• I'm sorry to hear about Otis, but very relieved to hear that he is doing okay and that he made it though this traumatic experience just fine.

    One thing that you could do for both of them for playing in the front yard is get harness for them and them put training leads on them that way there is a long lead on them to just drag around and it's not attached to anything but you can snatch it up or step on it when the time arises. They are both small so doing this wouldn't hurt them or you; and having them on the harness prevents injury to their necks if they do a hard jolting stop. I do this with my boy and my foster too for training (yes with basenjis kinda off leash) and if they get a idea to go off on their own I am able to retrieve the offender.

    These are the kind I use, they are rounded so they don't pick up yard/park/trail debris as easy as the second one I'm going to show you. Also with this exact variety if your wayward basenji does what all naughty basenjis do and chew it. It's easy to repair with the rope, a good knife and a lighter. And you'll never know the difference (except it's a few inches shorter LOL). I find it's also not as fast to chew through as the second one too. But then I don't suggest them for tie outs either, only as drag lines/training lines

    This is what kind I got,
    http://ep.yimg.com/ip/I/morrco_2057_4205673

    This is the second variety I menthioned above, you can get ones like these at Petsmart/Petco, they are not bad, but if chewed will snap easy (they can be tied back together and it will hold up just fine again then though, just looks ragged LOL)

    Here they are on this site, I just can't find them on the Petsmart/Petco pages, but I know they have them in the 15 or 20 foot length
    http://www.morrco.com/trainingleads1.html

  • Houston

    Wow, that is an awesome idea, at lest for now until we get a fence put up…which will take while, since my hubby is not on the same page as I am, as far as fence being put up..Thanks, I will check into the ones you first posted, they come across as less of a risk to give you calf/legburns, if you know what I mean..LOL


  • @tanza:

    I would never trust an invisable fence… While they might work 90% of the time... it would be the 10% that is the problems. And they do not keep critters or people out of your yard... Most Basenjis that I know would gladly run through the pain of the shock if on the chase... period... It is the chase that gets their attention, not the thought of "hey I am going to get shocked".

    IMO, the only safe way to have a dog in an unfenced area is on a leash, period. It is not worth taking the chance to have any dog run into the street.... There was someone else on the Forums a long while back that used to let their B loose cause they lived on a road that had only a few cars a day... Took only that one car, that one day.. IMO best to keep them on a leash

    When Miranda and I joined this forum, we were cautioned from day one by experienced Basenji owners to never, ever, allow our Basenji to run free in an unfenced area. I am glad we were cautioned and heeded this advice. We were given this advice because the the growing number of Basenji's being hit by cars. As we all know the breed is very smart, but once they get focused on something and chase after it, all bets are off.

    Jason and Miranda

  • Houston

    When we play in our front yard, we are out there as a whole family, the dogs, my hubby and I and our 2 kids. We have been doing this with all of our dogs for over 5 years. Otis has never chased anything past the ditch on our side and if it wasn't for me running after Luna our schnauzer.yorkie mix( she was chasing a squirrel), he probably wouldn't have gotten hit. We made it over to the other side of the road, I picked Luna up, and saw 1 car in the bottom of our street, 1+ blocks away. I grabbed Otis by his collar and before I knew what happened he pulled loose and started running back across the street to go home. The car was now about 25yards away, so I stepped into the street and started waving my hands and scream for him to slow down..he didn't and hit Otis with his frontbumper. Otis went flying into the air and landed on the street, but by this time the car was over him and before I even had a chance to see the licenseplate, the car drove off…he never even stopped, but the sound was so loud, my neighbours came out wondering what that was..meanwhile Otis is now running B-500 style through our yard frantically looking for our door, but he kept on missing it in his hysteria, poor dog. He finally saw my daughter by the back gate leading into our back yard, and there he kept on running b-500 going balistic. I had to physically pick him up, for him to calm down. All this happened so fast yet so slow like in slow motion, surreal, all while I was screaming at the top of my lungs..."you ran over my dog you ---", "you just hit a living creature.."..maybe it is no wonder the guy didn't stop, I probably looked like I had murder in my eyes..I couldn't believe it. He didn't stop when clearly his car bumped something and he saw me out there with one dog in my arms and the other, just a few seconds before, I had in my hands..? Like I said we do this every day (unless the weather is bad) and have for years, with Otis we have only done it since we got him about a month and a half ago. My poor daughter is blaming herself since it was her dog that ran after the squirrel, but needless to say nowone is to blame except maybe me..for taking it for granted...the things we do..it was a quiet saturday afternoon, in blistering 98 degree heat, no one was out, except us and that one silver Ford Taurus. Now we won't play outside anymore..in our backyard yes, but it is smaller, and more things in the way for Otis to really gun it, but that is OK.
    Today Otis had a good day, he was checked out by our vet and he passed with flying colors. His obedience training is a whole other story..lets just say we need to work on it..LOL


  • As they say… it only takes one time.....

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