Tana sits funny. Anybody ever seen this?

Behavioral Issues
Log in to reply
  • WooflessW

    She's done this since we adopted her. Occasionally she'll sit with her butt and tail tucked under and her weight resting primarily on the meaty parts around her tail, upper thighs and lower back. As a result, her hind legs are elevated. I find it adorable. Here's a picture:

    Tana is a puppymill rescue and my "theory" is that maybe she learned to sit this way to be more comfortable in the wire-bottomed cage she was living in. Has anybody else seen this in a mill rescue dog? Or ANY dog for that matter??

    She does it less and less frequently now- in fact, the picture is from 3-4 months ago and is the last time I remember seeing her sit that way for any length of time. Perhaps now since she is surrounded by mostly soft things, she realizes she can be comfortable just about anywhere (and boy, she can curl up and cat-nap almost ANYWHERE, in the oddest positions!)

    Initially I wondered if it could be a sign of knee problems or some other physical discomfort- apparently a couple dogs in her "pedigree" have had luxating patellas….and God only knows what else there could be. But she runs, jumps, sprints and twists better than Jibini or Chloe, has incredible stamina, and never shows any sign of discomfort. I'm pretty sure this is just a cute behavior quirk, and was curious if it was shared by any other Basenjis :)

    0
  • nobarkusN

    Oh, that's the yoga sit. A lot of B's do that.

    Buddy, Paolo and Dan

    0
  • K

    LOL My Roxie sits like that all the time. She was bred and raised in my home, no kennel. My others don't usually sit like that so I don't know why she does it. Just weird I guess. :) Although she doesn't have the straightest topline, so I wonder if that's just was is comfy for her. But she is the fastest Basenji we've ever run with, beaten over 30 B's before, so I know those hips/knees/legs work well!

    Kelli Harmon

    Kiroja Basenjis

    Southgate, MI USA

    0
  • thunderbird8588T

    Oh how cute she looks. It amuses me the way Basenjis sit in a sort of squat with their behinds not touching the ground. My theory is because they originated in hot places maybe the ground was too hot for bottoms?

    Shelley

    Basenji Malaika

    Basenji Malaika
    Basenji Kwame

    0
  • SchouiffyS

    Lol. She is totally normal, my B is absolutely famous for sitting that way.

    Lauren - Lycia's Mum

    Wellington, New Zealand

    _

    I know they say dogs don't understand spite… but I swear Basenjis do._

    0
  • tanzaT

    Yup… all of mine have done that

    Pat Fragassi

    Tanza Basenjis

    www.tanzabasenjis.net

    0
  • renaultf1R

    That looks familiar, lol. All 3 of mine do it. :)

    0
  • mauigirlM

    There was a thread awhile back started by Maya from the UK. I guess pugs do this a lot too and they call it the "pug slump". She got a picture of her puppy doing it.

    http://www.basenjiforums.com/showthread.php?t=5607&highlight=slump

    My boy does this a lot. Haven't seen my girl do it.

    0
  • WooflessW

    Wow!!! So I learn something new every day!!! (Tana is normal?? Even more amazing!!)

    I thought I'd read about nearly every Basenji quirk there was from the B-list and various websites. I'd heard about the "lean"….and I think I did read about a different kind of "funny sit" where the butt doesn't touch the ground.

    I'll be darned if I haven't missed out on learning about this quirk. Tana was the first time I'd ever seen a dog sit this way :) Jibini has never done it....but then again, I could fill a swimming pool with all of HIS weird quirky-ness :)

    Kelli, Tana is also the fastest little dog I've ever seen, aside from a Greyhound or Whippet. She's the only one out of my crew that is VERY sociable at a dog park (Jibini does OK, but Chloe can just forget about it). There isn't a single dog she hasn't been able to outrun by a HUGE margin....and she appears to do it effortlessly!! She gives Chloe fits by getting her to play chase- and turning, dodging, darting & outrunning her every time!! (Jibini has learned that he might as well not even bother LOL)

    I know little about conformation but I suppose it's a given that Tana's conformation is definitely not ideal (5 generations of puppymill). It seems like her back is too long....there's definitely nothing straight about her topline....and when she sits "normally" her back is always hunched over. Maybe this is why it's comfortable for her to tuck her butt under like this- makes her not "hunch" so much?? :)

    At least I know it isn't some left-over behavior from the puppymill. For a dog of humble origins, she has the bearing of a princess, and this "sit" is just another way she lets everybody know how special she is!!!....she is truly one of a kind :)

    0
  • BasenjimammaB
    Houston

    How funny. I have never seen Otis sit like that, but he rather lay down any day so that might why.

