Skip to content
Basenji Forums
  1. Home
  2. Basenji Talk
  3. Hardest thing to teach a Basenji.

Hardest thing to teach a Basenji.

Basenji Talk
  • ?

    Stay…..
    I think my Basenji see the world as he should. I'm just trying to teach him to stay... Best thing we can teach a dog is to stay.
    Any tips?

    0
  • eeeefarmE

    Clicker training works well for this. Once he gets the idea, lengthen the time before you click and reward, then put it on cue and stop using the clicker. Fade the reward to intermittent. And do your training in a place with no distractions until he is pretty reliable. Then you need to proof it using distractions until he is pretty solid. It's still unlikely you will get 100% compliance when there is something very interesting to tempt him. They are not Border Collies! :) (I would be amazed if my Basenji managed a long down or long sit with me out of sight, without extensive practice, and even then…..)

    I am assuming you know the basics of training this command. If not, I can elaborate. I do find it easier to teach something like "place" or "mat", so he has a spot to be at first, then teach "stay" at that location, then generalize the command to other places. I also like to use a less formal command (I use "wait") when I just require a momentary pause, and when I invoke "wait" I don't care if he stands, sits, or lies down, his choice. Usually with "stay" I give a position command first, e.g. "sit".

    "In order to get along with a Basenji, you have to be at least half as smart as the dog!"

    0
  • Buddys PalB

    @eeeefarm:

    It's still unlikely you will get 100% compliance when there is something very interesting to tempt him. They are not Border Collies! :) (I would be amazed if my Basenji managed a long down or long sit with me out of sight, without extensive practice, and even then…..)

    I also like to use a less formal command (I use "wait") when I just require a momentary pause, and when I invoke "wait" I don't care if he stands, sits, or lies down, his choice. Usually with "stay" I give a position command first, e.g. "sit".

    I CONCUR!!! and yes, wait is a great one, it helps when you don't want them rushing through the door. I have Uzie at 90% compliance on this one, but I have to admit that his housemates help out a lot since they are not B's and are 110% compliant….stay means stay, and wait is just being polite and waiting for permission. "Waiting" for the food bowl is a good practice time!

    0
  • eeeefarmE

    @Buddys:

    "Waiting" for the food bowl is a good practice time!

    Oh, I do that one all the time! It is good for building their self control. I also make him wait as I place his roller ball on the floor when we are leaving. He has to get an "O.K." before he is allowed to push it to get his food. Sometimes I make him wait until I am outside the door and about to close it before I release him. A wonderful tool for separation anxiety dogs, as by that time he is so focused on getting his ball he doesn't care one whit about my leaving…...the sooner the better! :)

    "In order to get along with a Basenji, you have to be at least half as smart as the dog!"

    0
  • agilebasenjiA

    google "Overall's Relaxation Protocol"

    I used this with my youngest basenji and after doing the RP, "stay" was easy.

    0
  • Chealsie508C

    I found stay a harder one…I use clicker training

    I do find "come" much harder!

    "I know I've found the breed for me because he totally turns my life upside down and I love it!"

    0
  • KanangaK

    @Chealsie508:

    I do find "come" much harder!

    I've been working on this the most. You can almost see the look on their face when you "ask"…. "mmmmmm nope". Arms crossed and all.

    0
  • D

    Charlie D. and I took our 2 adult Bs, our first Bs, to training classes in the 90s. The dogs reluctantly passed but it was suggested that we retake the classes. The stay was the hardest command! One B had a high prey drive and wanted to go after the small white fluffy dogs and the other one was so friendly and had a thing for larger dogs that he would sit in the ring and turn his head around to watch the large dogs in the other ring. Once the teacher had to come up and wave her hand in front of his face to distract him! I think he wanted to be a large dog. He later earned his CGC although was told he was too friendly and both became excellent lure coursers with titles. We never did retake the training classes. I do not think I could take the embarassment!

    Jennifer

    0

Suggested Topics

  • P

    Basenji for me or not ?

