Skip to content
Basenji Forums
  1. Home
  2. Behavioral Issues
  3. Socializing the puppy

Socializing the puppy

Behavioral Issues
  • MantisM

    Cairo was fixed last week and is 6months old. He has been a handful at home so I have brought him to work with me this week. At lunch we went to the dog park to begin his socialization.

    We first went in with the small dogs. He immediately submitted, on his back and began peeing he was so excited. Wagging his tail and wanting to play. Not much action happening in the fu fu side so we went to the empty big dog pen.

    Cairo and I ran around a bit and a german shepard and a lab came in. Cairo ran over to them. They ran towards him. He spins running tail down at mach speed to me and screaming like a little girl. LOL, both big dogs were completely friendly and gentle by nature. It was just funny.

    Anyone else have any funny stories?

    Caesar and Cairo….the boys

    0
  • JazzysMomJ

    I fear Keoki won't be as submissive. He hasn't seen other dogs for a while, other than my own. Last week a neighbor had a little dog out in the yard, and as soon as Keoki saw it, his back bristled up and he started making very unpleasant noises.

    Sigh. It's going to be a while before I can get him into a class, and I am concerned that he will be the puppy that doesn't play well with others.

    0
  • jys1011J

    It sounds like both little guys are scared :eek: :eek:…you may want to try socializing in a controlled environment with a calm dog that will allow the pup to let him sniff and investigate without charging the little ones. And making the pup feel safe with you & reassuring that you're there to protect them. And a whole lotta treats & good calm praises will help them feel good about meeting new dogs :) :)

    It's so critical that they have positive experiences at this stage & that they experience often.

    Otherwise you wind up with adults like mine who are terrified of unfamiliar dogs & just don't know how to react. It's not their fault but now we're having to work on reconditioning them to other dogs.

    Basenji Mom of C3PO & TOPAZ

    0
  • MantisM

    Oh Cairo has been going to the dog part for a while now and usually has Caesar to follow. He was just with ole mom this time and wanted to play with the fun dogs, but they were SO BIG!!

    I did choose that park because I knew at 1pm the dog park would have only 1 or 2 dogs so Cairo could begin to understand sniffing.

    Caesar and Cairo….the boys

    0
  • DukeD

    @Mantis:

    Cairo and I ran around a bit and a german shepard and a lab came in. Cairo ran over to them. They ran towards him. He spins running tail down at mach speed to me and screaming like a little girl. LOL, both big dogs were completely friendly and gentle by nature. It was just funny.

    Anyone else have any funny stories?

    I have a visual of Cairo doing this. I bet it was unusual behavior. I have Daisy in a puppy class at PetSmart. We just finished 5 of 8 classes. We have covered "polite" dog greetings on leash in a controlled environment. (dog park isn't controlled) Pups learn to earn the privilege to greet/smell each others noses after they sit for a treat. Then they sniff and we continue with our walk. The butt sniffing is a rude 1st meeting behavior and some dogs don't like it until they are familiar with each other. Think of meeting your neighbor for the first time with a hand shake, not a hug. Maybe Cairo got a "hug" and was offended. :D

    Jill

    0
  • MantisM

    Cairo will be beginning his Basic training class soon. If you have a basenji that seems difficult, basic training will be a savior for you. I cannot express how important it is. It helps you communicate with your dog. It helps your dog communicate well with stranger and other dogs!

    Cairo has been going to an extremely large and populated dog park several times with his basenji pack before he was fixed (14weeks to 17 weeks old). This is not something that I would suggest for a puppy owner if you dont have experience with dog parks or have a regular pack that you meet with.

    The basenji pack accepts him and as a puppy and he recognizes that he cant run with the boys out into the park. He has been hanging with the girls who stay near the owners.

    I have been taking him to this other dog park at lunch so he can meet one or two big dogs on his own and learn how to communicate without running into a dangerous situation at the other park.

    He typically sticks to Caesar like glue at the park when we are at the huge park, but I want him to know that big dogs are okay too. And, build some independence away from Caesar. I am worried that he will develop seperation anxiety from Caesar always being around.

    I strongly recommend taking your basenji to the small dog pen if it is your basenji's first experience at the park. Smaller dogs play differently and it is easy to control any behaviors in your pup that need to be addressed.

