Need advice with random chewing while at work.
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Hello and welcome to the forum. Is there any way to lock them in the room that has the doggy door and then they can come in and out as they please? I have this set-up in my house, they get locked in the porch with a baby gate and they can go outside and roam the yard if they want to or when it is raining or if it gets too hot they can come into the house. I would not feed a dog rawhide. It swells up in their bellies. Try Bully Sticks (man the amount of time I endorse these, they should be paying me royalties) these things are amazing. They are tougher than rawhide and are a natural product and dogs go nuts for them. You can also try antler pieces. I don't use them for my B's but I do for my NSDT retriever. He loves them…. again all natural. There is a product out there called Bitter Apple also. If you see her chewing on something when you are home, just spray that on there and they won't touch it again. I've had good success with that as well.
Hope this gives you some things to think about!
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Yes thats what I did today. May not have explained it well. They are in the sunroom with access to the dog door. gated off with a child gate. Only thing is daughters playroom is the rest of the sunroom. So if she happens to want to jump the child gate, the wife will make me do something more drastic.
Thanks for the bully bone, antler suggestion. I will try those.
I went home at lunch and everything was fine today. wife should be home now and hasnt called me to complain so hopefully all is still well that the Gated section in sunroom will work.
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If you search he other posts you'll find that many Basenjis are just chewers - you are doing the best thing i think to keep her away from anything she can damage while you're away.
There are products you can spray to deter chewing and Bitter Apple is one. Playing as you're doing and long walks if possible may be the answer so she is fully occupied with lots to think about.
If you catch her chewing something she shouldn't, tell her 'no' and offer her an acceptable alternative. Patience is the key - there'll be no immediate fix I'm afraid.
She sounds a lovely dog with lots of positive benefits as opposed to the one chewing problem.
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We made it through 1 day of no damage !! Both dogs were wet and muddy because of the rainy day though. No big deal. They were both alot more tired then normal last night too. So I think they spent alot more time outside playing. They used to set by the front door and look out the glass when we were gone and wait for us. So I think this is having a side effect for the better we werent thinking about.
I also talked to some of the guys at work about getting some antlers. Since everyone around here hunts I figured it was worth a shot. My wife just got word of a bunch of antlers from her coworker today. So tomorrow I should have some antlers to saw into sections and try. I just couldnt see spending $20lb + shipping not knowing if Ginger will like them.
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I don't know if my situation is typical, but when I have to crate one and not the other, it doesn't seem to make a difference in their interactions. Our boy would chew a sofa to shreds, and Annie the maniac wouldn't consider it. So once in a while we leave her out (especially since she hates the crate.) I'm not positive that Simon even realizes that there's a difference. He's smart in basenji ways, but… :D
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Antlers are good chews, and they will last a long time if they have been naturally shed. I believe antlers that had been removed from an animal (ie hunting) still had a blood flow and weren't "dead" yet so won't last as long because they are softer.
-Joanne -
I don't know if my situation is typical, but when I have to crate one and not the other, it doesn't seem to make a difference in their interactions. Our boy would chew a sofa to shreds, and Annie the maniac wouldn't consider it. So once in a while we leave her out (especially since she hates the crate.) I'm not positive that Simon even realizes that there's a difference. He's smart in basenji ways, but… :D
+1
I have 2 dogs in crates, one in an xpen and one loose in the house. nobody seems to mind the arrangement. -
I also have a Basenji / terrier mix and he is an avid chewer. My bf is the same way about his chewing. It makes him upset when he finds one of his things chewed up by Taz. I have found that Nyla Bones are great for them as well. Get the ones for the powerful chewers as they have them labled. If you use the ones for powerful chewer they don't go through them as fast. My Golden retriever "Levi" and Taz both love them. I also get them bones as well. He tends to leave other things alone when he has one that he is focused on. The bitter apple may not work as my Taz will chew anything with that sprayed on it, lol. I hope this is helpful to you. Watch out for the table surfing too. If she is anything like my Taz he loves to stand up beside tables and get anything that is on there in his reach.
