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Constant need of attention

Behavioral Issues
  • etzbsederE

    I have a 9 month old male who used to crave attention, but has recently gotten more obsessed with it, and is in need of it all the time. If I don't give him attention, he will whine and if I put him in his crate, he will claw at the sides of the kennel while whining.

    I was wondering what suggestions you have as to why he does this, and how I can get him to even revert back to how he was 3 months ago when I got him. I though that the longer I had him, if I tried to get him used to his kennel and not being held constantly, he would get better, not worse.

    Michael Feldman
    Gilbert, AZ

    Chaverim Basenjis

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  • tanzaT

    @etzbseder:

    I have a 9 month old male who used to crave attention, but has recently gotten more obsessed with it, and is in need of it all the time. If I don't give him attention, he will whine and if I put him in his crate, he will claw at the sides of the kennel while whining.

    I was wondering what suggestions you have as to why he does this, and how I can get him to even revert back to how he was 3 months ago when I got him. I though that the longer I had him, if I tried to get him used to his kennel and not being held constantly, he would get better, not worse.

    Are you using the kennel when you are home? If so, why? That of course will cause him to whine if you are there and he is in the crate. Crates should not be used as a place to put the dog, just because… is there a reason he can't be loose when you are home?

    Have you done any OB training with him? Have you taught him things like sit, stay, off? Is he used to being held all the time and now you don't? What kind of situations gets him crying for attention? Is he getting out enough? Remember a tired Basenji is a good Basenji....

    Pat Fragassi

    Tanza Basenjis

    www.tanzabasenjis.net

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  • etzbsederE

    He is in the kennel sometimes when people are at home, but it's because I am not and therefore can't watch him. My roommates are doing their own things, and don't want to have to watch him, so when I am in class (1-2 hours at a time, 1-2 times a day), he is in there. He is also in there a few times of about 30 minutes when I am home, if I can't watch him for some reason, but he still can't seem to get enough attention. I walk him and run with him several times a day, but he never seems to stay tired enough for long enough.

    I did 8 weeks of puppy classes at petsmart, and will be redoing the classes, just as beginner instead in the next 2 months.

    He does know sit, wait, and off, but the only one he really listens to is off.

    He starts crying for attention whenever we don't have him on our lap or petting him. no matter what. and no, he wasn't always held before, he would just sit in the middle of the family room and be calm. I have no idea what changed, or why he needs soo much attention.

    Michael Feldman
    Gilbert, AZ

    Chaverim Basenjis

    0
  • QuercusQ

    <>
    I dunno, Pat...I use my crates sometimes when I am home. Of course, when I just had one dog I didn't ;)
    I think it is good for dogs to be conditioned to being quiet in the crate when people are home. There may be times that the dog needs to be crated when people are around.
    Esteb...if you are letting him out when he whines, he will continue to do it, and he will increase his whining at first when you don't let him out. And then he will try scratching, and carrying on, until he finally realizes that isn't going to work.
    The best thing to do is to put him in there, get out of sight and be quiet. As soon as he gets quiet, run in and let him out. Start to teach him that being quiet is what gets you out of your crate. Give him something super fabulous to do while he is in there, like a raw femur bone or something...

    Andrea Walters

    Quercus Basenjis

    NW Ohio

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  • jys1011J

    Etzbseder-you could also condition him to stay on the floor without petting him or any of your attention. You could start with 5 min petting & then set him on the floor with a YUMMY filled kong or compressed raw hide bone. Give him great treats on the floor NOT on your lap or while petting. He's got to understand that he doesn't need your attention all the time & he also gets good things when he's on his own.

    If you ARE home & you can't watch him can you put him in an expen near wherever you are so he doesn't feel so confined but still not getting into trouble. I do think you're crating him for the right reasons but he may not be understanding that. He's probably interpreting it as punishment…not staying safe.

    Hope this works for you. Good luck :)

    Basenji Mom of C3PO & TOPAZ

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    Sudden behavior change at this age is almost always medical. I am glad you are now keeping him separated, but honestly you should have the first incident. After the first bite, most courts or judges would rule you knew he was a danger and he could not only have been seized, but you sued for significant damages. You are lucky no one is filing. Thyroid is the primary cause that I am aware of for sudden change. Yes, brain tumors are possible, but more likely thyroid. Some forms of epilepsy also can cause a dog to attack, but typically this is truly out of nowhere-- not like what you describe when a dog is told no about something. Pain can also do it.. sadly cancer had been found in similar situations of sudden growing aggression. The ENCOURAGING part is you had several months without problems... so again, look at the most simple... thyroid. Make sure you get a full panel, not just an in-house partial. In the meantime, understand you didn't cause this, and it may be fixable. If thyroid, it's inexpensive medication. But you won't know until you get tests runs. Hopefully those wanting him put down will feel better knowing you are acting to find out if there is a medical issue.
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    @DebraDownSouth: Andrea, great post. I have taught many dogs bite inhibition at a much older age, though… only thing you wrote I don't heartily agree with. Yes, I understand that it is possible but I'd like to know more about it. Generally it's accepted that teaching remedial ABI is difficult to do at best, at least amongst the trainers I know, talk to and read. Dunbar says he's done it but I tried to pin him down at a seminar and he was evasive. I was hoping to get specifics, training program and how to test it or pointed at one. He said to buy his DVDs. I did. Best I could find was teaching a better ritualized bite and jaw prudence and done my best to scour books and websites as well (and speaking with colleagues, natch). What I found didn't really satisfy me. I mean, when I think of teaching ABI, I am thinking of teaching it so that it holds up even under duress since that's when it's most important. For instance a colleague was recently contacted about a Level 5 biter. If it's possible to teach reliable ABI in adult dogs THAT dog should be a candidate for sure. I'd love to assist someone teaching it to a dog like that, or in training a dog that has poor ABI with other dogs. How could you train and test that safely or humanely? What is the liability there? Pretty serious, I would think. I do remember my first basenji experience though. I have trained and worked with dogs my entire adult life. So imagine my surprise when squeaking caused her to bite MORE, lol. Change of tactics. Life offers us so many opportunities to learn new things. :) Ah yes, I've had one of those. I changed to a calm "too bad" and then removing myself. Worked MUCH better. Depends on the dog. EDIT: I just looked at the site you linked and what she is talking about is what I refer to as 'jaw prudence'. When I use ABI, I'm referring to how hard the dog bites when it bites, not if it puts its mouth on you. For instance, your Rottie I would say had great ABI but iffy jaw prudence. OTOH, there are dogs with great jaw prudence but the one time they use their mouths they do it will full jaw force. I'd much prefer the former.
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    The other kind of guarding - for things that he gets by accident - that still continues, but less and less, although I don't trust him fully. He has been trained to go in his crate very willingly because he always gets a treat when he does. If he has something I don't want him to have I tell him to "get in your crate!" which almost always works the first time. He gets his treat, I close the crate, and then I clean up the mess without any worry. For our dog, if it's something like a cookie or pizza, nothing will stop him from devoring it.