Skip to content

Basenji Watchdog

Behavioral Issues
  • MY b mix (basenji & whippet) is a great watchdog. She will growl and bark (she's mixed - she can bark & barooo) at someone she is unsure of… however, she does it incessantly EVEN after I tell her it is okay and to stop. It has become embarrassing to have her bark at neighbors, friends, and even an employee at the pet store. I know Basenjis are "aloof and cautious" but to be so unsure of someone, even people she has met previously seems odd to me. Anybody else have this experience? Any suggestions on how to make her understand when it's okay and she doesn't have to be so "cautious" and "protecting?"

  • I would be very interested in your replies, too, as I have a four year old border collie mix who still growls when my mom comes into our part of the house. She strides behind her, growling all the way. It seems to be friendly growling. She also barks at my brother who has been visiting every week for all her life! She likes him, but she always barks and puts her hair up when he first comes in. (she is part whippet, too.)

  • Please remember that your mixes have parts of other dogs also, so it is not just the Basenji part that is causing this…. Whippets are total barkers.. and a Border Collie is a totally intense breed. Could this be with both dogs that they are unsure of who is the leader and feel that you need to be protected?... even if people they know..? I would say this more about the B/Whippet mix then the Border Collie.... Your BCmix could just be "talking to your Mom?"

  • It's hard to make an assessment just by barking reactions alone…what else is the dog doing??

    Does she lick her lips? What about the eyes cold or soft?? Body posture stiff or fluid?? It all depends on what the whole dog is saying...

  • Is this only on the leash?

    I would suggest taking small stinky treats with you. When you see the behavior beginning, address your dog into a command without acknowledging hte behavior.

    If you hear the growlies, say "Look", when you get eye contact give a treat. Show the treat and ask for a SIT.

    Distraction is the key. Dont acknowledge the behavior. Go to a busy place and practice.

    The LOOK command is great in many uncomfortable situations. It is training for attention or eye contact. Once you get that you can remove them from the situation. You may want to begin with the really stinky treats if you feel like distraction may be hard.

  • Jack makes a perfect watchdog. But he can REALLY be over the top sometimes. He is VERY protective of me esp. more so than for my hubby. Which is good. My husband is in the Navy so, when hes on 24 hr. duty. Jack makes me feel safe. but…(hush hush) heres my problem...Jack is racist...REALLY. and its not funny, and i DONT know why...but its a fact, he is only growling and bearing teeth and putting his hair up on his back when non-white people are around. (even in groups of ten+ people, he will pick out the races...WHY!!??)

  • it is just socialization….my australian shepard was that way with men with facial hair because my dad and brother were always clean shaven....

Suggested Topics

  • Basenji Reactivity with Men

    Behavioral Issues
    3
    0 Votes
    3 Posts
    507 Views
    S
    Take the dog for walks and bring high quality food rewards (like steak). Give the rewards while at a distance from strangers. The dog will tell you how much distance you should keep between the strangers and the two of you. (i.e. when the dog starts to react, you're too close; the idea is to communicate that strangers are nothing to be scared of. This is done by giving food to the dog in the presence of strangers. Depending on how reactive the dog is, you may have to keep a lot of distance at first. Keep doing this for several sessions, getting closer to strangers over many sessions, at your dog's pace. If the dog is too reactive to even take food rewards, then you need to go back to confidence building, or try from an even further distance from strangers. Best of luck.
  • Basenji and Grudges

    Behavioral Issues
    17
    0 Votes
    17 Posts
    10k Views
    Buddys PalB
    Hey eeeefarm, read that article you shared via link…..very interesting and enlightening! when one reads about spindle cells and the amygdala, one has to consider emotions to some degree in animals across the board! don't know about trees etc....???? 'nother forum ????
  • Basenji kisses?

    Behavioral Issues
    16
    0 Votes
    16 Posts
    7k Views
    CrazySenjiC
    Just 20 minutes ago Elliot was extra excited and running around and when he saw me he was SO excited he gave me a little kiss! I put a command to it ("kiss" lol) and praised him. I asked for another and he did it again! He got bored after the 5th or so time but I hope he remembers it! My Cody used to LOVE wet hair. If you sat down on the couch after a shower he would crawl behind you and rub himself on your head. It was both funny and annoying (much like a lot of basenji quirks).
  • Steralisation of Male Basenji

    Behavioral Issues
    3
    0 Votes
    3 Posts
    3k Views
    CollStarC
    Hi Dawn, my names Colleen and i'm from Melbourne! I'm really interested to hear peoples thoughts on this as my 6 almost 7 month old male basenji who isnt desex as yet is displaying quite a lot of seemingly random aggression toward my other dog who he lives with. Food is the main trigger, but more and more i think it's his testosterone really kicking in, i think hes trying to test out my other dog too see how much he can get away with and how much he can boss him around. Its making life a bit edgy for myself and my dog who cops the outbursts! I'm a vet nurse and it is well know that desexing a male will definitely drop hormone levels significantly and therefore any hormonal aggression along with it. It usually calms them and dog/territorial related aggression can be helped by neutering. I think that if you really want to keep Cougar the best way to go is to desex him. If it becomes unbearable, then its not going to harm anyone by getting him desexed. And to be honest i think the breeder should think twice about breeding from a basenji who has bitten people… but basenjis will be basenjis. No doubt desexing will help, but no doubt the aggression wont be 'cured'... i think then you need to do your bit by training him in conjunction. Best of luck, sounds like we both need it!
  • My basenji turned on me :(

    Behavioral Issues
    3
    0 Votes
    3 Posts
    1k Views
    ldortonL
    Makes sense. Thanks.
  • Same Sex and Basenji to Basenji aggression.

    Behavioral Issues
    6
    0 Votes
    6 Posts
    5k Views
    T
    I agree with Catherine, socialization is a must, but it depends on the personality of the individual dog. When we had 4, they all slept on the bed together and ran together and rarely did we have any problems. We added a puppy and things were still going ok, just really crowded. However, one day our youngest girl decided she was all grown up and didn't want to be bossed around anymore by our 'wanna-be' alpha. Neither of them was a true alpha. We managed to defuse the situation, but a month later it happened again. The girls could never be together again. In fact, the tri developed a predjudice against all red girls after that! Both girls were terrific with people and with Basenji males and even with males and females of other breeds. I had 2 intact males, brothers, who stayed together with absolutely no problem for almost 4 years until one went to another home. They even got along during season. Terry