We have a new Foster…

[Basenjimamma]

I will work on that, and I think you might be right, unless her behaviour changes rapidly, she will need a home where she is the only B for sure, maybe even the only dog..
Thanks for your thoughts and input..I need them badly..and appreciate them dearly.

[renaultf1]

Sounds like quite an evening…sorry things are rough. One question...I can't remember if you said...is Dot spayed?

One thing to do is really observe her and her interaction with Otis - is there some sort of eye contact or body language thing going on that you haven't picked up on. It could even be Otis shooting her a glance of some sort that is setting her off - or not. If you pick up on it, you can end it before it escalates. But you really have to watch to see the signs.

An example of what I mean...
When Brando first got injured - there was a lot of bad glances going on between Ruby and Brando - and you could feel the tension in their energy. You could tell that Ruby was waiting to jump Brando, and it was up to me to make sure that didn't happen as he was injured and needed my protection. I think I said it before, but it ended up that I needed to separate the two of them for 6 weeks.

Even though the energy was pretty much back to normal when he got his cast off and I re-introduced them, at first Ruby would still try to set up Brando to jump him - and I could tell it by watching the way she moved around him, the eye contact she made or tried to make, or her interaction with him when he was playing with Aaliyah. Thru redirection and inserting myself in the middle of the play to stop it when I could see the signs that it could go off the rails, Ruby has stopped the behavior and the pack is back to normal - in fact, I think better than before as Ruby seems more stable. I would say that any sort of trouble between Ruby and Brando never came without warning - it was just whether I was proactive and picked up on the warning signs and did anything about them. I do now. And if I couldn't watch them, I couldn't leave them in the same room together and trust that nothing would happen.

It sounds like you might need to separate them while in the house. In my house, they could still see each other, but they couldn't get to each other.

Pat had a good suggestion about contacting Sharron - I'm sure she's seen it all in fostering. I would also highly recommend 2 little books by Patricia McConnell - How to Be the Leader of the Pack and Feisty Fido. They are short reads, but have great advice.

[Basenjimamma]

Renault1.

Yes Dotty was just spayed while in shelter, so fairly fresh of about a few weeks to a month ago..
I just found out some more info about her this morning, we don't know how old she is but we are all thinking about to turn a year, so maybe 10-12 months, so young. She was taken from her mother at a way to young of an age, some have indicated at about 6 or so weeks so she clearly has not gotten the socalization down from her littermates or mother..that might be her biggest problem.
Last night I decided not to stop her when she would go at Otis, other then speaking to them in a calm voice and also touch them on their backs, it seemed to work to the point of things not escalading into the neck attachment thing she seems so fond of.
After a while I decided to leave their side and go do my own thing, i.e I snuck away, if they saw/heard me move away they were both following me like a magnet so I snuck away.

Of course I could here the fighting starting up again, but decided to leave them alone..they got at it, saliva was flying but I let them duke it out..and I think as long as nobody gets hurt, maybe I need to have Otis show her that it is not acceptable for that behaviour to exist.
They even ended up after a long time of snarling and saliva flinging, lay down on the same bed, backs to each other though and go to sleep..
She slept better, we tried the crate in our bedroom, but she was miserable in it, so we ended up letting her out and she went to sleep on my son's bed. She was up a few times checking things out through the night, but who can blame her, she is probably thinking this home is going away if she doesn't keep on top of it.
I will buy the book you recommended, sounds like a good read.

Thanks for your help, much appreciated.

[Rita Jean]

It might have been a good deal letting them have it out now maybe they will like each or at least until the next round. (ding, ding) Who knows how she may have had to fight to get food or anything. Hope it is a better day. When I said muzzle I did not mean she had to sleep in it and keep on for hours just maybe once or twice while sitting beside Otis for 2 or 3 min's at a time. But since you let the duke it out you may not need that ideal of a muzzle.

Rita Jean

[Basenjimamma]

Just wanted to update..
Things are getting better around her, Dotty is blending in better and the fights have diminished to sporadic/few and play is more prominent.
I basically took a step back and let Otis put her in her place and I think it worked, now she doens't seek him out anymore, rather tries to be his bud. Luna, our 10lb Schnorkie mix we have has also laid it on her, so Dotty has been taught and is still being taught what is cool and not.

She slept in her crate last night, cried and screamend for an hour before she fell asleep, but finally she gave up and tuckered out. I had the crate right next to our bed, so she wouldn't feel punished/abandoned/lonely, or whatever. Otis laid in his crate a few feet away and was curled up in a ball, but letting this really deep growls out every so often..I have never heard him do that before so it took me a while to figure out who was doing it, through the screams and whining from Dotty.
So far so good, she is coming around and is becoming a sweet part in our pack..

To all of you fellow forum friends, thank you so much for all your positive input, expertise and kind thoughts, they have helped me stay sane, as I was thinking I had made a big mistake bringing Dotty into our lives and making my pack so obviously unhappy. Play now overtakes the negative rumbles..

[thunderbird8588]

Petra,
thanks for the update, glad Dotty is settling a bit more. Sounds like Otis was telling her to shut up last night, lol.

[Kananga]

That's great to hear.

Yes, maybe Otis was telling her to shut up.

[Rita Jean]

Happy all is well and calm getting more playful. I also would have to say Otis was saying that is enought go to sleep.

Rita Jean

[Basenjimamma]

That is what my huby and I were thinking and laughing about while trying to ignore the screams and go to sleep..

[Rita Jean]

You could have always told your husband new alarm clock works all day and all night. Never needs batteries or a key to turn it on.

Rita Jean

[Basenjimamma]

We have peace..the white flag has been swung and we now even sleep close to, I mean on each other…

We still have serious spats, but we also play the way only b's can play, and we run…like the wind together.

[nobarkus]

That picture says it all!

Just like my previous 2 I let them work it out, loud spats 1 minute, then running around playing then stopping to lick clean the others eyes. Whata ya gona do, they're Basenjis.:D

[Rita Jean]

That is really a very special and loveable picture.

Rita Jean

[thunderbird8588]

Gorgeous pic

[crystalncody]

That's so sweet. I'm glad there is a tentative truce now.