    When Caesar was a pup (my first basenji), I didnt want to take him to a dog park until I finishsed basic training so I could be sure he would listen to me in a populated park with strange dogs.

    It is also very bad form to take an unfixed dog into a dog park when they are at that heat stage or manly stage because they will try to hump or over sniff which may cause conflict with other dogs. If you plan on not fixing your basenji, basic training will be important before a dog park so your basenji knows what conduct is not ok at the park.

    Caesar and Cairo….the boys

    0
  • BarklessdogB

    Dog Park basenji
    http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3YihpHn4Wg

    0

Suggested Topics

  • L

    Puppy and confined spaces

    Behavioral Issues
    31
    1 Votes
    31 Posts
    3k Views
    elbrantE
    @lustopher said in Puppy and confined spaces: it's about time he starts to also understand that he doesn't always have to leave his chewing to check out what we're doing It doesn't happen often, but I agree with @tanza on this. He's a baby and it is pretty "normal", but also remember that dogs are pack animals. You, your significant other, and the pup are now his "pack". If you are in another room and he comes to look for you, I would suggest just ignoring him. If he comes to you, give him a pet and go back to whatever you were doing. He will either go back to the room he was in, or settle down somewhere in the room you are in. Both of which should be acceptable. This is something that may be less frequent as he gets older, but probably never disappear entirely. Which is a good thing, I think.
  • C

    Social aggression issues

    Moved Behavioral Issues
    6
    0 Votes
    6 Posts
    1k Views
    ZandeZ
    @donc said in Social aggression issues: The good news is if you find a decent dog trainer -- easier said than done BTW -- you should be able to sort this out. There are trainers and there are trainers - and behaviourists among them but please, I beg you, find one with experience of Basenjis. They are not as other dogs, as we all know - but many trainers don't
  • K

    My puppy is Not eating - help!

    Behavioral Issues
    16
    0 Votes
    16 Posts
    5k Views
    basenji_fanB
    I will second everyone else and just go down to the two meals a day. You can give her a mid day snack like a few cookies. But her poos can be soft because she is eating to much food and causing the slight weight loss because it is just coming out LOL Also like most, my adult only eats 2/3 of a cup a day. With the amount on the bags they are just "recommend" amounts. You have to adjust to what is best for your pup/dog and feed them what works to keep them at an ideal weight.
  • fountainheadF

    Does my puppy not like me?

    Behavioral Issues
    7
    0 Votes
    7 Posts
    3k Views
    B
    Mine do the same….visitors get the full "treatment" , Tail wagging, low growling, yipping, the works. I tell ya.......:rolleyes:
  • RubaDadR

    Minor puppy growling

    Behavioral Issues
    17
    0 Votes
    17 Posts
    6k Views
    E
    You're right! My wife and I have animals since childhood and since we are maried, almost 25 years. We are really animal-lovers and we can't stand it when folks take animals, just for their own satisfaction. We once bought a abused Parrot for a lot of money, only to give this bird a better place. I am delighted to her that someone of this forum understands what we are trying to say. And the last thing we want, is that people think that you can establish a good relationship with your Basenji through yelling, hitting etc. That kind of constantly fysicaly and mentaly abusing isn't right for no animal! ;) @Quercus: <<we see="" correcting="" as="" the="" last="" posibility="" but="" we="" believe="" that="" sometimes="" it="" is="" necessary.="">> I don't think you will find anybody here that disagrees with that…at least not that has spoken up about training issues. Corrections definitely have a place...but some folks' form of correction ends up doing more damage than help. Yelling, spanking, etc don't have much meaning to a dog. I think corrections in the form of voice are particularly effective during puppyhood when puppies are learning all about what is acceptable. I think physical corrections with an adult dog who is showing aggression in any form is a mistake.</we>
  • MantisM

    Basenji Boy Puppies

    Behavioral Issues
    31
    0 Votes
    31 Posts
    12k Views
    dashD
    sort of. The friend of mine who worked with the chimps said they were very poorly funded and were in need of a lot of things OSU wasn't able/willing to support anymore. It must have been horrible for her since that was her lifes work and I am sure they were her "babies"