My basenji was a stray about a year ago, while he was still quite young (~6 months then, we suspect). Luckily, before he was to be euthanized at a shelter, he was given a second chance by a rescue group and placed in a foster home before we fell in love with his photo and description.
Unfortunately, I think his time as a stray took away a lot of his time to just be a puppy. We're making progress with making dog friends (though we're about to move), and we literally had to teach him how to play. We praised him up and down every time he picked up a toy at first, because he hardly would! Now he generally ignores his toys until after dinner, and that's when he goes tearing all stuffed animals to shreds.
He's such a hunter, going nuts if there's a rabbit outside the window. And he tried to stalk a poor little boy's remote controlled car last week. He shows virtually no interest in balls, ropes, or any makeshift toys that we've heard of other dogs enjoying. Most of the time, even if we snatch up a favorite toy and get very excited, he'll just stare at us like we're nuts. But I can tell he's bored! He wants to hunt, not play with stuffed animals! (silly basenji brains!)
How do I simulate prey for him indoors? Are there any durable toys that move on their own? We're planning on getting him one of those hide-a-squirrel toys next month as a housewarming gift, since he played nicely with another dog's earlier this year.
Thanks for any insight.
