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Is it just not possible to have Lenny around other dogs?

Behavioral Issues
  • When walking there is no real reason that he "has to stop and sniff"… Basenjis can be particularly agressive on lead... way more then if off lead... so I would prevent the situation of him growling at other dogs by not letting him stop and sniff. At shows very rarely will you see handlers, breeders, etc letting their dogs all go around sniffing other dogs... Most people at shows respect "your" space and the dogs stay confident that they do not have to try and defend the area. My take on the attack is that your dog makes "snap" decisions as in bite now, ask questions later... and I can tell you from experience that neutering will not make that much of a difference. And as far as breeding that is not a great trait to have... but again.. as long as they are respectful and polite in the "area"... I don't worry too much about "they have to all get along"....

  • He does course! In fact, he went to Chicago last weekend and beat his daddy in an event! She didnt mention anything about having aggression issues with him, but I did just send her an email explaining the situation and asking her if she has seen the aggression when he is with her. Maybe she just didn't mention it. Can't imagine she wouldnt have if it was severe.

    A funny little story though, I guess he raced in multiple events and either he did really well, or he came in almost last… depending on if he could get over the muzzle being on his head. She said in 2 of the events, he just spent the whole time rubbing his face on the ground trying to get the muzzle off and came in last. And in a few others, after getting over the muzzle, he did really well, and even won one! ha.

    About 2 months ago, I brought a male golden retriever into the house. Basically he was a lost dog that ran past my house looking lost and anxious, I lured him to me, had him scanned for a microchip and kept him here until the owners came to get him. I introduced them the same way as I introduced Leo to Lenny, outside, neutral territory. He was only but here for a few hours but actually Lenny go along fine with him....

  • that is - Lenny got along fine with him…

  • Well, it sounds like he just decideds what is an acceptable "other" dog…. my take and this is very normal for Basenjis... he has decided who he likes and who he doesn't.. Again, I never found it necessary to have to let everyone sniff everyone else especially on lead... and the fact that he courses with other males, tells me that he is a typical Basenji and leash aggressive... some positive training will help so that he is just as Andrea says "polite"...

  • Another thing that could be happening is because you are telling him "No!" when he growls at another dog he is now skipping that step and escalating. If he growls instead of saying "No", back up to a distance where he stops. Each of my dogs have a different threshold of where they are comfortable with other dogs on leash. Nicky has been attacked several times in his lifetime and does not trust other dogs. He reacts much more strongly than my other dogs and needs more distance than the other dogs. For him going to training class where I can reward him for being near other dogs and being calm has helped. He still wants more distance than my girls but that distance has decreased and he has good manners. He also behaves differently at shows and lure coursing but he seems to know that is work and it is different.

  • I am not sure if this is helpful or not but Dash is very leash aggressive and on top of that he chooses what dogs he likes at the parks and ones he doesn't. I can't figure out what exactly triggers his reaction but we have been becoming more concerned with him at the park. He is neutered though but I feel your pain.

  • Its funny how they choose to like some dogs and not others. Actually when Lenny was a puppy, like, 6 months old, my friend brought Leo over to play and Lenny immediately started growling. It was actually the first time I had heard him growl as a little pup. A few times after that we took all the dogs to the local tennis court to play off leash and they were fine together, but I guess he remembered him over a year later! So strange….

    The sad thing about this is, that I like to take them with me where ever I go, if at all possible, but since Lenny tried to kill Leo, I had to leave them home this weekend with a friend. :( I just like to have them with me. I miss them now!

  • We also have issues with BOTH of ours but one feeds off the other one. I noticed if he's calm then she will calm down. If he gets upset she goes crazy too & will redirect…to the point where she'll nip me on my leg OUCH :mad: but it's her nerves not that she's trying to attack me.

    We're working with the Fiesty Fido book & there's a class lead by an animal behaviorist that's also based on Fiesty Fido book & we'll be starting that next week. I'm not too concerned with actually having them play with other dogs but to be polite on leash & with dogs that walk past our house window is all I want.

    IF they for some reason can have ONE doggy friend it will be nice but I'm not asking for miracles here too :D

    It's nice to know that there are plenty of Bs that share the same issues. I used to think that we just got some screwed up ones of the bunch lol :D

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  • Oh my… be polite when other dogs are walking by windows...... now you are dreaming!!! gggg My house is like a mad house when people walk by with other dogs.... and I hate when they stop and point.. drives the B's totally wild (or should I say wilder)

  • I feel your pain Pat..WILDER is the word!! Or maybe BANANAS…I'm like shoo dog shoo go away will ya!! :D :D

  • @jys1011:

    I feel your pain Pat..WILDER is the word!! Or maybe BANANAS…I'm like shoo dog shoo go away will ya!! :D :D

    Exactly!!!! I want to put up a not "stopping" sign!!!!

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    i'm feeling your pain on this one. dan and i broke up a few months ago so i moved home and mia went from sleeping with rocky and maggie on the couch to sleeping in bed with me. if i'd go out at night, my mom, instead of crating her would let her sleep in bed with my parents. (because she cried and mom felt bad) then dad told mom he didnt want her in bed with them so mom would sleep in a spare bedroom just to keep her from crying in her crate! (typical grandmother.. she spoiled her rotten) Now dan and i are trying to work things out so i brought mia with me last night to stay over and he keeps maggie and rocky in the laundry room with their beds and they are content with that, but Mia was NOT having it. she sat at the gate and cried for a good 2 hours. They aren't allowed in the bedroom because he got new furniture, so she has to get used to it i guess.. Only time will tell i suppose.. but uggh that crying.. its enough to make you wanna pull your hair out. im hoping when the 3 warm up to each other again she'll stop..
  • There was a little dog…

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    Thanks for your replies. I guess in the spontanaity of the moment I did as I do with my other dogs, a no and then a quick taking the thing away since I'm boss and I'm the owner of everything ultimately. I do believe Rowdy was not being the bad growling type bite – he took his front teeth and nipped at my arm, pinching it, but it hurt! I will try to work on the "leave it" command, since I taught that to my mom's poodle and it worked well. Rowdy is smart and is finally getting some of the house rules down. Though he's sneaky when he isn't resting beside you and you forget to watch him... :)
  • Is off leash training possible?

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    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