Skip to content

Is off leash training possible?

Behavioral Issues
  • point taken, i will contnue my plan with the fencing thanks everyone

  • No, it's not possible to let them off leash, sorry to say. Not only do they have no road sense when they get loose, but some of them, my own included, become totally deaf fools. Cars are PREY to a basenji.

  • I'm not a big fan of loose dogs anyway.
    Even if neighbors are "aware" of the dogs, they probably don't want them digging in their trash cans, etc.

    I'm very aware and well acquainted with all our neighbors dogs, but I still get pretty pissy when they dump my trash or get into the stuff I have in my garage!

  • <

  • good point! Can I add…crapping on my property, goading my fenced dogs, >>or killing my neighbor's cats; not to mention harrassing native wildlife...

    Oh yeah!! We have enough crap to pick up in our fenced back yard! It is so annoying to have to pick it up in the open front yard too. Or the piles that seem to collect around our mailbox at the end of the driveway.

    There used to be a lab in our neighborhood that was a very sweet dog, but he used to always try to dig under our fence to get into our back yard!

    We nearly lost a cat a few years ago when a neighbors dogs came into our yard and attacked her -- a black lab and some yellow mutt about that same size. Traumatized my kids who were out with the cat at the time. And cost us $150 to repair the cat!

    I'm all for fencing dogs!

  • just so you all know i live in a very rural area, they only other traffic in a 5 mile radius of our house is one neighbor and they live like 4 miles from us….in any case..........

    i will keep them leashed until the spring when i can build a run.........because it's definetly not worth losing one of my babies over.

    I was intrigued by my next little story, i met someone who spent some time in Africa and he told me he actually saw basenji's at work. I was in awe of him, he claims to have seen b's hunt a lion down...true(which i believe it is) or not, i thought in my head, now that would be something to see....fiesty little buggers they are. :)

  • I just assumed they were bird and other small game dogs, not so much big game.
    But then, I've never been to Africa. And I know they don't stand down from anything!

  • I understand that you'll tie/fence your dogs, so I'm not so much directing the following at you, but for the purpose of conversing on the general subject of fence or no fence.

    I'm never sure any distance is enough with dogs. When they catch something in the wind, or get the bug to wander, they can go places.

    My folks have 30 hilly acres, with plenty of space between them and their neighbors. Still, my dad's dog managed to travel about six miles and wound up at a neighbor's place. Of course, this story has a sad ending because, even though these people knew the dog {and in fact, my dad let their cattle graze on his land for free}, they shot him anyway/

    I'm NOT saying your neighbors would do that; it was just how this particular travelin' dog story ended. The whole point was simply that there just ain't enough acreage to guarantee a curious dog will stay at home and/or not be injured somewhere.

  • sorry to hear about your dads dog,. your point was very well taken, and i plan on fencing them. they are too prceious to me to risk losing to any of the many elements that are out there.

  • I mnt bike with my Basenjis- off leash. This is couple of hours per day on the weekends and on National Holidays, a Monday. I found that water is a very good training aid. In the heat of summer, when water is scarce carry a small water dish and a Camel's Back. When they get thirsty, they will come back. It is important for pack cohesion to let them out and be Basenjis.

    The rest of the time they should be fenced in. My 3 have about 10 meters by 8 meters. They spend most of the time sunning themselves by the rosemary. This is beneficial because rosemary, like Basenjis, loves full sun. So throughout the rosemary season thats what my Basenjis smell like.

    Having a balance of freedom and confinment makes a happy Basenji. The only things I have to concern myself with is keeping the rubbish up and the toilet paper off the roll.

    I don't know what your situation is. If you live away from major roads, carve up some mnt bike trails and take your Basenjis with you. Rocky Mountain, Canadian grown, makes a killer mnt bike. And your B's will love chasing you all over God's Acre

Suggested Topics

  • Training to be alone

    Behavioral Issues
    27
    0 Votes
    27 Posts
    4k Views
    ZandeZ
    I have "Intelligence" cubes and balls which you put kibble in and the dog has to figure out how, by rolling them around, to make the kibble fall out. But no 'extra' rations !!! Only some kibble from the daily allowance goes into them. I am such a mean Mom but my pack stays svelte !😁
  • Crate Re-Training?

    Behavioral Issues
    26
    0 Votes
    26 Posts
    26k Views
    DebraDownSouthD
    I think it depends on the dog. It is funny, but yep the bear hug has worked with both Sayblee and Cara when they were into the wilds. (Arwen never gets wild in any way… far too dignified to be like that thank you!) If bear hugs escalates or they seriously try to bite you, then it isn't working. But most do hate being restrained enough that they get it. In fact I'd rather restrain than ever use a crate for PUNISHMENT. Now if you used the crate just to make him sleep in, yeah. But bad behavior then in crate sets up a bad connection. Hope things continue to go well.
  • Leash issues

    Behavioral Issues
    5
    0 Votes
    5 Posts
    3k Views
    D
    I agree. It upsets me to see people walking with Flexis and their dog attacks some other dog because they're not paying attention, or don't know how to work the trigger mechanism properly. I've come to think that maybe people in cities just shouldn't use them because errors will inevitably occur…humans will be humans. I live in the country though, and there's no one around where I walk my dog. The long Flexi is the best choice for me because I like to let my dog explore some on her own when we're on walks, and she can run here and there while still not being able to take off. Not every situation is the same for everyone. If I were in the city or around people and congestion I'd probably use a 5 or 6 ft. fixed lead.
  • Leash Agression

    Behavioral Issues
    15
    0 Votes
    15 Posts
    7k Views
    DebraDownSouthD
    @tanza: Rather then responding to spam, send a note to the admins of the group LOL you firing my OWN advice back to me? I know, I know… fail.
  • On-Leash Snarking

    Behavioral Issues
    12
    0 Votes
    12 Posts
    5k Views
    jessi76J
    @sharronhurlbut: Training with treats will work, if you take it slow. Clicker training works as well. I was going to say the same thing. I would carry a treat bag with me, and a clicker when out on leash. Use the clicker to mark correct behavior, i.e., sitting calmly while another dog passes. If my dog gets snarky on leash, I promptly stand in front of him, and put him in a sit/wait with a focus on ME (not the other dog). if he persists, I simply become a "goalie" and continue to block his path, get eye contact, and again, get a sit/wait.
  • My Basenji training

    Behavioral Issues
    7
    0 Votes
    7 Posts
    3k Views
    jys1011J
    WOW!!!..Words to live by!! I commend you for all the effort it sounds like you've put into your dogs. I wish people were more like you…and your mantra should be placed on every B owner's refrigerator door :D :D It's all about knowing your dog & KNOWING their limitations. Respect is key and so is a no tolerance policy. At least that's how it is at our house! :) BTW-I went to a Basenji Fun Match...and A LOT of B's are bitchy snarky little fur balls. Rest assured yours are not the exception. Mine are exactly the same way but we work with them every day on this!