I didn't understand at first,
I thought she was misbehaving.
Grabbing the toilet paper and dashing out of the room...
Ripping (bigger) holes in the socks I left by the bed...
Chewing on the attachment to my hair dryer that never gets used...
I thought I was just learning about having a Basenji.
Then I caught her!
As she turned to look back half way down the hall...
I'd swear she had a laugh in her eyes.
With a "catch me if you can!" smirk on her face.
She wasn't trying to be a bad dog...
She just wanted me to play a bit with her.
So I knotted up that old ace bandage,
And we played "tug of war".
The material was stretchy,
Which just made it more fun.
We played a little bit.
She didn't need to grab more things.
Now we understand eachother.
She was only bored.

IMHO, I don't like that your Vet put a muzzle on a not-yet 5 month old puppy. I've never known a Veterinarian that was afraid of a puppy. Nor have I ever known one that didn't know how to handle a pup and/or calm down a frightened animal. My instincts say: "Get a new Vet!"

btw, cute little guy!

I am so proud of 'doodle' and I have to share this...

I have been taking doodle out for (typically) 3 mile walks (almost) every day for just about a year now. We cross several roads along our path and I have made it an iron clad rule that we stop and wait for all the cars to clear before we cross the road. We never run across with traffic coming. Never. We come to a stop and I give her our command, "wait". It's the only time I really ask her to wait, but the basic rule is that she remains next to me until I start walking again. Repititon, for almost a year.

So, we were on our walk this morning, passing along a row of tall hedges (that I could not see over) when doodle came to an abrupt stop, looking to the left. And just as she did, a white service truck pulled up to the edge of the driveway. The driver clutched his chest and said he didn't see my dog. But she was fine. She did exactly what we'd been working on with every walk. -- Do not walk in front of cars that are moving! --

I'm so proud of her for learning this valuable lesson! And I'm so relieved that a horrible accident was avoided this morning! Whew! WTG doodle!!!

@praz said in Should i go for a Basenji (I do want one)?:

I do plan to take 3 weeks off from work to settle the pup when it arrives.

Dogs, especially high energy breeds like the Basenji, need to exercise. Left alone all day, any day, is an invitation for them to find "creative" ways to entertain themselves. And that typically isn't something their people would have approved of. Like, when my dog killed my son's bed pillow....

I'm sure my girl had a reason to do this, but I have no clue what it would have been.... and since I wasn't there to see the pillow fight, she cannot be punished for it. Primarily because she would never understand what the punishment was for. There are stories all the time about Basenji's being destructive. A recent post provided a picture of a B ripping the wallpaper off a wall. So, you see... knowing that your dog will be unsupervised for extremely long periods of time is probably inviting trouble. Not to mention that you should never leave the door to your home open while you are away (even on the 3rd floor)!

I suggest that you wait and get your Basenji in a year or two when your life is better suited to having a dog. For now, get a kitten. Cats (even young ones) only require food, water, and access to their litter box while you are gone. They can be left the entire day, or even two days in a row, without any problems. Dogs cannot.

Someone recently mentioned how Basenji's would give you the cold shoulder if you upset them. Here is doodle this afternoon, she wasn't ready to end our hike and "get in the car". This is clearly a command that I have to work on!

Unhappy Basenji Behavior

@dres_actually My initial reccommendation is: stop the weekly dog bath. There is a good chance that the regular bathing is stripping away natural skin oils. So, skip them... try one every 3-6 months instead. If you feel like Sasha needs more grooming than that, use a boar bristle brush, or a damp microfiber towel instead.

Hair could be an issue as well. I shed when I brush my hair, toss and turn at night, etc. Every once in a while, doodle will ingest a stray strand of hair... when she "eliminates" it, it will often times result in a bit of solids dangling from her backside. It kind of freaks her out. I simply use the ever popular poop bag to assist in removing the dangling solid and any tether to it.

(that was the most polite way I could think of to describe it)

@roguecoyote Welcome to parenthood. Eventually you will realize that not every single thing is a death trap and you will be able to breathe again. I'm glad that you found Rogue safe and sound waiting to come back into the house. That your pup knows which house she lives in is a really good thing! Now... try to bear with me on the rest of this.

