New update: Tika is no longer in heat! Yay! Remy got neutered and is doing great! We got a dog trainer to come in assess the situation and she thinks it is starting to improve compared to how I described it when I booked her to come. Only Maia seems to need the muzzle, she seems to be very unsure of the puppy. We are working with her to build her confidence. The puppy doesn’t seem to have any stress with Maia around and won’t start anything. The muzzle is on just in case when I am home alone as I don’t want anything bad to happen when if I can’t separate them. The puppy is getting lots of training time to help her learn how to behave properly. With 2 people here we can have the girls on short leashes and they are fine together. They did have a small altercation of snarling but no biting and no one got hurt. The older female backed down and walked away. As much as I want her to be the top dog it seems that the puppy has a much more dominant personality. If they figure out the pack hierchy hopefully everything will settle down. The trainer says there are no pack instincts in domesticated dogs, but after having 6 basenjis I can’t agree with that in regards to basenjis. We can walk the girls together without muzzles now so I think things are more positive and they seem to be improving every day. When Remy is healed from his neuter I will get the puppy spayed and hope that calms things down even further. So far there is a lot more peace in the house. Please anyone let me know if there is anything else I should be doing to keep these girls on track. Thank you for all your advice and guidance! I am so grateful for this forum as what is normal for other dogs is not so much with these guys!
Boston Terrier 2, Basenji Energizer Bunny no limit
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I walk my dogs together everyday in the park. As many of you know the weather in the Midwest is finally breaking. Today we hit 85 degrees in our area.
If 40, 50, and 60 degrees our Boston Terrier Bonzo can do 6 miles and even 7 miles a day without issue. Of course she is tired after that activity but is begging to go to the park the next day.
Since it was so hot today, she only made it 2 out of the 3 miles we started walking, so Miranda stayed with her, gave her water in the portable bowl we had with us, and did what she could to cool her down. At least this year Bonzo our Boston is smart enough to refuse to go if she gets too hot and when she does we know to pay attention. Dogs are so smart.
Roo our Basenji has proven over and over how durable he is. Now only does he handle sub zero temps but he just keeps going like the Energizer bunny. Today I think we set a record in our last mile going to get the car to make sure Bonzo did not have to walk back to the car. Funny thing is when we got around though the woods we walk in Miranda had been able to go the other way and slowly get Bonzo back to the car.
I would like to end by saying that every dog has its tolerance no matter what the breed. In Hot weather please pay attention to your Dog when walking or exercising them outside. Learn your dogs limits if you can and make sure you have a portable bowl along with a bottle of water and understand what to do for your dog if they get overheated.
Thanks for reading,
Jason -
Awe sounds like that had a wonderful time. Great ti hear that Bonzo knows when to slow down and stop before overheating - kudos Bonzo.
I always have one of those collapsable water bowls that has a little strap that goes around it to hold it closed and bottles of water in my car (not only for me and pups, but who knows when the car or something/someone else might need it). my bowls (actually got several) folds down compact that it can fit right into my camel-bak also when we are out and about
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I learned some years ago that black basenjis get much hotter than reds, that black coat absorbs the sun. My 14 year old red girl was going strong when the 1 1/2 year old black boy drug us under a tree and threw himself down in the cool grass, panting.
I always take water along, and try and make sure they aren't overheated, but I see so many people out running with a dog (here in Florida) with no water for the dog. It makes me sad and angry!
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How old is your Bonzo now? Could it be heat x age?
Regardless, good advice!! Know your dogs and respect what they tell you.
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Jason, I envy the temps you have…we are still in the low 50's and the b's are wanting sun!
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I learned some years ago that black basenjis get much hotter than reds, that black coat absorbs the sun. My 14 year old red girl was going strong when the 1 1/2 year old black boy drug us under a tree and threw himself down in the cool grass, panting.
I always take water along, and try and make sure they aren't overheated, but I see so many people out running with a dog (here in Florida) with no water for the dog. It makes me sad and angry!
Also among red basenjis, some can stand the heat much better than others. One of my girls, her son, and also her mother wilt very easily in the heat. They pant easily, and like to seek out the shade quickly.
