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Bitten & Constant Growling - Please Help!

Behavioral Issues
  • Do let us know when you get the site posted on the classified section.
    I don't often check that out, as I then to spend..

  • Keep us posted on how things work out. Best wishes to you!!!!!

  • @direy01:

    I'm so sorry you had to go through that with your dogs. I certainly have considered a brain tumor or something like that. It's just too bizarre.

    Can I ask you what you did in those cases? In terms of treatment and how you handled it? And I hate to even ask this but did it come down to having to put them down? I don't think I could handle that especially since what Joey has might be treatable.

    For what it's worth, I just posted the video I took of him while he was in his crate growling and for lack of a better word, raging. Maybe someone can make some sense of it because it shows him going in and out of it. Mostly snarling but every once in a while he'll lean up against the crate and want to be petted. It's 15 minutes long (since I don't know how to edit it) but if you go just before the middle of it, you can really see him action. SIGH. I'll let you know when it's up - takes awhile after it's posted on youtube.

    Hi Direy01,
    Your story is heartbreaking. I can't figure out how to access your video? I'm having scarey snarling problems with my basenji. Can you or someone let me know how to view it? Thanks.

  • Hi Maxie,

    I'm sorry to hear you're having some issues with your dog. About the video, I forgot to let everyone know that it was just a hair too big to post on youtube so I couldn't post it. I just thought of another site I could try. I'll let you know if that works.

    What's your dog doing? Did it just start? Joey had been growling for awhile and has always been moody in the morning and at night but it had gotten worse a few weeks before he bit me. After ruling out anything medical, we pretty much decided it was behavioral so he's been at a behaviorist's for almost 2 weeks now. We bring him home Wednesday so we'll see how it goes. But I can tell you from experience the more we kind of slid back into letting him get his way with things the more he thought he was the head cheese. I think I said earlier that we followed the initial training tips to a tee but looking back I can see that the better he got, the more we let him get his way. Big mistake! He took it and ran with it to the point of thinking he was my boss. Hence the nasty bite I got.

    So….maybe you need to show him who's in charge again? I'm sure that's obvious to you but thought I'd throw it out there. I'm happy to help any way I can.

    To everyone else who's been so supportive on this forum, I'm planning on giving you an update after he's home for a couple days. I'm excited to have him home but a little apprehensive. Oh yeah, about my paintings, I didn't post them on here because I figured everyone was interested in only Basenji paintings and I'd never done one before but I have started on one that looks pretty cute so if I ever finish it I'll put it in the Classifieds section. :) (Wow, that's a long sentence!)

  • Do keep us updated.
    Also, do try to relax before he comes in.
    He will p/u on your stress, so deep breathing and think it will all go well.
    Hugs.

  • I hope it goes well for you. I also hope you can remain calm when you take control of your dog. If you can remain calm, hopefully your dog will remain calm as well.

  • Boy, are you guys right about him picking it up on my nerves. I've never been around a dog who's so intuitive. We've gone to see him twice since he's been at "boot camp" and I even walked him and everything went well. He had his tail between his legs. Hadn't seen that since the day we rescued him! Of course I had a sense of security with the behaviorist being right there but I am feeling better about it. And yeah, deep breathing works wonders!

  • Hi Direy, To answer you, after 1 year of sleeping in my arms w/no problems, my Bgirl began growling & snarling in my own bed. Snarling scared me, so she now sleeps on the floor. I really miss sleeping with her, but that's not going to happen any time soon. Best of luck with you and your doggie. I hope it works out! Also, yes, I do want to see the video . . . please tell me how I can do that. Maxie

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    About the JR type - Duke is probably Basenji-Jack Russell. I'm tellin' ya - I thought he was the craziest puppy on earth! He was about 12 weeks old and didn't know what he was. But thought it would be my advantage to train him young. Darn if all my efforts went down the drain with him. This was not a typical domesticated dog - at all. (More like a devil dog from hell.) But he was mine and thought he was better off with me than anywhere else, 'cause he was going to be trained one way or another with love. Today - he is well trained, but like was mentioned, he typically will respond to commands with the attitude of what it's worth to him. He's now almost 2 1/2 years old - sometimes obedient…sometimes rebelious and way happier since we added Daisy to the family. direy01 - kudos to you for loving Joey. I know the training is hard work - and exhausting - but your perseverence and repitition will be returned with pride and joy.