Using a Doggie Door
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I forgot to mention that the previous owners sheltered him a bit. Not too many visitors and not too many puppy pals. They told me I needed to socialize him. Tucker bit a kid a while back, and the family 'got pregnant' and feared for the safety of the new family addition, thus the adoption (and my good fortune). :)
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You are sooo cool to adopt poor Tucker. I firmly believe that a LOT of people do not show the correct body language. I got my 2 B's from a breeder & Topaz is just like Tucker. She doesn't like her space invaded & she doesn't like people just rolling up on her like HEY!! :eek:
Much like humans how would you like a stranger to just come up to you in your face & start touching you. HA! Unacceptable! Right?!
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You know, it's not that he was abused or neglected. I just imagine that he was a two person dog, simply stated. In dire need of socializing - with both dogs and people. I do hold them accountable for one thing, though… What kind of a person would give up a dog just to have a baby? W-w-what? :rolleyes:
He's really good with me. Very tolerant. I can just about do anything with or to him, within reason and with respect for his limits. Other people have to be cautious, but he's opened up to a select few. My roommate was terrified of him when I brought him home. Said he 'just looked at her mean'. After I finished laughing (inside, of course) I did my best to acclimate them. Now she loves him like he was her own. Just took a little time and patience...
And, for the record... My silly walker let him bite the UPS guy and the neighbor after being told HOW he is supposed to be introduced. She still slipped a few times and has been reprimanded for it. My friend got bit because he doesn't listen and came over and went right for Tuck's head for a friendly pat. Ooopth! :eek: Bet he won't do that again... I got bit because I'm stupid and did something I was told not to do (two days after I adopted him) and that is take something away from him forcefully. Now, there's still a breakdown. The previous owner told me that I should offer him a treat to replace what he's stolen. What happened was he started stealing things to earn a treat. (clever bastard!) I found that a rather booming "NO!" accomplished the same thing.
The whole dominance thing is really big with the males. At least MY male. He still growls at me from time to time, but he knows who's boss. It's just funny how he still tries to take advantage of others. He'll beg a friend, but keeps a wide circle around me. He'll rifle through their stuff, but not mine... I guess that's how is supposed to be, being that I'm the one who feeds him. ;)
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Don't you LOVE that….'it's okay, dogs love me' HA!, right! You sound like a perfect basenji mom!!!
I apprecate that with one exception. I, like Tucker, am a male. :D
I do love that, though… My nutty downstairs neighbor has a big stupid Retriever and I passed her in the corridor one afternoon. She squatted (nice) and started to reach in (uh, oh). So I quickly said "be careful, he's aggressive and can snap or bite!" She replied "Oh laws a mercy, darlin'! It's okay, I know dogs!" and proceeded to reach in and Tucker lunged at her and uttered a nice threatening "Grrrrowwwl!" and gnashed a nice toothy grin. She almost fell over reversing away from certain doom... Again, laughing inside. :p
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We have a door into the garage for the cats to use – that's where we used to keep their litter box. Once Jazzy moved in, that changed. SHE would use the cat door to squeeze into the garage and eat the cat food. Because the kids often leave the big garage door open, we can't have Jazzy in there.
So, we moved the litter box in to the upstairs bathroom {ugh}, and have permanently locked the doggie door.One note -- going through the doggie door rubbed the hair off of Jazzy's tail. I guess because it was the last piece of her going through as the door flap came down. Once we locked up that dog door, her tail hair grew back beautifully!
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going through the doggie door rubbed the hair off of Jazzy's tail.
Hee hee! I don't have to worry about this. My Tucker is a bit uniquerer because his tail was either chopped or cropped a loooong time ago. He's 4 and change, and the family I adopted him from had him for 3.5 year and they don't know how his tail lost it's end. His tail is about 4" long and stands straight up. Thinking about hanging a flag on it. :p
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Don't you let your friends convince you that your dog has mental problems! He's a typical basenji. He's just encountered something new i.e. a doggie door he hasn't quite figured out yet. He will, just give him time. Mine is skittish about a lot of things she sees for the first time.
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I'm not sure why people would give a dog away to have a baby either. I mean there are ways around it as I've learned. Like never leaving the baby alone with the dog DUH! And I also think that once the dog realizes that the baby is part of the family they'll adapt. My TOPAZ has the same apprehensions with humans as Tucker does & we're still planning on a baby & she'll have to get to know the baby & learn that the baby will be master #3!! :)
BTW-just because it takes Tucker & Topaz a little more time to get to know people does NOT mean that they have issues. They're just more cautious is all. And usually she's better with meeting people outside vs. in the house in her territory :)
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I actually had a good 'play date' with a total stranger last night. Tucker typically is aggressive towards dogs larger than he is, and we ran into a shepard/lab mix that was playing on a tennis court near where I live. I found that letting Tucker 'meet' the other dog through the fence (as in the other dog inside and Tucker outside), and then joining him inside was a great way to acclimate the two dogs. Tucker and the shephard ran and ran for almost an hour. Was great to see Tucker run 'wide open' and to have such a good time… :)
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I'm not sure why people would give a dog away to have a baby >>either
We've been bringing babies home to our dogs for 19 years, LOL, with never a single problem.
We bring the baby home, show it to the dog, let the dog sniff the baby whenever we hold the baby, tell the dog "easy; be gentle" etc.I honestly don't know HOW, but all of our dogs have always been very gentle with their little ones, and have always understood that the kids are next in line to DH and me in the chain of command.
We've never done any "training" per se, the dogs just know it.May not work that way for everyone, but 19 years, six kids, and 5 dogs {one of which was a doberman that was the 2nd best dog EVER with children}, it's never failed us.
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I also have a Doggie door, and I just gave Sahara a treat when she would let me push her through and that was it. She flies through that door now, you just let me or daddy go out that door and she is through it like a flash. You might try going out and standing on the other side and let her think you are leaving her. Sahara hates to be left alone. Good LucK!!!! Keep us posted!!!!
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He still paws it open prior to going through, but he goes through which is >>the important thing.
LOL That's how our older cat goes through too!
Jazzy goes {or went, since she's banned from them now} nose first and had to wiggle and squeeeeeeeeeeze the body through little by little. She looked ridiculous! LOL
