Skip to content

Puppy Basics - Basenji style

Basenji Training
  • My co-breeder Katy and I decided we wanted to put together a little video for our puppy people in hopes of educating them on how to dremel nails, brush teeth and check the ears (as they would at the vet's office). The most important point was to show how I handle them when they are not the most co-operative.

    It is those uncooperative times when novice owners tend to give up and put the puppy down - which is a huge, HUGE mistake and a costly one as the pup then learns that a little fuss = getting their way. That little fuss will escalate if not handled correctly to the point nails and teeth can not be done.

    Here is the link:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3iGv3qCPP4


    Cl72

  • What a great video! Thank you for sharing! Their faces are just priceless… :D

  • Excellent. I especially love the pup's wide eyes when you commence teeth-brushing…

    I so wish I had done all this, or been shown how to do all this, when my shiba was a pup. He had some traumatic nail-clipping experiences with a "professional" groomer as a pup, and now he's liable to take off your hand if you try to clip his nails. A real PITA. Luckily we walk him enough that long nails don't seem to be a problem...

  • I'm glad Medjai is grown up and doesn't mind the dremmel that much, or I would be going through a ton of money in treats. Medjai only likes the expensive ones.

  • Excellent video, thanks for sharing :)…

  • Excellent video - it just shows you how far you can get with patience and a little treat here and there!

  • Really great video!!! :D

  • Yes, very good video…. and one that we all can appreciate. And even for those of you with older dogs, you can get them to accept things like the dremel the same way... just a bit bigger to hold in your lap. But then, I have always trimmed nails with them on their backs between my legs sitting on the floor.

  • Thank you for that!! I'm passing it on for sure.

  • Great video, i never thought of using a dremel for claws

  • What a very good video and such a good idea to provide one to new owners.

  • @thunderbird8588:

    Great video, i never thought of using a dremel for claws

    That is the only thing that I will use…. I get freaked with cutting them with nail clippers.....

  • Wonderful info for any new b owner.
    Thank you.

  • @tanza:

    That is the only thing that I will use…. I get freaked with cutting them with nail clippers.....

    Me too, i just can't do it.
    I have bought a Dog nail file for Malaika but will consider getting her used to a Dremel, what head is best to use ?
    Another thing i wonder about is my first basenji never had his claws trimmed or filed all his life and they were great, nice and short and neat.
    I'm torn now because if i start trimming Malaika's will that make them grow more or do i leave alone . Obviously if they bacame long i would do it.
    Just wondered what people think.

  • @thunderbird8588:

    Me too, i just can't do it.
    I have bought a Dog nail file for Malaika but will consider getting her used to a Dremel, what head is best to use ?
    Another thing i wonder about is my first basenji never had his claws trimmed or filed all his life and they were great, nice and short and neat.
    I'm torn now because if i start trimming Malaika's will that make them grow more or do i leave alone . Obviously if they bacame long i would do it.
    Just wondered what people think.

    The key thing about using a dremel is to make sure that you get one that can be switched to a really low speed, and always use light pressure. Also, I have both a cordless dremel and a plugin one - the cordless is pretty much all I use now as it so much easier not having to deal with the cord. I just use the sand paper barrels as I've been told that the stones get too hot (never tried those even though I have those attachments).

    Never heard of nails not growing if you don't trim them - someone else might be able to speak to that. I know that walking my kids on the street helps, but it doesn't seem to take the place of filing the nails. With my adults I do their nails every 2 weeks - Brando starts to chew his nails if they get too long :D. With my 2 that are showing, I do them every week.

  • I do my kids every week also…. and I agree with Renault1, I have never heard that not trimming them will keep them from growing?.... safe to say, look at many shelter dogs with nails so long that they wrap around...

    And I use the sand paper barrels also on the Dremel (cordless one), the stone does get way to hot.

  • Shelley,an interesting thought but I don't think not cutting could prevent nails growing. In fact I would say too that leaving the nails too long spoils the feet.

  • Thanks for the info on the Dremels.
    Benji's claws must have just been kept short by pavement walking then because i never had to give them any attention .

Suggested Topics

  • Hunting with Basenji

    Basenji Training
    28
    2 Votes
    28 Posts
    6k Views
    RogueCoyoteR
    i bet that when rogues adult teeth come in she will be able to do the egg test though. she has a very soft touch when she wants to.
  • Puppy Nosework

    Basenji Training
    4
    0 Votes
    4 Posts
    2k Views
    lvossL
    I will try to be good and update each week so if you want to follow along you can. The things that you need is at least 5 boxes, one that should be labeled "Food" and is the only box that gets food in it, so the others aren't cotaminated with the food scent, treats that your dog really loves, and some different areas to work in. The first week the boxes are all in a line. Before I set L'Ox down to work, show him that I am putting the treats in the treat box then I do a "shell game" with the box, tapping it against the other boxes in the line and usually saying things like, "Where's your treat? Is it in this box? Oh, look at this box it looks so good." etc, and at some point switching the food box with one of the other boxes so that he doesn't just cue into the last box I was at and has to really work to find the treats. We do 3 searches in a training session and our goal for the week is to work in 5 locations. Mine will probably be the kitchen, the living room, the backyard, the school down the street, and at a friend's house. It makes things much easier if you have someone to help you but you can work by yourself using a tether or baby gate.
  • Basenji with me at work.

    Basenji Training
    20
    0 Votes
    20 Posts
    7k Views
    Kalima62K
    @agilebasenji: Could you put her in a pen behind the counter? Or section off an area for her. That way she could be with you, socialize, be the store mascot but not be out in the store where she could slip out the door. i dont think that hub will want to change the disposition of things…she'd just learn how to jump over the counter as soon as she figures it out!!!:D
  • The Dancing Basenji

    Basenji Training
    13
    0 Votes
    13 Posts
    4k Views
    L
    Love it. I had seen the golden video a couple years ago and though. well of course a golden would be willing to learn that. Amazing that a Basenji actually decided it was worth while to learn that :)
  • Puppy Nipping

    Basenji Training
    23
    0 Votes
    23 Posts
    7k Views
    Robin_n_JackR
    @JazzysMom: With Keoki we have to firmly say, "NO" and if he doesn't stop, we hold him under the neck – not tightly, just enough so he can't grab -- and make him sit. Then we look him in the eye and say, "NO! Enough!". That usually does it for him, and he's getting better and better at either not biting and/or listening the first time. He usually does stop the first time w/me, and in fact seldom does bite at me in play, but not as well with Dh and the kids . One of my dd's says it's because he's afraid of me, but that is not the case. He never cringes, he just listens to the Mama! I think he sees the other dogs and the kids listening to me, and the fact that I don't ask or beg him to stop doing things. I TELL him. I am working to get the family to see the difference, and to stop bouncing around while saying, NO. LOL Same for me- that is exactly what I do! When he was younger we tried the yelp, and we tried ignoring him….neither seemed to work very well for us. This seems to work very well, at least in our case.
  • Basenji Clothing

    Basenji Training
    10
    0 Votes
    10 Posts
    7k Views
    JalaJ
    I use this brand: http://www.weatherbeeta.com/ The cover I have for Jala (standard female) is 40cm or 16" (neck to tail measurement). This cover is really warm and waterproof. Subaruthie, the hoodies you made look so cool! :) [image: attachment_p_23194_0_img_0660.jpg] [image: attachment_p_23194_1_img_0659.jpg]