Behavioral Issues

Well, it sounds like you are on the right track in what you are doing-asking people to ignore her until she feels ready for the new person interaction, not threatened, and on her terms. She is a little insecure (not bad, I have a hound dog that will do the same thing if I am not there, otherwise she will lick you like you are part of the pack/family) She needs to have interactions slowly and on her terms and in time will possibly improve with maturity and self-confidence. She depends on you and your partner as protectors of her pack, and when she is ALONE, she is defensive. NORMAL to some degree. Maybe the next controlled situations where you have people over, instruct them to ignore her with not eye contact, no talk, no touch, and throw a treat. You both have to ignore her as well, let her gain confidence. The very fact that this person is here lets her know all is well. Leave the room, come back. In time she will accept. Now, mind you this is being typed without being there and observing the whole context. Hope this helps…..Deb

They're not naughtier, it's just you don't entertain them as well. My tri is the devil himself. Our red is a little angel. Love the tri to death, though. Should be called "trying", as with your patience. Still love mine to death, as does everyone else who meets little lucifer. Funny thing he is perfectly behaved when left alone at home, uncrated. He usually acts out for attention when he are home. He has demands & need that need attention, then he can settle down. No general statement about anything is completely true.

He hasn't repeated that behavior…..at least not to people. He will growl at other dogs, but only if they are bigger than him. I have started taking him to the dog park quite frequently to socialize him with other dogs. He is starting to make some progress there!

@DebraDownSouth: Have you thought about putting him in the bed WITH you when you sleep? He used to sleep with us when we first got him but we had to stop because it would worsen my allergies. Ever since he stopped sleeping with us i'm now able to tolerate being around him.

@MikeP: Hello all….My beloved pooch passed away six months ago and I am starting my journey to find a new best friend. After much research, I have decided a Basenji is the dog for me. That said, I am trying to locate Basenji owners in Tampa. Before taking the plunge, I would like to talk with local owners and meet their dogs. They are certainly not a common pet and I would like to meet one(or more) to see just how they are in person. Are there any Basenji owners out there in Tampa? I would be great to hear from you. That is great…. we always suggest meeting with Basenjis and Basenji Owners before deciding this is the right breed of dog for your new forever companion!!! Good luck in your search.

LOL have your mom listen to Arwen on youtube. The noises, thank goodness, do not match the actions.

I sure hope you can find out what is causing this behavior change. Sounds like your b have a "golden" life on your island.

I think you should go back to your vets especially as this has been happenig ever since the emergency surgery. It could just be coincidence I suppose, but if she were mine I'd want to check. As Pat says more information is needed before suggestions can be given.

Do you have elder care down there? We have a sort of day care up here for seniors, depending on where you live, you have can supported care.

@DebraDownSouth: Fran, there are times when I might mean to be condescending, but I assure you that it won't be "a little" or usually any question. That you could take my comment above as condescending… I can only suggest you may simply want to block my posts because it is entirely unlikely I will write 100 words to say what I said in under 20 because SOMEONE might see my observation as insulting. Now if I had said it condescending, such as: How could you THINK it could be that? Don't you think any dog living with females would already have reacted? How silly! The person threw out the idea of periods, which sometimes could be it .. and btw, pregnancy hormones set some dogs off… but it hit me he had lived with them too long for that to be probably. It wasn't an insult to the OP, just a response. People contradict my ideas daily on here, doesn't make them condescending or insulting. THEN, I could see it. I simply tossed out a quick response addressing that logically it probably wasn't that. If you read that as condescending instead of my own view, I am sorry. One helpful rule for forums is that you look at any post and see if there is another TONE than the one you ascribed. If there is, take the other. Like your post. I COULD think you are a jerk, not at all "friendly," addressing this here and hijacking the thread instead of sending me a private message. Instead, because I see you post a lot and like you :), I took it exactly at face value... you simply are expressing your view and trying to be helpful. So please remove any tones you might ascribe to the answer. The tone in my head is simply factual, that I am not responsible for your taking that as condescending and probably won't be able to stop you seeing other posts that way. Now if I actually say something you cannot take any way than as an insult, feel free to let me know. But the above... sorry, Fran, it was simply a logical observation. LOL, and in fact, let me now be "condescending" to my post. (I am joking while making a point.) SOMEONE (but it will be me, since it just hit me where I could easily be wrong...) could have responded to my post and said: Yeah, but dds, you are wrong because maybe she has an infection or urinary tract infection also with a period, that might do it. See? Debra, not a problem. Thank you.

