Let me in or I'll poop

Basenji Training

  • YAY you go little B :D :D :D


  • Yes well like I said one day at at time because yesturday was a different story. My daughter came home from school and as usual he had peeped and pooped but on the wee wee pads, no big deal we are used to that. But then he started nipping my daughter pretty hard, she almost cried so she went into her room. When I got home this little brat had pooped in the living room and peeded in the hallway right in front of my daughter's room. AGHHHHH!!!! I was so upset. Anyway I took Champ to the park and met up with some owners and I wanted to get input on the crate thing. See the thing is that we like Champ to walk around the house sit with us on the couch and sleep in his bed next to us and this seems to have to change if we start crate training him. I just want him to stop pooping and peeing inside the house. He only does this when he's alone. He hasn't had any accidents while we are home for a few days. My other concern is the nipping. I swear we have tried all your suggestions, but nothing works. Wait the walking worked because after we came back from our 1 1/2 hour park trip he was such a little angel. Anyway I got the crate suggestion but was told he had to sleep in there which I don't like (will he?)and then I was told to punish when he did his messes by rubing his nose on the pee and then isolated him from the family. This used to work with my toy poodle, but he was pretty much trained and not so hyper. The trainer is coming this Sat. so I'm sure he will help with the nipping and he already mentioned the crate…I need some feedback please my mind is running in circles with this whole crate, potty business.


  • punish when he did his messes by rubing his nose on the pee and then isolated him from the family. This used to work with my toy poodle, but he was pretty much trained and not so hyper.

    I'm not sure who shared this information with you but IMO it's terribly wrong & may actually make things worse. This will scare the little guy & somtimes the smells stays on their nose if done harshly & they'll pee ALLLLL over the place :eek: I'm sure you don't want that. Try to get into the mind set that dogs will want to do things that make him feel good. If I don't nip…I get a FABULOUS treat :) If I don't pee I get such wonderful praises AND a FABULOUS treat.

    With the nipping try what they call "replacing the behavior" so when he starts to nip give him something to do IMMEDIATELY (and timing is everything with this exercise) that he can't possibly nip & do the new behavior at the same time...for example..Step 1-nips=chew toy IMMEDIATELY Step 2-if he gets distracted with the chew toy then you treat him with some yummy food & good praises!! Using a nice happy voice!!

    Andrea once used this analogy that has stuck with me....if they had a law that all those that DON'T speed get a new car :D wouldn't you NOT speed :) well same idea with dogs.

    With the peeing around the house you may need to keep the little guy on a leash meaning with you at ALLLL times. Tie the leash around your waist so you can watch his every move...if starts looking like he's going to pee (and you MUST watch & learn the signs because there aremany) you pick him up quickly saying "Potty Potty Potty" and take him outside or wherever you want him to pee. If you can't keep an eye on him then he belongs in his crate with the most delicious treat possible or a fun chew toy!

    I can't emphasize enough that you need to do these exercises every single time every single day...it does work but the commitment needs to be there.

    We have some issues with other dogs & I've been teaching "Watch" to my dogs for what seems like forever!!! :eek: and it's taken them about 3 months to figure it out...but it's every day & the precise time.


  • Can I potty train him with the crate when we are not home but give him free use of the house when we are, including letting him sleep during the night out of his crate? This is the only reason y we have not crated him. O.k about the nipping thing, we are all going to have to strap ourselves like cowboys to a chewing toy and maybe a squirt water bottle for back up.


  • I don't know about crate/potty training but our B is only in the crate when we are away. She sleeps with us durring the night. Does your B pee or poop in the house at night? If not, I wouldn't think that you would need to crate to help with potty training at night.


  • No, Champ only does this when we are not home. During the night he sleeps straight through. He pretty much just has this issue when he is left home alone or when for example we are in the bathroom or my daughter is in her room and he is not allowed in.


  • You should try the advice that some gave on this thread to potty train while you're out of the house. You can fence him in an area so that he doesn't pee all over the house but is in a confined space where he also has his crate & some wee pads that he can use to go when he needs to.

    http://www.basenjiforums.com/showthread.php?t=1119

    Also check out the thread discussions in the Training Section of the forum. There's lots of good advice there about potty training AND lots of info about crates & why it's a good idea.

