The NILF program is exactly the sort of thing your basenji needs. She has hit teenage time and like human teenagers is pushing authority. In this case, don't push her off the couch or yank the afghan from under her or any of those sorts of manuvers. Start by getting her attention just before she is going to jump onto the couch by offering a treat diverting her attention away from the couch. If she decides to come for the treat, she gets it, and then gets to be on the couch as a double reward; if she decides to complete her jump to the couch instead, she doesn't get the treat. Once she starts to look at you first ("asking permission") before she takes the couch then the reward becomes the couch. And to get her off the couch, use the reverse. Offer her a treat in such a way that she has to get off the couch to get it and click as soon as she decides to get off Once she understands that, add the "off" word. You might have to use treats just for this exercise that she wouldn't get any other time to make this more enticing to her. You might also want to introduce mat work so that she has to go to her mat or afghan or whatever, on the floor, instead of getting on the couch in the first place.
BIG problems with Jack…
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Congratulations on the birth of your new baby and I'm really sorry that your joy is dampened by your problems with Jack. We had a little dog when our first child was born and he was appalled by the appearance of the little interloper in his home. He, Oscar, was fine with me if I didn't have the baby in my arms but would growl if I sat next to him while holding the baby. While the initial crush of welcoming family was with us, one person became Oscar's "port in the storm". In our case, it was my father in law. Maybe something like that would help Jack. And Oscar and the baby (and the next two babies) eventually developed a civil relationship. Oscar never became a fan of small children but did grow to appreciate the crumbs, cookies, and other little kid goodies and he never did bite them. And our children grew up knowing that you respect an animal's right to be left alone. Also, we had a mesh playpen and we put the infant seat in it when we were busy doing something and were going to be a bit distracted. We called it "protective custody".
I hope all works out for you.Pat
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Do you know much about Jack before you rescued him? Did he come from BRAT? And what did they say about him with children/babies? If you know something about his past, it might help to understand where his head is now….
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well we got Jack the beginning of August last year, as soon as we got here. he was only in the humane soc. for about 5 hours and we picked him up! love at first site…lol
I just found this post from you about were you got Jack from… so it is obvious that you don't know anything about his "past" life... or do you know how he wound up in the shelter?
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You might want to carry a small squirt bottle and carry it with you, rather than kicking him. kicking might make him go after feet/legs.
he needs to learn he is the bottom rung of your pack. Baby gates would help since I remember you can't crate him.
He's probably just trying to figure out his place with the baby & all.
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unfortunatly he jumps baby gates no problem…and all we were told about Jacks past was he was in a home with five children and the owner couldnt handle him and all the kids...but who knows how much of that is true...and, lol, i never kick him, it was justt that once bc i was honestly scared hed go for my leg and aiden and i would fall down the steps...it wasnt hard, just enough to make him go away, then he acted like it never happened...the only other thing i know about Jack was when we rescued him he had a silver/grey ring around his neck from what looked like being an outside dog...but of course i kno nothing for sure...
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((Hugs to you)), Having is a baby is a big adjustment for all in the household. I know you will get through this. You've been given lots of great advice from people who know dogs. Hang in there and keep us posted.
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Ok, it will be okay. You have shown us that you posess the crazy basenji mom traits that are needed to have a great basenji.:D
Caesar (my 5yr old basenji) never growled until I added the puppy basenji to the family. 5 years, no sounds of discontent ever. Keep in mind, that although basenjis dont bark, the do communicate through sound.
I found that (with basenji mom attention) Caesar's growling is innocent and is just his way of screaming about his space with Cairo when Cairo is bugging him and he doesnt want to move.
We hold his muzzle softly in our hands until he stops. We call it the growly old man sounds.
I think putting him outside may be the wrong thing. We all know our basenjis are happiest with us. I would suggest kennel time or the muzzle so that he is still in your sight and the bad behavior is being addressed until it stops.
I might suggest you push off your visitors a bit since Jack is expressing some serious stress. He sounds like he needs to adjust to the changes. I am sure you are not adjusted to the sleep cycles.
