@sharronhurlbut:

I was not going to respond to you, but will give it one more try, for your dog. If your dog isn't safe in your backyard because of the fence, fix it. If he can get out, other animals can get in. Simple. Re this tie down. Ok, its long you say, dog can pull it all over the yard. got it. How often do you p/u your dogs waste? Lets say daily, still there is a chance you don't see a pile and the line is pulled through it. The dog isn't able to get away from his own waste smell. Even if you p/u the waste, there is still the smell there to him. Dogs like to live in clean areas, if they have the chance. How would you like to have to live in that? If he is out even 1/2 the day, and I suspect it's more..HE is living in that. To me that isn't the way someone keeps a beloved pet. No need to respond. SIGH.

If you actually read my post… I FIXED THE FENCE IN AUGUST which is why i would like to train him to go outside on his own.. because now he can. STOP being so goddamn rude. You're not being helpful at all. Now I'm leaving this thread. WE ALL GET IT... YOU'RE BETTER THAN EVERYBODY ELSE. CONGRATS. I DONT CARE WHAT YOU THINK OR YOUR STUPID OPINION. GET A JOB OR A HOBBY YOU DON'T NEED TO BE A SAD INTERNET BULLY. HAVE A WONDERFUL ****ING DAY.

@sharronhurlbut:

When you say tie, that makes me think the dog is outside. YOU can come and go, and there he is. I do rescue. Most dogs who are tied outside are biters, because the family isn't around and they can't get away from dangers they are afraid of..so they bite.
Sorry if that isn't you, but in my world, staking a dog where it can't get away from trouble isn't a good thing.

The "tie down" is long.. he can go to all parts of the back yard except he's about a foot away from the chain link fence and about two feet from the back door. Again, he isn't "left" out there. It was simply when we had a warm summer day and he was relaxed out there… if he didn't like it then I wouldn't have had him out there. He's not treated like an outside dog. There is no trouble where I am. No animals that prey on him.. in our yard we get squirrels, birds and the occasional rabbit. No animal can get to him and he's out there with my lab mutt or with me. I'm not punishing my dog. You sound very very snippy. Just because you do something your way... doesn't mean it's the ONLY way. Again, he was ONLY tied down because he could get under the fence and run away.. I'm sorry.. is it better to have a dog run over by a car? I think it's actually more beneficial for a dog to have the freedom to roam his own backyard, explore and play and enjoy the sun then to be stuck inside all day and ONLY allowed outside if he's TIED to you. Thank you for your helpful advice.

@tlish:

if you walk away from the door to where he can't see you, how long will he stay at the door? maybe if you wait a little while, he'll get bored and go check out the yard (maybe go out alone and hide some treats in the yard before you let him out there, so he'll be rewarded for wandering around and sniffing). at that point he'll probably sniff his 'spot' and go to the bathroom. hopefully.

I'll try this.. I like the idea of hiding treats outside as we do that inside all the time :) thanks

@sharronhurlbut:

You tie the dog out when your home? By himself? I guess I am asking why. If you do that when your home, why would he want to be outside as he is outside most of the time anyway?
Maybe I am misreading this, but my dogs are inside when I am home and only out on leashes to walk so, I just don't get it.

In the summer time my family spends a lot of time outside, along with my 13 year old lab mutt. So say if I was home on a Saturday the dogs would be outside in the backyard hanging out from maybe 12-3 or something like that… Often I would be outside reading or working out. He was outside for that time sometimes by himself because he loved it... He was only tied down because he was so small that he could crawl under our chain link fence... near the end of summer we put some wooden fencing to block under the chain link. He's not always outside when we're home by any means... just when it's a nice warm summer afternoon. I'm not punishing my dog or ignoring him. He's not an outside dog at all... he just loved basking in the sun on our outdoor furniture. I don't know what it is not to get. I don't think it's a negative thing to have your dogs outside on a nice day for a couple hours... he's not out there when it's raining or cold and is not left out there all day and ignored....

@agilebasenji:

it's actually covered in the CU book in conjunction with the Relaxation Protocol. (There's also 2 different CU dvd's. The first one covers mat work)

Here's a video for Day 1 of the RP:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XX9rOLaN-bw&feature=related
I use a down as my default behavior as this golden is, even though the protocol has "sit".

you can even shape how calm/relaxed the dog is as shown in this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIbVixSZ9Mw&feature=related

It's nice b/c you can then send your dog to a mat from anywhere. That's pretty much how I taught Z to weave. A 6 pole set in the hallway in winter with me and the food dish at one end of the hall and the mat at the other. (there wasn't enough room for me to go beside her with the poles in the hallway) For some reason people are really impressed with this. The conformation people (not just basenji people) were easily impressed by me being able to send my basenji to her mat from just 10ft away. I think it would be easy to train her to do 50feet (or more) run to mat if I was inclined. She loves the mat work.

Thanks for the links! It's so amazing how well the dogs can be trained with clicker training… I'll be picking up mine tomorrow and I can't wait to get my book.