    My dogs are adults and we crate them any time we can not supervise them. And they get crated at night to sleep. They are den animals & I assure you they do like a safe confined space that they can go to feel "safe" and also just a place they can rest in.


  • Thanks everyone is alsways offering such wonderful information and it's great to hear that they are den animals and he might feel even better ebing in a crate. That will definetly help me sleep at night. Hopefully after some adjustments are made during the weekend I will come back with some good news. I know it takes time and I will be patient with my B.


  • @luzmery928:

    Can I potty train him with the crate when we are not home but give him free use of the house when we are, including letting him sleep during the night out of his crate? This is the only reason y we have not crated him. O.k about the nipping thing, we are all going to have to strap ourselves like cowboys to a chewing toy and maybe a squirt water bottle for back up.

    You can do whatever you want with him, as long as you can keep your eye on him every single second. During the day, you make it so he can't leave the room you are in…or tether him to you....while you are sleeping, you are unlikely to be able to watch him, so I would crate him. The only exception to that, imo, is if he is sleeping in your bed, and you wake up when he starts to move around. That is how we night trained several of our dogs. As soon as the puppy starts moving around, we take them outside.

    We have a puppy right now too...so I totally understand what you are going thru. But I know if I walk away from the puppy, I will most likely find a puddle when I come back. I clean it up, and go on....I know if I leave her in her crate for more than three hours, I will be cleaning up pee, and probably poop. I put newspaper on the floor of the crate, and an absorbent blanket, and be prepared to clean when I come back. The responsiblity is all on ME to set her up for success...if I can't do that, then I take responsiblity for not actually training her.

    For the biting, try standing up and leaving the play when it gets too rough. Usually our puppy bites when she is either on my lap, or if we are holding her..I immediately put her down (unless she is struggling to *get down, and that is a different story). Game over. You can also try spraying your hands and arms with Bitter Apple. That is the only thing that worked when Querk was a puppy.

    House training sometimes takes a long time. You KNOW that he will poop when somebody walks away (separates themselves) from him.... so set him up so that can't happen. If your daughter needs a break from him, put him in the crate, and she goes off to her room. Give him something fun do in there, so it isn't a puninshment. Or she says 'mom, watch the puppy, I can't deal with him right now'.

    You were meeting with a trainer, right? Has that happened yet? Hopefully he or she will have some good ideas for you.


  • @jys1011:

    With the nipping try what they call "replacing the behavior" so when he starts to nip give him something to do IMMEDIATELY (and timing is everything with this exercise) that he can't possibly nip & do the new behavior at the same time…for example..Step 1-nips=chew toy IMMEDIATELY Step 2-if he gets distracted with the chew toy then you treat him with some yummy food & good praises!! Using a nice happy voice!!

    Andrea once used this analogy that has stuck with me....if they had a law that all those that DON'T speed get a new car :D wouldn't you NOT speed :) well same idea with dogs.

    .

    Great advice about the nipping…and I am glad you liked my speeding analogy :)


  • Yeah the trainer is coming this weekend. During the night is not a problem, when he sees we are going to bed he goes to bed too and does't wakw up before 5…We walk away when he nips but believe it or not he kind of likes it, it's like he's playing catch and nip. He does behave when we take him for a long walk so I do believe it's just alot of energy. I started telling my daughter that she needs to spend more time with him by playing with him. I do think he might nip at her the most because she's dosen't spend that much time with him. He is persistant and wow his nips can hurt. I tried ignoring him yesturday but when he starts nothing stops him, well he dosen't like the spray bottle to I think we're gonna get more persistant with that.


  • The spray bottle may wind him up more. Try the Bitter Apple on your hands. we have found that sometimes when the puppy is too tired (yes, it can happen) they are more mouthy. Sometimes just putting the puppy in the crate for a nap works wonders!


  • is that like the spray on scents or do I get this at a pet store?


  • It is available at pet stores and is a chewing deterrent formulated for pets so it is nasty but non-toxic. I've heard of some dogs that aren't phased by it, but my B gives me dirty looks when I open the cabinet the bitter apple is in :D


  • Andrea..hey if I ask for advice I absolutely take it to heart :) especally the good stuff :D :D

    Thanks for the compliment..I've been doing quite a bit of reading! And practicing!!


