@mvdperez Thank you! She truly has been such a great addition to our family 🙂
Newish owner needs advice
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Harnesses where the leash connects at the back WILL encourage pulling. The ones we are speaking about attach at the chest, which turns the dog back around towards you when they pull.
Honestly, and I don't mean this in an offensive way…but as a breeder, the description of what you want from your dog would have made me discourage you from our breed. Basenjis just aren't wired that way to love and respect you because they are your dog. You may have to re-evaluate everything you know and understand about dogs and dog ownership...because Basenjis are an adventure
Well put Andrea… I totally agree.... Basenjis are different... and they are not for everyone...
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I want my dog to obey me from respect and love not because he is waiting for a treat, I dont believe in tricking my dog into obedience. I was just curious and looking for tips to help with the nipping and pulling on the leash, still really haven't recieved that info just arguing againt alpha training.Thanks all the same.
Hi Jillian,
I understand where you are coming from, where you want your dog to do things because he loves you and not because you tricked him.I have two dogs, a rat terrier, and a basenji. Joker, my rat terrier, is very much like the dog you describe- if I raise my voice and tell him to COME, or to GET HIM, he will do exactly that. When we are running, I can give him a long reign and he won't tug (until that silly squirrel shows up, and then it's a free for all!). If I say, "BY ME" when we are running, he will heel and stop pulling. At night, he is loving and affectionate and will curl up on my bed to cuddle. We've had him since he was 4 months old.
My second dog, Lola, looks very similar to Joker, but is pure Basenji. Capital B. She IS wonderful when we run, and doesn't pull or take the lead very often…. although if it's raining out and she wants to go home, she will adamantly sit down and refuse to budge if we are running the wrong way.
When we run together, I am teaching her the word, "TREATS", so that she is learning to come TO me, to sit down, to wait for the treat, and while she is eating the treat, I am touching her head, her ears, and her collar. This is all in an attempt to prepare for the THE DAY that Lola escapes from the house and is outside without her leash on.Because we have learned the hard way. When Lola sneaks outside and is off her leash, it's a free-for-all. The rule book is forgotten and she won't come. Won't stay. I can raise my voice, plead, run towards her, run away, throw a ball.... no difference. Sometimes, it works if my Joker rounds her up... but at that point, it's up to Lola. I am trying to teach her that TREATS are awesome, but so far, she's not convinced.
She's not trying to be naughty, nor vindictive, nor any other emotions that we humans attach to this behavior. She's simply being a Basenji. Capital B. And I wouldn't trade her for all the tea in China. When she's inside, and cuddled on my bed, or next to me on the couch, she's so adorable. When she wakes up in the morning, Lola must yawn 20 times before she decides to get up, strrreeeetttchhhh her back like a kitty, curls up again… and then get ready to go outside. She will find the little sliver of sunshine on the living room carpet in the morning, and curl up on that spot.... 15 minutes later, Lola wakes up, finds that she's no longer in the sunshine and will shift over, and go back to sleep. She will bat things around like she's a kitty, and if she sees a fly in the house, she will follow that poor critter around, determined to eat it! She cuddles with Joker, cleans his eyes and ears, and when she wants to play with him, she tears around the house like a tasmanian devil.... her energy is limitless!
I can't really give you advice on the nipping, as Lola isn't aggressive. To me, nipping sounds like playtime that's become too playful? If that's the case, I would think a corrective NO! NO BITE!, followed by the stopping of the playing activity, would work. If it's more aggressive, like when you want your dog to move, then perhaps you should snap first, point to where you want him to go, call his name, give him the command, and then continue to snap, point, and use the command.... that may work? Followed by petting of his ears and praising him when he's done the task? And if treats are available, reward him with a treat?
(At the risk of starting another debate.... you can always try the squirt bottle trick to get your dog OFF the furniture?)
Did you mention whether your pup has been neutered yet? If not, perhaps part of the aggression is related to entering puberty?
I think it's common in un-altered dogs to be more aggressive.My last words of advice is to be patient, both with yourselves and with your pup. Someone told me that no matter how many books or manuals I've read to understand my Basenji, Lola can't read.
In my mind, the wonderful charm of Basenjis is that they are loving, loyal, smart…. and crafty. They get bored with the ordinary; if you put up an obstacle, they view it as a challenge to solve. My sister told me that her Basenji has just learned how to open the gates at the dog park, because he's so excited to get inside! How many other dogs can do that? :pWell wishes and a couple of ROOOs to you! I hope we can give you the support you need to better understand your Basenji. Capital B.
