Basenji help and advice

[eeeefarm]

@little_t Just a further note. What you want to avoid is turning "I don't want to and you can't make me" into a fear reaction because you come down too hard on him. You need to be firm and matter of fact without doing something he perceives as a threat, so your goal is to enforce your rules but not to punish for the disobedience. Also, you need to be consistent. If the couch is off limits it is off limits. Be clear about what you allow and what you don't, and make sure everyone in the household is on the same page.

OTOH, if he is normally allowed the couch and for whatever reason you want to move him from his comfortable spot, best to finesse it rather than turn it into a confrontation, but if it becomes one you must follow through. The fastest way to create a biting dog is to show him he can get his way through a growl or threatening to bite. BTW, this is how he would treat another pup, not how he would act toward his mother. She would not put up with it!

Just to add, I am with Zande on the harness issue. Personally I like a martingale collar, but if the issue is pulling then you need to work on loose leash walking. Basically you don't proceed when the leash is tight. He will learn.

[JKent]

Re grass eating, is he being sick afterwards? There is a difference between grazing on grass (normal) and purposely eating enough to vomit. My 12 month old was doing the latter daily and it turned out to be undiagnosed worms, as she has stopped doing it since treatment.

[Zande]

@jkent Basenjis will eat grass and just throw up bile (or bile and grass). Basically there is an itch or some discomfort in the stomach that they want to scratch or clear up. It is normal.

[Little_T]

Thank you @Zande and @eeeefarm for your advice.

The other issue is he only listens when I raise my voice or he will just not give crap! I started with firmness but can't get his attention but if you raise your voice he is all ears.

How do you know if he is scared and fears as this is the last thing I want!

[eeeefarm]

@little_t Think teenage humans (or for that matter younger kids). They will tune you out until they think you "mean it". Ditto issuing a command multiple times. If it is something he understands then tell him once, if no response then you either need to go get him and gently persuade him to do what was asked, or wait for him to respond if he is just a bit slow, in which case a treat when he does as asked may motivate him to do it sooner next time. Ignoring you should not be an option. You do need to be sure he understands what you want.

Try this: say his name very quietly, without any command attached. If he looks at you the treats come out. If he ignores you, make a point of letting him see you had something for him and put it away. Rinse, repeat. You may find him more attentive if there is "something in it for him", and you can also turn it into a game. If he responds to a whisper, the reward is larger.

[JKent]

@zande agree it's probably normal in most cases, but in some cases it might be due to upset stomach and in our case it was because she had worms, as she has stopped doing it daily since she's been treated.

[Zande]

@jkent Oh indeed yes. My Hoover did it because she had IBS sort of thing. She was fine on Budesonide 3 times a week, but the minute I saw her eating grass again - she went back on it daily for a couple of weeks. It can indicate something is wrong in the tum.

[elbrant]

@little_t said in Basenji help and advice:

I told my basenji "no" very firmly and looked into his eyes whilst saying this.

If your B is on the couch and you say, "no", your B will not understand why you are saying that word. If your B is jumping onto the couch and you say, "no", your B will learn that he is not allowed to jump onto the couch. You have to correct the behavior as it is happening, otherwise the dog will not understand what you mean.

@little_t said in Basenji help and advice:

he only listens when I raise my voice or he will just not give crap!

You should not need to raise your voice or repeat the command. I suspect that either your dog isn't aware that you are talking to him, or your dog does not understand what the command word means. Which basically boils down to more training.

[Zande]

Cause and effect. Elbrant has the right of it. You have to say NO as he jumps up, not while he is lying comfy. Its similar to never saying BAD dog when your pet runs away and comes back to you. The animal will think the crime lies in coming back to master. Any verbal admonishment (scream !) must be instantaneous so the dog relates. I do that = he/she screams

[DonC]

@little_t said in Basenji help and advice:

Thank you @Zande and @eeeefarm for your advice.

The other issue is he only listens when I raise my voice or he will just not give crap! I started with firmness but can't get his attention but if you raise your voice he is all ears.

How do you know if he is scared and fears as this is the last thing I want!

Count yourself lucky if he's listening to you at all! They're really good at being selectively deaf.

But yes @elbrant and @Zande are right that you need to "catch them in the act" so to speak. Ditto with rewards BTW. Speaking of which, if you don't want him on the sofa, you can use rewards to get him wanting to lounge in his dog bed.

I've never experienced a Basenji getting afraid of a correction so I don't think you need worry too much about that.

[Little_T]

Thanks everyone for your advice.

I know my basenji understands and he does listen to me but he has selective hearing. We are traning on it and he is getting better each day.