  • O.k here's the update on the trainer..Well he's not really a trainer but knows alot about dogs. (he was referred to us by the rescue agency) Anyway he thinks Champ is unusually imature for his age and feels the excessive nipping and the nipping in his favorite area-bobbies, is due to him maybe being seperated from his mom too early. He wants us to crate train him but he says to put him in the crate with no toys, blankets bed or anything. (This I find very harsh). Also he says we should keep him crated when pple come over the house. (I'm not happy about that either). That' sll for the potty training. Now for the nipping, he suggests a citruis collar. It is like a shock collar but instead of shocking, it realeases a strong smell that the gods dont' like.
    O.k I was unable to sleep last night just thinking of these methods and would really like some feedback concerning these trainng methods. I don't want to do the wrong thing and cause any probelems for our B


  • Hmmmm - lots of times you have nipping puppies because they were removed from mom too early and she would have corrected that kind of behavior. So what would mom do if she were nipped by her puppy.

    Growl at puppy and probably mouth the puppies head. Now I'm not recommending biting your dogs head but a firm hand on the head with a growly noise from whomever is getting nibbled on is probaly a good idea.

    I always recommend keeping a dog especially puppy crated or away when lots of people come over for a variety of reasons:

    1 - if they don't close the door quick enough the pup could be gone.
    2 - not everyone is a dog person and may have different expectations of what a dog should be doing and correct the dog in a different way that would be appropriate.
    3 - too much stress


  • yeah that sounds right, now what about being left in the crate without any toys, bed, blankets, etc?


  • I've only heard of citrus collars that are used to control barking; the barking sets off the shot of citrus. Are there ones that can be remote-controlled? In other words, how does the nipping set off the citrus blast?

    I'm not sure of his reasoning in leaving the pup in a bare crate. Did he explain why he thought it was a good idea?


  • No. I will ask him but I'm not sure a bare crate will help. How will he want to be inside if I don't keep him comfortable. The collar is remote control

Suggested Topics

  • How I 'trained' my Basenji 'Antigone'

    Basenji Training
    25
    0 Votes
    25 Posts
    21k Views
    AntigoneA
    Good Morning Debra, I do not feel as if have to defend why my HUGE dogs from the Dog Pound hated their crates. I still have an assortment of dog and cat crates from huge to small. Whenever my Basenji went to the Vet (which was often as she was a Cancer survivor and also had a seizure disorder which meant she had to take Phenobarbital 3x per day) of course she went in her crate. She didn't like it and complained until she fell asleep but she was in her crate. Big dogs from the Pound hate crates as it makes them feel extremely nervous as the crate is often like their cage in the Pound. Furthermore, it is not really safe to take a big dog that you don't know that well and put him in a crate; a great way to get bitten. I have had Malamutes, Rottweilers, Rough and Smooth Coated Collies, a Bull Mastiff and 2 Akitas. I know dogs. People call me when there is a Wolf or a nice dog that has been dumped by its owner and I usually end up rescuing it and finding a new home for him. I rarely get females for some reason. Regarding Amanda, she is the least famous person I know, I was not trying to impress anyone, I just included her as we rescue horses together and I got one of my Wolves from her. My Horse charity is a Charity. It is by Law and I am able to accept donations as I do what I say I do which is Rescue, Rehab, Re-Train and Re-Home horses. The rehab can take years and I have one 'Lifer' because she is so messed up health wise she will never have a saddle on her back because she weighs 950lbs and she should weigh 1100lbs. She has Gastric Ulcers from being drugged at the track. She is the 'Secretariat' great granddaughter. The Rescue is a 501©(3) Public Corporation and we pay taxes to the State and the Feds. That is why we are allowed to accept donations. I pay $1450.00 PER MONTH to BOARD the horses in the rescue. Donations have been down, clearly due to the economy but the horses get all they need including their joint supplements. Crate training is not something I find important for inside the house. In the car, yes! My big dogs have always ridden in their huge crates in the back of the car and fell asleep. We used to walk to the Vet. Antigone really hated being confined and let me know only the way a Basenji can, she shrieked just to let me know she was still the Alpha. I know how to use crates and I use them in the car but not in the house. My dogs and cats were all very long lived except for Howly so I think I can say I KNOW HOW TO KEEP THEM SAFE, HEALTHY, HAPPY, AND WELL. :) Antigone
  • Wont poop outside