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Using positive reinforcement training and using treats as the reward is not bribing nor tricking the dog to do what you want. It is rewarding the dog for making good choices so it is more likely to make good choices in the future.
Most people don't work for free and most are less productive workers when they feel they are being under paid. Why do we expect that our dogs are going to be different? They want to know "what's in this for me?" and when they feel that the pay off isn't all that great they aren't that motivated to do it.
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Hi JillianJ,
One of the things I love about being with my hounds is that just when you start to feel confident that you know what you are doing, they will do something that makes you question what you've been doing for the past weeks, months and sometimes even years.
My comment with the attaching the leash to you and expecting your boy to follow you, is what are you hoping to achieve with this? Again I don't know the how's and where's of you doing this. But for instance I would never attach my boy to me in the house or garden as I often want to do stuff without my dog under my feet - eg cooking in the kitchen - or mowing the lawn, so to my mind it would be unfair to reward the dog for staying close to me one minute and then expect them to settle away from me in the next.
In addition, how does using the leash as a tether one moment with umbilical training help or hinder your on-leash walking - is it clear to the dog what is being required of him on each occasion?
A dear friend who is now frail and in her late 70's still walks her Irish Wolfhound and Deerhound daily, people often comment how nicely her hounds walk and when asked how she taught them, she simply replies, 'I never put a lead on them until they wanted to follow me' - therefore she and the dogs are always of the same purpose.
Whilst its not always possible to do this (I couldn't with my boy as we were apt living for his first 9 months), it is a good measure to go by, that if you dog will not accompany you without a lead why on earth do we think they will with a lead! However I now have a garden and that's what I'm working on improving now, so no lead, but making a game of him following me in the garden and getting rewarded when he is close to my left leg. In time I'll introduce a command, and then a lead! Meanwhile I will still continue with my old on leash walking protocol by stopping when he pulls - but the way he has learnt that (or I've taught it!) is that he goes to the end of his leash and then he has to stop. As its harder to reteach something, hence I'm starting over in a different way.
JC
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A popular misconception is that positive/reward training is just 'bribing' the dog - this is not the case at all if done correctly. It reinforces the behaviours you like, so the dog will repeat them more frequently. This principle underlies all interactions with the dog, which is why we keep on saying how good it is as it applies whether to lead walking or asking your dog to get off the couch or nipping. By just not rewarding the undesired behaviours they diminish in frequency.
Unfortunately I have never heard of 'Alpha training by Bill Paterson' - can you direct us to where we can find out more? Also have never heard of the term 'umbilical training' so again do not understand what you've been doing.
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you dont have to use treats either, whatever is a great reward for your dog (tugging on a toy, fetch etc). Positive reinforcement is the way that they train whales and dolphins to do tricks, and Ive even known some people to train guinea pigs! It is a very powerful training technique that works on all animals (including people).Operant conditioning http://www.alleydog.com/101notes/conditioning.html
bridge and target: http://synalia.com/about-sats/overview-of-sats-bridge-and-target/ -
This just in today on the Dog Star Daily blog:
"Being the Pack Leader Feels GREAT!"
http://dogstardaily.com/blogs/being-pack-leader-feels-great… a bit difficult to read without paragraph breaks, but relevant to the discussion nonetheless. Dog Star Daily also has quite a few other articles on dominance/alpha theory, and just lots of interesting information in general.
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JayCee, umbilical, or tether training is described in the Monks of New Skete books, I believe. At least I think that is where I first read of it.
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JayCee, umbilical, or tether training is described in the Monks of New Skete books, I believe. At least I think that is where I first read of it.
Thanks Andrea, at some point I'll get around to reading some of 'Monks of New Skete' books, however as I believe one or more of their books (I hope its only older versions) advocated using alpha rolls and such dominance techniques they've not made it to the top of my reading list yet. That's not to say some of their guidance/methods are useful, I've just not read any of their books but have heard that some of their methods are questionable.
