My tri has always been a biter, he has bitten everyone in our family including me and drawn blood from all (he have him under control after 7 years!), I had to earn his respect, he constantly embarrasses me in front of people, he makes me look & feel stupid, sometimes "plays" me, sometimes he is so naughty I want to kill him, he does not listen, I can only trust him so much, the world revolves around him and weird part is we just love him to death.
On the other hand, he is lovable, a big baby, he's drop dead gorgeous/cute, he's a clown, he's always happy to see me and when I'm home he is always by my side or if I'm in a room he can't go in, he waits near the door for me.
You tell people this and they give you a look like either your crazy or just F.O.S. They whisper behind us "When are they going to get rid of that awful dog" or "I would have put him down long ago"
They just don't understand. We have formed an unbreakable bond. I would never turn my back from him or give up on him.
When you think about it, it is crazy. Basenji owners must be crazy to go through what we go through for a three color dog.
Or red basenji is the patron saint of basenji's compared to him!
She does none of the stuff above, she's happy just to have a warm lap, but I just love tri's. It crazy!
I love our red girl too, but it'd just not the same.
My parents tri is incredibly naughty too. I remember her best stunt was standing in the middle of the dinner table helping herself to cake! One of the guests left a chair out. 
Well, that is NOT a Tri thing, the biting… sorry.... biting is a breeding problem and needs to be addressed by breeders.... IMO
My parents tri is incredibly naughty too. I remember her best stunt was standing in the middle of the dinner table helping herself to cake! One of the guests left a chair out.
That sounds like a Keoki move, and he's a red/white. All food must be pushed to the back of kitchen counters, and the middle of the kitchen table with all chairs and stools pushed tightly in.
"Tricks" like that are why dh's nickname for him is often "That Damned Dog". :eek:
Are tri owners crazy or is it just me?
The one's I know are.:D
Well, that is NOT a Tri thing, the biting… sorry.... biting is a breeding problem and needs to be addressed by breeders.... IMO
No, biting definitely isn't a tri thing. I think the fact that there are fewer tris, makes it appear that the percentage is higher..but in reality it just looks that way. I had a tri living here that was the sweetest dog ever…he would not have bitten in any situation, I am convinced.
I think it is just ironic that some of the naughtiest (most misunderstood?)dogs on the board are tris 
The two tri's I have now are much, much better behaved than the red and white I had for 16 years. But one of my friends did think I was crazy for putting up with my red and white B all those years….and thought I was REALLY crazy when I went out and got not one but two Bs after he had to be put to sleep. I had a regular dog and a B for years.....and I just knew I wanted another B again....and lucked out finding Tyler and Zoey (father/daughter) who needed a loving home.
I Agree that all tri's or any are more certain to be biters, mine just is.
Mine isn't a biter But he sure is a evil little B lol His nickname is Satan's spawn , Satan Jr. Although he drives me crazy at time's i wouldn't trade him for anything I always say Basenji's are soooo lucky there so cute it makes up for there little additude problems they have sometimes lol :p :p
Kiora is a naughty for sure, though not a biter. Just a chewer, and shredder, and a hole digging, fridge opening, crate escaping, cat harrassing, mousie/lizard catching little bundle of fun. Of course she is the only B I have.
what are you using for blankets/and or a warm dogbed for kiora…felakuti is shredding and pulling out the stuffing...it's getting to be winter, i dont know what i am going to do.
my tri is the best boy- he was a rescue and has never bitten at all - my brindle now there is a psycho dog sometimes!!!! but yes i love her to death!! love them both - they are my world!!
Dogs with behavior issues come in all colors.
I think its good to get a dog pro in to eval dogs that are biting.
IMO, its never a good thing.
altho I have had a biter and managed him until he passed over..
lol, I made a reply yesterday but I got distracted and didn't send it. I use beach towels for Kiora's bedding. I get them at the dollar store and They are cheap to replace. Mostly I find the best remedy to keep her from shredding stuff is to keep her busy and well excersized, and provide lots of chew toys. If she is bored and has pent up energy then she is destructive.
After fostering 15 basenjis over the last 3 years, along with our own two, we've encountered a few biters (of varying degrees of seriousness).
First, we entered the crazy basenji world 3.5 years ago when my wife and I lost a screw or two and made an impulse buy of a tri at the local mall's pet shop (we paid penance for the sin of supporting the puppy mill industry by joining BRAT). He was a playful, sweet dog, but extremely food aggressive. Not knowing any better, I attempted to do an "alpha roll" on him. It only served to make him more resentful and distrusting. One time, he stole a pizza crust from my hand, and I foolishly attempted to take it away from his mouth. He ended up biting my thumb quite badly. This is while he was taking steroids for a skin reaction to a so-called natural-based dog shampoo.
Our first two fosters, a male and female were a pair that came at the same time. The female was very overweight, 40 lbs (no, that's not a typo). She was also acted very aggressively with our own two B's, but was not a human biter. Based on advice from our highly experienced BRAT regional coordinator, we had her tested for hypothyrodism. Sure enough, she came back positive for the condition, and we got her started on meds. Over a 4 month period, her attitude improved quite a bit, she lost 10 lbs, and her fur condition improved from being brittle and oily to soft and clean.
Because of this experience with the female foster, we tested our own 1-yr old tri for hypo. He was found to be hypo (most likely autoimmune type of hypo), which explained his weight and food aggressiveness. Once he got started on the meds, his behaviors & weight issue improved dramatically. He is a wonderful, sweet B who now can mostly regulate his food aggressiveness (but not his thievery behind my back).
Over the next 13 fosters, we tested those who demonstrated any signs potentially having hypothyroidism (which vary between dogs, but most common are aggressiveness towards other dogs and/or people especially over food, overweight or underweight, poor fur). Of the 17 basenjis we've fostered/owned, 5 were diagnosed with hypo, which is nearly a 30% incidence rate, suggesting that this condition is quite common in our beloved breed. The four fosters with hypo all improved quite dramatically after being started on meds.
5 of the 15 fosters were considered to be biters to varying degrees. 2 of them were diagnosed with hypo. We have found that biters tend to be such only in certain situations. Our latest foster is perhaps the worst of the 5 biters, and showed his aggression when someone approached him on the couch or massaged the top of his head. He has improved dramatically being on hypo meds, lots of love, patience, attention, and positive reinforcement training. He is a wonderful B, but just needed some special attention and medical help that most people are incapable of understanding or giving. Another biter would act aggressively, but when he attempted to bite, it would only be mouth pressure, no teeth pressure, so he clearly regulated his aggression to a point.
Another foster, who was sweet most of the time, could bite during a stressful situation. His current owner put him on melatonin supplements. We recently dog-sat him and couldn't believe how well-behaved he was.
The bottom line is that biting behaviors by some of the Bs can be attributed to a medical condition and/or being poorly/untrained by their humans, and/or a genetic influence. Usually, it's a combination of 2 or 3 of these issues. the key to treating biters is to rule out medical causes first, then implement a positive-reinforcement training regimen. Proper training will do wonders in helping such B's learn how to function properly in the "pack."
Very well said…check out the physical issue the basenji might have..
Great advice.
Thanks.
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Yay! Excellent post, thanks so much for sharing your insight. I really like your synopsis that often biting is a result of a combination of issues...that is so true. Welcome!
