When you are dealing with something that an animal is afraid of, the best approach is to find his "comfort" distance from the thing that scares him. A busy street makes this a bit more difficult, as you have to find a way to give him that "distance". If you have a car, maybe transporting him to a less busy area might make a good start. Perhaps a side street, where he is comfortably away from busy traffic. You could then walk toward the busy street, pausing as soon as you see some sign of anxiety, and retracing your steps just little until he is in his "comfort zone" again. Gradually…...with the use of bribery and rewards......ask him to approach closer to the scary stuff. Liberally reward him for being there, then retreat. The idea is to not force, let him decide when he is ready. If he feels he can retreat at any time, he will have more confidence. This approach may take awhile, but is less likely to create a permanent aversion. (it works well with spooky horses).
Cali gets houseguest
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My brother asked me if I would keep his Boxer (Lady) for a few weeks while he is traveling. He has actually been trying to convince me to give up Cali and keep Lady, but I am too attached to Cali and will not part with her.
Today was a very ruff day because Cali has been more hyper now that Lady is here and she will not stop playing. Lady is extremely obedient and listens to all of my commands (My brother is a dog trainer so she always listens.) Cali on the other hand has been jumping on Lady and biting her non stop since I picked Lady up. Cali even bit Lady on ther ear. I dont think she will ever run out of energy. Lady will play for a little while and then she gets agitated with Cali when she wont back off. Of course Cali is not listening to me at all now that we have this new houseguest so I have had to put her in time out a few times today in her crate. The spray bottle method does not work, she actually enjoys it and considers it a game:)
When I took Lady out to relieve herself I left Cali in the house and I could hear Cali screaming like a banshee. I have taken them both out today together for a couple of walks, but Cali does not want to be left behind. She is acting overly jealous and mischievous
Any suggestions on how I can get Cali to calm down around Lady since she will be our house guest for a while? My brother constantly tells me I need to get Cali under better control and that she is spoiled rotten.
tlbuddy -
I think I would have to agree with your brother… she needs to get under control... why don't you take her to an obedience class... and if you brother is a dog trainer, can't he help you? Of course you have to be the one that makes Cali understand that you are "top" dog...
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It really is my fault that Cali is not under control. My brother has worked with the both of us a quite a few times and I guess I have not followed through. She is completely obedient with him and he constantly tells me I do not discipline her enough. Since she is such a hyper stubborn dog he says I have to be consistent with the discipline. I will have to be more diligent with Cali now that Lady is a houseguest. Lady is very well disciplined and listens to my every command. Like you said Cali needs to know that I am the leader.
tlbuddy:) -
I hope your brother is more helpful to his clients than he is to you
Basenjis can be difficult to train, and the methods that work with dogs like boxers may not work with a dog like a basenji. Rather than constantly telling you to get control of your dog, maybe he should give you some suggestions of how to do it in a manner that works for your dog? And to suggest that you should get rid of her, when you have barely begun to work on her issues is very surprising to me. Personally, I can't imagine suggesting to a client that they ditch their dog when I am the one they are coming to for help.Cali sounds like a pretty normal Basenji or Bmix, who just needs some basic obedience. You may have tried some ineffective techniques, or you may have switched methods and confused her…but I certainly don't think she is a lost cause. And I can't even say for sure is she is spoiled. Confused as to what is expected is usually a better term for her behavior.
I would find a different trainer, or read a few good books...Click to Calm,by Emma Parsons....The Tool Box for Remodleing your Problem Dog, by Terry Ryan are some suggestions. Sometimes it is difficult to learn or teach something to our close relatives...it might be worth it to get a different approach.
Good luck...I know you can do this
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I think you need to be more consistent with structure, not necessarily discipline. Depending on what you are doing to discipline the dog, it may not be sending the message you want. You cannot force a dog to respect you…and there are other methods that work with basenjis and dogs like them to earn the their respect. Sounds like your brother is used to working with more traditional (more domesticated) breeds.</since>
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Yes, my brother is used to working with Rottweilers, Pitt Bulls, Mastiffs. Boxers, German Shepherds etc. He knows nothing about the Basenji and of course with him being my brother we argue. I am the oldest and do not listen to his suggestions.:) He was just joking about me getting rid of Cali. My brother is partial to the more aggressive dominant breeds of dogs. I don't completely agree with some of his methods (he has a dog training business on the side, it is not his main profession). I am not giving up on Cali and have no intentions of getting rid of her. I am starting to warm up to Lady a lot and Cali likes having a playmate. Cali is just so aggressive with her play while Lady is more laid back.
