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Christmas tree with b's

Behavioral Issues
  • When I got Senji, he was 5 1/2, and it was summer. He always slept in his crate, and I put the crate in the corner of the living room. I always put the Christmas tree in the same corner where his crate was located. I took apart his crate and let Senji sleep on the couch "temporarily" while the tree was up. After the holidays, he didn't want to sleep in his crate anymore. He got used to sleeping on the couch. (DUH!) Even now, I think he sometimes misses his crate. He'll frequently go in the corner and lie down. When I have the tree up, he likes to lay under the tree. He's a good boy and doesn't damage the tree. :p

  • We have a little 36" fiber optic tree, and all our ornaments are from Ikea (god I love that place, lol) and they are all actually plastic but look like glass. We got them that way because of the cat. So I'm not worried about anything breaking, we also do put it up on a little table and have squirt bottles in hand if Tiggy tries to "taste test" it

  • I haven't put up a tree in years. I never get into the holiday spirit. Presents go on the table. We only buy for my son anyway. I can't imagine Dash around a tree. Way to much temptation.

  • We had our tree up last year & just put an expen around it…when company came the dogs went into their crates & the expen could be taken off for pleasant viewing :)

    And presents didn't appear until X-mas day! :D

  • You could also supervise them when they are in the room with the christmas tree, or put up baby gates if there that bad and block off the room to them

  • Jazzy has never bothered the tree –- well, this will only be the 3rd Christmas with her, but she never bothers anything.

    We'll be bringing our tree in tonight and I am concerned about Keoki. I KNOW the ornaments won't be able to be hung too low, I am a little worried about the tree skirt, and I FEAR he will pee on it. After all.... it IS a tree.

    Dh has proclaimed, "He'd better not!!" As if that's gonna stop him, LOL.
    I'll just have the wood floor cleaner handy for the next day or so until I am sure that the tree is safe.

  • @JazzysMom:

    Jazzy has never bothered the tree –- well, this will only be the 3rd Christmas with her, but she never bothers anything.

    We'll be bringing our tree in tonight and I am concerned about Keoki. I KNOW the ornaments won't be able to be hung too low, I am a little worried about the tree skirt, and I FEAR he will pee on it. After all.... it IS a tree.

    Dh has proclaimed, "He'd better not!!" As if that's gonna stop him, LOL.
    I'll just have the wood floor cleaner handy for the next day or so until I am sure that the tree is safe.

    It is funny, none of my male have ever even thought about peeing on the tree… we do watch them when we first bring in the tree... but after that we have never had to worry about it....

  • Same here…we have never had that problem. We do tie it to the wall in the back, to make SURE they don't knock it over...but that has more to do with the human child, than the Bs

  • Always something new to learn here – my previous beasties was no problem around the tree but EL D is a totally different personality. I thought about no ornaments and garland near the bottom of the tree and someone else pointed out the water reserve -- now I'll have to consider the light cords. Whew glad someone brought this up!

  • So far, so good. No pee on the tree! He has just been curling up on the tree skirt for naps. He did try to chew on a piece of the skirt, but one quick, "Hey, leave it!!" was all it took.

    We haven't decorated yet; just brought it in yesterday as two of our dd's were at the Seahawks game yesterday and we didn't want to decorate w/out them. We'll see how he does once there are pretty things hanging there – like apples in Eden, you know. LOL

  • Haven't put up a tree yet but I finished all other decorating today and this came to mind:

    "The stockings were hung by the chimney with care and within 5 seconds a basenji was there!"

    So…...the stockings (which were hand knitted and embroidered by my now deceased mother) are now hanging from the top of the entertainment unit! LOL! Little Brat!!

    Pat

  • :d :d :d :d :d

  • Other than when they were very young pups, my B's never really bothered the tree. Now opening the packages under it were a completely different story.

    Thought some of you might like to see this - my grandmother had some wooden hand-painted ornaments made when my Basenji's were young. I don't know who made them and if the lady is still around. This was back in the early 1990's.

    attachment_p_29171_0_p1000854-320x200.jpg

  • Those are beautiful, what great ornaments.

    @Craigh:

    Thought some of you might like to see this - my grandmother had some wooden hand-painted ornaments made when my Basenji's were young. I don't know who made them and if the lady is still around. This was back in the early 1990's.

  • Just finished putting up my tree yesterday - it's sitting up on a crate so nothing too tempting at b-level. The only thing EL D did that made me pause … a small branch had fallen off (live tree - he hasn't touched the tree at all) and he started chewing on it and then just rolled around all over it. I guess the smell of the resin turned him on -- he just had to get some of that balsam perfume! Of course now I have resin in my carpet.

  • Leo bit through the lights on the tree, lucky for him it was unplugged. We have our tree up on a table, trying to keep it out of reach.

  • @wizard:

    Just finished putting up my tree yesterday - it's sitting up on a crate so nothing too tempting at b-level. The only thing EL D did that made me pause … a small branch had fallen off (live tree - he hasn't touched the tree at all) and he started chewing on it and then just rolled around all over it. I guess the smell of the resin turned him on -- he just had to get some of that balsam perfume! Of course now I have resin in my carpet.

    This is the only interest we found too…and only from Ariel, who is having her first Christmas (in her memory..she was a few days old last year).

    But it always amazes me how calmly our dogs take the tree....the younger ones walk by, like 'oh, there is a tree in the house'...and then never show any interest again. The older ones don't even acknowledge it!

  • :D Love that picture of Leo the grinch!

  • Actually, my basenji's leave the tree alone-it's the boxenji that insists on swiping off pieces of branches as she ambles on by it!

  • 2 glass bulbs - broken by default during 2 separate B500's. You'd think I'd learn my lesson from the 1st race.

    Other than that - Duke paid no attention to it his 1st Christmas last year. Daisy (her 1st this year) pretty much followed suit this year with Duke - ignoring the shiny ball shapes hanging on the tree. It was their uncontrollable desire to race, chase and dodge each other under and around the tree.

    Time to put it all away … (sigh)

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