In my experience it is less about the ears, but more about the habit of basenji's of touching another dog's butt with their mouths slightly opened as an invitation to run/play. Many dogs and their owners don't get this, and react accordingly. I always monitor up close when especially Lela starts interacting with a dog we don't know. Binti is more reserved, so less of an issue with her. See also books by Turid Rugaas: http://en.turid-rugaas.no/
Its Me Or The Dog…..
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This has been a battle that we lost months ago with our Tri girl. Being that she is a Tri, she is persistent, strong willed and stubborn as a mule. She has bonded to me and will not sleep anywhere else but next to me…that's fine and dandy but she is a bed hog! I have tried just about everything and it is now becoming a BIG issue. I have gotten so upset that I sometimes have to sleep on the couch because I can't take it anymore. She HOGS the bed and moves around so much that I do not get any sleep. Its sooooooo awful.
You can push her out of the bed and she will jump back in over and over again and not stop. Trust me....we have done this for hours. She will not give up.
Then I got a squirt bottle...worked for a few days but she soon became immune to the squirts and will still try to get under the covers.
We have locked her out of the room and she will pee and poop all over the place just to get back at us.
You can't put her in a crate, she will chew and scream to the point that the neighbors will complain. If you have ever met her brother....you'd understand what I am talking about...she is just as bad.
What do we do???????????????
I wake up now every morning with my eyes swollen shut due to lack of sleep. I can't function anymore.
I saw an episode of "its me or the dog" and the dog trainer installed gates for the bed to keep the dogs off. Is it really going to have to come to that???We sleep in a crate just to keep the dogs out?????
What the heck should we do
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How old is your tri girl?
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She is One year old now
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I had the same trouble with my little girl. I wasn't getting any sleep and I tried putting her in her crate at night and she screamed non-stop. We live in an apartment so that wasn't going to fly. That's when we decided to get Miles. Do you have just one Basenji? Might be time to get her a companion.
Now that we have 2 dogs, they know to sleep in their beds at night. Although I have to admit… at 4am, without fail, they will jump into the bed-- which is very disruptive for me. If it's a cold night (despite being under their own blanket), they will jump in earlier. I've thought about getting a heated dog bed, but haven't dropped the money to do it. It's definitely a struggle. But having 2 was the biggest help for us.
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I saw the same episode on "It's Me Or the Dog". While they put gates up around the bed, they also made a small raised bed for the offending dog. I think it was a Great Dane. The bed they made for the dog looked like a mattress on a platform and had blankets on it like a bed would have. I wonder if those people were able to finally remove the gates on their bed. It was a tough situation.
I got a silly idea - adopt a child - then Kiya can snuggle and keep warm the youngster under covers. Not a real solution, but Daisy, my tri-mix also burrows under the covers - she's not particular because it's with whoever is in bed first then last. She kicks making room for herself under there - but I won't budge anymore while awake. Sometimes it gets annoying though - I used to yell "OFF! - OFF!…" until both dogs got off the bed. After so many times, they've learned. Though both usually sneak back up - I just need to say "OFF!" once anymore. They go to my son's bed - he's a good sleeper.
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I should of said that we do have 2 Basenji's. Our male Chance sleeps on the floor in his own bed with soft blankets. We have purchased soft, cozy (expensive) dog beds for the both of them so they would be comfortable. Chance sleeps on the floor comfortably but Kiya will not do that. She will even get so frustrated with us for not allowing her to sleep with us, she will start to walk on top of Chance to try to upset him. She like to pick on Chance when she gets mad.
Its tough since Kiya must be by my side at all times. The beds are on my side of the bed to try to alleviate any separation issues but that doesn't help. -
I'm so sorry, but your story is rather amusing, especially the part where she disrupts poor Chance when she's mad.
I sometimes have issue with Booger when he thinks he won't be getting enough room. Sometimes he even growls at me if he's settled into bed before I get into it. I make him get off. I used to have to throw him off using the blankets because he was so stubborn, and he wasn't allowed back on the bed until I settled in & invited him. Now he allows me into bed no problem, and if he starts to growl & grumble, he knows to get off the bed without me even telling him to. For him, it was a matter of me letting him know its MY bed & he sleeps on it with my invitation because I love him, not because he has a right to it.
I don't know if that helps at all, but good luck to you! Sleeping on the couch is no good! -
I know you said she screams when crated…was she ever crated at night when you first brought her home...and how was she then? Have you ever tried crating both Kiya & Chance together in the same crate...if so, what happens then?
Another thought, you live in a house, right?, could you move her crate to an inside wall so that if she cried and carried on, at least she wouldn't be by a window making the noise.
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Kiya is crate trained but like I said….she has some serious vocal cords and will chew the crate if left alone for a period of time. She could damage her teeth and I will be dealing with the police due to noise complaints.
Chance can not be put in a crate. He has this personality where he will flip out in tight quarters. As a pup he would thrash about in his crate and poo and pee all over the place. It was a nightmare for the poor guy so we stopped crate training and allowed him free roam of the house while we were away and he has been fine since.
We have tried being consistent and kept pushing Kiya off the bed but like I said, she will not stop and after about 4 hrs of tug-of-war you give in and she wins. We know we screwed up royally in allowing her to sleep in the bed with us and trying to un-brake this bad habit is hard but seriously...I can't take the couch anymore.
Someone should of told me that when you have a Tri Basenji, you will be butting heads till the bitter end and in the end...they win. -
I really don't think its a color issue, its a basenji issue.
