Skip to content
Basenji Forums
  1. Home
  2. Behavioral Issues
  3. I failed as a mother and a dog owner…long...positive advice needed :(

I failed as a mother and a dog owner…long...positive advice needed :(

Behavioral Issues
  • J

    Thanks Quercus…if you don't mind, I will do that :) Also, if you don't mind, I might email you and ask you which seems better. I have one name I got from Shawn Smith, but she admitted she doesn't know this person in real life. I also got another name from Tosca's vet. Her vet is not all that familiar with Basenjis, but said she thought hers would be better because she had heard of the person from Shawn, but thought hers would be better for aggression issues. Both the vet and Shawn told me to look at their certifications and decide, but I have no idea what I am looking for.
    Therefore, if things are still unclear after speaking to these people on the phone, I might ask your opinion if that's ok :)

    DebraDownSouth...we do have a large crate, but we can't keep her in there all the time. We already work full time, so I can't imagine locking her up for so long, that's no life for Tosca either. As for the rawhides, I know they are not the safest thing, but we take what precautions we can. She only chews them for awhile each day, not hours on end. Also she is supervised, and I am watching for her to bite off any big chunks and things like that. I often have treats nearby and "trade" her if she gets a chunk off. I know they are scary, when we first got Tosca and didn't know any better, we let her have them and didn't take chunks away, and she did start choking once. Luckily DH was able to get it out just fine. Right now, I think with our precautions the benefits outweigh the risks, but that's just me. I know a lot of people use them, and others are hesitant :)

    0
  • tanzaT

    Jylly18…. I think you are doing all the right things to work through this!

    Pat Fragassi

    Tanza Basenjis

    www.tanzabasenjis.net

    0
  • J

    Quercus…did you get my email? I hope the address worked...I spoke to both of the trainers, but have no idea what to look for in terms of certification and stuff. I didn't know if I should put the names on here publicly, so I emailed you. Just wondering if you had any input on which to choose, and wondering if you had heard of one of them.
    Hope you don't mind my email, and thanks in advance for any advice you can give!

    0
  • Rita JeanR

    I hope it all works out for all of you.

    Rita Jean

    0
  • QuercusQ

    @Jylly18:

    Quercus…did you get my email? I hope the address worked...I spoke to both of the trainers, but have no idea what to look for in terms of certification and stuff. I didn't know if I should put the names on here publicly, so I emailed you. Just wondering if you had any input on which to choose, and wondering if you had heard of one of them.
    Hope you don't mind my email, and thanks in advance for any advice you can give!

    I emailed you this morning :) Sorry about the delay!

    Andrea Walters

    Quercus Basenjis

    NW Ohio

    0

Suggested Topics

  • B

    Dog Behaviorist/Trainer needed

    Behavioral Issues
    22
    1 Votes
    22 Posts
    9k Views
    D
    @elbrant With my first B (who educated me on the art of the basenji lol), I did not initially give him enough walks. It really didn’t do either of us any good lol. A tired basenji is a good basenji rings true and also a tired basenji is a happy content basenji :) It also does the humans a lot of good to get out in nature and walk, both mentally and physically. Good long walks and mental stimulation are probably the easiest fix for most problems. One thing that is also important is to get past the “master” phase / idea. Many dogs adore their owners as their master and just want to please their owners. I think the crucial stage with a basenji comes somewhere around the two year stage, where I reach a “special understanding” with them. There is this bond and understanding where they start to trust and understand that I am the ultimate master of them, but without trying to quash their unique spirits. So on the big stuff they have to trust me, but they can still get away with the small stuff. It’s really hard to explain that to people who have not experienced that as new owners. If they get past that difficult stage they will be hooked, but it isn’t always easy to believe that you will get past it and some just don’t want to put that much effort into them. I remember my first basenji and wondering why I had such a strange and crazy dog. Which then made me read and research what was “wrong” with him lol.
  • M

    Hi from PA! Need Advice on personality shift during owner pregnancy

    Behavioral Issues
    4
    0 Votes
    4 Posts
    3k Views
    K
    Agree with Debra: apart from any medical issues, it looks like he is protecting the new life. Cute as it may be, it's not his job. Your husband should step up to the plate and take first position in a clear way. All the best!
  • T

    Hi from IL…Need some advice

    Behavioral Issues
    1
    0 Votes
    1 Posts
    1k Views
    No one has replied
  • C

    Problems with other dogs

    Behavioral Issues
    9
    0 Votes
    9 Posts
    4k Views
    DebraDownSouthD
    djaan, how about removing your spam link… then people might think your posts are serious.
  • VanessaV

    Its Me Or The Dog…..

    Behavioral Issues
    19
    0 Votes
    19 Posts
    9k Views
    hdolbowH
    i'm feeling your pain on this one. dan and i broke up a few months ago so i moved home and mia went from sleeping with rocky and maggie on the couch to sleeping in bed with me. if i'd go out at night, my mom, instead of crating her would let her sleep in bed with my parents. (because she cried and mom felt bad) then dad told mom he didnt want her in bed with them so mom would sleep in a spare bedroom just to keep her from crying in her crate! (typical grandmother.. she spoiled her rotten) Now dan and i are trying to work things out so i brought mia with me last night to stay over and he keeps maggie and rocky in the laundry room with their beds and they are content with that, but Mia was NOT having it. she sat at the gate and cried for a good 2 hours. They aren't allowed in the bedroom because he got new furniture, so she has to get used to it i guess.. Only time will tell i suppose.. but uggh that crying.. its enough to make you wanna pull your hair out. im hoping when the 3 warm up to each other again she'll stop..
  • Robin_n_JackR

    Fear of dogs

    Behavioral Issues
    14
    0 Votes
    14 Posts
    8k Views
    C
    My son has been afraid of animals his entire life. We didn't know it until we were visiting a friend when he was 1 year old and their cat WALKED across the room. He freaked out. From that point on he was afraid of any live animal, but loved stuffed animals. He is 6 now and we just got an 8 week old Basenji. We talked about it alot, (he has slowly gotten used to our friend's cat, but every time the animal made a sudden move he jolted). He was excited to get the puppy, and we sat with him while he got used to exactly what the puppy would do. It has only been 2 months and my son is so good with our dog that he is not afraid of the dogs across the street who are high strung little fluffy things that always sent him runnning and screaming into the house. When I asked him about it he said he wasn't afraid now because he had one now. We waited to get a dog until both of our kids were older and could handle some responsibility. It was the best decision we made. He is still uncomforable around large dogs and other large animals, but has made remarkable progress. I don't know how your nephew will respond, but as he gets older he may realize that he has some control over the animals and that may help. Good luck!!!