BCraig, what a heartwarming post!
Thank you for being so open and honest about your Ella! It sounds like she's found her forever forever home. 🙂
Need HELP!
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Oh, I always tell folks that the basenji won't be the "star" of the class.
BUT if you go into the class with the mindset that your going to help your dog bond to you, you decide that this will be fun, and yes, most likely, you will NOT be at the top of your class, its all good.
BECAUSE what your doing this for is to help your dog look to you.
Your helping the dog see that you are the one who is the boss..you can make it fun, and you can laugh at yourself and your dog, but mostly, its working with your dog to create a way to communicate that YOUR working for. -
What kind of class? I find my basenjis work very well for treats and so I do a lot of clicker training with them (sometimes I do use a verbal marker instead). And when you do take a class, don't compare yourself/your dog to others. Dogs learn different things at different rates.
I used to take my first basenji (when I lived in an appartment) out on a 20 foot long line to exercise her. She'd run in circles like lunging a horse.
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I was speaking of a gentle basic obedience class.
A class where you are learn how to work with your dog. -
Another thing, not all dog training classes are equal. I have attended classes with several trainers since getting my first basenji over 10 years ago. I have seen the spectrum of trainers from really bad to mediocre to really great. The qualities of the really great ones are that they use positive reinforcement techiniques, they adapt their techniques to the individual dog, they have different ways to teach the same behavior, and probably the most important thing is that both owners and dogs leave each class feeling successful.
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Lisa is right, having a class of sight hounds is much different than having a class of labs.
If you can ask about their knowledge of sight hound, its a pretty good clue. -
Sharron, I think the most important thing you mentioned was the walks. For our dog that is the bonding time. Roo really likes it when I am able to get everyone in the house to go for a walk with him and that includes our other dog. Most likely he sees that as fitting into pack behavior. Having said that, when he was very young, I always made him sit and then gave him a treat at the end of the walk. After the walk I took him off his regular lead and put him on a flex type leash or 20 foot lead and let him run between Miranda and myself as we taught him to come and sit. We always make hims sit in front of us for his treats. Then the other person calls him. After about 10 to 15 mins of this on a daily basis we allow him to just run in a circle for about another 10 or 15. We have found after a 3 mile walk this mellowed him out. As you know I did another 3 mile walk in the after noon. Before winter I was able to push it to 4 miles in the morning and 4 miles in the after noon. Not only did Roo really develop his muscularity very well, but another great side effect was I lost weight and became healthier myself.
Unfortunately we are in the cold part of the season and we do have some snow days. We have walked in 26 degree weather with the wind blowing and Roo seems to handle it fine and so does my Boston. On those days we still get in at least 3 miles in less than an hour. We get out when we can but are unable to do this on a daily basis because of the time of the year. We have found that our Basenji loves to run in the snow.
As long as we give him some play time and cuddle time he seems to have adjusted to the reduction in exercise. He is now a little over 10 months old and we have his neuter scheduled for Feb 5th on his birthday. It will be interesting to see if the neuter slows him down or changes his behavior in any way.
I really think the exercise and attention that I was able to give Roo all summer has really helped in forming his personality. He has not been destructive at all. Of course we keep enough toys around to keep him busy and that helps.
We have spent quite some time teaching Roo not to bite but I think its normal behavior for a Basenji to attempt to paw or mouth you when they want attention or something else. I have noticed that our Basenji has never really tried to bite us but if you are unprepared for them to mouth you and jerk your hand away you can unintentionally get hurt or get the impression that they are biting even when they are not.
Anyway, I think the daily walk will probably have the most impact on both the dog and the owner.
Jason
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I have to agree about the exercise and the training.
I've always been the one to walk my 2 b's at least 3 times a day…long, brisk walks. When I injured my back/lumbar nerve in September, my neurosurgeon told me that I was not to walk the dogs at all (until February) and that in general I was only allowed short slow walks...not miles at any pace...obviously not conducive to walking a basenji. As a result, I had to enlist the help of my brother to walk the b kids. Against doctors orders I would still walk them once a day (shorter), but I had my brother do the other 2.
Previously, the b's only saw my brother as someone to play with and would never listen to him. And Brando would play really roughly with him. Well, the b's have completely changed in how they see my brother now that he walks them. The 2 dogs have completely bonded with him and they actually listen if he corrects them. Additionally, he has been feeding them more often and conducts some training with them...although with the training they take advantage of him because they can tell he's a pushover and they will still sometimes get the treat if they don't do the training right.
It has been a huge turnaround in his relationship with the 2 dogs. So much so that he still wants to share in the walking, training, feeding even though I am almost back to being able to do it all myself.
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Jason, I don't think you will see any change in your boy once he is fixed.
I am interested to hear if you think there was…
You also make a good point on making the dogs earn something, sit for a treat, sit for a walk, etc.
All good stuff. -
Don't worry about failing the obedience class - my previous beastie EL D was never doing anything properly in class (and I was really getting frustrated) but on the last day passed his exam except for one command and did them without error.
Living in Minnesota (and the last couple of days the temperature never reached 0deg F) we don't get as much walk-time as in the summer. So I always try to spend some time in the house just going through some basic obedience commands - even just heeling back and forth in the basement. 5 minutes here and there - its' not a substitute for walks but it helps. -
I recommend a proper clicker training, you have to make clear to her that you are the boss, I recon that in the USA there are also dogschools with behaviour therapist that give proper clickertraining.
