It is good to share your experiences but you need to take seriously the advice of people who have experience and years and years in basenjis. I am telling you that with some basenjis your method will not work and is very very dangerous to both the human AND the dog, who will eventually end up euthanized because of handling in this manner.

I think the most important thing to emphasize here is:
Do not underestimate the power of an angry basenji.

@Basenjiblogs:

It is,again IMO, that the problem lies in the fact that the dog does not respect the owner and feels that it can dominate her. If we were talking about a large dog such as a Pitbull I could understand the need for some type of protection. But, we are talking about a Basenji. I was only trying to suggest a method that has worked for me. My feeling towards the situation are that the dog feels that it has the upper hand in the relationship and knows that it can "get away" with it's actions by charging it's owner.
I would suggest that the owner work more with the dog to show them that they are in control and that the behavior is not acceptable. using a spray bottle will catch the dog off guard. and, at the very least, give the owner a chance to react before being bitten. once the owner gets their hands on the dogs collar she can easily hold the dog down to show that she has the upper hand. The dog may resist, but eventually will realize that the owner has more will. She may have to do this a few times but the dog will learn that it can not dominate her. again, this is all IMO!

If I had done this to Pippin, he would have escalated, probably bitten me very severely, and would have been euthanised. Please understand that this method will absolutely not work for all dogs, and especially not for all basenjis. It is dangerous to human and eventually to dog.

Thank you, Anubis. Best wishes with your little dog.

http://www.arlgp.org/adopt/dogs/011111/Sophie/index.htm

in maine.

He went through a time when he got crazy about being put into his crate. Same kind of reaction. He would turn into a spitting hissing RATTLESNAKE about it.

In the mode of helping him and of being his haven, I would hold him before putting him to bed for the night, and tell him I knew he did not like this part but I would be back soon. I'd rock him like a baby. It sounds so dopey, but I really felt like he needed to have his feelings acknowledged. And honestly, just acknowledging this solved the whole problem.

I had a very beloved basenji who had anger issues. What I found that worked was not a specific training exercise or method but more a mindset change for me. He would behave similarly to your boy– he'd get into something and then flip out. My mentor-breeder and friend told me it sounded like he was very insecure. I thought NOT. I thought he was being very dominant and aggressive. But her words stuck with me and I started changing how I thought about it. I decided to be his haven. I would let myself be the person he could turn to when he was that afraid and insecure.

This is counter intuitive. It flies in the face of conventional thinking about dog training and it really flies in the face of the Cesar Milan flavored training that is so popular. I did NOT ever again think I needed to assert my own position. I basically became a comfort and a haven. When he got "in trouble" I emphasized HELPING him get out of trouble. He'd be trapped unde the table flipping out over a pizza crust and I would tell him verbally, "You're ok, Pip. Let me help you." I'd be ready with a valuable treat and tell him to come get it, and when he dropped the troublesome item, I would give him the good treat and hold him. I don't know. It seems namby pamby from the outside but he needed me to protect him from himself. He needed a place to GO when he felt that trapped by whatever that is that makes them act like that. I gave him a place to go and it was me.

(Missing him terribly as I type this.)

I'm so glad you have some ideas to work with at this point. Please do make a list of all of her behaviors for your vet and do not be afraid to try the anti anxiety meds. From my own research on this, it seems that sometimes, the dogs who don't have the most extreme symptoms go without treatment when in fact they are actually suffering a lot from the anxiety. The drugs do not have to be forever. The goal would be to get her feeling better and use that time to teach her to cope with being alone while she has the medicines to help train her mind to be calm in those situations, if that makes any sense.

Best best wishes to you and your little dog. I hope you can find solutions and peace for her very soon. Maybe this time next year, she will have gotten through it all and be spending her days lolling around on the couch while you are at work.

@westcoastflea1:

so feel free to argue with my ideas but please make sure that you are arguing about facts not what you might have gotten from another persons posts that have nothing to do with the facts

I think you have been heard– you've expressed your point of view and I think people have read it.

So..... on to the question asked in the OP? Peace?

Regardless, for this particular dog and human, that is neither here nor there. The dog has anxiety no matter where she is, whether she leaves a sitter with her or not. She has anxiety when her human leaves. That is what needs to be addressed, not anyone's ideologies re crates/ not crate/ europe/ us.