Otis just nipped my son…

Behavioral Issues
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  • BasenjimammaB
    Houston

    Thanks guys..We are amazed, my husband and I, of how quickly he has bounced back from his neuter..no signs of slowing him downa t all, and his boo-boo looks really nice and clean. Our other males had difficulties and moody looks for days after the "ballchopping incident"..not Otis..

    I finished reading the book, great information, will start implementing them asap, easy to do things yet so effective, or at least so it seems.

    I did talk to the behaviorist my vet and lVoss recommended, sounds like a great person, but again, I go to her place, she doesn't come to ours..we will give it a go still, in a week.
    We had an incident this morning where he stole my daughters lunch bag abd tore into her PBJ sandwis, I stopped him and he growled at me and tried (I guess) to graze my thumb area..he didn't get me, and as soon as he did it he got spooked..I stepped over him like the book recommended and he parked his butt on the floor..So essentially I was bigger than him..I calmly picked up the mauled sandwich, threw it in the trash and made another one for Sofia..meanwhile he sat behind me in sit-stay, until I let him outside.
    Small steps.

    Petra and Pippin

    with Otis in my heart…

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  • lvossL

    Don't be afraid to ask if she can't come to your home, for a referral to a trainer who can work with both of you toward your goal and can come to your home. I know people in my area who work with both a behaviorist and a trainer in order to work through tough issues. Usually one will recommend the other depending on the issues being addressed.

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  • BasenjimammaB
    Houston

    Lisa, thanks for that advice. I will call ask her about that.

    Petra and Pippin

    with Otis in my heart…

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  • lvossL

    Usually there is some sort of consultation either by phone or email questionairre or sometimes in person to get a good feel for the household and your concerns. That may be a good time to address your concern about how to make things work with the household as a whole.

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  • nobarkusN

    How is Mr. Otis doing?

    Buddy, Paolo and Dan

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  • BasenjimammaB
    Houston

    He is doing pretty good, they all are right now..once our foster went to live with his foster/forever family we have calmed down alot… He seems to respect the kitchen as my domain and rarely enters it while I am cooking or uncooking ( I am 100% raw now), he lays in the dining room and sleeps, so close by but not in there.
    We haven't had any fights in a week or so now and feeding is much calmer and more structured, he does his "leave it" extremely well and will not touch his food until he gets his go ahead word. So far so good. The trainer will come home to us for a much larger fee, so we have decided not to do that yet, but we'll see. His test results are not back yet from Dr Dodd's, but hope they will be in a day or two.

    Petra and Pippin

    with Otis in my heart…

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  • nobarkusN

    @Basenjimamma:

    He is doing pretty good, they all are right now..once our foster went to live with his foster/forever family we have calmed down alot… He seems to respect the kitchen as my domain and rarely enters it while I am cooking or uncooking ( I am 100% raw now), he lays in the dining room and sleeps, so close by but not in there.
    We haven't had any fights in a week or so now and feeding is much calmer and more structured, he does his "leave it" extremely well and will not touch his food until he gets his go ahead word. So far so good. The trainer will come home to us for a much larger fee, so we have decided not to do that yet, but we'll see. His test results are not back yet from Dr Dodd's, but hope they will be in a day or two.

    Sounds like good progress is being made. Good job hanging in there and working with him. Maybe the neutering will make a difference too. Let us know his thyroid results.

    Buddy, Paolo and Dan

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  • AJs HumanA

    I wish there was a way for Lukas to be unafraid around your Otis. Animals can sense fear and will sometimes take advantage of it. You know your son better than anyone…perhaps you will know a way to bolster his confidence with Otis.

    AJ's Ride:

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  • P

    Good to hear that Otis is improving - you are obviously doing the right things. I look forward to hearing more 'improvement' news.

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  • thunderbird8588T

    Petra,
    i'm glad to hear things are improving with Otis.

    Shelley

    Basenji Malaika

    Basenji Malaika
    Basenji Kwame

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  • BasenjimammaB
    Houston

    We got Otis results back from Dr DOdds and his thyroid is A OK..however today he attacked a friend of ours 6 yr old daughter and grazed her on her buttocks. I am feeling like this is the end of the road and that I am out of options..

    Petra and Pippin

    with Otis in my heart…

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  • nobarkusN

    @Basenjimamma:

    We got Otis results back from Dr DOdds and his thyroid is A OK..however today he attacked a friend of ours 6 yr old daughter and grazed her on her buttocks. I am feeling like this is the end of the road and that I am out of options..

    He just surprise attacked her from behind? Did she have any interaction with him at all before that?

    Buddy, Paolo and Dan

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  • BasenjimammaB
    Houston

    Several times..her sister and her spend almost every friday at our house, so Otis knows her very well
    He was laying on the dog quilt in the living room playing with a toy when she came through the living room to go outside..She was maybe 3-4 feet from him when he got up and just charged her, she turned and tried to run away and he got her on her buttocks.

    Petra and Pippin

    with Otis in my heart…

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  • nobarkusN

    It wasn't like a play attack but a mean I'm going to hurt you thing? Buddy has charged me from behind with a surprise bite but it's a rowdy play thing.

    Buddy, Paolo and Dan

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  • BasenjimammaB
    Houston

    She has bite marks on her little butt..no this was far from play.

    Petra and Pippin

    with Otis in my heart…

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  • AJs HumanA

    I didn't hear you saying anything like this until now…Is he having some pack order issues with Moses being in the household? What is Moses' maturity level? (Teenager, young adult, etc) Just wondering if something has been brewing between them under the surface.