I have 2 b's and they sleep with me.
One under the covers by the foot of the bed and one next to me.
The girl next to me does move more than the boy.
But we all do get a nights rest.
Sorry, but I think you are going to have to make her settle under the covers.
IMO, once the b's have been in bed with us, well nothing else will do.
Hopefully, others will have more helpful info. -
Oah Sharron…. <sigh>I know...this is a tough one and for once she is winning this battle.
I was wondering...I watch Animal Planet and you never see any of the dog trainers training Basenji's. Do you think that the reason why is due to the fact that the trainer would loose? I think so. Wouldn't that be a sight to see....I would be laughing so hard.</sigh> -
I will tell you this. IMO, if this girl was tired when you all go to bed, she will be wanting to sleep.
My dogs are older, so they require less activity..but a pup the age of yours needs to be run until she drops and then p/u and run again.
I know how hard it is with all of us working and coming home tired, but for you to get some sleep, she needs to be very, very tired out.
Good luck.
Hugs. -
I will tell you this. IMO, if this girl was tired when you all go to bed, she will be wanting to sleep.
My dogs are older, so they require less activity..but a pup the age of yours needs to be run until she drops and then p/u and run again.
I know how hard it is with all of us working and coming home tired, but for you to get some sleep, she needs to be very, very tired out.
Good luck.
Hugs.+1
Exercise right before bed could make a world of difference. I notice with my B, if he doesn't get enough exercise at night, it takes him much longer to settle down before bedtime. He'll constantly move around. Other nights, he's out pretty quick. I've never had much issues with him sleeping next to me. Only thing I dislike is the 7am wake-up (paws in my face, sometime even slapping me) on the weekends. I find it useful during the week, but annoying on the weekends. He does not let me decide when it's time to get up. He'll even lay across my pillow right above my head to let me know it's time to get up.
And right now he's sitting next to my bedroom door letting me know it's bedtime. He tells me when to sleep…..
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I really don't think its a color issue, its a basenji issue.
I will tell you this. IMO, if this girl was tired when you all go to bed, she will be wanting to sleep.
+1 & +2…I think regarding the color...it has way more to do with the general makeup of the dog. Trust me, if you ever met either of my 2 b's (and they are 4yo and both r/w), they would give a young dog a run for its money as far as trying patience, persistence, and general activity. But in my case, I KNEW what I was getting myself into...I wanted the high strung ones. In fact, and I've never said this here before, with Brando, I was somewhat afraid of bringing him home because he was so off the wall active, rough and was such a "wise a$$". When Pam & Sheila picked him for the match to Ruby, I was kind of like..."oh no, not that one." But the amazing thing is it has worked out really well (and in a much shorter time frame than I imagined...although when it was not going well, it felt like it was taking years), but it has taken me not giving in to him and being really consistent...because you give him an inch and he takes a mile (which doesn't mean he doesn't have a fun life...he just has some boundaries).
So I think Sharron's idea of making sure that she is plenty tired at bed time IMHO will do a world of good. As well, as not giving in to her...I know, easier said than done when they are so cute and know how to turn on the charm.
Be strong! 
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In my house it's the tri-ing dog that sleeps in his bed like he is suposed to. The red and the brindle think they must sleep in the bed.
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I would agree with the exercise thing. If she is too tired to care it will be easier to ease her into the routine. You might try some relaxing exercises as well. When we brought Indy home we would play till he was almost too tired to stand, turn the lights down really low, and I would rock him to sleep.
That would take about 15 minutes of humming and swaying back and forth with the tired b in my arms, but it worked wonders. We also have a large puppy stuffed animal in his crate. When he was little it was about 3x his size now it is about 1.5x his size. He snuggles with that when in the crate.
Thats all I've got. Indy was a terror for the first three nites and then he got into the routine and has been fine ever since. Sometimes now he will even ask to be put to bed.
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Exercise does not change anything..yes they are tired but she will still not sleep anywhere but next to me. We take our dogs on 2+mile hikes all the time. Even let them loose in the tennis courts at night so they can chase each other to wear off any extra energy.
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exercise doesn't always have to be in the form of physical activity. Training the mind is just as exhausting as hiking or running. not to mention, it helps teach, and reinforce manners… so although hogging the bed will probably still happen, it should be easily resolved.
my dog hogs the bed too, but with one snap of my fingers and simply saying the word "kennel" he hops down and snuggles up in his crate (which has a queen sized comforter in it mind you, so it's VERY cozy). He also knows he's not allowed back up unless he is given the "ok". he will literally sit and wait by the bedside until he hears me say "okay". this took months of training, and we practice these skills daily so it's never forgotten.
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i'm feeling your pain on this one. dan and i broke up a few months ago so i moved home and mia went from sleeping with rocky and maggie on the couch to sleeping in bed with me. if i'd go out at night, my mom, instead of crating her would let her sleep in bed with my parents. (because she cried and mom felt bad) then dad told mom he didnt want her in bed with them so mom would sleep in a spare bedroom just to keep her from crying in her crate! (typical grandmother.. she spoiled her rotten)
Now dan and i are trying to work things out so i brought mia with me last night to stay over and he keeps maggie and rocky in the laundry room with their beds and they are content with that, but Mia was NOT having it. she sat at the gate and cried for a good 2 hours. They aren't allowed in the bedroom because he got new furniture, so she has to get used to it i guess.. Only time will tell i suppose.. but uggh that crying.. its enough to make you wanna pull your hair out. im hoping when the 3 warm up to each other again she'll stop..
