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Walking Problems

Behavioral Issues
  • I am having problems putting on the harness to take my basenji's for a walk. They use to just put the harness on, but now refuse to do so. I am dreadfully scared of them getting away and don't like to pull on thier neck, so harness I have chosen.

    Should I get those jacket type harness' or do they escape from them?

    Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

    • TristA
  • I prefer the gentle leader. We had to have a trainer fit it on him, but it is wonderful and it is like a horse halter. They don't like it at first but you have so much more control.

  • Does the harness pinch or rub them?
    I use a harness and my 2 b's come running to get them on.
    What type do you have?

  • I am not sure what kind of harness I have and can't find a 'proper' name for it online. This link shows what it looks like although I didn't purchase it from this site: http://www.dog.com/item/adjustable-nylon-harness-black/ .

    I have double checked and it isn't pinching or pulling them in anyway. It is not really tight, but is a little snug so I don't loose control of them when I am walking them.

    One dog I have had for awhile and at first she liked it (I actually got it on loan from the rescue where I got her to use and had to end up buying it from them because she got out of all other leads that I had for her - think she just wanted that particular one). After being fine with it for around a month she no longer wants to put it on. I have to lure her into it and put it over her head…once it gets over her head she will sit and lift her leg nicely for you to put it all the way on.

    The new dog hasn't been here two weeks yet and acts like her about the harness - he too liked it when he came, but now no.

    Any help would be great - I really lilke the harness because I feel like I am not hurting them too much, can keep control on them, and feel secure that they won't get loose using the harness. I have seen the one's that go all the way around them with the harness clip at the top but not sure if it would be safe to use - they could probably escape? Not sure what to do from here..but they have to walk and will have to use a lead.

    The gentle leader I feel will not keep him or her secure. I live in an apartment but we are around a lake with tons of land and wild animals. They are always trying to track something and with the surroundings so inviting they will be gone if they get loose.

    • TristA

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    We are now in an area that is covered in many dog training books and/or websites, so you are welcome to research this subject on your own. I think the leadership ideas are pretty much the same even though we are dealing with Basenjis, the issue is using the right technique for Basenjis. We had 4 sessions spread out over about 6 weeks with a positive reinforcement-based trainer. I don't think you have to use a trainer but it does really help. Each week we would have questions because almost nothing went smoothly but she always had ideas to help us get through. I would divide what we did into two categories–changes that we made in how we behaved around Ella, and obedience training (tricks and commands) that helped to strengthen our bond and reinforced out leadership position. The behavior changes are pretty easy to implement. The main ones for us were making sure we led the way out the door on walks and were the first to enter the door upon returning. Eventually we taught the "wait" command so that she will sit at the door and allow us to step outside before we release her. So she is calm and submissive in front of an open door before we walk out. That is huge. Sets the tone for the whole walk. We had to do a lot of body blocking while teaching this but eventually it worked. Treats are keys. We made an effort to eat our dinner before she is fed. Also, she had to sit and wait for her food. She is not given treats just for being cute or for having a curly tail. We are generous with treats but she has to do something (even just a "sit") to get one. She was so forlorn and sad for the first few months we had her we had created bad treating habits...making her see us a submissive to her. I think equally important was at the same time we began teaching commands. At this point all she knew was "sit" and that took a long time (a moth or two) to learn. With a trainer and using treats and a clicker we were able to teach about 6-8 commands in about 3-4 weeks. When Ella picked up on a new command and the excitement it generated, I really felt connected to her for the first time. And because I was the one issuing the commands it made me the pack leader. It gave me a way of controlling her behavior a little and getting her attention. All good things. We learned down, stay, touch, shake, wait, roll over (very tough), up, here and come (the hardest command for a B). The final piece of the puzzle is getting it to make a difference on a walk. Any trainer will tell you that the energy you bring to the dog will be reflected right back to you. We had gotten so stressed with this digging in of heels on walks that it gave bad energy to the walks. It is a vicious cycle that is difficult to break. You just need to have one good walk, or part of one good walk, and build on it. Relaxed shoulders, relaxed hand on the leash, a care-free gait, these are all things a dog will pick up on. As bad as the vicious cycle is when things are bad, they can turn around just as easy. One good walk begets another. One successful commands teaches another. Hope this helps. We were at a low point with our new dog when I wrote that post. She is far from perfect on walks but we have made huge progress.
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