    Petra and Pippin

    with Otis in my heart…

    0
  • lukrisL

    Milo sits like that sometimes. I think he looks extra cute when he does that.

    Theresa

    0
  • torchsongT

    Haven't seen She-Ra sit that way, but lord knows she has a bunch of other weird positions she likes to get into.

    0
  • Shaye's MomS

    My cat sits like that! Not by B though.

    0
  • K

    Who knows Danielle, but it sure is funny to watch them sit like that. :) Maybe Tana and Roxie have a similar build somewhere. I always blame Roxie, saying that her sitting that way as a puppy made her back so roachy. lol But hey, I can deal with a little of that for the awesome performance dog that she is.

    Another quirky thing she does is always stand with her back legs hunched underneath her. The others tend to stretch out when they're staring far off at stuff outside. But then Roxie just tucks those legs in and shows off that ugly back. hehe How about Tana, does she tend to stand with her feet more underneath her? Maybe these girls are secret sisters. :D

    Kelli Harmon

    Kiroja Basenjis

    Southgate, MI USA

    0
  • Kalima62K

    How Cute!!!!!

    M@ri & Dun@

    0
  • N

    Hahaha Yes! I just adore this pose. Nulla does it too :)

    0

Suggested Topics

  • C

    My female B gets humped all the time!

    Behavioral Issues
    10
    0 Votes
    10 Posts
    1k Views
    C
    @Saving so nice to hear there's other people with the same problem! We have been giving regular baths to our b, so I don't know if that really helped or not. Anyways, it took a while for me to bring Nova again to the dog park, because I was a bit afraid the same situation would happen again. I was there a couple of days ago, and no one tried to hump her. (I must say all dogs had same age approx.) Thank you for your comment replies! :)
  • P

    Newborn/Kids with My Basenji

    Behavioral Issues
    4
    1 Votes
    4 Posts
    753 Views
    eeeefarmE
    It would be useful to know more about this dog. Has resource guarding been an issue in the past? Has he bitten either you or your wife before? (a real bite, not playful nipping). Or anyone else? A dog that isn't used to children may be fearful of their loudness or quick movements. Perhaps you could do some socialization work with him, e.g. hanging around places where young kids congregate to accustom him to their noise and activity. Obviously not allowing any interaction as you are unsure of his behaviour. Dogs react differently to newborns. In my experience bitches are more likely than dogs to be tolerant, but it is very much the individual dog's reaction that counts. People have been blindsided when their supposedly tolerant and gentle dog turns out to be hostile to a young child. Bottom line, no dog should be left unsupervised around young kids, so in any event you would have to monitor his behaviour carefully once your baby arrives. On a personal note, of the five Basenjis I have owned, two bitches were entirely reliable with kids, the other was tolerant as long as they respected her space. One of the males adored children and was curious about them, the other curious but uncertain and would react to fast movements. I did not trust him and controlled any interaction closely. IMO, he would have bitten had he felt threatened. And kids, especially babies, tend to grab and pinch, ears, tails, whatever. Caution is always the safest route.
  • S

    Scared of people / crowds

    Behavioral Issues
    24
    0 Votes
    24 Posts
    2k Views
    tanzaT
    @sarahmiri - I would say no to carrying him.... don't pick him up, but get down to his level as Zande pointed out in her response.
  • C