It works!
you just need to set everything back, start all over again, a very good way is with the clicker, it is hard work but fun also as the dog has to think for itself and it makes the understanding between human and dog so much better.
A basenji is very intelligent and very active so besides a lot of walks and other ways to get rid of her physical energy she also needs mental challenges, with the clicker you can give that. -
We have spent quite some time teaching Roo not to bite but I think its normal behavior for a Basenji to attempt to paw or mouth you when they want attention or something else. I have noticed that our Basenji has never really tried to bite us but if you are unprepared for them to mouth you and jerk your hand away you can unintentionally get hurt or get the impression that they are biting even when they are not.
Jason
Dallas will nip/mouth for attention. For example, in the car, he rides in the back seat. If we are not paying attention to him & he decides he wants it, he will nip at the back of our arms [which is REALLY painful!!!!!].
I also agree that walks are crucial. It really is a nice bonding time for the whole family & also serves the important task of tiring the dog out [& human!]. Tired basenjis are quiet "good" basenjis :p Isn't that a motto on here or something? lol
Oh and as for the neutering, I got Dallas' done at 10 months. I noticed he did calm down a little bit. He still has his moments where he loves to terrorize the house. However, those are much fewer & far between than before his neutering. The best part post-neuter for him was that he stopped humping!!! He was humping everything/everyone in sight up until the day before he went in for the surgery. Haha. Please let us know if you notice any changes in your boy!
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Hmmm….i have 2 handful at home. All the above advice are great. I just wanted add that my female used to pee and poo in her crate. I asked the breeder about this and the answer i got was very simple. Do u wash the the fabric u put in her crate and i replied no. The breeder said the anything on the shelf is touched by hundreds of people and that my female keeps doing it to make it her own. Im not sure if thats true or not but she hasnt done anything like that sense i started washing everything i buy for her.
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Remember in obedience classes - it'll take a basenji several full sessions to get what a golden would learn in 3 weeks.
Another good tip in the house that I always tell my puppy people is the concept of 'teather' you have a leash hooked to you so the puppy is always near at hand - you get to see better when things might happen and monitor her behavior better.
never,never,never basenji off leash - can't say it enough and too many on the list can give you and example of why. Their prey drive is strong and they see it or smell it they are gone!
Good idea to check in for training suggestions from your breeder - they may have some good ideas as well.
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Another thing you can do is to get an empty soda can. Fill it with pennies and tape over the hole. When in the house whenever she does something you don't like shake it. Its loud, and annoying, and the dog will immediately startle. Once you have her attention start obedience training. So for instance
Dior: jumps up on the counter
YOU: Immediately shake can
Dior: stops, looks up
YOU: SIT….Good Girl :Treat:After a while Dior may try to see what happens when she does not listen to you when you shake the can. Then throw it about 5ft away from her but in her general direction. This will cause the sound to be really close and startling. Repeat process.
NEVER THROW THE CAN AT THE DOG. That's not nice. Hope this helps
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I remember my 1st B flunked training. I didn't know what to expect back then - 25 yrs ago - there's a lot more info now, & more resources available, such as this forum. Time spent & exercise are 2 best methods.
G
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Remember in obedience classes - it'll take a basenji several full sessions to get what a golden would learn in 3 weeks.
Another good tip in the house that I always tell my puppy people is the concept of 'teather' you have a leash hooked to you so the puppy is always near at hand - you get to see better when things might happen and monitor her behavior better.never,never,never basenji off leash - can't say it enough and too many on the list can give you and example of why. Their prey drive is strong and they see it or smell it they are gone!
Good idea to check in for training suggestions from your breeder - they may have some good ideas as well.
Regarding the highlighted bit…I must respectfully disagree! The basenji will get it long before the Golden...but it will take them three weeks to decide if they want to cooperate with you and perform at class
Seriously though....most of my dogs have gone thru a structured puppy "obedience" class, and a Canine Good Citizen prep class...and they all EXCELLED in class....they learned far faster than the other dogs, and looked like stars in the class....now, will they do those behaviors reliably at home? Not so much
It is ALWAYS up to the Basenji whether they want to play our little games. -
I agree with Andrea. My basenjis learn new things very quickly but they also get bored more quickly. In classes that ask for you to repeat over and over again to make sure the dog "gets it", basenjis start to goof off. All of mine get to a point where their behavior and attitude clearly say, "What is wrong with you, didn't you get this the first 5 times I did it?"
I also have found that the more "money in the bank" I have with a behavior the more likely they are to do it. So training sessions are kept short, varied, and have a high pay off for my dogs so that if I need that command and I don't have a treat handy they are still likely to respond because there is something in it for them more often then not.
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My basenjis learn new things very quickly but they also get bored more quickly. In classes that ask for you to repeat over and over again to make sure the dog "gets it", basenjis start to goof off. All of mine get to a point where their behavior and attitude clearly say, "What is wrong with you, didn't you get this the first 5 times I did it?"
This is so true!
Tillo starts to talk when it takes too long for me to get the fact that he already understands the command.. so there's no need to practice anymore
