Basenjis to run free. I am lucky in that here in the South of England we have various parts of Friston Forest which have good car-parking and which offer immense areas where dogs can be safe from traffic. Once away from the carpark you seldom meet anyone but that is not to say there are no distractions.

Deer, rabbits, some squirrels but nothing like as many as in a recently drained swampy woodland nearer home which we haven't been able to go to for months. The car-park was totally unsafe and the path inundated thanks to a blocked culvert. That has been drained and the carpark repaired so I tried it this morning cos it is 3 miles from home instead of 8 -

And there are other walkers with dogs - Mku can scent them miles off but not too many except on weekends. . .

[sanjibasenji]

@zande
I'm a fan of letting a dog run free too. Sounds like a lovely area for that.

[tanza]

@sanjibasenji - Well done! I always tell people NOT to chase, if they do the Basenji thinks it is a game.... turn and walk away because if you notice they will check to see were you are. Of course this would be in a location that there is not traffic.... and if they catch a critter, they will take off for the fun of the chase.

[Zande]

@sanjibasenji He should be ok by now and anyway they very seldom soil the area where they sleep. I would doubt he would. What I did with Kito was take him down when he.got restless and pop him into the garden. When he was 8 weeks, that meant 3 times, sometimes 4 a night. But he very soon went for longer so only once a night.

One night I didn't wake up and as he didnt either I gave up worrying and just took him down to collect the papers. By 12 weeks he was going through the night

[DonC]

Since you asked: Yes he will settle down! First you can't wait for it. Then you miss it. But he'll likely stay a booger. Some things don't change (I'm looking at socks and underwear that used to be in the laundry basket spread out over the living room floor). The puppy gnawing will also disappear, unless you play that way.

Agree with @tanza that you do not want to chase. You are not going to catch them and they think it's a game. If you can see them and make contact, if YOU run or move in the other direction they will very likely chase you down to win the game.

If he's running free consider a cell based collar. We have one for one of our dogs but don't use it because they are never off leash or not in an enclosed area. But I have tested the collar and it definitely works. Also gives you their mileage. LOL