We've started calling Cooper "Skippy the Bandit" when he misbehaves. My husband and I even tie a red bandana around his neck to warn each other when he is feeling like Skippy.
Yesterday was a beautiful example. Not terrible by normal basenji standards, but for Cooper, it was quite the day full of mischief. But this always happens when his allergy symptoms are low and he's off steroids.
While I was getting ready for work, I found that he had attacked a tube of lipgloss. He chewed it out of my jeans pocket, popped off both ends, and crimped the tube. I called my husband and we agreed that Cooper needed to work off his extra energy. Geoff would bring him to me at work later in the day, so he wouldn't have to do a full 8 hour shift (he's been staying home while we work on his food trial).
Geoff came home and found that Cooper had stolen a cardboard Easter kaleidoscope off the table and torn it to shreds. At this point, we were very happy that Cooper doesn't eat the things he destroys. In fact, he methodically spits out pieces as he tears them up.
So Cooper came to join me for my evening training classes, and I thought he would match the personalities of the dogs I was working with. However, I miscalculated the size of a Great Dane's mouth and Cooper's disdain for any dog touching his face. The two were starting to play, and the Dane put his mouth around Cooper's head, very gently. Cooper freaked! He screamed! He whined! And he must have bucked upward, because he ended up with a puncture wound through the skin right between his ears, in the middle of his basenji wrinkles.
I didn't realize until we got home that it was punctured all the way through the skin, but we got it cleaned up and pressed a gauze pad on it until it sealed up. He acted normally the rest of the evening, aside from shying away from other dogs! We saw the vet first thing this morning, and she said it looks normal. We'll just have to keep an eye on it for abscesses. At least he is already on antibiotics for a skin infection!
Basenji's are great trainers of humans to keep there house clean and keep things out of reach. If you put it where he can get it, it's not the dogs fault.
We don't leaving anything out (except valuable one of a kind LPs that don't belong to us)
I find it's also hard that they are little thieves, stealing stuff from your pockets (on you), or when trying to fix something in the house.
I have a pair of pants that's missing a pocket. I stupidly left dog treats in my pocket and Rosie got to them (I left them on the bed). She was kind enough, however, to eat the pocket from the inside only, so I can still wear them. I just have to remember not to put anything in that pocket, because it no longer exists!
And don't forget - anything wrapped in plastic is fair game for them!
