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While My Basenji Gently Wails…

Behavioral Issues
  • That is good to know. Kind of explains his snippy behavior. He is not out of control, just grouchy. That is not like him.
    It is also SQUIRREL season… there are hundreds when we walk... ok maybe not hundreds, but there sure are a lot and we have to chase every single one on our 4 mile walk. wow. WE get double mile value out of the walks. lol

  • Ya know, I have often wondered about the fixed males just "knowing" when the season was. My first boy was 1 when I got him and, not having any paperwork for him and only wanting a pet anyway, I had him fixed. Every year, though, around this time, he would just be more antsy than usual, want to be outside more, in general, just be more of turd than normal. I just called it "rutting" season. (It seemed that the deer were more prevalent at the time too.) New guy was 5 when I got him, already fixed, and displays the same kind of behavior. All of this, of course, not being around other basenjis or very many other dogs, for that matter. They just seem to know.

  • I was wondering the same thing. Dash has been neutered since 6 mos and there are no intact females around or Basenji's really for that matter. We noticed he "humps the air" around this time.

  • Unlike other breeds male basenjis go through rut. It does not matter if there are females around or not, when fall hits, the boys' brains turn to mush as they go into rut. My male is much easier now that he is neutered but he still knows the reason for the season.

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    It would be useful to know more about this dog. Has resource guarding been an issue in the past? Has he bitten either you or your wife before? (a real bite, not playful nipping). Or anyone else? A dog that isn't used to children may be fearful of their loudness or quick movements. Perhaps you could do some socialization work with him, e.g. hanging around places where young kids congregate to accustom him to their noise and activity. Obviously not allowing any interaction as you are unsure of his behaviour. Dogs react differently to newborns. In my experience bitches are more likely than dogs to be tolerant, but it is very much the individual dog's reaction that counts. People have been blindsided when their supposedly tolerant and gentle dog turns out to be hostile to a young child. Bottom line, no dog should be left unsupervised around young kids, so in any event you would have to monitor his behaviour carefully once your baby arrives. On a personal note, of the five Basenjis I have owned, two bitches were entirely reliable with kids, the other was tolerant as long as they respected her space. One of the males adored children and was curious about them, the other curious but uncertain and would react to fast movements. I did not trust him and controlled any interaction closely. IMO, he would have bitten had he felt threatened. And kids, especially babies, tend to grab and pinch, ears, tails, whatever. Caution is always the safest route.
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    You need to get a professional to come to your home and observe... and give suggestions
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    We've had barely a dusting here but its been cold enough to keep it on the grass. Mr. Annoyance is acting like its "rutting season". In, out, in, out. If I don't jump up to let him out he proceeds to pull at the blanket over my feet, or worse yet, bills/mail on the coffee table (much like teachers, bill collectors won't believe "the dog ate my check"). It's kinda fun though 'cause he's also just more playful in general right now. A couple more weeks and he'll probably hate the cold and snow like every other self respecting Basenji is supposed to….:D Silly Basenjis...don't they know their rep???:)
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    I agree with Catherine, socialization is a must, but it depends on the personality of the individual dog. When we had 4, they all slept on the bed together and ran together and rarely did we have any problems. We added a puppy and things were still going ok, just really crowded. However, one day our youngest girl decided she was all grown up and didn't want to be bossed around anymore by our 'wanna-be' alpha. Neither of them was a true alpha. We managed to defuse the situation, but a month later it happened again. The girls could never be together again. In fact, the tri developed a predjudice against all red girls after that! Both girls were terrific with people and with Basenji males and even with males and females of other breeds. I had 2 intact males, brothers, who stayed together with absolutely no problem for almost 4 years until one went to another home. They even got along during season. Terry