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First Attack

Behavioral Issues

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13 Dec 2007, 00:08

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    I'm no Basenji expert since I've only had one. And, I don't want to start a dog park argument. I'll just share my experience. Jengo LOVED running free, but he's a Basenji. Can't do that cause... cars. The dog park near our house is HUGE. A big completely enclosed lawn area the size of a football field with towering oak trees. We were OCD about keeping Jengo's vaccinations up to date. He was chipped and wore a collar with contact and rabies tags 24/7. He loved the dog park, but not all the dogs there. He hated any dog of any size that would try to dominate him in any way. He rarely instigated it, but he never tolerated it meaning regardless of size... he wouldn't back down. He also hated if another dog approached him from behind and would snap immediately. My solution was to stay near him and to keep moving. We would walk laps around the perimeter and by about the second or third lap he'd been or had checked out all the other dogs. Then things were good. If I saw that he was getting anxious I'd usually catch it before he reacted and would tell him "Easy". 9 times out 10 that was enough. I'd also make sure that he was aware of dogs in our vicinity so that he wouldn't be surprised if they came from behind. We went to the park for years. He never caught anything that I was aware of. I did pick him up and leave if there was another dog he and/or I weren't comfortable with. And, I also recall walking away before ever entering the park if there was a dog we didn't like already there. I guess my point is that part of protecting your dog and others is knowing and focusing on them without over-reacting at the same time. I don't want to set him off. But, I want to know what he's going to do before he does. You have to read him. All dogs give signals one way or another. Tune in to your dog, not the other people at the park. I liked the other people at the park, but I wasn't there for them. My focus was always on Jengo.
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    @nikikob - Wish you luck, but I fear to say that things are going to go badly. When bitches fight, 99.9% of the time you will never get them back together and while it might work for a while, when the "mood" hits... the fights become worse and worse.
  • First 'hump' today

    Behavioral Issues 10 Feb 2011, 23:19
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    In my opinion puppy humping is just a natural thing - lambs do it too. Yes it may be a dominance issue, I'm not sure. They usually grow out of it if and irt's quite easy to gently discourage them but above all don't make an issue of it.
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    @Quercus: …I can't imagine a dog in a real fight taking the chance of turning his back on the attacker. Though, I am used to seeing girl, girl fights...where neither girl is willing to surrender...it could be that a dog who really doesn't want to fight will try to protect his head and neck by offering other 'parts'...it would definitely indicate that the other dog wasn't reading his signs correctly...either by the dog offering surrender, or running away...it isn't really appropriate for the attacking dog to continue attacking... This is probably what may have happened. I don't think anyone actually saw the fight… So it's hard to tell, but my friend now thinks it is a part of male dominance fighting! I told them I would ask on here and see if it is common or not...
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    The very day I responded to this thread we had a visiter that evening at our new home. The visiter was unexpected and when he banged on the door Hollie jumped up, stretched out her body to see out the window, hair up on her back, barking & growling. She continued this behavior until the person went away (we didn't answer the door - unknown visiter). She is constantly leery of situations, things and people. Having rescued her from a shelter that picked her up as a stray, we know NOTHING about what happened to her before she joined our family. I believe I have a pretty good "Watch Dog!"
  • Vicious Attack

    Behavioral Issues 30 Nov 2006, 03:54
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    How far along is your dog? What is her due date? My female is very territorial about her "whelping space" with other animals in the house and will chase them from the room. Setting up the whelping pen and setting aside a quiet area for her whelping space helps to relieve anxiety and everyone seems happier. Do you have a whelping pen or box? Getting that set up and gathering your whelping supplies so they are all on hand for when they are needed is a good way to be prepared and to help your girl feel more comfortable. Also, have you planned on getting a pregnancy x-ray about 5 days before the pups are due. This will let you know how many puppies to expect so you know if there is a problem when she is whelping. Also, if any of the the puppies are too large, they can see that on the x-ray so you can plan for a c-section.