Very interesting variations… I like the idea of using a mat. Is there a youtube video for this anywhere? I'll have to look. Would come in handy to bring the mat with us to the kitchen, friends house, etc. great idea!

So my sister taught her golden retriever two different "stays".. one she calls "wait" which is a short stay and the hand signal given is one finger (haha… no the pointer :p ) and when the stay is done, you say "break" and the dog can move, etc. The second she calls "stay" and this is an entire hand out flat and you have to release the dog by going back to it.

Now I've been trying to teach this to Basil... but I've only been able to get a few steps away and he either gets up or I say break.. and we haven't really been able to get farther than this. I'm just wondering what everybody says to their dog, what kind of "stay" you have and how you taught it.. any awesome videos that could be used would be great :D

@tlish:

suki goes outside on her own. it was after she had been potty trained for quite a few months before i trusted her to go out and actually go, and i'd watch from the window to be sure. there haven't been any issues with it since, and she now goes out on her own just fine. can you see if he goes if you put him out on his own? if so, for how long have you left him out?

Well during the summer warm months he was put on a tie down in the backyard where he spent as much time as possible when I was home. He had some outdoor furniture he loved to bask on and his water dish and toys.. he was happy and didn't whine. But if I let him out without tying him down (which I want to be able to do now because our yard is now secure for him…he used to be able to slip under our chain link fence) then he just whines at the door and scratches at it... I don't know why this is and why he doesn't want to stay out there if he can be near the door... any ideas?

I would like to be able to open the door for him and watch him from just inside the door to make sure he goes… I just don't like to have to put on boots, jacket, warm pants come winter time... maybe that sounds whiney and maybe basenji's are just really different... but I do kind of envy the fact that my lab mutt will just wait by the door, we let her out.. she goes and then waits by the door until she's let in. I guess i'll see what I can do... but it's not a huge deal... I just assumed if they were house trained and people had backyards that they went out alone.. no? lol

So Basil is completely house trained as far as letting me know when he has to go out, then we go out and he goes. The only problem that I can't get passed is he has to have me out there with him. If I just open the door and he goes out then he'll stay right by the door and then he'll incessantly scratch at the door. I can get him to sit through the door but he won't go pee if I'm not outside. I've tried going out with him and when he's far out in the backyard and then I go inside but he'll see me shortly after and will bolt to the door and will scratch at the door. I've been training him to sit before we go inside every time so he knows that's what he does when he gets to the door.. but why can't I get him to go to the bathroom without having to go out with him? Any advice?

@agilebasenji:

Have you tried working through Dr Overall's Relaxation Protocol? (available on line) Otherwise, most of his issues sound like impulse control problems. And for that, I cannot recommend Control Unleashed enough.

So I just wanted to thank you… x a million. I watched a youtube video on the control unleashed and tried an exercise with Basil off leash in the back yard. I started off by treating him along with a "yup" if he followed right at my side. Then I moved to walking around.. and then stopping and saying "come basil".. when he came to me I treated him and then kept walking again... after a few tries I would call him and only treat when he sat down.. then after a few more I would just stop walking and look to him and he would come running over and anxiously sat down. I started to try the release after by saying "go!" but he doesn't really get it yet but he did great for his first time! It was so much fun to have his attention! Great exercise and it was amazing to see his attention on me. I'm also going to order the book now... thank you so much for your advice!

@Patty:

Be careful to avoid just trying out different methods of training and expecting immediate results - this can just confuse a dog (and its owner!). I personally, am in tune with the method suggested by Ivoss and the philosophy of NILIF. Of course methods can be combined (eg ttouch with hand feeding).

Watch carefully for warnings which may not necessarily be in the form of a growl. I've heard many people say that Basenjis bite without warning but this is not really true although the warnings may be very subtle.

I must say that although my Basenjis are taught to be amenable they do occasionally get over excited when out on the road but i just hold them out of the way until the adrenalin subsides.

In my opinion, you are doing very well with Basil despite your initial bad advice from the trainer. Have you managed to get a Basenji knowledgeable behaviorist yet?

I haven't found a basenji knowledgeable behaviorist yet. Tomorrow I'm going to phone the Humane Society and ask about trainers though.. I'll remember to ask if they know basenjis.

@agilebasenji:

Ttouch? (Tellington touch) , yes, spell it with 2 t's when you google. My library has a couple of these books/videos. I think i'd be worth looking into.

Is this what they traditional used for calming horses?

Thanks everybody else for your replies, I'll look into everything that you have suggested.

@listeme:

I have picked up several just at the checkout aisle at petsmart or petco. I tend to keep about half dozen around, although these days I can make a pretty decent "fake" sound by clacking my tongue :)

I love clicker training. It's actually very fun for the humans and the dogs alike.

I'll have to look at a pet store, we don't have petco or petsmart here and I haven't seen them in a pet store but I guess I haven't really been looking.

