Hi from CT. (Nervous to-be foster)

[corvine]

Hello forum.
Come Sunday, I will be fostering my first B, and I won't lie, I'm just as nervous as I am excited.

I have an hour drive Sun to pick the little guy up.. All I know about him is that he's 3, R/W, very underweight, his name is Chopper, and he's "aggressive" (Though, from the sound of it, he just bites in defense if he's reached for or manhandled. His owners responded to this type of 'aggression' in kind, and now they're getting rid of him because he's getting worse.)

He's not my first dog, and not the first aggressive dog I've worked with. He is, however, my first Basenji, so I'm unsure if my usual methods and theories are going to actually work. I think I've worked myself up to almost thinking of them less as dogs and more as wild animals, hah.

Any recommended reading, sites, strategies, tips, etc are certainly welcome and appreciated.

Wish me luck!

edit: Oh, looking at my own posts, I already posted a hello thread. Oops. :x

[lvoss]

Do you use positive training methods? Basenjis respond well to positive reinforcement training methods.

[tanza]

Is this maybe the Basenji that was posted a few days ago from NH? But his name was Duke according to the post?….

[corvine]

Erm, I guess I probably should have touched on that.

Yes, only positive.
I usually take on fosters with fear/trust issues, where punishment would be going 180 degrees against what I'm trying to do, and my job requires completely positive methods. (I work at a dog daycare and training center. We have 30-40 dogs out on any given day, all in one meagerly sized room, with 1-2 people managing them. Establishing a good presence and gaining nonviolent respect is crucial, especially since we do accept reactive dogs, known biters, dog aggressive and people aggressive dogs, etc.)
It's easy for me to assume everyone will just know that, I guess.

About the only thing I don't have experience in, here, is the breed of dog.
Unfortunately, that's the most intimidating part, for me. lol

Still, I can't wait to meet him.

Re: Tanza- Nope, this boy's name is Chopper.

[WBL]

Welcome back, please keep us updated on your foster and be sure that we get pics

[corvine]

"be sure that we get pics "

Haha, if I still have hands, you can be sure of it.

[tanza]

@corvine:

"be sure that we get pics "

Haha, if I still have hands, you can be sure of it.

You will do fine, especially considering you have worked with these behaviors before… and kudos to you for give a B a chance. It is a shame that so many that wind up in rescue are due to poor breeding (breeders) and poor socialization and uneducated owners. Breeders have worked very hard in our breed on temperaments, but any dog can become a problem in the wrong situation. My hat is off to all of you that work with these dogs.... and then get them in a forever home!

[MacPack]

Welcome and congratulations! I am a firm believer in dogs (and people) living up to our expectations of them. If we make it known that our expectation is good behavior, and we reward it, every dog I have dealt with has responded in kind. You will be fine, basenjis are stubborn and there are times when you need to just walk away from an issue, rather than 'being the master'. Come back to the behavior at another time and the dog may act very differently. They listen to Tom Petty too much and "don't back down". They need to save face and offering them a way out of a tense situation often works well and does not show weakness on your part. But you probably already know this, that is just all my dog training in a nutshell!

Anne in Tampa

[corvine]

Anne,

No, actually, that's good advice. One of those things that is easy to let slip from your mind when the majority of your dog work is with lab and shepherd mixes- Breeds you generally can just push through issues with and continue requesting desired behaviors.

I'm trying to think of the basenji more like my cat than a dog.
Wonderful boy, loves me, appreciates the food, but I would be out of my mind to think I really own him. We're a working partnership at best, haha.

He's what made me think a Basenji might be the right choice for me. I looked at all the negatives and realized that I already live with one in a cat costume.
(Or maybe Basenjis just seem like cats in dog costumes? I'm not sure what I think yet. )