    Basenji Training
    9
    0 Votes
    9 Posts
    5k Views
    DebraDownSouthD
    People have matchsticked for decades and I can supply about half dozen VET SCHOOL links that tell people to do it for dogs who have had surgery. That said, paper or wood, works fine. Except, oh, Cara. She just leaves it in, I don't care how far you put it. The only way I got her to go when it rains is by giving her fiber in her food every 3 days. She held so long 2 yrs ago she got impacted and an anal fissure. After nearly 2 mos of hot compresses to heal it up, no more. Fiber. Yeah she often poops on the back porch or sidewalk but at least she poops. For normal dogs, I'd only add one thing to the above… tie the dog TO YOU if it doesn't poop until you go back out. Give it zero chance to poop inside. And if you need to add a tablespoon of fiber a few meals, some green beans for roughage to make the need more.. do it. And when the dog poops outside, CELEBRATE with one great happy dance and special treat. :)
  • Malaika's training

    Basenji Training
    5
    0 Votes
    5 Posts
    1k Views
    P
    Well done Malaika.
  • Halti's

    Basenji Training
    16
    0 Votes
    16 Posts
    5k Views
    LyshL
    @CanisBasenjius: Lysh, You didn't say why the trainer suggested a Halti. To what end? I normally only recommend the Halti to owners of large dogs who are having serious pulling or reactivity problems. If Hope pulls, I prefer the Sense-ation or Wonder Walker to the Easy Walk, as I do not like the martingale effect on the EW and feel it gives less clear feed back and they seem to require more frequent adjusting for fit. WRT spitting out treats I have two thoughts: Try higher value (think real food, like boiled chicken) She may be slightly anxious and unable to accept food One of my dogs is an anxious fellow and usually cannot accept food in certain environments because he is too "on". It took roughly 2 years of living in our new neighborhood before he could accept food on our walks. Just a thought there. It took me a long time to realize that's what was going on with him. She has a lovely play style. Lots of give and take. Love that! Hi Thanks for the information. I agree with you and wasnt too interested in using a Halti on her and would prefer the easy walker etc. The reasoning she suggested we try the halti is because she wouldnt settle down and was basically like a fire cracker on the end of the lead no matter what you did and no matter the treat value, her food, liver treats, meat etc. But i took into consideration that it was a new place, other puppies and her 2nd outing and that shes a basenji, possibly even that she was bored. (maybe the trainer hadnt as all the other puppies where much more "easier" to calm down?) I think she was overwhelmed by everything as-well because by the next lesson, she was top of the class and even demo dog. She was calm and happy and vocal when she wanted to be. She done everything to a T. So we did not bother with the halti. Now that she is fully vaccinated and we have been out and about i walk her in a harness and she is a perfect little puppy apart for the occasional "omg its a bird" … yank! she even does anything strangers ask of her (sit, drop, stay etc). She accepts food whenever we are out and gladly ate her lunch at our recent fundraiser pet markets event for the RSPCA (attached some pics) Im very happy with her progress and we are starting puppy primary school for 6wks next month and then we are beginning agility and obedience classes. :) [image: attachment_p_120540_0_hope.jpg] [image: attachment_p_120540_1_pig-ear.jpg] [image: attachment_p_120540_2_poser.jpg]
  • Here's one that'll mix it up a bit

    Basenji Training
    21
    0 Votes
    21 Posts
    5k Views
    tanzaT
    My Basenjis have always loved radishes… I would start them young with them... just tossing them on the floor whole... they would roll and toss them around the floor and then finally biting into them... a couple of days of that, they were hooked... makes a great treat... but I did make sure they were a bit on the sweet side then the "hot" side
  • Pooping in crate - why?

    Basenji Training
    9
    0 Votes
    9 Posts
    3k Views
    bellabasenjiB
    Congrats… Now you have a happy Basenji and a tree smack dab in front of your front door!!! LOL What we do for these little beasties...:rolleyes: