Behavioral Issues

@giira2121 as @donc said First off, if a vet thinks neutering will change aggressive behavior you should look for a new vet. That is such a discredited myth. If she doesn't know that what else doesn't she know? When considering whether to neuter, I'd suggest you check out the link below. It has scientific research to dispel many neutering myths. It's a brief but very thorough booklet discussing the pros and cons of neutering/spaying, more science based than anecdotal. https://my.puppyculture.co.uk/resources/flipbook/spay-neuter-booklet/ There is definitely less societal compulsion to spay/neuter in Europe.

She may also be getting less forgiving of bad behavior as she gets older. In my experience adult Basenjis adhere to a certain code of conduct when meeting new dogs. Part of that is approaching slowly and not immediately getting in their face. They expect similar behavior from other dogs. A dog running up to them would violate the standard and might elicit a snark and a response. As long as it's not overly aggressive I wouldn't give it a thought. Chalk it up to a good learning experience for the other dog. FWIW they have a different standard for puppies. They will give them more leeway. Doesn't mean they won't snark at them but it's more like trying to dissuade them -- defense not offense.

@mikesull That is brilliant news - He will soon be totally clean at night. Yes, it is entirely possible you are over-doing the exercise. He needs to grow stronger and mature before you overwork those wee leg muscles. They are so keen and eager, it is easy to do but try to scale it back a bit for another couple of months or so.

Thank you all for your replies. Today was a liiiiiiittle bit better than the previous car rides we have done with him. Not constant screaming. But he still screams, and it’s a scream that can make ears bleed... But anyway, a little better today. He lied down and stayed quiet for about 5-10 minutes of the 20 minute ride. On the way home. Hopefully if we keep up with daily car rides where he always gets his toys and treats with him, and as long as we go someplace fun every time this will help getting him calmer in the car. I will also try the Rescue Remedy, it can’t hurt I guess :)

@tanza it can work if you can set up your home to work with the pup... But if you can't ? (or find it easier not to)

I am not up to date on current rabies vaccines for dogs, but I know that in the past there was more than one formulation, as my next door neighbour's dog had an anaphylactic reaction when vaccinated and the vet made a note to use a different formulation for the next annual shot. In future the dog had no difficulties. There are known side effects to most vaccines. Aggression is not one I am familiar with, however, with rabies vaccination in countries that require it there isn't much choice. It would not be my first thought with an 18 month old dog showing aggression. Especially a Basenji objecting to being moved from a comfortable place.

@tanza not her. Tried carrots and she couldn't be bothered with them. I think the shirt worked because I worn an old shirt yesterday and gave it to her without washing it.

Neutering will not help one bit and could cause problems for the dog in the long term.@eeeefarm has the right of it.

My little basenji boy, his mom is full bred basenji but his father is a border collie/lab mix. Anyways he has really bad nightmares. I have heard the blood boiling screams and the crying at night. We use to pet him to put him back into a good sleep but that doesn't work anymore so we have to shake him awake. Night terrors happen and the doggy can't move just like humans. Im a vet assistant so she probably just had a really bad nightmare. If it was a night terror it would happen all the time and she wouldn't have jumped out of bed.

@rugosab said in First signs of aggression? Should I be concerned?: must be considered ALPHA, as are all my family. Exactly !!! The only way to run a pack is to be the Alpha at all times.

Jengo and Logan both chased or chase prey. Both are a bit awkward, loud and reactive. Sparkle, on the other hand, is much more stealthy, focused and patient. I did see Jengo nail a mouse once. Neither Logan nor Sparkle have nailed one while here with us... yet. My biggest concern would be them getting injured during an attack. A squirrel biting them. A raccoon could be really bad. We also have wild coyotes not far. All that said... the head wants what the head wants. No idea how to stop that.

@jengosmonkey said in Our B's Non-Negotiable Quirks: I had to go back to Sally's site and check his pedigree, cause I'm pretty convinced he's related to Linda Blair (The Exorcist) Well well - What an excellent reason for checking on the database website ! Jengosmonkey, thank you ! I figured very few people on the forum ever looked at it - from the lack of entries I get from here.

