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Know when to walk away....

Basenji Training
  • ....know when to run! As mentioned by a member previously on this forum, running stimulates the dog to chase and follow. It is useful in police work where you want the dog to chase and hopefully bring down a subject. Malinois and GSD's are typically the breeds of choice for this activity. I don't see a lot of sight hounds in police work, although they are very quick and definitely like to chase moving objects. The thing of it is, they aren't normally aggressive with humans. Wouldn't know what to do with the subject once they caught him.

    But there is another reason for running that some might find useful. It can work very nicely to sharpen up a recall. With a dog that doesn't like to be left alone, running away after you summon the dog can help in changing a lackadaisical recall into a speedy one. I have used this technique with Basenjis and other non aggressive breeds, including a Greyhound. But you do have to know your breed and your dog, and it could produce an unwanted result with some dogs, which is why caution is advised until you see what kind of response you get.

    It's also a neat way to put a "Border Collie" drop on recall on an otherwise not so responsive dog. Run away calling your dog, and when he is close spin around and drop him. (obviously he must already know the command). I've managed to get an otherwise lazy dog to really hit the ground by doing this. But we are far away from what you are likely to be doing with the average Basenji unless you are into obedience.

    The more you know your dog the better you can put training tips to good use. I've never attended a clinic where I didn't learn something, even if it was what not to do! And I like to listen to experienced people. Often you will find a little gem of an idea that happens to be just the thing to get that little extra in your relationship with your dog. The trick is to separate good advice from advice that might not be appropriate for your dog or your breed.

    Some of my trainees, back in the day....
    01tipluckylady.jpg

  • @eeeefarm Good points. My own experience... When I went to Medfly (Karen's) to look at Basenjis I had my wife and son with me. Karen would bring out a dog and I would size them up. Would they look at me, would the come up to me, acknowledge me, kiss me, etc. I was looking for aggression.

    When she brought Jengo out the second time, I loved what I was seeing, so I asked my son (maybe 9 at the time) to run across the yard. I wanted to see if Jengo would run, show aggression... didn't actually know.

    Jengo ran with him, but never chased, jumped or nipped. EXACTLY what I was looking for. They ended up at a chain link fence with their backs to me looking at a horse in a pasture. I placed my hand on Jengo's back right up against his tail ready to recoil fast. He glanced back and went back to the horse. That's the second I knew I was screwed. I didn't want a Basenji, but this one was perfect. The rest is history.

    Most of the time if I run with mine in the backyard, they just look at me like "What are you doing, Monkey?" They sit there. I've just not had to deal with a chasing issue. Except for squirrels, goats, and dogs. Mostly squirrels.

    I miss my Aussie/Border Collie mix.

  • Let's also consider that when you chase your dog, the dog thinks it's a game and will run away from you. Like... "you can't catch me!" Man, Basenji's can bolt! On the other hand, when you are the one running away, the dog instinctively joins you because you are part of the dog's family/pack. This is not to be confused with a learned command to chase an assailant, in Police work, for example. That would be a totally different game of chase.

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    @ryanp said in Walking: @ktiefen1 Hello - would you please share the type of harness that the behaviorist recommended? I have two basenjis and they're hunting instinct for squirrels and cats is taking its toll on my shoulder and back. Thank you! Behaviorists aren't in agreement on much of anything. Gentle Leaders have a lot of fans, but I'm not one of them. I believe in going back to step one and teaching your dogs not to ever pull on the leash. If someone is disabled or for some reason really needs one, that's different. But training your dog is best. If I had to use one, I'd back it with a harness or collar, especially walking 2 dogs, since getting out of one might be easier. Should add some DOGS need harnesses, not collars or head harnesses if they have neck injuries or even some eye issues. And even though I am not a big fan, they can provide more security. This article is from professionals and they prefer harnesses, as well as tell you how to choose: https://activepet.co.uk/dog-harness/ Abstract The effect on intraocular pressure (IOP) from dogs pulling against a collar or a harness was evaluated in 51 eyes of 26 dogs. The force each dog generated while pulling against a collar or a harness was measured. Intraocular pressure measurements were obtained during application of corresponding pressures via collars or harnesses. Intraocular pressure increased significantly from baseline when pressure was applied via a collar but not via a harness. Based on the results of the study, dogs with weak or thin corneas, glaucoma, or conditions for which an increase in IOP could be harmful should wear a harness instead of a collar, especially during exercise or activity.>> https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16611932 For harnesses, there are currently a lot of articles about research on harnesses, which work best with the least inhibition to natural movement. This is a great article on it for anyone on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/notes/tierphysiotherapie-brigitte-jost/reflections-on-chest-harnesses/1369929759778331/
  • Walking Kipawa - need your ideas

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    @DebraDownSouth: I do 2 kinds of walks with my dogs, both do no permit pulling. On most walks, I like to use a longer leash and I allow them to sniff and do whatever… it is what is fun for them. On exercise walks, I make them heel and keep head up. That way they get that sometimes they can meander and sniff, other times it's business. I have never tried it, but I suspect you can teach sniff, then NO SNIFF lol. We do both on our walks, free leash and then heeling. But I would love him to have his head up more during free leash walking.
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    Well said and advised Fran!
  • Do I know you?

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    Excellent video. It made me laugh! Now I know why Nilo is acting that way at the park: all those smelly rear ends…much more attractive than mom's face ;) Thanks a lot for the link agilebasenji.
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    @SNA: I tried a head halter ages ago, for at least 3 weeks, but she just hated it. She kept trying to get it off, even after three weeks, and I just couldn't do it to her anymore. A couple of books I'm following at the moment say that head halters suppress rather than correct the behaviour. She's doing well now. Well, both the head halter, and the chest harness suppress the pulling behavior. You have to train the desired behavior at the same time. The idea is that you have to stop them from pulling, or else you can't make any progress training the correct behavior. Pulling is a self rewarding behavior; in their minds, they pull, and it makes them get to where they want to be. You have to stop that association, and retrain them that when the leash is loose you get to go where you want to be. Neither walking aide can do that, only the training.
  • We Can Now Walk Like Normal

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    but I was concerned that too many treats was not good. Depends on what you use for treats. The treats should be tiny – like pea size or smaller. Sometimes I use "Carry-Outs", which are soft and maybe an inch long; I get about 6 treats out of one of those. Or I use puppy kibble -- a different brand than what I feed Keoki -- one piece of kibble is the whole reward {ya gotta wonder why Gypsy -- 70 lbs-- would even care, but she responds very well to those tidbits!}. And I only give food treats as a reward for behavior, never just to give the dogs a treat. If I want to give them a treat because they are so darned cute, I give them chewies of some sort, or a peanut butter stuffed {okay, not stuffed but you know....} bone to work on. They do not get those type of things every day.