Have no fear or misunderstanding. He is just trying to figure out his place in the pack and if it has changed.
Also, keep reminding you and your husband that Jack's world is in your house. You are all he sees all day. Be patient and dont let yourselves be short and have Jack pay the price.
Dogs get jealous, mad, grumpy, growly and experience many traits that we have ourselves. I have seen Caesar lick little Cairo's eyes like a mommy and growl so loud at him in the kennel that it sounded like blood was spilling. There are all kinds of sounds they use to communicate. You now are learning some new forms of communication.
Determine what is okay, what is not. Address it. Always show your love. Your love for Jack is what has made him such a unique basenji. You will be fine and he will be your perfect silly boy again.
You can do this! You can do anything you put your mind too. You just had a baby! You can do anything.:)
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Looks like you've got lots of great advice here. As usual I'm thinking like Andrea that it also sounds like a bit of hectic household (and why not there's a new BABY & everyone wants to meet him
) so really A LOT has changed for Jack. He's definitely not used to this highly social environment & with strange things come strange B noises Here's what I would do:
1-I'd get this great book by Pia Silvani on Puppies & Kids. There's lots of great advice there.
2-Find a quiet room..away from the guests & ESPECIALLY any children guests that can be dangerous :eek: Spend some time with Jack just one on one in his new safe place. Bring him yummy treats (like a rawhide or a hamburger or a pigs ear YUM
)3-If he absolutely must be loose around the house then I would make sure that I am there at ALL TIMES…no if's and's or but's about it. If I'm not there then neither is Jack. It's MY responsibility to have to manage the situation & if I can't be there then the dog must be put in a safe place where he's not stressed out & afraid.
4-If I'm with him then it would work like this:
-When Jack approaches someone growling...the person should fold their arms look away & turn your body away from him (never stare at the dog when they're growling) & ignore him. There are lots of calming dog signals in this behavior.-When he stops growling..."GOOD BOY...bacon, beef, chicken treats"
-If Jack gets anxious at people's movements then practice his sit & downs...ask Jack to SIT & if he listens then it's.."GOOD BOY..treats treats treats" and then the person can get up & move.
-If Jack gets anxious while people are eating...then you divert his attention call him over to another place have him SIT & then it's..."GOOD BOY..treats treats treats"
-If you have the baby & Jack gets anxious ask him to get into a DOWN & STAY..if he does it then it's..."GOOD BOY..treats treats treats"
It's all about re-asserting yourself as his protector. It sounds to me like the situation is making him nervous & afraid. The more you work with him that there's nothing to worry about the easier it will be for him to relax & calm down.
I realize you have a new baby & it will be hard to manage both Jack & the baby maybe DH can help or maybe your mom can help but if you can't work with Jack then your safest bet is to find Jack a safe place in your home.
Good luck!
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good post!
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I still think that your best chance to work through this is to get a behaviorist into your home asap….. just my opinion... but really between everything you have going on with a new baby... someone "personally" there will be able to give you "direct" direction and help you work through the problems... as they are not just going to go away....
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I am not going to pussyfoot around with you. your dog has already bitten two people, what's wrong with you…Your baby is in danger, never mind anyone else who comes into your home. Do something about it TODAY before your baby gets harmed.
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I am not going to pussyfoot around with you. your dog has already bitten two people, what's wrong with you…Your baby is in danger, never mind anyone else who comes into your home. Do something about it TODAY before your baby gets harmed.
Well, that is a very valid point of view….but those of us who have dogs who have bitten can tell you that it is not uncommon to have a dog that will bite a stranger, but not a family member. It is difficult to tell in this situation with Jack whether he would bite a family member or not right now, since none of us (except his humans) are there. But I am pretty sure the baby is not in any danger right now...I am sure none of them are leaving the baby alone with Jack, and the baby is too little to get himself into trouble with the dog.
In my opinion and experience, it is best to not act rashly in these situations and dump the dog...the situation can be managed until everyone has a clear head, and a behaviorist can be consulted, and then it can be decided if rehoming, or training, or even euthanasia is the best alternative...but a decision shouldn't be made in the midst of a very traumatic adjustment time.
