@eeeefarm said in Sudden Behavior Change (desperate to go outside):

I'm with Tanza on this one, something else is going on here. "Bitch in heat" is the most obvious answer. As to exercise needs of a Basenji, I have had five over the space of 50 years, never had one that couldn't cope with reduced exercise when the weather was off or there was something else going on that precluded long walks. If your dog has been properly taught manners in the house, it should not be an issue. Anxiety about something is a different ball game....you need to discern the cause and find your solution. BTW, Basenjis do not hold a candle to Border Collies in the "need exercise" department, but again, keeping busy can be a mind game, which sometimes tires them out more than just running around.

Yeah, exactly my experience thus far. When I was really sick and we were in a colder climate, he adjusted well to reduced walk times. On rainy days he seems to know its going to be a chill day for us and sleeps most of it away. So yeah! That's what brought me here. The sudden change in his temperament has been a surprise.

@tanza said in Sudden Behavior Change (desperate to go outside):

@yahtzee92 - I would suggest that either there is a bitch in season someplace in your area or your boy thinks it is close to breeding season... typically this would start in August, but happens in June also. I doubt that more exercise is the issue....

Interesting. Will see if it passes. Thanks Tanza and @eeeefarm

@eeeefarm said in Sudden Behavior Change (desperate to go outside):

@yahtzee92 said in Sudden Behavior Change (desperate to go outside):

Sadly, I have long covid and doing a hike or extra long walk is out of the question for me right now

When did his current anxiety start in relation to your Covid issues? Dogs are sensitive to their owners' ailments and he might be picking up some anxiety from you. Otherwise, although physical exercise is important, mental exercise can also play a big part, and not just by having toys available. Training can tax a dog mentally and not require a lot of physical activity from you. If you haven't explored clicker training, now might be a good time. Once dogs understand the "game" they will typically begin to offer behaviours when the clicker comes out to see what you will reinforce.

Its been several months now (caught COVID in December, had long haul symptoms since). In truth, I have had my down periods emotionally as being so limited has caught up to me at times. It would make sense that he is picking up on this.

The clicker is a good idea - will explore this.

@scagnetti said in Sudden Behavior Change (desperate to go outside):

If he's still anxious after an hour walk, then increase the amount of time on the walk.

Lmao.. the kind of responses that keep me from being a regular here. Read the post homie.

I don't have a solution for you but I can definitely relate. Its been especially tough since I've been ill. I somewhat resent trying to walk him as there are SO many distractions outside :( More importantly, it's just unsafe.. almost lost him the other day because an unexpected guest came by my neighbors and left the door wide open.

Once I'm a bit more up for it, I'm going to try training with extremely high value treats (real meat) and see how that goes.. but man.. he is just so damn pumped once we're outside it's as if we never put in the many hours of training. I mean, honestly, even indoors he is very, VERY excitable. Noises he's heard 100 times over, a person outside, etc. he reacts to as if its the first time it ever occurred.

Good luck to you!

p.s. my boy is neutered so I don't think being intact is necessarily a concern or driver here

@jengosmonkey said in Sudden Behavior Change (desperate to go outside):

@yahtzee92 Could be that there is a bitch in heat somewhere in your neighborhood. In other words nature is screaming at his nose. Could also be that he’s becoming bored in the house. Maybe a few new toys that make him use his brain to keep him busy. That’s about all I can think of…

Thanks for the reply. I got him a fun new bear that he goes insane over so that's a good shout. Still, not quite enough !! Ha. Perhaps I'll get another fun little something for him. I'm interested to see how his demeanor changes after a full day with other dogs.

Hey y'all...

Interesting change in my boy's behavior lately. He has begun to whine and scurry around a lot in order to go outside. It seems like his need for exercise has suddenly increased greatly. While the solution here is obvious (e.g more exercise) it seems a little excessive. Even after an hour walk, he is being very.. very insistent on going outside (no need to use the bathroom, just seemingly anxious being indoors).

It's strange to me since he has been pretty low maintenance up until the last 2-3 weeks (he is now 1.5 years old) so I'm not sure what could have prompted this. Is it a developmental thing?

Sadly, I have long covid and doing a hike or extra long walk is out of the question for me right now so I'm relying on a dog walker and, starting tomorrow, a doggy daycare (I dislike them but at this point it seems like he needs the playtime pretty desperately... and I need him to quiet down lol). As a point of reference, he managed to get a great run around the other day with our neighbor's dog (they're not usually around) and his anxiety to go out was gone for two days so I don't think it's a medical issue.

More curious than anything else really - are these changes in behavior / exercise needs normal?

@zande Managed to find an airline that allows it (putting him in the hold). Kind of sort of really hate the idea of putting him in such a stressful situation though.

