Posts made by gjrcvw

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.

I just went back and reread your descriptions of her behavior in and out of the crate when you are gone and this does sound like separation anxiety. Your vet can prescribe medication that will help her calm, but you need to use behavior modification as well.

This is a real problem and can be helped. It is not because you crate her all day. Here is an article about the disorder:
https://www.reconcile.com/_layouts/downloads/media/coverage/Reconcile-VTX-Spring07-Simpson.pdf

This one is a bit of an easier read:
http://www.cpvh.com/Articles/47.html

The major issue is that this is a veterinary and a behavioral issue. Treatment (medicine) is generally given for two months while behavior modification is implemented. The dogs are actively suffering from this– so if you can get to the vet, describe all of the behavior, the destruction of toys and of your floors, the peeing and pooping when left alone in the house, etc-- and determine whether she would do well with treatment.

Is it possible that she sleeps when you get home because she can finally relax?

Is she in a wire or plastic crate now and what size? Have you tried a larger size or if this one is already large, can you try a smaller size? Can you try a different location for the crate? Or, do you have a laundry room or entry way that has solid flooring and is dog proofable that you could use for this purpose?

I think you need to determine whether this is separation anxiety, crate anxiety, or neither. If her anxiety is actually very high, you need help from the vet in alleviating it. What do you think– does she have a true separation anxiety? Or is her behavior more the kind that just needs to get used to being alone / in the crate?

nope! not at all.

no problem at all.

I noticed you are in maine. If you ever need training help, an extra set of eyes in assessing your situation with a dog, please feel free to ask. I am about an hour from you (Gray, right?) and I can easily pop over and see what is what and help with ideas.

@westcoastflea1:

who is the ultimate judge of a good training method and a bad training method?
)

Well, science, and the dog. We judge training methods by how effective they are. Does the training method work? Does it harm the dog in any way? Does it harm the human? Does it TRAIN the dog? Meaning, does it teach the dog what we wa nt taught? Or does it intimidate the dog so that bad behavior is somehwat suppressed but not necessarily changed?

Good training is simple, effective, and teaches what we want taught. Bad training is confusing or intimidating, teaches things other than we want taught. A good example of this might be:
Your dog tries to eat your cat all the time. You are at your wit's end. So you go out and buy a remote control shock collar. Every time the dog so much as looks at the cat, you shock the heck out of him. The dog changes hgis behaviour. He begins snarling aggressively at your child who happened to be in the vicinity when he was shocked for looking at the cat. He has 'learned' that your child triggers the scary shocks. He is no longer looking at the cat. He doesn't try to chase the cat. Instead he growls, shows fear of your child and concentrates on that.

So is the training method good or bad? You say above, "Who is to judge?" Well, I will. The training method is bad. The dog has indeed stopped trying to eat the cat but he has not LEARNED to not eat the cat. He has reacted to an aversive and has changed his focus. He is confused. He has learned the wrong thing.

Cesar Milan is admired by many people who are ignorant of dog training and animal behavior. He appears to get results. But I ask, what exactly do you want to teach your dog?

There are clear and correct methods for training animals. Aversives and punishment are not as useful or clear as positive training methods. Period. That is not opinion. That is science.

It is good that you have learned SOMEthing from Cesar. Learning to read dog's body language is very important. As is setting your parameters for behavior. Other than that, though, I would urge you to read up on animal behavior and dog training. Educate yourself, esp as a BRAT foster home, and you will be much much more equipped to deal with the idiosyncrasies of dogs in general.

Best of luck.

I will have to tell Dr Anna that she is becoming known among the basenji crowd. This thread is crazy. Gayle Mclain is the breeder from Gray who now breeds ridgebacks., and she is a horse firend as well as a dog friend. She came to my house with her friend Deb Preble and Deb took my old girl Breezy and Breezy was with Deb until she died. Debbie Hauri is of course one of my very very good friends in the breed. Donna- are you the horse person from the old mainehorse.com who used to see Bramble in the park with his owner in Augusta? And renault, I remember you! Dot and Winart now live in my town. Last I saw them they were down to two elderly basenjis and were not at all interested in breeding. Dot helped me practice with Zinnia on the table a looong time ago when Zinni was a young nitwit. She is now of course a soft middleaged nitwit.

Pippin gave up dog food completely a few weeks ago. Kibble, canned, etc– it is just disgusting to him. I have been making the pitcairn's renal failure diet for him, and I can share that recipe if anyone wants it, but also found today that he WILL eat freezedried diet by Prairie and will also eat the frozen medallions by Nature's Variety, which is very helpful because I occasionally run out of the homemade and this stuff will do in a pinch.

I thought maybe others would liek to share what they feed a finicky dog, brands, types, recipes they have tried?

At first, when he had his recent downturn, he would eat ONLY pizza and only if I shredded it and hand fed him. Not the healthiest choice and probably not very good for his little kidneys but he was at 19 pounds and I was desperate to get food into him. Since I started the homemmade diet and we tweaked his medicines, he has regained six pounds. So, has anyone else got ideas for the finiscky dogs among us?

I had to come on over here, guys. You've all been so good to my sister and her husband through the dual tragedies of Curie and Zelda. Your support has helped a lot… so I needed to come over and join the community. Thanks for being here.

Totzlly agree that it is not for every dog. Zin loved it. She thought everyone was there to love her. But Azalea was only doing it for me, if that makes any sense. She tolerated it but never ever had any fun.

Thanks for the nice comments about Miss Z. She has a lot of good about her and I am glad she was my first showdog. She isn't a delicate little thing and I got a few comments that she was "doggy" but I really liked her substance. She has, ahem, a matronly figure these days. But she continues to be a smart, healthy, happy girl. I love her.

I don't have all my photos on this computer, but here is Zin at a show. Not the best picture ever– her feet are lost in the grass!

And a shot of Bella looking graceful:

My kennel name is Darkskies, and my dogs are Ch Mata Hauri Darkskies Zinnia, Ch Darkskies Peregrine Took, Darkskies Azalea, and Darkskies The Sun Also Rises (Bella). Bella has three majors but life has gotten in the way lately. I hope to get her last points this summer and just get ehr finished. Zalie will never finish. She is pretty enough, but she leans away from the judge when they touch her. Totally submissive and docile, but she doesn't like the table so I don't bother to show her.