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Off leash

Basenji Training
  • myranM

    There´s one girl in our club who´s actually trained both her basenjis to be of leash successfully but I guess she´s one in a ….....

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  • VanessaV

    Just like MacPack said…Basenji's can't be trusted off leash. Especially in an area where cars are. So many Basenji's are hit by vehicles because they see something and off they go right after it.....with no regard to what could potentially harm them.
    With that said, I have been training my bitch off leash but only in areas where no cars are present. I usually take her to off leash hiking places. There is always that potential rabbit or deer that she may want to chase but from what I have learned, Basenji's always return to the original spot where they picked up the scent.
    We never let them off leash by themselves..There are always at least 2 basenji's together and we carry special food with us..This is usually duck meat. I never give her that at home. Every couple of minutes I will say a command and they run right back. As soon as they do this, i immediately give them praise and treets. The hike is around 2 miles.
    A good friend of mine takes her 2 b's running every morning off leash. They have had their fair share of troubles but the b's always come back to where they first caught the scent. Sometimes hours later.
    Now with all that said...I still say DO NOT let your b's off leash near cars or where they can potentially harm themselves. They can't be trusted and will bolt out a door in a split second.
    Train your basenji with a certain word to get their attention. I use "come" and it stops my b's in their tracks because they know that word means yummy treats. Even if you don't have a treat...they will at least stop and look at you...at that point...run in the opposit direction so they will follow or hit the ground and roll so they will investigate ya. :)

    Basenji Forums Staff

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  • TuckerVAT

    I sometimes let Tucker off the leash REALLY late at night (like, 4am - and don't ask me why I'm up at that time… ;) ). I know there is such a seldom chance at that time of any other idiots to be out, or to have dogs about. He runs back and forth but has never gone more than about 50-100ft from me and won't be out of sight for more than a few seconds. (He loves his daddy!) I also live in a gated and fenced community, so he can't get out into traffic. I know I'm taking that 1 in a million risk, but his appreciation seems worth it.

    However, I KNOW that if a person or dog would come around, he would go directly to them for inspection. I have been able to slow him in a fenced area when it comes to other dogs and people, but I can't STOP him. :)

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  • Ninabeana26N

    I let Dallas off lead in this little grassy area ofour complex so he can play with our neighbors puppy. He doesn't go anywhere because he's too interested in playing with the puppy to see anything else. So far he's been good & comes when called but it's always a work in progress & if we didn't live in a practically empty complex [out of 24 apartments in our building only 6 are rented right now!!!] I wouldn't do it. Recall I think is good to practice regardless of whether you plan on allowing them off lead but if you live anywhere unfenced in, I just wouldn't trust any animal to not run out into traffic. Good luck though! :)

    Nina & my baby boy Dallas

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  • wizardW

    My previous beastie (9 yrs old) was well trained and came when I called (99% of the time) - I even would let him follow me off leash when taking the trash cans out to the street. But … one time he got out and chased a squirrel or something and before anyone really knew it ... he was hit by a car. :(

    I have a fenced yard (good sized) and let my current beastie have the run of the yard and have worked on training him that exiting the gate means going to the right for a walk in the neighborhood but exiting the house door (right next to the yard gate) means going to the left to the garage for a ride. I am also working with EL D to come immediately to a dog whistle -- he's pretty good with this except if the creepy neighbor dog is out (they hate each other).

    I'm sorry but being on the loose is one thing I will never take for granted with a basenji again.

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  • Robin_n_JackR

    I tried letting Jack run off leash in an unfenced dog park once. That was all it took. He got bored with playing with the other dogs and decided to explore. He started trotting down the street. Every time I would get close, he would speed up to get away. Finally, I pounced on him. We were very close to a fairly busy side street. Needless to say his leash went on, and has not come off since, outside anyway.

    I have a lot of dog owning friends who make fun of me because I won't let him off leash, but I stand my ground. There was even one who was "holding" the leash for me and "accidentally" dropped it. I ran across the common area and jumped on his leash. She has a pug. Made me so angry I can't even tell you. I let him off leash in a fenced area, and I watch him like a hawk, because he is such a little houdini.