@zande There appears to be a suspension on dog's traveling in the hold (as far as I can tell). As you say... I will have to make 200% sure he can come with...

@tanza said in International Travel:

How much does your Basenji weigh? Most times the airlines (if they check and I have known this to happen) want the animals to be able to fully stand, including heads which is even not happening for a baby puppy (9 or 10 weeks, Basenjis).... many do not check however. I use the biggest sherpa available this is the demensions 19 x 11.75 x 11.5 inches, pretty close to what Delta is saying. On American years ago that was the only airline that would accept 2 pups in the same sherpa... We were bring 3 back from Chicago to SF. No issues, one pup was 11wks the other two were littermate at 9 wks and in the same sherpa. Also some airlines internationally will never let pups in the cabin... or so I have been told.

Hey man, happy holidays!

Yeah, exactly haha.. not even a puppy can really stand in those things. Like you said, nobody checked.. people were just excited to see a puppy.

My boy is approximately 20-22lbs. Starting to think this is probably doable as long as I don't encounter a difficult person.

Hey y'all.. hoping for some guidance around traveling internationally with my B (a one year old male).

Seeing that pet shipping is suspended on several airlines (I abhor the idea of putting my little dude in cargo anyways, especially for a long flight (9.5 hours)) so I may be limited to trying to bringing him in via the cabin...

Per Delta..

"Maximum carry-on kennel dimensions are determined by your flight as the space under seats vary by aircraft, we recommend a soft-sided kennel with maximum dimensions of 18” x 11” x 11” since this fits most aircraft types"

Now.. is it unreasonable to think I could get him in given these requirements?

@elbrant said in basenji screams when left alone:

@yahtzee92 said in basenji screams when left alone:

especially when he can see her in the backyard).

Presuming that the yard is enclosed/fenced, why not have him outside with her?

Because you are presuming incorrectly! That said, he has gotten much less anxious as he is more used to the house and people going in/out.

Neighbors did finally put a fence up in back though (new houses got built very close to ours).. now I'm looking for something to block off the part of the yard that is exposed between the garage and house. Hard to find something that stands out or, mainly, taller than 3 feet

@binkobongo said in basenji screams when left alone:

My rescue Basenji used to have bad separation anxiety (due to being abandoned twice) but I found that getting her a snuggle puppy has helped her greatly. I used to always play music but I never found that it was much help with my Basenji.

I currently leave my basenji in her crate when she is alone (never for longer than 3 hours I am currently in the process of completely dog proofing my room for her to roam free in) she used to scream the whole time she was alone but once I placed the snuggle puppy in her crate she began to feel much more comfortable being alone and now does not even cry when I leave. I am also sure to provide her with something to entertain her while I am gone.

My vet also recommended a pheromone room spray/collar that mimics mother dog smells to help with anxiety. I personally have not used it so I can not speak to its effectivenes.

I'm afraid my boy would shred that thing to pieces.. he had been noisy but not destructive when left alone but today, I had to leave for 1.5 hours and came back to utter chaos. He had tried to break out of his crate (managed to move it a couple feet) and wrecked his crate cover somehow. Yeesh. Never seen him go this nuts.

Not sure what the source of his SA would be but it's been tough to see.. I'm staying at my moms for a bit now and even when one person is home, he can have fits of panic seeing the other person go (apparently its much worse when I leave, still gets upset seeing mom go, especially when he can see her in the backyard).

Really would like to get him more comfortable :(

@lawrence-chow said in Puppy dry heaving?:

Replying late but our B had this problem for quite a while. It's called bilious vomiting syndrome. Usually the vomit is yellow foam in the morning when they have an empty stomach. Our vet suggested feeding 3 meals through the day with the last meal as late in the evening as possible and then the moment they wake up, feed them right away, even just a spoonful is good. Our B had this issue on and off for a good 4 months before it eventually going away, the feeding very first thing in the morning seemed to help. She's 9 months now and it still happens occassionally, the last time was when we forgot to feed her dinner the night before. She's otherwise totally healthy.

Sadly this was a totally different issue at the time. It was dry and repetitive even post-feeding. Ended up being nothing which is odd but he's all good now :)

Thanks everyone, big help as always.

So.. how hot is too hot to be walking an 8 month old B? It's in the mid 80s this week so I've stuck to walking him in the early morning but, personally, I'm the one getting antsy during the mid afternoon and want to go on a walk but definitely fear it may be too hot for him. It's mostly pavement around here, which gets quite hot but realistically, I find it helpful to know hard-ish boundaries so I have a more specific guiding star on whether I should be walking or hiking with him.

The heat seems to turn him into a total bum (lol) so this may be a non issue since he sleeps away the majority of the day. Good to have some guidance either way.

Cheers!