@nyoung15 My basenji was super picky when he was a puppy.... until I started to cook for him amazing recipies heheeh, but then pandemic season was over and I had to go back to work and started to give him whole barf ( raw food ) it comes with meat veggies, fruits, raw bones and vitamines.
Out of control
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My basenji is just crazy. the bad thing about it is my husband crates her all the time now. She just turned 13 months old. She is very active and she is big. She weighs 30 lbs because she is very muscular. She will do fine in the house and then she snaps. She will run like she is having a race…jumping on the back of funiture, flying through the air, running fast and then she attacks you as she is running. she is very hard to control. When she starts that, I simply grab her collar and take her to her crate.
anyone have suggestions???
That is typical Basenji behavior for that age….. however, wow, 30lbs that is really a big girl, way over the normal. By the way, we call that the Basenji 500... especially flying through the air and off the funiture...
And as others have suggested, are you sure she is getting enough exercise? It is too bad that she is being crated for normal behavior and honestly, it will not help
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Yup, that is normal. I have 3 basenjis - they do the b500 many times daily (sometimes indoors, sometimes outdoors). Personally I love it - even in the house. Of course I need to replace our wood floors because of it (need harder wood).
I have a 13 mo. old pup, and she is a pistol. I use training and interactive treats (kongs, busy buddies, squirrel dudes) to slow her down. Oh, and the 2 adult basenjis also help with her - but she is a bit of a jester so you never quite know what she'll do next. Her latest thing is opening closed doors (putting her paws on each side of a door knob and turning it to gain entry to a room).
I'm with the others - it sounds like she needs more exercise. If outside exercise is tough because of the weather, do you have a treadmill? One thing that I do if the b kids are over the top, I will do some training with them. A short 5 or 10 minute session usually stops unruly behavior in my house.
I agree with Pat in that it is too bad she is being crated for normal behaviour. I pretty much only crate for meals and when I'm away from the house - never for punishment as I want them to never fear their crate.
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I'm going to pretty much agree with everything everybody else has said, but add my personal story.
My first basenji was a little snot (his name was Booger). He used to drive me and my ex crazy, and the ex would crate him as "time out" whenever he did something "wrong" (chewing something he shouldn't, dumping the trash over, etc). It got to the point that he associated the crate with punishment, and when we tried to crate him when we left for work, he would actually resort to biting us!
Once I found a nearby off leash dog park & started taking him there a couple times a week to run & play, his behavior at home changed. He still had energy, but since he had a good outlet for it, he was calmer at home, even on non-dog park days. He also became more obedient and sweeter.
Unfortunately, he is still not a crate dog. If my ex were more consistent with working with him, I believe he could someday be a crate trained dog. However, he still associates it with "being bad" & won't go in a crate for any treat on the planet.
So just from my personal experience, make sure the crate is a their own personal happy, safe place where they feel secure. Refocus the energy into something more productive and/or appropriate. "A tired basenji is a good basenji" as they say. -
Just to reiterate: Exercise, more exercise and even more exercise. A tired Basenji is a good Basenji. Try to find a safe place for some off-lead running.
You have a teenager on your hands. Keep the phone away from her.
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LOL … yes! The '500' indoors and out! LOL
Play with the little one. One game Bisa and I have that she thoroughly enjoys is for me to hide in the basement [lights are on of course], she comes down and looks for me, I scream like a Basenji, she 'huff's and runs the other direction … sometimes coming up behind me in the opposite direction or sometimes running up the stairs then coming back down to see where I am THAT time she's looking. We have a blast and we BOTH get some exercise!
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Lots of good advice here…please let us know how it goes.
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Thank you for for the great advice. I'm sure she needs more exericse. Right now we have quite a bit of snow so it is hard to run outside (for me). Plus it's been like below zero to 7 degrees outside. Very dangerous temps to spend a lot of time outdoors. It is suppose to melt this weekend and warm up so I plan to get outside a lot more often. I will keep you posted.
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I'm with renault in that I love to watch the B500 even in the house but then my couch is old and I just dont care. But even hubby loves to watch her in action. On days where she is stuck inside we even move the love seat to block the way and encourage her to jump back and forth over it chasing her favorite toy as well as up the stairs. Guess I should add this to how well she has trained me
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Thank you for for the great advice. I'm sure she needs more exericse. Right now we have quite a bit of snow so it is hard to run outside (for me). Plus it's been like below zero to 7 degrees outside. Very dangerous temps to spend a lot of time outdoors. It is suppose to melt this weekend and warm up so I plan to get outside a lot more often. I will keep you posted.
Just please remember that what she is doing is very normal for a Basenji… and if you can't get outdoors for exericse, then you need to find activities indoors to engage her body and mind... however, even then.. the Basenji 50 of racing around the house is very typical behavior
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Just please remember that what she is doing is very normal for a Basenji… and if you can't get outdoors for exericse, then you need to find activities indoors to engage her body and mind... however, even then.. the Basenji 50 of racing around the house is very typical behavior
+1 - mine still run the b500 even when I think they should be exhausted from the exercise they've had. It usually starts when one of them wants a bed that another is in and the one that wants the bed starts poking the one that is already in the bed.