    Moved Basenji Talk
    7
    0 Votes
    7 Posts
    902 Views
    ZandeZ
    @planetsaver said in Basenji for me or not ?: Will be a problem to leave him alone, let's say 10 days / month an average of 9 hours a day. Also I do not want to have to much trouble with the neighbours, but I understand he can make some noise sometimes, maybe he can be trained to stay alone and not to bark that much. Why would you even think about training a hunting hound to stay home alone ? I would never let my Basenjis alone for more than 4 hours, and even that is very rare. 3 hours is absolute maximum. Like @tanza, I have sold puppies into apartment environments as long as all other boxes ticked positive. Someone there all the time, proper attention to training, not just leaving the dog alone, especially not as a puppy. btw, he won't bark at all. As you would know if you had really researched the breed. He will cry and scream but not bark ! No. At least you are asking questions but I really think you should find another breed.
  • J

    basenji

    Basenji Talk
    4
    0 Votes
    4 Posts
    1k Views
    ZandeZ
    Last I heard, the Breed Club secretaries had more people waiting or wanting pups than were available . You could get on a list for a Basenji next winter but I very much doubt you will find one still unsold. Go to the website of the BCGB, or the Northern Basenji Society as you are in the North and you will find email addresses of the secretaries. They will put you in touch with breeders who may be planning a litter for puppies to become ready to leave the nest in about a year's time. Its a long wait I know, but you have most probably missed the boat for now. You are welcome to post me privately. Good luck!
  • K

    Basenji

    Basenji Talk
    4
    -1 Votes
    4 Posts
    2k Views
    D
    Where I am it costs about $2K+ for a dog from a breeder for just about any breed. Goldens may be less because the litters are so large. That may seem like a lot, but, as Debra mentions, dogs cost money to care for. After vet bills and boarding fees and food, it matters little what the dog cost to acquire. Leaving true puppy mills out of the discussion, given the costs of being a responsible breeder -- testing, vet bills, feeding -- and how much work breeding is, I can't imagine anyone doing it for the money. That leads to two problems for people looking for dogs. One is that since breeding isn't really lucrative, there aren't a ton of breeders, which means the supply of pups is low. Second is that most Basenji breeders want to place their pups in the best possible homes -- remember they aren't doing it for the money -- which means they're looking for people who have had Basenjis before. Something of a Catch-22.
  • P

    Teaching your basenji puppy the rules

    Basenji Talk
    11
    0 Votes
    11 Posts
    13k Views
    ?
    Not allowed on the couch was the first rule we made and the first we broke, I only made it to please the hubby, but know I wanted snuggles and cuddles so not sad it went out the window. I just wasn't willing to spend sooo much time correcting Kaiser over the rule that I knew he was going to win and seemed to be wrong as he is all about human contact and just glad he loves to sleep in his crate and the bed rule never got broken. Knowing how Kaiser yearns to have human contact and how he likes to be up high I don't think I would have made it a rule in the first place, but if you stick to it and give your puppy a comfy, warm, high, sunny spot and lot's of cuddles it may learn in time to love the spot you have chosen for it, but will say good luck with that. Jolanda and Kaiser
  • ?

    A basenji

    Basenji Talk
    19
    0 Votes
    19 Posts
    9k Views
    Chealsie508C
    There's nothing like a basenji in the works, from the way they instinctively lay with their had on the bum looking the other way ( I've never met a B that doesn't) to the way you KNOW they all rub on wet towels or play bow…it's all very endearing and in this breed you often identify traits that they all have, an insight into their genetics and their behaviors. I've never enjoyed a breed so much.
  • JodieJ

    Is this a basenji?

    Basenji Talk
    37
    0 Votes
    37 Posts
    9k Views
    DukeD
    @phoenix3: Looks like a B to me but i think more of a B mix he looks like he has corse hair Maybe be has the size of a cattledog body and a basenji head :) My Aspen is a cattledog/ terrier mix he has the body of a cattledog {the colors} and the height and face of a terrier heres a pic so u can see the colors of the cattledog well one color anyways :D :D phoenix3 - this is Aspen? I'm so amazed at her spots, because my Daisy has spots like Aspens. We know her mother is pure R/W Basenji and she is thought her other half Beagle. One of her other litter mate moms thought Blue Healer (cattledog). But I subscribed to the Beagle. Daisy could be … Cattle Dog I suppose. She's bigger than Duke now at almost 9 months old. I will show her off soon on "Show Off" forum soon.