Change can be hard…..
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He looks like he's saying "I"M NOT GOING THAT WAY"! All my Basenjis like to go in different directions on every walk. I take Buddy in different directions every time 2x a day, we even go to new places to hike on the weekends otherwise it get's too boring. Sometimes they have preferences to go right instead of left.
I try to just head away from the sun coming up because I often can't find my sun glasses that early in the morning because I'm still half asleep :o
We follow different paths just heading in that generally direction…
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@sonnyboy:
I try to just head away from the sun coming up because I often can't find my sun glasses that early in the morning because I'm still half asleep :o
We follow different paths just heading in that generally direction…
The sun!! We go on the first one at 4:45am.:D No birds out yet only Raccoons and Skunks.
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The sun!! We go on the first one at 4:45am.:D No birds out yet only Raccoons and Skunks.
Lord help me…walking Sonny in the dark is not fun. He acts liking something is going to jump out and get him the whole time. His ears are glued to his head! :eek:
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After almost a year of having him we have been doing it for 5 days/wk so he's pretty used to it. We do both have a little caution. About a month ago a skunk went trotting merrily down the middle of the street, I was like YIKES! Buddy was like let's chase it pulling me! NO, NO, NO!
The hard part is picking up the poop on a lawn with leaves with a flash light. Buddy looks at me like "what the hell are you doing, let's get the heck out of here"! -
Your story about Sonny reminds me of my first Basenji, Benji.
I am a very keen car booter and used to take Benji hunting with me. He would be ok going up one side of stalls but would try to refuse to go back down the same aisle on the other side. Needless to say i won that battle, there could be treasures to be found but he certainly made life difficult. The look on Sonnys face says it all :D -
When we head up the block, we have several streets that call for "right or left" decisions, it's their walk so I let them decide. Topper (14) will sometimes balk, "no, not that way. No, not that way either. OK, back home…not that either", so there we stand in the middle of the street! I will finally drag him a few feet and he's ready to go. But I laugh when he does that 3-way balk!
As for walking in the dark, we use Pup-lights. LED lights on a stretchy elastic collar that fit around their necks and hang down under their chins, aimed at the street in front of them. Two of mine don't seem to care, but Topper's vision is not good at night and the Pup-light makes him happy. And I use it to find the poop, too!
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I think Basenji's just are very alert dogs, and at night there is a lot of "activity" outside we may not see, but they do! My Basenji is always very aware of the coyotes when they get near the house, and the rabbits hopping around, etc… She typically likes to stay indoors until it is light as well. That is hilarious that Sonny just sat there. haha Tika has never done that one, but she will tell me which side of the road she wants to walk on, and which direction she would prefer go. If I lead her another way, she will follow, but often will look back over her shoulder until "her decision" is out of sight. Lately my husband has been training for a marathon, and takes Tika with him. She gets so caught up in sprinting that I do not think she would care if it were dark outside and they were running through a rain storm. She just likes to RUN!
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If your dog has problems in the dark, it may be due to an eye problem. Your dog may need an eye exam.
Nope his eyes are fine..been checked in the past few months :) He's just very alert to all the noises of the night.. He knew a skunk was coming long before I did!! Sonny saved up both from being a stinky mess :p
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I think Basenji's just are very alert dogs, and at night there is a lot of "activity" outside we may not see, but they do!
I think that's a big part of it. As they say, "ignorance is bliss". Basenjis are certainly not ignorant when it comes to their surroundings. I noticed Kananga always has his ears back when we're outside at night, or certain times during the day. He can sense something and it makes me nervous at times. :o
But this is what makes them great hunters and generally great at surviving out in the open. They are smart, and with that comes anxiety since they are aware.