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  • MiaM

    the only time I let Mia and Nike outside without a leash is when it's rainning since I know they won't go very far or for too long lol…They will bolt at 1st chance, usualyl it's to play with eachother and not reallt to run away, but the word treat works miracles ;)

    Michelle, Mia and Nike

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  • lvossL

    Basenjis are sighthounds and will take off after things that move. They also are pretty good at picking up a scent and following it and will take off after those too.

    I start early with name response with my dogs and building a positive association with coming to their name. This is a great tool as they get older for those situation when the leash is dropped, the door is open, the collar breaks, etc. By frequently reinforcing name response, there is a high likelihood that when I call their name my dog will respond. Of course, the higher the value the reward the more likely they will respond so when I am out I try to have very high value treats because I am going to be competing with some very rewarding distractions.

    I do not allow my dogs off leash in areas that are unfenced and there is car traffic. I do take my younger girls on county walks away from car traffic offleash with a group of other dogs. They frequently "check in" with me for the treats and I do not hesitate to leash them up if I feel they are not paying attention to me or I do not trust them to respond because of the distraction. I am lucky to have areas that I can do this with my dogs but there are not many places where I feel comfortable doing so. Most of their walks are on leash and they really have no problem with that. They enjoy just getting out and reading the "pee mail" around the neighborhood.

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  • J

    We don't have a fenced in yard, and I would never trust Tosca off leash anywhere…but since we do not have fenced in dog parks around here we improvise. We take her either to a tennis court or baseball field, and my husband and I block the entrances, and she is free to go! She has so much fun, at least for awhile, although she usually just runs around a little and comes running back to us...I don't think she knows what to do with the freedom :)

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  • JannekeJ

    Mirtillo isn't allowed off leash either. Only when I'm sure there is no traffic within a radius of 10 km.. When we go to such places I ask other dogowners if their dogs listen well and if it's ok that I let Mirtillo off leash.

    When Mirtillo doesn't listen.. the other dogs will and I can 'catch' him.

    It occasionally happens that his leash slips through my fingers, but when I call him then, he always returns immediatly. (knowing I'm having some very yummy treats)

    Tillo's website

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    It's a slow process, be patient and consistent with her. We adopted Bolt 6 years ago, he's 12 y/o and 3/4 Africain. We don't know his history, but at some point he got into a dog fight. He has the scars to prove it. When we walk, there are certain dogs that will trigger a violent reaction from him. Over the years I've gotten very good at reading other people, and how they walk their dogs, plus reading their dog's body language. A high straight up tail tightly wagging will send him off the rails. I've worked extensively with him to the point that he is manageable when he sees other dogs. I usually make him sit, or give as wide a distance as I can allow. BUT, he is a biter, so I'm extremely cautious when I'm around other people. All bets are off if that other dog is not leashed!! It does get better, and yes you can teach an older dog new behaviors, I certainly did.
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  • JannekeJ

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    What is a "training leash"? Is it a long line? Long lines are great for teaching loose lead walking and working on recalls. Many people seem to think that walking a dog off leash is a good thing, when in reality it is in most places breaking the law. There are some places that you can walk your dog off leash without being in violation of the law but in many places there are not many safe places that you can walk your dog off leash. As Janneke said, a real benefit to working on a long line on recall is that if your pup ever does get out then you have a tool to get him back. Name response, coming to his name with various distractions and in various places could very well save his life some day. You can play the come game in the house having people in different rooms call his name and give a treat if he comes. You can work on a long line outside calling him between two people. Only treat if he comes when called not if he is just running back and forth between you. As for him listening to you, are you taking him to training classes? What is your role in training him? The more you work him, and the more consistently you work him, the more he will listen to you. You can start really by just taking a handful of one of his meals and just ask for some basics before giving him the main meal. Sit, down, stand, I practice targeting, what ever you may be working on until you have used your handful then when you are done ask for a sit and then you can give his bowl.
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    These front-attaching harnesses work really well in my experience. As soon as the dog starts to pull, it will turn itself towards you, slowing it down. Otherwise the dog has every bit of freedom to do what it wants.