Also, a mental workout (training, interactive toys/treats) can do a great job of wearing out a dog when weather outdoors isn't conducive to exercise. I live in Maine and we've had a huge cold snap here for a week now…training has worked wonders with my 3.
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My girl is the same age. She does the crazy running thing every now and then (thankfully minus the snapping at people) and i think that is just an excited basenji thing. My basenji is quite happy to sit on the sofa and sleep as long as she has two good, off lead runs a day. Once she's burned off all that energy she is very chilled out and relaxed.
We have very bad weather here at the moment, its been as low as -15 celcius last week but Maya has had her walks every day, just with a nice thick coat on, and she has really enjoyed it. I dont think they need a lot of time outside, Maya's morning walk is only about 20 minutes but it is 20 mins of running around the park with all the other dogs and burning off that energy and it really helps her to be calm in the house for the rest of the day
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Also, a mental workout (training, interactive toys/treats) can do a great job of wearing out a dog when weather outdoors isn't conducive to exercise. I live in Maine and we've had a huge cold snap here for a week now…training has worked wonders with my 3.
+1 - Mental exercise is much more exhausting for dogs than physical exercise. A 15 minute training session can go a long way toward wearing them out while also helping with relationship building.
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you could also try having her chase a laser pointer light, to have controlled exercise in the house.
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That is typical Basenji behavior for that age….. By the way, we call that the Basenji 500... especially flying through the air and off the funiture...
And as others have suggested, are you sure she is getting enough exercise? It is too bad that she is being crated for normal behavior and honestly, it will not help
When mine don't get to the park to run enough, we know there will be the B-500 around our house at some point - normal behavior, so we just let them do it. Just remember to pull in your feet - if they get trampled it really really hurts!:D
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Is attacking your arm and lets normal behavior? I have tons of chew toys but she will just attack me at any time.
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She may be venting extra energy and the frustration that builds up with it. Crating her all the time does not help get rid of energy. She needs to be let outside to run and get the "vinegar" out of her. I believe you will find that if she gets more exercise, she will settle down. If you have a fenced yard, try getting her outside when she's acting like that rather than tossing her into her crate.
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Here's some other suggestions:
1. find a reasonable doggie care facility (I take Gossy once a week and she loves it plus it's good controlled socialization for dogs) but be sure to give the place the once over first (one place near me will put 50 dogs together in a big room or yard and only one person to watch over; or the yard has just a standard 4 foot fence - not sufficient for basenjis; or the people never worked with basenjis)
2. encourage your pup to do the 500 - it helps burn off energy - by using a flashlight or laser pointer or if you've got the room run and drag a favorite toy for her to chase; if she nips at you then come to a complete stop until she learns that's not going to get her anything. If she's nipping you because you put her in the crate, then you're doing it too often and without enough prizes
3. give her frozen marrow bones or other frozen treats to chew on while you are gone - it will give her something to do and help with keeping her teeth clean
4. spend time with her, more time, and then more time - did i mention mention spend more time with her - work on obedience training if nothing else to keep her occupied when you are home then the times alone will be less painful for her.
Basenjis are the other end of the spectrum from labradors when it comes to energy and keeping their minds occupied is important or they will find something to occupy themselves (and it won't always be pretty). -
Is attacking your arm and lets normal behavior? I have tons of chew toys but she will just attack me at any time.
My 1yo pup will sometimes get overly excited during play and uses her mouth/teeth on me - very occasionally now. When she does that, I still revert to the loud "ouch" and stop play. Whenever I make the noise, I can tell by her reaction that she knows what she did. She has never continued to try to play bite me after I've made the noise. Ruby and Brando do the same thing to her (and each other) - cry out if bitten too hard. I watch her with them and they stop all play as well.
Again, can't express enough how well a short training session works in breaking up really rowdy play.
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I would say that training classes or something where you work together is important. A bored basenji is a destructive one. Being angry at her will only come back at you. Playing rough should be avoided. Training & praise can change her attitude. You can train indoors.
Remember a basenji will do anything for treats. Focusing on positive behavior & rewarding it is a much better coarse. Never hit a basenji either (not saying you are)
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Having jetta has been a bit of an adjustment. The BCs can survive just knowing the routine and hanging with us. Jetta really does need a few sessions of focused attention every day or she gets weird. But it doesn't take much and then she's completely happy.
But still, she doesn't just GO from one place to another. If she's moving, she's HURLING herself from point a to point b. I'm a sheepdog trainer so apparent chaos doesn't bother me.
but I can see where it could be disconcerting.I play active games with her. Then we also play lots of games designed to develop her imulse control. She's still a baby at eighteen months old so I don't expect the world of her. Just to back off when asked, not snatch things from my hand willy Billy, and don't hurl herself through the door just because it's open.
