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Basenji Training

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10 Jun 2009, 18:18

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    @erica-ruth said in My basenjis have a new yard, but won't poop there. Any recommendations?: I can set my watch by second poop My first ever Basenji, Donner, back in the very early 1980s learned from very young that as soon as he'd emptied, we'd turn and head back home. Lady, who arrived in the household just four days after Donner and long before we totally dog-proofed the garden, so walks were necessary, did her business as and when she needed to. But Himself no - to prolong the walk he'd hang on for (sometimes) miles ! When the first litter came along, we did totally fence the entire garden so as to keep the pack safe. It was only later, after several litters developed a penchant for fresh vegetables straight off the plant, Brussel Sprouts, sweet corn, cucumbers, raspberries etc, that we had to fence off the vegetable garden to protect it from the marauding hordes. The herb garden had to be isolated too, or we'd have even sweeter smelling puppies than normal.
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    I had a similar problem when my last dog was a puppy. She was a rescue, and barely 5 weeks old when I got her, so her ability to hold her urine or bowels was not a very long length of time. As puppies get older they can go longer periods of time between eliminating, but it's important to research (google puppy housetraining) lengths of time for your puppy's age, and work out a schedule for her accordingly. My puppy needed to be brought to the puppy pad and fed every few hours around the clock, and she was initially more work than a newborn baby. As far as the crating goes… puppies are more likely to soil a crate that is too large for them. That doesn't mean you need to run out and get a new one, but rather you can make the used area in her crate smaller. When my puppy was little, I had a soft bag carrier that was small that I placed inside the crate and closed both so she got used to the big crate, but was also just in the smaller carrier bag. You could also use boxes to reduce the size but I would worry about the puppy getting wedged in between the box and the crate, so if you use a box or wood or whatever, make sure it is secure and your puppy can NOT wiggle between it and the crate. Also, accidents will happen with puppies once in a while. They are like human toddlers who have very little control and are learning and gaining strength every day to become more and more house trained, so patience is key. Hope these tips help!
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    @wizard: Now stay-forever is a much harder command to teach IMHO, even with the clicker. As soon as I started to wander away my dog would bolt and it took agility classes to finally get Gossy to stay as I walked away. Maybe because she knew she would have fun shortly if she stayed. I think it makes it easier if there is an obvious high value reward coming at the end of the exercise. Not food, necessarily. "Do what I want, then you will get to do what you want" is a great incentive! "Forever" can be a hard one, however, and I don't think many dogs in practice are going to achieve this. I came closest with my Border Collie, who performed a (completely accidental on my part) two hour stay. Somehow I just can't see a Basenji doing that!!:)
  • 0 Votes
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    Well, it does sound like you are doing the best. This is just a forum and the info given and then taken into action on your part may be miles away because they (we) are not living right there…. Just keep up the best that you are doing. Wish you all the best....it can be frustrating beyond what we would understand because the situation you have with Basil is similar BUT WAAAAY different then we ever had;;;;we never had Basil!!!!!!!!! I am (we are?) behind you and wish you good luck. It is a handful. Knowing you get on the forum to vent is why it exists I guess....Take the info and apply it as best you can before the behaviorist or trainer gets involved. Remember, dogs, even Basenjis can learn something all over again with the correct input-HANG IN THERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Kudos!!!:)
  • Halti's

    Basenji Training 10 Sept 2010, 04:29
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    @CanisBasenjius: Lysh, You didn't say why the trainer suggested a Halti. To what end? I normally only recommend the Halti to owners of large dogs who are having serious pulling or reactivity problems. If Hope pulls, I prefer the Sense-ation or Wonder Walker to the Easy Walk, as I do not like the martingale effect on the EW and feel it gives less clear feed back and they seem to require more frequent adjusting for fit. WRT spitting out treats I have two thoughts: Try higher value (think real food, like boiled chicken) She may be slightly anxious and unable to accept food One of my dogs is an anxious fellow and usually cannot accept food in certain environments because he is too "on". It took roughly 2 years of living in our new neighborhood before he could accept food on our walks. Just a thought there. It took me a long time to realize that's what was going on with him. She has a lovely play style. Lots of give and take. Love that! Hi Thanks for the information. I agree with you and wasnt too interested in using a Halti on her and would prefer the easy walker etc. The reasoning she suggested we try the halti is because she wouldnt settle down and was basically like a fire cracker on the end of the lead no matter what you did and no matter the treat value, her food, liver treats, meat etc. But i took into consideration that it was a new place, other puppies and her 2nd outing and that shes a basenji, possibly even that she was bored. (maybe the trainer hadnt as all the other puppies where much more "easier" to calm down?) I think she was overwhelmed by everything as-well because by the next lesson, she was top of the class and even demo dog. She was calm and happy and vocal when she wanted to be. She done everything to a T. So we did not bother with the halti. Now that she is fully vaccinated and we have been out and about i walk her in a harness and she is a perfect little puppy apart for the occasional "omg its a bird" … yank! she even does anything strangers ask of her (sit, drop, stay etc). She accepts food whenever we are out and gladly ate her lunch at our recent fundraiser pet markets event for the RSPCA (attached some pics) Im very happy with her progress and we are starting puppy primary school for 6wks next month and then we are beginning agility and obedience classes. :) [image: attachment_p_120540_0_hope.jpg] [image: attachment_p_120540_1_pig-ear.jpg] [image: attachment_p_120540_2_poser.jpg]
  • 0 Votes
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    I got my pup when he was 7 months and he was sort of house broken. When I took him to the vet I found out that part of his house breaking issues was that he had a bladder infection. If you continually have problems house breaking (like very frequent urination or peeing in the crate) you may want to have your vet test for a bladder infection just to make sure. Another problem I discovered was that he didn't know how to tell me he had to pee. I hung bells on the door and by having him ring them every time we went out I taught him to tell me when has to pee. It has been great. Some times he rings them just to go out and play, but mostly he rings them when he really has to go out. Now the only "accidents" he's had is when I ignore the bells b/c I am busy. (he literally peed all over the living room the other night because I ignored him) One other suggestion, make sure you use an enzyme cleaner on any "accident" spots. These really eat away the reminants of the feces/pee so that your b will not recognize the area as an ok place to go to the bathroom Other helpful tips I got was to be sure you use the same door when you take your b out and take it to the same part of the yard. Give your b LOTS of praise for going outside (and a treat if it is food motivated).