Destructive..why now???


  • Hello everyone, its been a while since I've been on. We had one male B and about 6 months ago we adopted two girls from BRAT. All has been fairly good. You know the usual….a few accidents, some minor fights, getting into stuff, the stuff you expect with adding new dogs.

    This week the girls who I've always crated together have been very bad. they pulled a blanket off Deke's crate and chewed it along with his leash...all from inside their crate. They have started bending the bars of their crate. Now today they started to shred the hard plastic tray in the bottom of their crate. I noticed Britty limping....she is missing a toe nail !!!!!!!!

    Why start this now? They've never been this bad. If I give them a blanket they pee in there, and sometimes they poop but they've never destroyed stuff. I'm affraid what might happen next !!!!!!!

    Any ideas what's going on in those crazy little heads of theirs.:(


  • You'll just have to figure out what has changed for them. Try to see it from their perspective.

    Did you move the crate from a position they are used to? Did you block the window they are used to looking out? It can really be a lot of things as B's are so quirky.

    Tucker regresses from time to time and when I spend some time thinking about it, I'll eventually figure out what's changed and fix it. It might be as simple as some food they don't like.

    The last such incident was a week in a kennel, followed by a replacement dog walker for a week, and then back to the regular dog walker. He peed for a couple days straight, but once we were back into the normal routine, everything went back to normal.

    Sometimes it's obvious, sometimes not.

    /just my two cents.


  • Thanks for the ideas. I was trying to think about that. Nothing has changed with the crate/house. My husband has been on a long buisness trip. He's due home soon, maybe it took this long for them to miss him and get sick of me.

    I've tried leaving them out at night to give them less crate time. Thats been ok, only pooped in the dining room once. But they are still bad even if they are only in there for 1-2 hours a day.

    I noticed today Briitty peed and started to lick it up before I even left the house…she was only in there 2-3 minutes.

    They're not in there a lot. I'm a stay at home mom, they only go in when I run to the store or to sports with the kids. I always thought they had it pretty good !!!!!


  • I think that when part of the 'pack' is missing, it affects the whole pack. I would bet that this is the reason they are acting up. Basenji's are, in my opinion, more severe head cases when it comes to separation anxiety. Even though you are still there, your husband's leaving could certainly be a part of their issue.


  • They do always act up a little when he leaves but usually settle down. They usually just fight more, like they're trying to rework the pack order. This is the longest he has ever been gone. I guess we just hang in there and hope he comes home early…it's tough on all of us.

    Thanks for the help!!!!!

Suggested Topics

  • Destructive behaviour

    Behavioral Issues
    5
    0 Votes
    5 Posts
    1k Views
    elbrantE
    I was a little pre-occupied earlier today, and Doodle displayed her displeasure at my constant delays... how? She got up on the sofa and did this little prancing-dancing thing. Like she was saying, "haha, look at me misbehaving". LOL oh yeah.... if that is her "breaking bad", I'm in trouble, she's got my heart!
  • Update on Buddy (now 6 yrs old)

    Behavioral Issues
    4
    0 Votes
    4 Posts
    3k Views
    K
    Sounds like a healthy, decent, civilized B to me!
  • Destructive behavior…I'm probably just venting

    Behavioral Issues
    16
    0 Votes
    16 Posts
    8k Views
    eeeefarmE
    I've always had less issues when I have one rather than two, but OTOH, if I was out a lot I would want the second one as a companion. I don't think it is fair to leave them alone for hours every day. (Basenjis are smart enough to figure out that when they do something all they have to do is act cute and let you think it was the other one that did the deed!) :)
  • Baby Aiden Due ANY Day Now…(gettting worried!!)

    Behavioral Issues
    21
    0 Votes
    21 Posts
    12k Views
    BasenjimammaB
    I was told, back in 2000, when I brought our daughter Sofia home form the hospital, to let my husband carry her in, and me to come in and immediatly pay attention to our two dogs at the time. That way I was still their mom and the baby (this new screaming thing) hadn't gotten all of me for herself. I spent time with them on the floor, they did a lot of sniffing and once they had sniffed all the new smells out, my husband brought Sofia over for them to smell her too. They did not like her at first, but we made it very clear that she is here to stay, like it or not. I also remember them both freaking out when they heard her cry through the babymonitor, we actually ended up not using it after that. Those two dogs ended up being her best friend and they put up with a lot. We just lost both of those dogs,one in March and one exactly 4 weeks later. But that is a different story. One more thing, when people came over to gush over the new baby, some of our friends actually brought the dogs special treats, they were our first born kids so they deserved attention too. I think that was a really nice touch of our friends to in this time of amazement actually remember Bogus and Lou, and I also think jealousy was kept at a minimum because of the attention they got. Good Luck, bringing a new baby home is so exciting and such a happy time in your lives.
  • Growling Now???!!!

    Behavioral Issues
    29
    0 Votes
    29 Posts
    8k Views
    tanzaT
    @Vanessa626: Here is an update on the little growler. Since the post I have tried a few different things and the best thing that seems to work is getting down and dirty :) (figure of speech) I have been mixing the food with my hands and hand feeding him. It has been working and after doing that for a few minutes I give him the bowl and sit next to him telling him that he is a good boy. So far so good. He is definitely trying to show that he is becoming a teenager but what he doesn't realize..I am more stubborn than him and wont give in :) He is now sleeping on the floor. No more sleeping with us. I now make sure I am first to walk out any door and he must follow. These little things are helping. Thanks everyone for offering suggestions!!! That is great…. and glad that Chance is getting the message... It has always amazed me how quickly they get these ideas into their heads...
  • Puppy now or puppy later??

    Behavioral Issues
    16
    0 Votes
    16 Posts
    6k Views
    C
    Here they are… [image: PA010159.jpg]