Rogue is your dog, not your Mom's. If you don't want Rogue digging into the trash, you can either teach her not to, or you can just take the trash out yourself. If your Mom thinks it's too expensive to buy extra trash bags, then you need to buy the bags yourself. If you are worried about Rogue getting sick from the chemicals in road salt (which seems logical), figure out a way to prevent her from gaining access to the shoes and boots. It isn't your Mother's responsibility to babysit, train, or clean up after your dog, it's yours.

One quick and easy solution would be to put a baby gate up at your bedroom door so that Rogue stays in your room when you are gone. That prevents her from being near the shoes and the trash while allowing Rogue to see/hear what's going on in the house. Once you get home, the baby gate comes off, Rogue gets to explore and hang out with everyone, and you are there to supervise her.

Now, please apologize to your Mother and let her know that you didn't realize how stressful it is to be responsible for someone (baby, puppy, etc.) other than yourself.

I spy... with my little eye....
a red&white B in bed with Kai?

Who might that B be?

@mikesull said in Screaming must stop!:

"he doesn’t enter the bedroom etc. he’s a dog", "tons of love and commitment, etc. not 24-7", "my way or highway"

He's a baby... where are your expectations at? Realistically, what did you think having a 2-3 month old dog would be like?

@amongmany said in Fecal Incontinence Post-Surgery:

He was in Rimadyl and Flagyl through yesterday....
He's just...leaking a bit when he's napping/sleeping and relaxed.

A quick Google search suggested that diarrhea isn't unexpected with either of these drugs. Could the leakage be a result of the combination of the drugs?

• Rimadyl ... potential side effects, which can range from mild to serious.... Diarrhea
• The most common side effect of Flagyl (aka metronidazole) is diarrhea...

I don't know how long the drugs will stay in his system, but I'm leaning towards the idea that he would return to normal once the drugs dissipate. I am also (curious) why your DVM didn't think about the side effects of the medication(s) as possible contributing factors and jumped straight into another procedure.

(Doggie diapers are always an option until the issue is resolved.)

@sarahmiri said in Scared of people / crowds:

It's always humans that scare him.

That's good, if he was only scared of Martians he'd be normal.

When it's two or more in different directions he is overwhelmed and looks panicky

He might be confused about how he can protect you if danger is coming from two different places... (?)

How should I behave when he panics?

Stop walking, put your foot on the leash so his movement is limited, and tell him, "It's okay... I'm right here" until he calms down. You can pet him while you do it, you just want to reassure him that you can protect him, too. Let him know that you've got this and everything is ok.

My first thought is related to the recent surgery... is your pup taking any antibiotics or other post-surgery meds that may be affecting his digestion?

@sarahmiri said in Scared of people / crowds:

He does hear when I prepare his food even when doors are closed

oh good... well, then. Perhaps helping him by describing what the noises are?
"There's a noisy truck coming down the road", or "It's ok, it's just a motorcycle."
-- I'm only thinking out loud.

@sarahmiri said in Scared of people / crowds:

It's more men that walk by or behind us.....
....he is overwhelmed by the stimuli he pulls very strongly

It almost seems like he has a hearing problem. He can't hear people approaching from behind, so he is startled by their sudden appearance. Also, when you are in a crowd, he becomes overwhelmed and panics. He is clearly frightened, but perhaps because he can not sort out all of the noises that are, or aren't, coming through.

Consider doing some random clapping behind him, or banging pots when he is in another room, just as an observation to see if and how he reacts. Consult your Vet if his reactions don't seem "normal" to you.

Is there such a thing as a canine ear specialist?

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The only thing I can think of to add is that when someone asks if they can pet your dog, tell them that it's up to him. Let them know that you don't think your dog would hurt them, but he might need a minute to learn their smell. I do this and many people will stop and be very still to allow doodle to decide if she wants to check them out.... works for strangers of any age!

@mhmei said in 18m old purebred female looking to rehome (TN):

I am happy to discuss things further

oh! I wish I may, I wish I might, I wish I could!!

@italeigha said in Cough not going away:

in the past year we have missed at least two doses

Heartworms take 4-8 weeks to mature, so I normally administer heartworm every 6-8 weeks. If you missed a dose and took it as soon as you realized it.... your pup is probably safe.

@italeigha said in Cough not going away:

I hate to think she is going to be getting sick from the dog park.

I'm sure your pup will bounce back once your Vet determines exactly what it is. Don't give up on doggy playgrounds. Many of the members here don't like them, but socializing with other dogs is important (especially if your dog doesn't have a playmate at home).