Skip to content

Feeding Advice

Basenji Puppy Pen
  • @sharronhurlbut:

    Is there a reason you want the crate door shut? Other dogs try to get in?

    Mainly the reason I want the door shut is because she'll eat a couple bites, wander off, come back - eat a little more…not focusing on "this is mealtime". Not good eating habits like the other 2 have.

  • @renaultf1:

    Mainly the reason I want the door shut is because she'll eat a couple bites, wander off, come back - eat a little more…not focusing on "this is mealtime". Not good eating habits like the other 2 have.

    Exactly the right reason to shut the door…ggg (again IMO)....

    So this is what I would do... can you feed her in a crate with the other two in their crates?(in the same room)... that way they are all together is their crates

    And what I do with puppies to develop good eating habits is that when they start leaving food or not paying attention to eating... I would let one of my adults out, open the puppy's door and let the adult eat their food... It doesn't take much for the puppy to figure out if they don't eat it, someone else is going to......90% of the time it would take one or two times of that and no more playing at feeding time.....

    You do need to keep in mind (and I am sure you are) that when they start teething there will be times that they just don't eat period... but that should really only last one or two meals.

  • Thanks Pat, I'll give it a try letting her eat in the same room with the other 2. I love the idea of letting an adult get her food if she doesn't eat it…that should get her to catch on real quick. :D

    Yes, I've been thinking about the teething...but I don't think that is the case just yet though.

  • Just wondering, is it really better to have a dog bolt it's food, or is it a healthier practice to let them eat at leisure?

    Not judging, just wondering.

  • @snorky998:

    Just wondering, is it really better to have a dog bolt it's food, or is it a healthier practice to let them eat at leisure?

    Not judging, just wondering.

    Depends on what you mean by bolting… that is not the best, but mine ate pretty quickly... Maggii would "inhale" her food and then nicely belch after.... as did most of my girls, the boys ate a bit slower.. and if you mean leisure as in free feeding or leaving it for them to come back and forth to.. that is not good either... I don't think that either is healthy... eating in a prescribe amount of time (no more then 10/15 minutes) and not picking at the food is the best practice.... There are ways if you have a serious "one that bolts food" like putting rocks in the bowl that they have to eat around.. there are even bowls that have things built in that they have to eat around.

    To me the important is building good eating habits... it can tell you so much about your dog... if they are good eaters and then suddenly stop, chances are they are not feeling well... where as if you are free feeding or letting them go back and forth (or carry it around) you will really never know how much they are eating or when they are not eating very well.

  • Thank you Pat.

  • Ha, ha…well Pat, that worked! :D:D:D

    I set up another crate for Liyah in the same room as the big kids. Adults went in first, food given, doors closed. Then Liyah went in, closed the door, she nibbled...spent a lot of time looking around. About 10 minutes went by (adults long finished eating) and most of Liyah's meal remained. I opened Ruby's door, opened Liyah's door and in went Ruby and finished Liyah's meal...Liyah tried to put her head in the bowl to get a couple bites when Ruby was eating, but Ruby would have none of it so Liyah was left to watch her dinner go to her Grammy. :D

    So, because I felt a little bad that this would be 2 meals missed today, I put more food in the bowl, put it in Liyah's crate and she went in, I closed the door and Liyah gobble it down. Ruby was outside her crate the whole time trying to stick her tongue in and get some food...and reminding Liyah that she was there waiting if she didn't want her food. :D:D:D

    Needless to say, tonight she is a member of the clean bowl club. So my 2 girls are very happy tonight with full bellies (and Ruby got a special reward for being the #1 dog in the house)...and mom is happy. :D:D:D

    Such great advice on this forum!!! Thanks Pat!!! That was easy!

  • LOL… glad it worked...usually does... and I have had to do it more then once... but they get the message... if "I" don't eat it... Mom gives it away...eek!!!!!

  • My b's not only chew your couture, but pee on them as well. Find another venue Please!

Suggested Topics

  • 1 Votes
    35 Posts
    5k Views
    S
    Thank you. Yes, our breeder is litter box training. Our first Basenji was a mix (Basenji and Retriever), but she had a lot of Basenji ways. She was already housebroken when we got her, so we didn’t have to worry about that task. We will definitely continue the litter box training until he is old enough to be outside and it is warmer.
  • 0 Votes
    18 Posts
    4k Views
    S
    Hi everyone! New Basenji owner here from Melbourne, Australia. I know this topic is a couple of months old but I thought I'd just add my experience for anyone else needing help with puppy biting. My wife and I had been having mouthing/biting trouble with our (now) 12-week old pup for the last week. The behavior has improved almost instantly by following the advice in this video. She's still pretty mouthy but it doesn't escalate the way it did before when we'd try and stop her from doing it/yelping/saying '"NO". I think everything we were doing was just turning it into the funnest game ever for her! https://youtu.be/bd1Q56Mfp4M
  • New Puppy Crating Advice ... Feeling Discouraged

    Basenji Puppy Pen
    27
    0 Votes
    27 Posts
    13k Views
    tanzaT
    Crate for sleeping at night should always be in the bedroom with their people. Should be close to the bed. I use wire crates and typically have more than one Basenji so the crates are all next to each other, but still in the room we sleep in. If an only Basenji should be next to your bed that that your pup knows where you are and you can dangle your fingers in the crate to assure them you are there. And cover the crate to make it more den like. Agree with a "crate buddy" stuffed big toy... and this crate buddy should only be used in the crate at night. I have never had any of my Basenjis sleep in any other room other then the one I sleep in. I also agree that in a car any dog should be confined in a crate, period.
  • New Puppy Advice

    Basenji Puppy Pen
    31
    0 Votes
    31 Posts
    14k Views
    S
    @creambasenji said in New Puppy Advice: She's 9 months and 8.5 pounds. Doesn't seem she will be getting any bigger This must be a typo. 9 months or 9 weeks? At any rate, I'd love to see a picture of a cream Basenji, toy or not.
  • Bite the Hand that Feeds

    Basenji Puppy Pen
    3
    0 Votes
    3 Posts
    3k Views
    lvossL
    This sounds like resource guarding. The eating fast is a sign of it, then when your husband grabbed Mick it just confirmed to him that someone was out to get his resources (the food). The link that Pat provided has a good discussion. I would really recommend getting the DVD The Language of Dogs, http://www.dogwise.com/ItemDetails.cfm?ID=DTB875P, it sounds like Mick gave a lot of signals that he was going to bite before the bite actually happened. Learning to read those signals will really help to prevent situations where Mick feels the need to escalate to biting. Some things you can do to prevent this situation in the future. If you are worried he is eating to fast, one recommendation I saw for slowing the pace a dog eats at is to put a tennis ball in their dish so they have to keep moving the ball out of the way to get to the food. You probably should also feed in the crate, so that he is less worried that any people around may take his food. You are going to need to work on the resource guarding, a good source of information is the book Mine, http://www.dogwise.com/itemdetails.cfm?ID=DTB740
  • Feeding young pup?

    Basenji Puppy Pen
    7
    0 Votes
    7 Posts
    5k Views
    MantisM
    My teething toys of choice? My leather belt (he loves because it is long and moves around) and the bleached cylindrical bones that have peanut butter inside for licking. That settles down his teething urges a bit. A little spray of the water will stop any unruley behavior pronto! He was chewing my floor mat in the kitchen.