Basenji Training

@Patty: Shelley - I agree that Howards' was the better reaction but as I said it's understandable that you were worried because of your previous experiences. I hope now by everyones' comments and advice that you now realise that this is no major problem? Malaika is a different baby and she's yours to shape into a lovely girl - the good thing is that you've seen the worst and have the knowledge to avoid it!! Talking about growling - here's a laugh, Adonis, our Fula Tri, was excelled in obedience competition but from the age he started to the age he died he accompanied all his obedience actions with a low growl saying "I'm only doing this because you want me to." He had the sweetest temperament with young and old, known and unknown and the growl never meant "I'm going to bite you." :D:D Adonis sounded a real character and what a name, no wonder he had big ideas ;)

Rio sounds like the type of girl to think things out ;) Loved the vid of L'Ox, he's realy grown.

I am working with him on this as a game for us to play. Nosework is a very new dog sport but it is alot of fun and the founders have worked really hard to make it a sport everyone can enjoy with their dog and to make it a very positive experience for the dogs. I have been working my adults at it also. They really enjoy the game. We are working towards pairing the food with a target scent. Our first scent will be birch but that is still several weeks away for L'Ox.

What a beauty! Please keep posting those pics, I love her. We have a brindle boy but he is not as dark as Gracie.

My boyfriend and I are both 5'5" but she has been around other dogs tons of other people and it seems that she isn't shy with smaller people. She was very shy when we first got her around other people but there are a select few that she runs from. I will usually give a person a treat or two if she is afraid of them and that will work but other times we have to have that person sit on the ground or something just for her to come over. Thanks for all the replies guys! My computer was down for a few days and I come back to a wealth of knowledge :)

I have a lunge whip, which we've played with ever since I got her. She loves it. I tried her at it on a small course back in July at our club picnic (here's the video, I've posted it before. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gl6NAGvjow) and she took off like a crazy girl. That was her second time doing it that day. A few months before that she was a little unsure of what to do. So, it sounds like to practice her a number of times to get her highly focused on the lure. I'm guessing Sue might be going to Racine in August, but if you're there too Lisa, I'd appreciate any input on her "focus" if she gets to do some practice runs. Clay

Tilllo is our hero.

Good luck, I don't know of anyone going, lots of shows this weekend.

What an interesting article - I must say I do use 'No' but in future will think first before I say it!

I will try to be good and update each week so if you want to follow along you can. The things that you need is at least 5 boxes, one that should be labeled "Food" and is the only box that gets food in it, so the others aren't cotaminated with the food scent, treats that your dog really loves, and some different areas to work in. The first week the boxes are all in a line. Before I set L'Ox down to work, show him that I am putting the treats in the treat box then I do a "shell game" with the box, tapping it against the other boxes in the line and usually saying things like, "Where's your treat? Is it in this box? Oh, look at this box it looks so good." etc, and at some point switching the food box with one of the other boxes so that he doesn't just cue into the last box I was at and has to really work to find the treats. We do 3 searches in a training session and our goal for the week is to work in 5 locations. Mine will probably be the kitchen, the living room, the backyard, the school down the street, and at a friend's house. It makes things much easier if you have someone to help you but you can work by yourself using a tether or baby gate.

@Nemo: Can you give more details of the situations when he pees on the couch? Well, it happened in two occasions in two different days. The first time we had been playing, we had gone for a walk after, we came back home, then I went to the kitchen to have some water and when I came back to the living room I saw him getting down the couch and voila! He had wetted the couch so I took him out right away. The second time was yesterday but I just noticed that the couch was wet, but did not see the moment it exactly happened, so I can't give many details. But I find it extrange, as mentioned, since he has been doing really well on potty training, I wonder what makes him peeing there.

My Basenjis agree that leather is much nicer!! They eat them asap.!! So far the metal parts have escaped! Any one would think I don't feed them!! However I think that there is nothing nicer than a good leather lead, I keep mine for best or when I don't have too many dog out together so that I can't watch them all at the same time. I use a 2cm for walking and a 1cm for showing.

Lukris - my sentiments exactly!!

@Nilo: Thank you for the link. No wonder he was so confident and proud of getting up onto the couch, he had done for his entire previous life! And honestly, I did not know what you mentioned. One question: what if I teach him to go to his own little couch? Would he respect ours? I'm not sure if "respect" is the appropriate word. It's more if he is allowed or not allowed, and you have to be very consistent. If you teach the dog that it can not be on the furniture, but he jumps up and someone lets him on it one time or two, then you may have to start over again. He will test you to see what his limits are. And if you aren't in the room, all bets are off, lol.

That's what our cat door is. I guess I can use it so long as it doesn't become too much of a squeeze for my future B.

There are events in May, June, Aug and Oct that I know of, may be able to make the June events too if my whippet girl goes in season early and is ready to run by then. Do do more coursing than racing, looking at the CKC Coursing events only at this time as I want to be able to run both the basenjis and whippets.

Great photos, big congrats to you and Callie.

How did you like running in nice warm GA? We only ran one day of AKC in OK as the rain turned real heavy overnight and continued into the morning, none of us wanted to run our whippets on a slick clay hill. See you in TN next weekend with my 2 boys

Thanks for the ideas! I had forgotten the collar training totally - as well as walking in leash nicely. Fortunately I have some training collars at home, before my order of measure made sighthound leather collars will arrive (at age of 8 weeks). We have now -20 Celsius and 1 meter snow in South-Finland, so it is impossible to start potty training in the garden ;) More ideas are welcome!

Thanks, i had not seen that page. Here's one of my favorite links: http://www.clickersolutions.com/articles/index.htm