My brother does well with his clients as a majority of them have the above mentioned breeds. We spend more time argueing than training Cali.:)
I plan to utilize methods that are best suited for the Basenji or find a trainer that is familiar with Basenjis.
tlbuddy -
Any suggestions on how I can get Cali to calm down around Lady since she will be our house guest for a while? My brother constantly tells me I need to get Cali under better control and that she is spoiled rotten.
tlbuddyI would try taking her for a long walk. When Keiki gets crazy and is full of energy I take her for a walk with new smells. It onlytakes about a 30 minute walk and when we get back all she wants to do is sleep.
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Cali is starting to get used to having Lady around as a playmate. She still is very aggressive with Lady and picks fights sometimes, but I think she likes having another dog around to play with. The other day I took Cali and Lady to play with the german shep pup and Boxer that my neighbor owns. Their boxer is very aggressive, but Cali stands her ground with their Boxer and they are able to play sometimes. The Boxer tried to attack Lady (she is not a very aggressive Boxer) and Cali jumped in to defend Lady against the other Boxer. Sometimes I cant believe how aggressive she can be for her size. The owner of the other Boxer couldnt believe that Cali jumped in and starting fighting his Boxer and commented that she is definitely a fighter. We had to pull them apart immediately because I was afraid Cali would get hurt. Of course I am working with Cali on her overly aggressive behavior and her constant barking at other people and dogs outside. It can be very embarrassing because she is so loud. The spray bottle method doesnt work with her because she thinks it is a game and actually likes to be sprayed.:eek: We have been going for longer walks and this has helped a little. Thanks for all of your input and suggestions.
tlbuddy
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I agree with Andrea, I think there is certainly hope! there have been some other threads in the behavior section that I think would be very helpful for you, as well as the obedience / agility section. Pick something simple you can teach her, and reward her for so that you start to build a language. When she starts being a problem, have her do the thing you taught her and reward her for it. That's the start of "getting under control."
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Okay, so many things to respond to.
Please define what you mean by "discipline".. because I am sorry, I have Rotties, chow, and do rescue of dogs who need retraining for aggression issues. I don't "discipline" so much as I train. And let me be clear… I sit here with on hell of a hard line of rotties... schutzhund/german lines. I train. Train right and discipline is minimal. Nor does it really work well with chows or basenji.
2nd, if you knew the boxer was aggressive, why the heck would you take your dog and brother's dog NEAR the dog? Would you take your toddler to play with a bully? Your dogs can learn to bully, they can learn to mistrust and attack, etc from this dog. Please do not allow your dogs around this neighbor's animals again. if they do not have the sense to keep their boxer under control, then it is your job to protect your own animals. While playing with GENTLE other animals is sometimes great, they do not ever need to play with such dogs as that, period.
I agree with the others, you need to find someone within spitting distance of the clue bucket about training in a positive way that will work with a basenji.
Also, doing rescue, if a dog is not here long term, I see no need to work that dog completely into my pack. A few weeks isn't long. So you need to totally supervise them and simply remove your senji when she gets rough. She will either learn to play nice, or learn that rough gets her crated. It is actually a VERY good training experience for her.
My husband takes my male rottie to play boomer ball. Keep in mind my youngest senji is 5. We have to crate her every single time because she attacks him when he is playing with my husband. She chews on Connor like he is yak meat. Its not okay, he shouldn't have to put up with it. So her little nasty butt goes in the crate. I can't make her play nice, but I can protect my other dog from her nastiness.
My point is we can't make them perfectly behaved dogs, but we can control the extent of their not niceness!
As for your sibling issues, lol... I am the baby. I don't listen to my siblings, they don't listen to me. Even if your bro was the best trainer on earth, it might be best to get nonsibling help. Its just the nature of families
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The neighbors boxer was not so much aggressive with Cali as she was with my brothers boxer. Cali usally plays with their German Shepherd pup and they get along really well. True, I shouldnt have taken Lady anywhere near their boxer, but I thought they would get along because their boxer gets along with the other boxer down the street.. My brother also has a Cane Corso(Italian Mastiff) and a Rottweiler and his Boxer is used to playing with them all of the time because they live together.
When I say discipline I mean more of a "time out" in the crate or a stern NO! Sometimes if I clap my hands once and say NO! at the same time she gets the message. I have had her 2 months now and we are both making progress. I am learning what worked for my other dogs does not necessarily work for Cali. I do notice that training her is a lot different from my previous 2 dogs (Pitbull/Rottweiler mix and a German Shepherd). I have been reading a lot of the posts about obedience and training on the forum and it has helped a lot.
Cali is like no other dog that I have owned, but I like being challenged.:)