    Issues with overstimulation

    Behavioral Issues
    9
    0 Votes
    9 Posts
    1k Views
    eeeefarmE
    IMO it is a myth that Basenjis cannot have good manners on a walk. Yes, great if you can do off leash, but when circumstances dictate that a leash is necessary then walking calmly without a lot of drama and pulling should be achievable. Personally I do not like long lines or flex leashes. Or allowing dogs to eat whatever they find on the ground, which can in some cases earn you a trip to the vet or worse. Like most dogs, Basenjis are not overly discriminant about what they will ingest. A short leash and being observant can protect them from unwelcome outcomes. Mental exercise will also go a long way with any dog. But one should have a definite opinion about who is running the show, and it should not be the dog....they are quite willing to take up the position should you abdicate.
  • S

    Started peeing in the crate again

    Behavioral Issues
    9
    1 Votes
    9 Posts
    797 Views
    S
    Just thought I'd share an update on this. I removed the blankets from the crate and replaced them with a mattress. We have been strict about her only staying in the crate at night. When we have had accidents I have cleaned up, with a dog urine killing spray, and placed her back in the crate. Everything is progressing smoothly, not had any accidents for over a week now. So it's been a rather quick turnaround, lovely to have her properly crate trained again. Thank you all for sharing advice on the situation.
  • SyberSadeS

    Can an abused Basenji ever be completely rehabilitated?

    Behavioral Issues
    49
    0 Votes
    49 Posts
    20k Views
    WooflessW
    I'm late to this thread, but I figured I'd chime in about the shy/abused rescue Basenji. Our Tana has been with us for just over 2 years. She was a puppymill breeding female. At the beginning, she was very very skittish, timid & anxious. She went from her foster home- a big place where she could hide from anything….to our semi truck. Small space, no hidey-holes. No choice but to learn to accept us. I left her alone for the first couple of weeks- no unnecessary advances, just feeding & walks, calm voices....no coddling, no babying. Just being in each other's presence. I let HER get used to me, see the routine, so she'd learn what we were all about. Despite her shyness, from day 1 she did always sleep tucked under my arm. She'd lay there half-crouched, licking the sheets (is that like a thumb-sucking behavior?) until she fell asleep. Her progress was gradual. By two months she seemed to be relaxed around me. By four months, she figured out she could engage me in PLAY...which was clearly a great revelation for her....I could just see the joy in her, for the first time, when she play-bowed and slapped at me and I responded playfully. Before that, she'd only engaged Jibini in play. That may have been the first time she ever initiated play with a human. By 6-8 months, she began to tolerate Fred, began to show curiosity with strangers & new situations. By one year, she was almost entirely a different dog. I don't know if her progress was normal or unusually fast- but I think being a trucker dog, getting SO MUCH constant socialization, really helped her figure things out quickly. Over the last year, she has truly come full circle, finally. She still refused to do more than "tolerate" Fred for the longest time....He felt kind of bad, thinking Tana hated him. She did kind of act like he was contagious....she wanted to be as far from him as physically possible. But when we adopted Chloe, suddenly Tana had COMPETITION for attention! And since Chloe absolutely adores the very earth Fred walks on, suddenly Tana became Fred's best friend too!! It is so funny to see this little dog who used to regard Fred like a fart in a car....suddenly scramble to be the first one to cuddle up in his arms so he won't be able to pet Chloe. She is almost FAWNING over him. It's great. That, and she has FINALLY accepted crating. Until this past October, really, she's been the type to shred, whine and poop in her crate- she became a basket case. I know it's not widely reccomended, but after 2 years together in a semi truck, I was fairly sure Jibini & Tana could be crated in an extra-large crate without trouble. So I started crating them together....for no more than 2-3 hours at a time. So far, so good...and it has helped Tana's anxiety immensely. I notice now, when it's time for me to go to work, Tana will actually let me come pick her up so I can bring her to the crate. Used to be, I'd have to spend 10 minutes trying to catch her, if she knew she was going in the crate. I've also tried crating her alone a few times, and as if by miracle, nothing is shredded or soiled. I am amazed by how far she's come....and now that she has fully realized her potential, I am delighted by what a wonderful, sweet dog she is. She is absolutely perfect. I think, given enough time, most Basenjis will make a good deal of progress. Tana was young when she was sold from the puppymill- only 1.5 years old (and already a mother). Maybe her youth helped her resiliency a little bit. But either way, adopting Tana and helping her overcome her fears has been a very rewarding experience :)