Posts made by Beth314

This might not be helpful at this point but I will tell you that my B was such a picky eater in her first year that she was way too skinny. Scary skinny. I got all kinds of advice and nothing helped; I just had to hang onto the idea that she would not starve herself to death. Now, at 3 years old she is a food hog! So she grew out of it and is quite the normal dog and would happily eat her way to obesity! I hope all is well with your girl.

Our "resident" Basenji dog trainer here in San Diego uses shock collars to "train" Basenjis. It makes me sick. I'm looking for any article that I can post that addresses the problems with shocking a Basenji - or any dog - in the name of training. Horrifically she puts this device in the hands of pet owners. I was a volunteer at the Humane Society where we put clickers in the hands of owners and I got to see first hand BAD timing. Badly timed rewards don't damage the dog (though aren't great for communication either). Badly timed shocks is just torture. Any articles that you know that I could pass along?

FWIW, from an inexperienced intact bitch owner ... I'm quite sure this has been a full blown 'heat' as my girl has been very swollen, blood everywhere. Not the mellow pup of her first heat. She's been bouncing off the walls and any time I leave home she howls relentlessly. Poor, poor girl. She is not the happy, destructive girl I know and love. I thought maybe she is howling for a boy ... and maybe she is ... but she does not do this when I'm home; only when I'm gone and my hubby is home (and possibly when left alone though no proof of this).

Very interesting! I almost think this might not be a "true" season as she is not as swollen as the first time but she's definitely dripping plenty of blood. It's early so more swelling might happen. No way I'm taking any chances for sure. I grew up in a "must spay / neuter" culture so this is all new to me. Thanks for the info.

@elbrant I've only ever had female dogs and most have marked and all were from animal shelters and came to me spayed. It was sort of fascinating watching these females mark. Last September when my 8 month old was in heat she marked in a way I'd never seen before - she could spread that urine over big areas walking and peeing at the same time making a serpentine path of urine that went quite a long way.

I just remembered my neighbor (with the B mix) said her adjacent neighbors' female dog is in heat right now. Those people let their dog run around loose in the neighborhood, so yes, there is a bitch in heat here. Those people are the reason people in the USofA are fanatical about spay/neuter such that it has become a given part of pet culture here.

@tanza Well, we've been overrun by coyotes this season and they just finished up their breeding season. They are all around us, at our fence, in our yard (and we have a six foot fence around the property). My girl has a neutered male Basenji mix she plays with - he wasn't fazed yesterday by her being in heat, thankfully. That boy just wants to hunt lizards. I think I should have gotten a male - so much easier! I don't want to spay but am weighing the plus/minuses. No kennel will let her near them - not that I use kennels much and never overnight so far ... but it needs to be an option in an emergency. Uggghhhh.

I'm curious and a little freaked out by my girl showing signs she's coming into heat again. She is 15 months old and came into heat last September at 8-9 months old (for a month). I was sorta planning on the month of September as being our cuddly doggy month - she was sooo mellow in heat and very cuddly. I'm looking for experiences to understand what to expect in the future. Is she a twice-a-year in heat Basenji? Is the cycle random?

Thanks for your help and experience!

@jengosmonkey good info, thanks.

@tanza what idea??

@tanza Can you tell me what the issues are with this drug?

As far as spay, the most I'm willing to do, at this point, is ovary removal. Had bad luck with my previous dog spay - leaking urine. And my neighbor's dog just died on the table with spay. I realize these are low probability events but when they are close to you they have an irrational impact. Ovary removal is not a USA "thing" so would like to find a vet who will do this, if necessary.

but if she's dripping "I'm ready to breed" no amount of noise will scare off a horny coyote. And people, weirdly, breed coyote/dog combo so they will definitely do the deed. Just not sure if a coyote would eat my girl after the fact ...

I drove across the US in May with my puppy B and used bringfido.com to find accommodations and they have an "activities" link. I found stuff to do via hotel reviews on their site ... like nearby walking trails. It's a good app/website because they tell you upfront what the fees are associated with having a dog with you.

this might be different than what you're describing but my B puppy would randomly scream in the middle of the night, in my bed. It was a jarring scream rather than a whimper. It hasn't happened for months now ... growing pains?

I'd like to find out if anyone here has experience with delvosteron to prevent (delay?) estrus. Almost everything I read online is based in the UK or outside the US so curious to know if this drug is allowed in the US (I will call around this week).

My concern is that I am planning a longish backpacking trip with my B. She's doing great on the trail hiking with me, so far. The last thing I would want is for her to go into heat during a backpacking trip (in September) and attracting coyotes - or even dogs - which are all around this area. That would endanger her and me. Then there is the potential for behavior changes that could also create problems. We will mostly be far from any town as is typical of backpacking.

Also would like to know if there are any other drug options?

@zande

watching the video I see these Bs all have a very white neck "collar". Mind doesn't with more blend of red/white. I'll try to get some pics; the ones I have were when she was very young.

@tanza yes, lots to learn. it was a bad scene with covid and veterinary appointments so she is not off to a good start with "strangers" handling her. No way on gawd's green earth I'm going to cut her whiskers. Any more than I would crop a dog's ears or dock a tail. Sheesh. A bath, nails, clean - makes sense.

She is a stunning girl but I suppose we all think that about our amazing Bs!

@eeeefarm that all makes sense to me though I did chuckle at the idea of showing up like it's a dog park. I would want to learn the basics. I'll watch the video, thanks!

@tanza I did not get my pup from what you would call a breeder, really. so no info on that. I just wanna have fun with my pup and wouldn't take it all too seriously (I hope). I'm reading on the web and the forum about whitening agents and show prep I'm not interested in doing. I'd likely just show up with her "as is" and have a good laugh, if allowed. hopefully there's a sense of humor in all this show dog stuff and if there isn't, well, that's ok but I wouldn't continue. I would be willing to work with someone to get the very basics down but first the covid nightmare needs to end, it seems.