Skip to content

Split personality

Behavioral Issues
  • Totally confused…I am fostering a tiny 6 yr old female Basenji that exhibits a split personality. While sitting in your lap, next to you on the couch or sleeping in bed with you, she is calm and is affectionate, ecen cuddles close to you and falls asleep letting you pet/rub her anywhere. She will stay with you forever. But the second you put her on the floor or take her outside...her tail goes between her legs, is frightened and will not come within 4-5' of you.

    I have walked her on the leash and showered her with affecion. She is not food/treat motivated...even when it is breakfast or dinner time, she will not come to eat unless you are about 10' away from the food bowl

    any suggestions would be appreciate...split personality, Daisy one is calm and affectionate, Daisy II is scared and extremely aloof

  • Welcome to the forum.

    Has Daisy been frightened while on the floor or perhaps been shut out when outside?

    How does she behave on the lead? Is she happy to walk beside you?

    Try encouraging her with her food at meal times. Persevere in attempting to feed her by hand. Make yourself as small as possible when you do this.

  • And have you checked her eye sight? Hearing?

  • Is she a puppy mill dog? PM dogs can have so many fear based issues. It also sounds like maybe you haven't had her in your house for very long. Sometimes it takes months for a dog with a sad history to adjust. In additon to sight and hearing, I'd get a thyroid pannel done.

  • Do you know her history? Is she afraid of certain noises? If she had always lived in a cage/crate and never went out, she could be afraid of the grass/floor, etc. It sounds as if she has never been socialized to the outside world. Do you leave a leash on her when she is away from you? I have had to do this with unsocialized dogs so I could get to the leash without getting too close to them so they run from me. Since she is older, it will take more time than usual. The first tests I have done on a dog like this is a complete thyroid and an eye exam.

    Jennifer

Suggested Topics

  • 0 Votes
    10 Posts
    1k Views
    C
    @Saving so nice to hear there's other people with the same problem! We have been giving regular baths to our b, so I don't know if that really helped or not. Anyways, it took a while for me to bring Nova again to the dog park, because I was a bit afraid the same situation would happen again. I was there a couple of days ago, and no one tried to hump her. (I must say all dogs had same age approx.) Thank you for your comment replies! :)
  • Newborn/Kids with My Basenji

    Behavioral Issues
    4
    1 Votes
    4 Posts
    767 Views
    eeeefarmE
    It would be useful to know more about this dog. Has resource guarding been an issue in the past? Has he bitten either you or your wife before? (a real bite, not playful nipping). Or anyone else? A dog that isn't used to children may be fearful of their loudness or quick movements. Perhaps you could do some socialization work with him, e.g. hanging around places where young kids congregate to accustom him to their noise and activity. Obviously not allowing any interaction as you are unsure of his behaviour. Dogs react differently to newborns. In my experience bitches are more likely than dogs to be tolerant, but it is very much the individual dog's reaction that counts. People have been blindsided when their supposedly tolerant and gentle dog turns out to be hostile to a young child. Bottom line, no dog should be left unsupervised around young kids, so in any event you would have to monitor his behaviour carefully once your baby arrives. On a personal note, of the five Basenjis I have owned, two bitches were entirely reliable with kids, the other was tolerant as long as they respected her space. One of the males adored children and was curious about them, the other curious but uncertain and would react to fast movements. I did not trust him and controlled any interaction closely. IMO, he would have bitten had he felt threatened. And kids, especially babies, tend to grab and pinch, ears, tails, whatever. Caution is always the safest route.
  • Aggressive towards other dogs

    Behavioral Issues
    17
    0 Votes
    17 Posts
    2k Views
    J
    Sparkle Barkle came into heat in April. Logan went nuts! I was traveling so my wife was saddled with the mayhem. Mayhem doesn't begin to describe the situation. Sparkle should be coming in again within days, I hope, and unfortunately, he won't get any love this time either. He's gonna be a massive handful for at least a MONTH. I'm not traveling this time, so it's all on me. Cross your fingers for Tri females. I want three!
  • Started peeing in the crate again

    Behavioral Issues
    9
    1 Votes
    9 Posts
    816 Views
    S
    Just thought I'd share an update on this. I removed the blankets from the crate and replaced them with a mattress. We have been strict about her only staying in the crate at night. When we have had accidents I have cleaned up, with a dog urine killing spray, and placed her back in the crate. Everything is progressing smoothly, not had any accidents for over a week now. So it's been a rather quick turnaround, lovely to have her properly crate trained again. Thank you all for sharing advice on the situation.
  • 0 Votes
    4 Posts
    3k Views
    K
    Agree with Debra: apart from any medical issues, it looks like he is protecting the new life. Cute as it may be, it's not his job. Your husband should step up to the plate and take first position in a clear way. All the best!
  • Personal Grudges?

    Behavioral Issues
    12
    0 Votes
    12 Posts
    6k Views
    SchouiffyS
    And this is why this forum is so awesome!!!!