I have "Intelligence" cubes and balls which you put kibble in and the dog has to figure out how, by rolling them around, to make the kibble fall out. But no 'extra' rations !!! Only some kibble from the daily allowance goes into them. I am such a mean Mom but my pack stays svelte !😁

@elbrant It goes on till we get where we are going then he knows when we are going home because he is much more relaxed. So we do not go on many car rides.

@donc said in Social aggression issues: The good news is if you find a decent dog trainer -- easier said than done BTW -- you should be able to sort this out. There are trainers and there are trainers - and behaviourists among them but please, I beg you, find one with experience of Basenjis. They are not as other dogs, as we all know - but many trainers don't

@shenzimaria I am sure you have your reason for the fight right there - "a boy who was at home was teasing them we think that they were nervous because of that. Apparently everything was very fast, so we don’t know very well what’s happened" And I agree with DonC, it is wrong to apportion blame to either dog if you didn't actually see the fracas start. I am sorry this happened and you may have to work hard to get them to trust each other again. Best is to keep the two dogs crated within sight and smell of each other as soon as you get them apart but in this case, with veterinary intervention necessary, it obviously wasn't possible. With time and patience, I have managed to re-unite Basenjis after a humdinger of a fight but wouldn't know if the same methods would work on different breeds. Good luck,

Teki would act like that when her anal glands were bothering her or something like a hair’s stuck also

Weird thread is getting weirder. Mister Science resurrects a long dead zombie thread, posts 3 times to the thread (the only 3 times he’s ever posted to the entire forum), is cryptic and indirect and now seems to be poking a long time member. Seems personal... like you’re trolling. This is such a good forum... please don’t do that. 🙏 Back on topic. I’ve only ever visited Basenji puppies. Even then, I’ve never heard one bark. Jengo could and would make a bark sound from time to time, but it was usually one and never more than two. HOWEVER! He would bark continuously in his sleep while dreaming. Sometimes he’d go on for several minutes. I use to whisper “squirrel” to him in order to egg him on a bit longer. 😈

I realize I am coming to this chat very late but I want to give you some hope. I have 6 chickens and though my 3 year old Piper will chase down and kill a bunny or squirrel and eat it ....she has demonstrated time after time that she understands the chickens are off limits. Infact I will go further to say that she acts as their protector. If one flies over the daytime fence she lets me know, if one is making any unusual noise she comes to get me. It has become quite comical how motherly she acts to them. 4 of them she was introduced to just a few months ago as I brought home baby chicks.....so they were small enough for her to attack for many months. I just kept telling her they are special and I would even let her sniff them while holding her collar. She knows the difference between prey and protect. I would love to get a few goats but I am not certain if that would work. I am still thinking about that.

I'm no Basenji expert since I've only had one. And, I don't want to start a dog park argument. I'll just share my experience. Jengo LOVED running free, but he's a Basenji. Can't do that cause... cars. The dog park near our house is HUGE. A big completely enclosed lawn area the size of a football field with towering oak trees. We were OCD about keeping Jengo's vaccinations up to date. He was chipped and wore a collar with contact and rabies tags 24/7. He loved the dog park, but not all the dogs there. He hated any dog of any size that would try to dominate him in any way. He rarely instigated it, but he never tolerated it meaning regardless of size... he wouldn't back down. He also hated if another dog approached him from behind and would snap immediately. My solution was to stay near him and to keep moving. We would walk laps around the perimeter and by about the second or third lap he'd been or had checked out all the other dogs. Then things were good. If I saw that he was getting anxious I'd usually catch it before he reacted and would tell him "Easy". 9 times out 10 that was enough. I'd also make sure that he was aware of dogs in our vicinity so that he wouldn't be surprised if they came from behind. We went to the park for years. He never caught anything that I was aware of. I did pick him up and leave if there was another dog he and/or I weren't comfortable with. And, I also recall walking away before ever entering the park if there was a dog we didn't like already there. I guess my point is that part of protecting your dog and others is knowing and focusing on them without over-reacting at the same time. I don't want to set him off. But, I want to know what he's going to do before he does. You have to read him. All dogs give signals one way or another. Tune in to your dog, not the other people at the park. I liked the other people at the park, but I wasn't there for them. My focus was always on Jengo.