When you are dealing with something that an animal is afraid of, the best approach is to find his "comfort" distance from the thing that scares him. A busy street makes this a bit more difficult, as you have to find a way to give him that "distance". If you have a car, maybe transporting him to a less busy area might make a good start. Perhaps a side street, where he is comfortably away from busy traffic. You could then walk toward the busy street, pausing as soon as you see some sign of anxiety, and retracing your steps just little until he is in his "comfort zone" again. Gradually…...with the use of bribery and rewards......ask him to approach closer to the scary stuff. Liberally reward him for being there, then retreat. The idea is to not force, let him decide when he is ready. If he feels he can retreat at any time, he will have more confidence. This approach may take awhile, but is less likely to create a permanent aversion. (it works well with spooky horses).
Slowly w/o a leash…
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ok- thank you!
this just reinforces my decision to keep him on a leash at all times, unless in fenced area (as he does once a day at park ).
but for casual home walks with neighbors dogs he will stay leashed- as he is a very curious 2yr old B, and loves to run! and has tons of energy..
now i wont feel guilty when i see our neighbors dogs off a leash and he is on one.
safety first!
:rolleyes:
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You can get a 26 foot retractable leash, that's what I use when there's no fence. If the area is fenced in then no leash.
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I used to use a 40 foot horse lounging line on my rottie to allow her to play with other dogs at our apartment. I just didn't trust her and I wasn't willing to risk her dying. The odd thing is, over time I have never had a dog with such perfect instant recall. As she aged she is the only dog I even allowed to run loose on my friend's 14 acre horse farm. She stayed within eyeshot more because she always wanted to see me than because I didn't want her out of sight. But that is the only dog ever. So not worth a dead dog.
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these are goods alternatives-unfortunately-he LOVES to run..and in the past ive tried these sort of ropes n leashes- he tends to get tangled very fast and well…as a Basenji he gets embarrassed easily-if things dont go his way.
-on that note hes almost 2-ive been told he slows down at 3yrs of age....and they tend not to be sooo active-is this true?...
although i can see his character is fearless and bold-so itll be hard to believe~
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My b has been pretty good lately with listening and all But still i live by the motto if u feel like u can trust him DON"T cuz he will prove u wrong at the worst time .. And My b is almost 6yrs in dec. and has NOT slowed down a bit .. I believe he thinks he's still a 10 mth old puppy LOL
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Yesterday I let go of my oldie's (16+) leash while I untangled the others, assuming that because she is now rather slow, her hunting days might be over!!! WRONG - she shot off over the field faster than she's moved for month, safter the nearest sheep! Luckily the lead got caught in a gorse bush and I was able to catch her otherwise i could have had one dead sheep! In future I'll keep my own advice - keep Basenjis on a leash at all times when prey might be around!
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Please leash unless in a safe enclosed area. The consequences of a loose basenji are too costly.
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Basenjis do not tend to slow down until they are much older. I have an almost 12 year old with Fanconi who runs around the backyard and plays with the younger ones. Some days she is really fast and can keep up with them though the one thing I have noticed is she does not have as much stamina as she used to.
There are lots of older Bs lure coursing and the majority of my Bs that I have lure coursed did not start until after they were three years old. My Arnie who was almost nine did not course in the Veteran Stake but in the Field Champion Stake at the Basenji National held in KY last year and earned a placement in ASFA.
Jennifer
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Please keep your B leashed. . . even if they act like they are content to be around because of other dogs, etc., all they need do is spy a cat or squirrel or just about anything that distracts them, and they are off and running, without regard for anything except what they have their sights set on catching. They'd run right across a road full of traffic, or anyone in the way. My younger one has escaped in our community a few times, and has only been caught when she stops to check something out and she doesn't see us coming. She also seems to think her running and me chasing is some sort of game, so she sees no reason to come back. When she was little, if I ran the other way she'd chase me, but has now caught on to that, so we are REALLY careful not to let her out unleashed.
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I agree, I go to a park near my house where people often take their dogs and unleash them, there is plenty of open grass but the street is right there. People are always telling me to let him loose so he can play with their dogs and I never do!! I explain to them about the breed and they look at me weird. They don't get it, I wish there were parks here with fenced areas for dogs but there aren't any, he is only off leash when I go to someones house that has a fenced yard, like my moms or my brothers house, but these are small yards not really big open areas, but I know that it's just too dangerous,a and the thing is that because of that I have not been able to practice recall with him in a an open area. only in small areas or in my apartment.