I handled Basil a lot from when he was 8 weeks old but I can't speak for the breeder as a lot of things were iffy about her after I received Basil. A lot of things point out that the breeder may have lied about Basil being 8 weeks when he was given away and that he could have been a few weeks younger. I believe this could contribute to some of Basil's behavioral problems because he might not have had adequate time with his mother and littermates to learn what he needed to. Especially because he was the 2nd last one to leave the litter, I am worried about when his littermates left the litter. I have been in contact with the owner of his sister though, who hasn't had problems with biting or handling, but has had difficulties with house training.

I was very conscious about handling Basil, holding his legs, belly, etc. I can't really pinpoint when this all changed. Gradually he began the puppy biting where he wanted to bite every second.. in which I gently redirected him to toys. Slowly this puppy biting was diminished but then he started biting when he didn't get his way like on walks. It puzzles me because when he's handled at the vet he does very well, stands nicely and calmly and does not nip or even turn around when he's being handled by the vet. He didn't even flinch during his shots or getting his temperature taken. So I don't know why it's different when he's being handled by someone familiar or when he's getting a coat on. Maybe he doesn't trust me for some reason… but I can't pinpoint why this would be.

@eeeefarm:

Is Basil unusually touchy about having his feet and legs handled? Personally I have never had a dog that had areas of his/her body I couldn't handle at will, or a horse either, for that matter….

Yes he is, if I just went over and lifted up his leg his head would turn around fast and he would try to get away. That's why I'm working on soft touches while he's laying down and calm, giving him a treat if he allows me to without squirming or looking uncomfortable.

@lvoss:

Yes, you can train that way without the clicker. You can use "yes" as a marker instead. The nice thing about the clicker is that it allows you to better capture that instant of the behavior you are looking for when they are doing a lot of what you aren't looking for.

Okay, where can you find a clicker?

Thank you for the video. Do you think I can train this way without using a clicker.. just by treating? Yesterday I started getting him to sit before I allowed him on the grass and then treating him to coming to the sidewalk when I say "come basil". I think this might help deter his biting while walking as well. Thanks for the tips :)

@eeeefarm:

O.K. this to me is a HUGE red flag. Nipping or biting at the face, let alone hard enough to require a stitch, is simply not acceptable ever! And IMHO should have been dealt with immediately. Did you continue putting the jacket on him? If not, he has now learned that biting you means you will stop doing what he doesn't like…....not a thing you want to be teaching him, trust me. Without being there to witness, I can only speculate, but from reading previous threads it doesn't sound to me like this dog is a "fear biter". Or a resource guarder, because it seems he bites to get his own way, not so much to guard things. Did he warn you before he bit you? A dog that bites without warning is extremely difficult to deal with......that is what makes Pit Bulls so dangerous if they are bad. I know the consensus on this forum is for only positive methods, but it seems to me that when the line is crossed it may not be possible to "fix" this by just ignoring it. Of the five Basenjis, one Sheltie, one mixed breed and one Border Collie I have owned, exactly none of them would ever bite or attempt to bite on the face. Whether Basil's problem stems from training issues or temperament, it needs to be addressed.

He did not growl before he bit me, but I don't think he meant to even come into contact with me because I was moving towards him, I think he meant it to be a warning snap because he looked surprised after the bite (I know it's silly to think I can understand him like that)… but with all of the times he's come to me and bit my leg, I know when it's intentional.

I agree with you that he bites to get his way which I tried to explain to the trainer because on a walk if I don't let him sniff around or go see a bike rider or something else he will sometimes come back and bite on my pant legs which he does not do at any other time.
I did not continue to put on the jacket at that time because my lip was dripping blood on my pants and the floor... I was a little distracted. However, I cut the jacket so I don't have to put his legs through holes which I believe is the reason he bit me. I still put the jacket on him, he now has to sit and if he sits nicely without growling, biting or anything then he's treated. I try to talk to him in a soothing voice while I'm doing this as well so that he knows he's safe. He has another sweater that he wears that just goes over his head and then velcos under his tummy which he will happily accept me putting on. This new winter jacket had to have his legs go into holes. I understand this is a handling issue and a well behaved dog would allow his owner to pick up his/her legs and put them into jacket holes. I am working with basil everyday.. when he's laying down calmly I stroke him all over... gently touching his head, back, legs and stomach.. gently holding and moving his legs slowly so he gets used to it. He is treated for these sessions. In the past few days, while going back to how I was dealing with his problems before the trainer I have noticed a positive difference in his mood and behaviors.

I am finding it difficult to deal with this biting especially on walks because if he bites me because I want him to keep walking and he wants to sniff around... I do stop but I don't let him go to where he wants to sniff and usually I take out a treat and make him sit, lay down and wait. Then I give him the break command, he's treated and we keep walking. I don't know if this is effective but I have reduced these episodes during our walks substantially over the past few months.

Sounds like you have a wonderful rescue on your hands, wanna trade? Just kidding!:p I think you're doing everything right and it sounds like he's adjusting well. I think the growling is probably just nothing but you never know, he could have a little bit of resource guarding possibly… can you touch him while he eats or has a toy without him growling?