Out of control

[Maya]

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

[lvoss]

@renaultf1:

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.

[Quercus]

you could also try having her chase a laser pointer light, to have controlled exercise in the house.

[Shaye's Mom]

@tanza:

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

[Gabriel]

Is attacking your arm and lets normal behavior? I have tons of chew toys but she will just attack me at any time.

[AJs Human]

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.

[wizard]

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).

[renaultf1]

@Gabriel:

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.

[Barklessdog]

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)

[Irenafarm]

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.

[Shannanigan]

Hah! Basenji500 - I love it! Paco's been doing it ever since we got him, I just didn't know it had a name. Our apartment is built like a train, just one long line of rooms, so he loves to fly up and down, jumping off furniture the whole way.

We ran a cable between two trees in our long driveway, and use a d-link to attach an extendable leash to it so that we can play fetch outside whenever he gets a little to antsy.