Female agression

Behavioral Issues
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  • B

    Hi everyone,
    I have a little problem with my 2.5 years old Basenji female.This winter we had a litter and kept her now 5 months old son.
    One month before the heat(after her litter)she started to be aggressive towards other dogs,even the ones she used to like.When she sees a dog she charges towards him,growling,and starts to bite him,luckily never too hard,more like nibbling.
    This behavior continues even during her heat,and even now when it is over.
    Now I'm too scared to let her run without the leash,and it make me sad,since i know how much she likes to run with other dogs.
    When i was writing this post i notice some changes,she is more than good with all dogs in places that are not near our home.So i don't know if it is related to the fact that a place were we all walked are dogs and where they used to play ,was tore down,and they built a dog park.
    I was also thinking to do a thyroid cheek up,even if don't show any other symptoms.
    Did someone had similar problem can you help me and advise me how to help my Bubbles,
    I'm sad because i can't imagine not being able to let her run without a leash(of course always in a safe environment)

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  • eeeefarmE

    Thyroid check is a good idea, but it isn't unusual for a Basenji to become dog aggressive or same sex aggressive when they reach maturity. As well, having a litter may have made her more protective of her home turf. Unfortunately aggression can be difficult to deal with, and you don't want to put other dogs at risk. Does she act the same whether or not her son is with her? Could she be protecting her offspring?

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

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  • B

    I dont't think she is protecting her offspring since she acts the same way with or without her son,i just can't understend why is she like that,i know that basenji can become aggressive,i just would like to know if i can stop that kind of behavior. Do to last development i really think it's a territorial thing.Since in other places she is just fine.By the way i don't know if this is the right place to ask this,i have to neuter her son,at what mounth is better to do this?

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  • eeeefarmE

    I am not in favour of early spay/neuter. I would let him grow up a bit. Others may want to chime in on this.

    Of the five Basenjis I have owned, two were just fine with other dogs, two were dog aggressive with all dogs, and one was same sex aggressive. I'm not convinced you can "fix it" to the point where they are reliable with others. My same sex aggressive female was fine with my other female, likely because she sort of "adopted" her when she came to us as a pup, but any other girls were not welcome! Sometimes that also extended to neutered males, perhaps because they didn't "smell right"?

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

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  • B

    I asked about spay the boy because in 4-5mounth she is going to have her cycle again,he is going to be mature then and i don't have te possibility to keep them separated,in his case is not about the behavior i'm worried about,he was born with uppershot jaws so he can't have offsprings,two different vet tell me different things so i don't know when to do it.
    With her i never now on who she is going to leash out,she don't care if it is a female or male dog big or small,she sees the dog from far away and that is it,she go for the attack,not even smelling the dog to se what it is,today we have some emprovement,we went to two different dog park and even if she was on a leash she was fantastic,smell all the dogs that wore there and didn't show any sign of aggresion ,hopefully is just a faze :)
    (Once more i am soo sorry about my grammary mistakes)

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  • Chealsie508C

    My boy was good with other dogs until he wasn't..I don't believe it had to do with under exposure at a young age but more that when he hit maturity he made up his mind (his insecurity doesn't help). He does get "along" with one dog who he grew up with when they were both pups but even then, it isn't reliable (I know there would easily be a set off point). I have tried a behaviorist and I now accept his limitations...he is who he is and he's not changing. If you can't get bubbles to be reliable with other dogs (near to the house or not) then I would not risk an off leash session. Basenjis aren't the easiest breed, some on this forum have excellent dogs that are bomb proof..my opinion is that with this breed, vigilance is important bc more often than not..there is something to manage!

    "I know I've found the breed for me because he totally turns my life upside down and I love it!"

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  • DebraDownSouthD

    Please spay your bitch now. While it may not help, it could and it absolutely can prevent an oops litter with her son. I agree totally, wait until he is older to neuter.

    Her age.. just now maturing. It isn't uncommon for them to become dog aggressive as they mature, and no, you can't stop it. The only safe method is control, keep safe, and accept that some things are simply the nature of the dog. More dogs have been killed/injured by people trying to make them get along with other dogs than anything. Dog management is the key. Absolutely thyroid testing, but don't expect that, even if she has issues, to cure the problem. Can you talk to the breeder to see how her bloodline and litter mates are?

    Debra

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