Biting

Behavioral Issues
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  • B

    Hi I have a 3 year old female basenji who has recently started to growl and bite when a stranger pets her. This is a new behavior for her and I am concerned and don't know what to do. Please help!

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  • tanzaT

    Are the strangers waiting till she has a chance to "inspect" them first before trying to touch? Also you can carry treats and let the stranger offer a treat.
    Some as they get older just don't want strangers to pet them.

    Also, as a FYI, get her thyroid checked, full panel

    Pat Fragassi

    Tanza Basenjis

    www.tanzabasenjis.net

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  • B

    Thank you for your reply. She is actually jumping up to say hello then when they pet her she growls and bites. the last incident happened when she was in the kitchen, but she was behind the gate I have and she jumped up to say hello, like she always does and then when the stranger went to pet her she growled and bit. I will try the treat idea, and talk to the vet about the thyroid panel. this is such new behavior for her, it seems like it happened overnite. also she is not spayed, do you thing that has anything to do with it?

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  • tanzaT

    I would say yes about the spay, especially this time of year….. Is there a reason she is not spayed? Also, regarding "seems like it happened overnite".... usually that is not really the case... there are usually little hints that they give out, but we as humans many times miss those ques.

    Pat Fragassi

    Tanza Basenjis

    www.tanzabasenjis.net

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  • B

    she was not spayed because the breeder had wanted to breed her but it did not work out. I am thinking maybe we should do that now. I also just realized she never went into heat in September like she usually does and I am now wondering if this is all related somehow? I am taking her to the vet Monday.

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  • tanzaT

    Always good to make sure no health issues.

    Pat Fragassi

    Tanza Basenjis

    www.tanzabasenjis.net

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  • B

    yes, thanks for the helpful information. will keep you posted.

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  • DebraDownSouthD

    Nothing to add because Pat covered it all.. please let us know how the thyroid comes out. And do remember that behind a gate my signal to her that she is trapped, raising anxiety. Having someone seated, let her out and let them toss her treats etc so she starts seeing strangers as okay again.

    Debra

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  • eeeefarmE

    Agree with the above, but more details would be useful. Did anything happen that might have changed her attitude to strangers? Is it possible someone inadvertently hurt her? Is it all strangers now, and is she O.K. with people she has met previously, or is it an issue with any visitor? You mention her "jumping up to say hello". Apart from anything else, it is bad doggy manners to jump on people, and you might want to teach her to greet with four feet on the ground. A stranger reaching for a dog is IMO always a bad idea. It can be perceived as aggression. Better to let the dog do her sniffing and investigation, then offer the back of a hand not to pet but for the dog to sniff and accept, before any attempt to touch. Does she growl in warning and give the stranger a chance to react and back off, or is the bite immediately delivered as she growls?

    Oh, and one other thought: does she have any sore areas on her body? Any chance that the act of jumping up hurts her and she associates that with the visitor? (does she jump on you with no adverse reaction?) If the thyroid turns out not to be an issue, then one wonders what has changed. Not coming into heat could be a sign of something going on…...I had a situation with a mare who had cramps when she ovulated, and was "off" to the point of looking like colic, so "female troubles" can show up in unusual ways. It took us a while to diagnose her difficulties.

    "In order to get along with a Basenji, you have to be at least half as smart as the dog!"

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  • K

    Lots of good advice all around.
    A few things from our experience with our Lela:

    • we ask strangers to totally ignore her initially (no touch, talk or eye contact) and let her sniff it out;
    • we will ask the strangers later to offer her a treat;
    • when she starts barking (yes!) when someone enters, it is usually a person with a strong energy field; we tell her to go in her basket and we spray some http://alaskanessences.com/collections/sprays/sacred-space-sprays in the room - that helps a lot;
    • we went to see a holistic vet about the issue and he prescribed tailor made blends of flower remedies - they helped a lot too
      All in all, Lela just does not want to be touched to her head and she is very particular as to how much space she needs to feel safe.
      When we pay attention to this, it works out well.
      Good luck.
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  • B

    As far as I know nothing bad has happened. She has always been friendly to everyone but I will make sure in the future to let her investigate first. She doesn't seem to be in pain when she jumps on me at all. She went to the vet today and he checked her thyroid, he thought she may have a problem and noticed the hair on her back was a little thin. So I am awaiting the results. He didn't know why she didn't go into heat so I don't know where to go with that.

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  • B

    Thanks for all the info, I appreciate everyone's advice

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  • eeeefarmE

    One other thought. Ask your guests not to look directly into her eyes, but avert their gaze. Some dogs interpret eye contact as aggression. You didn't say whether her behaviour extends to those she has met before or is limited to total strangers.

    "In order to get along with a Basenji, you have to be at least half as smart as the dog!"

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  • tanzaT

    @Benti:

    As far as I know nothing bad has happened. She has always been friendly to everyone but I will make sure in the future to let her investigate first. She doesn't seem to be in pain when she jumps on me at all. She went to the vet today and he checked her thyroid, he thought she may have a problem and noticed the hair on her back was a little thin. So I am awaiting the results. He didn't know why she didn't go into heat so I don't know where to go with that.

