No, you aren't mixed up. I did say I posted info to a rescue list. I am a BRAT volunteer, but Griffin is not a rescue dog. For now, Griffin is going to stay at my mom's (BlueBell) for a few weeks and have a little vacation from Matthew. In the meantime, we will use your suggestions to decide our best course of action. Matthew realizes that he needs to change some of his actions and give Griffin another chance, but it is hard for him because these are not the kind of dogs that he is used to being around. I will post some updates in a few weeks. Thanks for all of the helpful info.

No, Griffin is not a rescue. That is one reason his attitude in general has been so frustrating to me. I have had him since he was 9 weeks old. Again, I have had problems with both of my dogs because I probably didn't know enough about dogs in general to get a basenji in the first place, but what is done is done. Phoenix has really mellowed and blossomed through alot of the additional training we have done (and it turn really likes Matthew). I do think Griffin has improved in certain areas, but not with Matthew.

Oh, and I am going to ignore the comments about my boyfriend's possible character :).

He has actually had some health problems and I thought that was the excuse for the increasingly bad attitude, but he has recently received a clean bill of health. He was the one with Blastomycosis for any of you that get the basenji rescue e-mails. I pretty much kept him totally away from Matthew during that time, I thought he was going to die - he quit eating and it was bad for a few weeks. Maybe he just got spoiled during that time.

Anyway, yes he will growl at me sometimes too. If I touch him somewhere he doesn't like or if I make him get off the couch when he doesn't want to. And, my boyfriend isn't the only one that he growls at. He typically doesn't care much for men, but since my boyfriend is the one that is around him most he gets the brunt of the aggression. He will growl at my Dad sometimes, but my Dad just thinks it's funny and walks away. Again, this has been a constant battle with both of my dogs but has actually gotten better in the past few years as I have learned to take control more and let them see me as alpha. He used to get in fights with my other dog alot, but that has gotten alot better since I have been more in control.

Not sure if that answers everybody's questions. He definitely IS NOT good with children either, as he has been around my nephews quite a bit. I assume that is more a typical basenji thing, but it just concerns me thinking about having children of my own. At least with my nephews, they are just around him periodically and can be monitored. They are young 2 and 5. I love this dog very much, but I don't like the idea of him being miserable either. I would rather he be in a situation were he could be happy and relaxed. Sometimes I think that is why he got blasto and my other dog did not, since they are always together. The vet said that stress can cause a weakened immune system, just like in people.

Thanks for the advice so far. The treat idea sounds like one good option.

If you mean each episode, then he will growl and/or snap and run and hide. If I go and try to "comfort" him, then he is usually ok with me just a few minutes afterwards. But, I have been trying not to do that because I feel like that is babying him or somehow condoning his behavior. He stays on permanent "caution mode" with Matthew, but maybe up to an hour or two later if it is on his terms, he might let Matthew pet him or give him a treat with no growl.

He tries to pet him and be nice to him, but still give him his space. We have tried having Matthew be the one that lets him out of his crate, feed him and walk him. Griffin will still consistently growl or snap at him sometimes when he just walks into the room. When we are at Matthew's house or he is at mine, Griffin doesn't want to play at all he will just go into the other room and stay away from Matthew. They did have an incident once when we first started dating where Matthew was playing with him too roughly and Griffin bit him. So, apparently Griffin just can't let go of that?? Griffin is a fairly grumpy little dog anyway as he sometimes growls at me if I do something that he doesn't like or gets in fights with my other dog. I have worked really hard on his behavior with some "professional" trainers, and I feel like he has gotten better in general, but not specifically with Matthew, possibly even worse with him. Unfortunately, when he tries to bite Matthew probably doesn't handle it the best way. He gets mad and throws him in the garage or locks him in his crate.

My 9 year old basenji boy hates my boyfriend. It has gotten progressively worse since I have been bringing him over to my boyfriends house. Although my boyfriend is not completely understanding of the breed, I do feel as though he has tried to get Griffin to like him but to no avail. I have another dog one year older, also male, who did not like him at first either, but now they are big buds. I have talked to the vet and to professional trainers, but nothing has seemed to work very well. I can tell that Griffin is miserable and on edge every time Matthew is around. I am afraid I might have to find him a new home, just because I want him to be happy and I am not planning on ending my relationship with my boyfriend.