@Saving thank you very much for the suggestions!
Hiding
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They named her Shelby and she knows it so well that we kept it the same. Do you think perhaps changing her name would help? I'm inclined to wait a bit to see if the behavior continues. I'm basically lazy and changing a name will require training for both Shelby and I. I'd love to hear opinions.
it's all in the tone, not the "name". My dog's name is TUCKER. I could yell TUCKER! or BUTTONS! or PIZZA! or YUCKY! as long as I yell in the same tone, he'll come running. I amuse myself sometimes and yell silly names at him - but seriously, try it. it's the happy, upbeat, OH YEAH IT'S A PARTY OVER HERE! type of voice they respond best to.
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At our house you get an instant dog response with "Here's the Pizza Man!" When my boys were teenagers when I'd be ticked off about something and yell Brett! Brandon! nobody would show up, but then I'd turn around and there would be the dog, wondering why I was hollering for him. His name was Bandit!
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I think you're onto something with the tone and with the pizza. When favorite food is involved, Shelby's there. Also she only hides from my husband so I think it might be his lower voice. Maybe it sounds growly to her. Anyway, we'll just keep working on it and I've learned not to trust her off leash on a walk. She decided to go squirrel hunting on her own. Luckily I know where the squirrels are too so I could catch up with her. She trees them but then stays waiting for them to make a move. Maybe someday I'll be more appealing than chasing squirrels but for now we'll just keep treating when I call her name and hope for the best.
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I'm not an expert but I've been told to never ever ever ever let your B off leash. They can forget about you in an instant…a squirrel, a cat, a small dog, even a moving car!...anything can be MUCH more appealing than you.
C3 accidently came off his leash one morning & he bolted up the street just as another dog owner was walking her dog. Luckily for ME she was very calm & heard me yelling out after him so she kept her dog calm while C3 sniffed her....enough time for me to come up to him & grab him back. I even waved a treat in my hand & he didnt' even flinch!
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Abbey becomes a total fool when she gets loose. Runs back and forth across the street dodging cars. B's must look at cars like prey! The last time she escaped a young man stopped and got out of his car and she went right to him, so he held onto her leash till I could get there. I was so grateful I had to hug his neck.
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I believe all I have read about Basenjis and chasing anything that runs, including cars. I live on a busy street and if I didn't have underground fencing Sahara would be dead by now. She loves to chase the cars that come by and cats in the neighborhood. Once when I came home from work she was next door with a cat she had cornered under my neighbors car. I had to turn up the juice to my electric underground fence, she had jumped over it like a gazelle. This was the third time she had crossed over, she doesn't try it anymore. Once she found out it was a stronger jolt she stopped, but she still wants to chase, and chase some more. She will chase the cars from one corner of my front yard to the other corner, stopping just short of the fence. I try to play with her in the yard at least once a day so she can get her running in for the day. It really depends on the weather, she is great at playing fetch, and we play chase alot. I will tell her I am going to get her and off she goes, she will run around the house, around my hubby's boat, back to the front yard, and tries to jump in my arms. Lots of times I catch her midstream, she loves to play and I have a great time with her too. It also gets her tired and she takes a long nap after the run.:D
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Have you tried luring?? I'm thinking of training C3 for this. He loves to chase also & he has so much energy that I think it would be a good way to get him to work & relax a bit.
We go on very very long walks with a back pack to help him release some energy. He likes that & he relaxes to the point that I can drop the leash & he stays put!
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I think Shelby would love luring but I don't know how you do it or where to go for the competitions. This prey driven behavior is new to me since I always had retrievers and they would always come when off leash no matter what. I've come to the conslusion that to be safe, she stays on leash no matter how many puppy eye loooks she gives me when we go in the woods.
We do have a fenced yard that she runs in with the next door neighbor labs. They all love chase, but Shelby loves it most and outruns them everytime. Her agility is phenomenal. Strict obedience is her downfall but that's probably partly my inability to communicate what exactly I want.
I need to learn senji.:)
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Strict obedience is her downfall but that's probably partly my inability to communicate what exactly I want.
I need to learn senji.:)
Me too . . . :rolleyes: Heed continuous advice - keep Basenji on leash.
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Winnie hi, I also have a rescued dog, have the same problem with her often. She is my 3rd rescue, and even after 6 months, she still has issues, I think its from something in her past. My first ones name stayed the same, the second one the group changed it, I changed it back, as she was very confused, with this one I never knew it, and she comes when called, but does not respond much to the name we use. Tone of voice helps a lot, and I think too a lot of time and patience will help her. I would give your rescue some time to adjust, one trainer says it can take as long as a year, sometimes you can have minor problems forever. Carole
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Thanks Carol,
We just think of her issues as her mysterious past. We'll deal with it and give it time. Shelby is worth it.
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One of my moms cairn terriers did the same thing when he was a pup. He is a fairly dominant alpha male dog with very set territorial boundaries. Perhaps your dog only feels safe to stash his food in his spots that he knows are "safe"?
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Shelby hasn't hid under the bed for several weeks now so I guess that's over. We still play the "hide the treatball" but we all enjoy it. Even my grown children get into the game. They pretend they can't see it even if it's hidden next to the window. But when she goes out then it all changes. My 24 year old likes to move the ball and then Shelby has to find it. She is the sweetest! The look on her face when we move it is precious. It's like she accuses us of stealing it which of course we did. We get the guilts but do it again later.
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My first Basenji, Channayn, would bury things. Once she started digging, she found underground tunnels. I gues this was more interesting. She stopped buring things and just started digging. Everywhere she dug there would be a tunnel.
My youngest male, Mahendra, doesn't bury things, but he hides them. I got some rawhide bones. Not the solid rawhide but the kind that are thin and built up like plywood. All 3 of my Basenjis love this type. To the extent that Mahendra has hidden them so the other 2 cannot find them. I don't know where he hides them, but I should find out and show the other 2. Then see if Mahendra finds another hiding spot.