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While others might have good suggestions, I would say you need a behaviorist ASAP… someone that can see Jack's actions in person and help you to deal with them.....
While you say nothing has changed with his schedule, his entire household has changed, it has... you have the baby now... and he knows that.... and is confused by what is going on... and where his place is... IMOJust from what I read that is what I think is going on.
Some good advice has been given, please be careful.
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Well, that is a very valid point of view….but those of us who have dogs who have bitten can tell you that it is not uncommon to have a dog that will bite a stranger, but not a family member. It is difficult to tell in this situation with Jack whether he would bite a family member or not right now, since none of us (except his humans) are there. But I am pretty sure the baby is not in any danger right now...I am sure none of them are leaving the baby alone with Jack, and the baby is too little to get himself into trouble with the dog.
In my opinion and experience, it is best to not act rashly in these situations and dump the dog...the situation can be managed until everyone has a clear head, and a behaviorist can be consulted, and then it can be decided if rehoming, or training, or even euthanasia is the best alternative...but a decision shouldn't be made in the midst of a very traumatic adjustment time.
Very well put Andrea….
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I am not going to pussyfoot around with you. your dog has already bitten two people, what's wrong with you…Your baby is in danger, never mind anyone else who comes into your home. Do something about it TODAY before your baby gets harmed.
That is a little rash, IMO.
It's not as if Jack has just started attacking people out of the blue. Nor has he moved to attack the baby. He's confused and probably a bit overwhelmed right now. What is needed is clear-thinking to solve the problem.
Dumping the dog won't solve his problem; it just puts another dog in a shelter that doesn't know what to do with babies and crowds of visitors, which makes a repeat of the event bound to happen with a new family.
This is a problem that can be solved, my guess is fairly soon.
Dumping or euthanizing every dog that goes through a stressful situation and reacts badly is not right nor fair.
The old belief that "once a dog bites there's no training him out of it" could not be more untrue. Many good dogs were destroyed because of that idea, and that is a shame because they could have been worked with just a bit and become awesome family pets.
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I agree. I don't think dumping the dog is the answer. My friend at work just dumped her dog (of only 1 week) and it was really disappointing. You don't just dump something at the first sign of trouble. You work with it and make your best effort to remedy the situation. We're all here for you and want what's best for everyone involved.
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Thanks again for all the advise. ive had Jack inside with everyone there with his caged muzzle on, and randomly we will take it off, esp. when DH and i are both in the room with him and he seems to be doing well. he still gets a little antsy, but seems to be getting better. he has only growled at one other person since my last post. a friend of mine, angela who has been over a thousand times and never had a problem with jack, got growled at for petting him while he was eating something off the floor and then i put on his muzzle (just in case) and he growled at her when she walked by him. @@ no clue why. but other than that its the same ol' Jack. I dont think we are going to get rid of him without a BIG fight to try and correct things. we'll see once things settle down here, and i PROMISE im being VERY careful around the baby, and everyone else for that matter. in fact the weather is finally good again and we are planning on going to the dog park!! ive been spending just me and Jack time and so has DH as well as pet pet pet the whole time he is with us and so are all the guests that are here, he LOVES it! so im trying all your ideas THANK you!! ill keep ya posted!
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Hi there! Just wondering how Jack is getting along with the new little addition to the family
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WELL things have calmed down, parents left on the 16th, but Jack was good the last few days they were here, in fact the only thing that happened since my post was Jack was outside in his dog house and my mom went to reach in and give him another doggie blanket and he growled at her, and he doesnt do that to me or geoff BUT I understand why he'd get upset at her….OH well...now hes doing good, he still gets excited and bolts around the room and just a few minutes ago Aiden WAS sleeping on the bed and Jack bolted up there...he didnt step on Aiden, he jumped over him thank god, but what can u do?? lol...all is well, WELL getting better anyway. hahaa!! OK ill talk to you all LATER!!! and ill keep ya posted!