Awww, it'll fly by im sure! :D Maya was a snuggly baby right from day 1! She gets under the duvet and snuggles up right next to me with her head on the pillow. Even 2 years on she is exaqtly the same every night without fail. And she is so WARM! Saves on the heating in this cold weather :D

Tucker just hops on the bed and lies down beside us. We've gotten used to it and just ignore him… ;)

an update-iam a huge wow player -and as ive been leveling in new zones it has cought milosh interest on its sounds and visuals- so lately he dosent turn his back on me as much but looks forward to hearing the sounds coming from the laptop….lol

Hi Jay, welcome! Did you have your dog posted on Craig's List? I'm grateful that you found our website, and that you are looking for solutions for Trey. Giving him away before addressing his behavior just pushes his issues onto someone else, who doesn't love him like your family does. If Trey hasn't been to the doctor, you may be able to find some low-cost vet options. When the economy gets tough and we all pinch pennies. It's easy to overlook checkups for our dogs, especially when the Dr says, "let's run some tests." :eek: That has $$$ all of it, you know? In Tampa, because the vet offices are slow, they are running great specials to keep busy. Maybe you (or your wife) can call around to find someone who will give Trey a good check up without costing an arm and a leg… I'm glad to hear that your daughter is in 4th grade (versus 4 years old), because she's at an age where she can respect Trey's boundaries. I don't think a basenji would simply chomp on someone without sometime of forwarning... unless he's sleeping, and wakes up grouchy? :confused: If that's the case, as long as everyone knows, I don't see her in imminent danger. Hopefully you or your wife can spend some time reading up on the quirks of a basenji. It's one thing to visit a basenji, and another to live with them. :) Like Anne said, the basenji breed is very smart and common training methods with other dogs don't necessarily work. Does Trey get along with your lab? Are they bonding? It is a lot of change for everyone in the house, including the dog.... mutual respect and love will go a long way. :) I hope it's a happy home for all, even if times are tough. I hope we can help you out!:)

I agree with Debra…dogs who feel it is okay to growl and snap at their owners to get their way should not be sleeping in the bed. Paulajean, you can work this out...just get some good advice from a good trainer...she is not a bad dog, you just need a way to communicate to her that you are the leader :) Check out Patricia McConnell's book "How to Be the Leader of the Pack (and have your dog love you for it)" you can google it and find it at several different vendors.

@Shaye's: With a male, it may well be breeding season, or, maybe he's just getting old enough to figure a way to tell you he would prefer to be outside playing than being in the house. Hahaha if it was for Nilo, he would be living on the street!

nope! not at all. :)

My red & white grew out of chewing up stuff when he was about 4. He had mastered unzipping the couch cushions and destuffing them! It was his duty to destuff any couch with a zipper! My female will be 8 next month and she (I'm afraid) will never grow out of destuffing/chewing! Small hole in a comforter, no problem, let's make it bigger and destuff it so the room looks like snow! Toilet paper, hanging on the toilet paper dispenser? Never in my house! It only lasts 2 minutes and then it is set on a path of distruction…down the hall....in the living room.....in the bathroom.....on the bed..... Unfortunately, she is teaching the toilet paper destruction to my almost 3 year old rescue. But he doesn't shred, he litteraly eats anything he is destroying. We have had to be extra dilligent to keep chew dangers out of his way. He is tiny for a male (20 lbs) and we don't want him to ingest something and not be able to pass it. I echo everyone else's statements. It's like baby-proofing your house, except it's basenji-proofing! And when you catch the chewing something they aren't supposed to have, scold them and give them one of their own toys. These are intellegent dogs, they get it....after a while!

@Jylly18: Quercus…did you get my email? I hope the address worked...I spoke to both of the trainers, but have no idea what to look for in terms of certification and stuff. I didn't know if I should put the names on here publicly, so I emailed you. Just wondering if you had any input on which to choose, and wondering if you had heard of one of them. Hope you don't mind my email, and thanks in advance for any advice you can give! I emailed you this morning :) Sorry about the delay!

my b greets me with excitement and her stuffed ball as well. we give her pats and then she bugs us to play fetch with her. so we do. then lots more cuddles. i think the pawing/poking is funny too. in our doggie play group theres a dog that doesnt like Hope so much (its a little fussy dog). instead of leaving it alone like the others she'll play play play with the other dogs, get closer to it and then go over to it and bat it with her paws or poke it as she goes past. Hopes new nick name at playgroup: Sh!t stirrer! lol (excuse the language)