I know of some folks have used tethering the dog to themselves with new fosters - in part to keep them out of mischief/to help with house training. Personally I prefer a more hands-off approach where the dog in their own time will turn to me for guidance and use crates/puppy pens to manage the keep out of mischief/house breaking aspects. Hopefully if I get around to reading the book I might find out why they find it a good technique - as I mentioned above, I like my dogs to be comfy with not having to be with me/know what I'm doing - of course I tend to have canine shadows when I'm doing my chores - however they are just as happy to 'shadow' with their eyes, whilst they remain snug in bed!
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I read somewhere recently that the Monks no longer recommend that method of training, certainly not for all dogs. I think research has shown that the true alphas in a pack are benevolent and not so forceful as we had thought.
I think there are better books on training and behavior than the Monks of New Skete. Basenjis seem to be the opposite of German Shepherds, anyway! -
Thanks Andrea, at some point I'll get around to reading some of 'Monks of New Skete' books, however as I believe one or more of their books (I hope its only older versions) advocated using alpha rolls and such dominance techniques they've not made it to the top of my reading list yet. That's not to say some of their guidance/methods are useful, I've just not read any of their books but have heard that some of their methods are questionable.
I know of some folks have used tethering the dog to themselves with new fosters - in part to keep them out of mischief/to help with house training. Personally I prefer a more hands-off approach where the dog in their own time will turn to me for guidance and use crates/puppy pens to manage the keep out of mischief/house breaking aspects. Hopefully if I get around to reading the book I might find out why they find it a good technique - as I mentioned above, I like my dogs to be comfy with not having to be with me/know what I'm doing - of course I tend to have canine shadows when I'm doing my chores - however they are just as happy to 'shadow' with their eyes, whilst they remain snug in bed!
Right, I don't use their training techniques, but I read them years ago (wow, over 20 years now), when I was first learning about dog training. I prefer reward based training also. I have never used tethering around the house because I know I would trip over the dog
I have tethered one of my own pups to me while teaching a puppy class, however, so that I could use my hands more easily…it worked really well in that situation. Personally, I think tethering as a training technique is un-necessary, and counter-productive...but probably not detrimental. -
Heard about your problem potty training your b in the rain. I think all b's hate rain. Rain is Beegin's evil enemy but then again so is wet feet…
Anyway, it's a simple suggestion but I got Beegin a little raincoat for pottying in the rain and he is a hundred times better about it now. My neighbors think he looks a little silly but then again, he doesn't care what they think anyway.
Got the raincoat online from petsmart about 2 years ago. I did have to do a little modifying of the underbelly straps but it was really simply stiching cuz Beegin needed a medium for length but didn't fit the girth.
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Living in the PNW, our b's just have to go out in the rain..But the rain coats do help.
Also, making it just seem like "part" of the day…wake up, walk, rain or shine, with human suffering as well as dog, back home, dry off, eat breakfast...
They don't like it, but its like "work" for us...has to be done.Sharron Hurlbut
BRAT, basenji rescue
Evergreen basenji club
Seattle Purebred Dog Rescue
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This year seems to be the wettst we've encountered in my part of the uK. Most of mine hate the rain but know that I insist that they pee outside whatever the weather.
Gbala has the best method - she stands on her head first before running round and round indoors for several minutes and then makes a wild dash for outside. The rest, apart from Bungwa, just edge out gradually. Bungwa stands outside looking very miserable and getting soaking wet before he'll eventually pee!! What a dreadful mum I am, he tells me!
This training discussion is very interesting but I think that it is better to realise that one can't always follow methods used by trainers and designed for the average dog rather than Basenjis. If there are no knowledgeable Basenji training advisers, far better to follow the wise advice given on this forum by those who've had the same behaviour experiences with Basenjis.
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@macpack I was wondering if I could ask a follow-up question in regards to making basenjis think "its their idea." I hear that a lot when I'm reading about them. What does that mean or look like?
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I would try a raincoat for the rain. It helped my guy to go out in the rain. He would just get really cold so the coat helped. I did the same thing another poster mentioned - bought a size larger and modified the belly strap to fit my B that way the coat covers his whole back.
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@lvoss
I sit, nuzzle and cuddle with my B, Thor on the couch all the time. He has a mat on the floor when he wants to rest and stretch out. It’s not prohibitive, but if we don’t want him up there we direct him off....and he is told to go to place. -
@sharronhurlbut
We live in SW Fl, it rains everyday in the summer, our boy Thor has to just suck it up. We try to hold off when we can, but when nature calls, a quick trip outside....do our business and shake off under the portico