    Note that if the thyroid is low/normal, that is typically too low for a Basenjis

    Pat Fragassi

    Tanza Basenjis

    www.tanzabasenjis.net

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  • B

    so typically if the result is low normal they need medication?

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  • B

    it seems to be with total strangers but I haven't had any people over recently that she would be familiar with. she did growl at me twice when I went to close her crate for the night. she was already in it and this was definitely not normal behavior for her.

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  • tanzaT

    @Benti:

    so typically if the result is low normal they need medication?

    Yes, medication

    Pat Fragassi

    Tanza Basenjis

    www.tanzabasenjis.net

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  • eeeefarmE

    @Benti:

    it seems to be with total strangers but I haven't had any people over recently that she would be familiar with. she did growl at me twice when I went to close her crate for the night. she was already in it and this was definitely not normal behavior for her.

    I would say that is a red flag. I'll be surprised if the thyroid levels are normal. She seems a bit old to be going through a "I'm mature now" change in behaviour. Sounds like she is not prepared to tolerate things that irritate her in any way.

    "In order to get along with a Basenji, you have to be at least half as smart as the dog!"

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  • tanzaT

    And I would still look at having her spayed

    Pat Fragassi

    Tanza Basenjis

    www.tanzabasenjis.net

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  • B

    so her thyroid came back 1.7, and normal is 1-4. the vet is saying this is normal, in your experience is this considered low normal? I am a nurse practitioner but have no idea what to do with the furry patients?

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    @yodabasenji said in biting..again: Hey guys! Sorry about disappearing but I decided to quit the internet research, stop panicking and analyzing every aspect of my puppy. I focused on getting to know him better and creating a connection while applying the methods you suggested above. I needed to figure out how much exercise and other activity he needs, how to calm him down and he really needed to get used to touching and handling, so slooowly things got better. He still bites, but much much less (I don't need to walk in boots at home anymore!) and the biting is mostly connected to playing and sometimes him not getting what he wants but we're working on that. Thanks again for all the advice, it really helped. And as you said multiple times, it takes time, patience and consistency and it will get better. Glad to hear it. I'm happy to hear that you're working on relationship building. This makes things so much easier in general; teaching, living with, etc.
  • C

    Desperate for help with my biting basenji

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    Hi - a few thoughts in case they are helpful, although ours doesn't bite. For biting: Figure out the reasons for biting first. if it is around toys/possessiveness - we gave him the toy on his bed and let him be there gnawing on his own. Then walked close by (not too close) and threw him something yummier in his view (eg a small piece of sausage that he can eat quickly) and walk away. Do this at random (though not too often) and have different people in your family do it. Soon she will associate your coming close to her and her favorite toy as something good. Progressively get closer (ie throw the sausage from closer), and then squat down, then touch on head briefly, then hand sausage to her, then move hand towards toy but don't touch it. By this time she will anticipate your coming to her when she has a toy as "yay, something more tasty coming my way". Evenutally, you should pick up the toy/bone hand her the sausage then hand back the toy/bone. Pretty soon she'll let you pick up her toy/bone without biting or thinking you are going to take it away. The key is to progress slowly in terms of distance etc, and mix up the treats (sausage, cheese, chicken). -if she does bite someone, then immediately isolate her in a basenji-proof room where she cant destroy things. And when letting her out, ask her to sit and be calm for a few seconds first so that she's not hysterical and she learns to watch and listen to you. There may be something else that one does for biting, so maybe others or a trainer would have good ideas. For pulling on walks, 2 things worked for us: A gentle leader - suggested by our trainer. This means she can't control her head (if they pull forward their head moves to the side like a horses halter) and so she won't be able to forge ahead. It will give your arm/shoulder immediate relief while you work on the rest. In the yard and on walks start rewarding with small treats every time she looks back at you/checks on you. At first she'll do it by chance, or if she is checking to see what you are doing, and sometimes it's a side glance. As soon as she does it - give big verbal praise and get her to come to you and give her a treat and lots of pets. She will begin to do this more often. initially treat every time she looks at you, and once she is good at it, then randomly. On walks you'll find her looking back and coming back to you more often, and as a corollary less pulling, which is a relief. We usually keep the leash in one hand and a handful of small, soft treats in the other - so you don't run out and have to keep going into your pocket to get treats. So, she'll come and nose your hand and you can pet some times, treat sometimes, etc. The one thing is to progress slowly, praise the right behavior and don't get impatient (count to 10, stop training or go do something else for a bit till you feel ready to try again). When doing the praise really have an excited voice and go overboard even! Our basenji really loves being praised. It takes more time perhaps than other methods, but it's long lasting because they see these behaviors as rewarding so you don't have to get into a battle of wills. And once they get the idea, they'll improve rapidly, even over one walk. Good luck!
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