    The only dog bite I have ever received was a bonzai attack from behind as I was leaving the home. It was a West Highland Terrier that got me. I had been petting him not five minutes before he bit me. I never did figure out why he bit me. No growl, no warning...just bolted from across the room and got me. Maybe some of the experts can help explain it...

    I'm so sorry you're having trouble with Otis.

    AJ's Ride:

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  • nobarkusN

    @AJs:

    I didn't hear you saying anything like this until now…Is he having some pack order issues with Moses being in the household? What is Moses' maturity level? (Teenager, young adult, etc) Just wondering if something has been brewing between them under the surface.

    The only dog bite I have ever received was a bonzai attack from behind as I was leaving the home. It was a West Highland Terrier that got me. I had been petting him not five minutes before he bit me. I never did figure out why he bit me. No growl, no warning...just bolted from across the room and got me. Maybe some of the experts can help explain it...

    I'm so sorry you're having trouble with Otis.

    I was thinking about Moses as well. Seems Otis has had this biting thing escalate since Moses arrived. Not that Moses is fighting to be the alpha dog just that Otis feels threatened.

    Buddy, Paolo and Dan

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  • tanzaT

    It would be a wise thing to keep him in his kennel at this point, that kind of bite is a serious thing. Was there any "noise" "warning" first? Or just straight up went for them? Where were the other dogs when this happened?

    Pat Fragassi

    Tanza Basenjis

    www.tanzabasenjis.net

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  • BasenjimammaB
    Houston

    As far as I know it was very sudden, caught her off guard and freaked her rightfully out.
    The other dogs were outside in the back yard enjoying the spring weather, Otis was outside as well, until he came in about 15 minutes before this incident..I had the door opened so they walked in and out as they pleased, the kids too.

    Moses is 10 1/2 months and very non confrontational, will cower if Otis comes at him or if he has a bone/toy or is sleeping where Otis wants to sleep he will drop the bone/toy and get up and leave the spot for Otis…Otis dominates Moses very much..

    Petra and Pippin

    with Otis in my heart…

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  • agilebasenjiA

    -Even though he is neutered, there had not really been enough time for the testosterone to be flushed from his system, so you are still dealing with the temperment/etc of an intact dog.

    -Moses may or may not be an issue. Yes, it does seem like many problems cropped up when M came along, but it is also the same time frame that O would be reaching maturity. Maybe a combination? Maybe the arrival of M, maybe just poor timing. Just because O dominates M, doesn't me that the presence of M is not troublesome for O.

    -The bite sounds like it could be O being overthreshold/overstimulated. Playing with a toy, playing outside, kids running around, etc, could put O overthreshold. And it does take time for an animal to come down from an adreneline rush. (more on this, i suggest reading (surprise!) Control Unleashed and playing lots of the Off Switch game)

    -Or perhaps the bite was preditory drift?
    http://www.alldogsgym.com/content/view/378/
    squealing children can trigger preydrive.

    that's my two pennies worth of thoughts

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    Yes that is similar. When EL D nipped my brother it was never really hard (okay so he'll have a bruise) and he backed off pretty quick once he let my brother have it. But it is unnerving because it is unpredictable.
  • TuckerVAT

    No nipping here, mine draws BLOOD!

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    To me it sounds like the previous owners praised his bad behaviors when he would take something which would be confusing for anyone. I would begin to give treats when he does good things to retrain the idea. Use a spray bottle for growls or bad behavior. Use it to startle but dont acknowledge the bad behavior. Act like you didnt see the water and dont let him see the water bottle. The other main issue it sounds like is the socialization. I would suggest doing the basic obedience training in a Petsmart. You will have a trainer with you each time you go. You will be introducing your basenji to other dogs in your class in a controlled atmosphere. You will be in a busy store with people that will help him socialize and get used to the people. Once you have learned the tricks or commands from class and your basenji performs them with you flawlessly. Have your roommate use the same commands and gestures until your b can do them with your roommate. Then add a friend that isnt around all the time and slowly teach the dog how to communicate and receive praise and treats for his actions. I suspect that with this training, your basenji will soften that aggressive behavior and want the treats. The behavior may never go away completely, but you will always be around to keep an eye on him. If you have a dog walker, I would think that it is very important that your walker follows your guidlines for training to keep your dog safe when he is away from you. Strangers who have been bitten by a dog have had the ability to put the dog to sleep and it is important that you do not permit him to find an opportunity to slip. My rescue was food aggressive and fearful of everything. She had seperation anxiety, growled, and took 2 years to potty train. It is important to be consistant with your training. It is important to praise. My rescue settled down completely after 3years and I learned the triggers to avoid. I would also suggest not having any pull or shake playing with your basenji which would mimick tugging or tearing prey. When your basenji is relaxed, massage him. Touch his mouth, his ears, hold his feet. Teach him to understand that there is no off limit area. Have your roomate and dog walker do this as well once you feel he has begun learning from the training. Have your roommate help you bathe him, and so on and so forth. As long as one of the 3 of you can handle him in basic training, around people and handeling him you should be more confident that you are protecting him as well as the many victims he could encounter in the future. You know he is great and you want to take care of him. The best way to do that is by helping him learn to communicate with people, not out of fear. Oh, and a soft muzzle is a great way to take him for walks with a dog walker and keep him from hurting anyone else. He can move his mouth, but wont be able to open it. I bought mine at Petsmart when Caesar was a puppy and eat his seat belt off when in the car going anywhere. Do not use it with punishment, but as a tool to let him know it is time to go for a walk!!
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