Posts made by dropit

This will be my last post but I'm sorry about the problems you are having. They are similar to what I experienced. When dogs first get this condition they have little appetite. If you can get her on the medications her appetite should improve although as someone mentioned, you can only do so much and then just giving her the best foods and walking her so that she has an appetite may be the best thing you can do for her. Here is what happened with my dog: She wouldn't accept foods with pills hidden in them because she could smell it, and she had little appetite when the condition first appeared. As I said I ground up the pills and stuffed them in No. 4 capsules available on Amazon. Do a few hundred in a few hours when you have spare time. If you want, make some bacon and let the grease cool. Rub the filled capsules in the bacon grease to help hide any residual scent of meds then separate the capsules into plastic bags and label them how many of each she needs to take per day. Take your dog for a long walk and let her explore. Basenjis are hunting dogs so let them have fun and don't make them walk beside you. Find out what meat she loves, grill it and stuff a capsule in a small chunk of it just large enough to totally hide the capsule. Mix that with her kibble and mix that in with any oils that come from the grilling. I give mine about 10 capsules total per day in a combination of sodium bicarbonate, renal K, pet tabs plus and amino fuel. After being on this regimen for a time her appetite came back. It is a lot of work but something we accept. Dogs chew muscle meat but tend to swallow fatty meats. As a result she is less likely to notice the hidden capsules in small chunks of fatty pork. This is what worked for me. I'm not saying it will work for you but at least give it a try before you give up. I wish you the best.

Yes. They catch on real fast. I thought that would happen. Been there. That's why I've had to use the capsules. My dog is extremely smart. Their scent is nearly bionic. As Deb said ...even if the pills are mixed with anything like broth she won't touch it. My dog will also not tolerate having pills pushed down her throat no matter how many treats i would give her before or after. She can see that coming. She is not stupid. Not all basenjis have the same tolerance and temperment and many people don't understand this.

I have had a the same problem with my basenji. I thought it was hopeless but found that I needed to grind all the tablets in a mortar and pestle. I bought number 4 empty capsules online. They come in packs of about a thousand or so and the number 4's are small enough to hide in food. I put all of her required medicine into the empty capsules... Do this for about 2 hours on a day that you have extra time and you can have enough for a whole months supply. I then cut up little chunks of pork that has been grilled on my foreman grill big enough to fit each capsule in and totally hide the capsule. I take a chopstick and poke a hole in each small piece of pork and then insert the capsule into each piece. Before putting the capsules into the pork though, it can be helpful to wipe them off and make sure you have no residue of any of the medicine on your hands when you handle the pork. Rubbing them in bacon grease before inserting them also helps get any odors off the capsules but is not necessary. My dog rarely notices when I do this, and of course the capsules are tasteless unless she happens to break one... Which she'll spit out. But it's not a big deal as I'll just give her another piece of pork with another capsule in it. This method has worked great for me when nothing else seemed to work. It may seem like a lot of work, but once you get the system down it doesn't take too long. Hope that helps.

As Tanza said, the nature of the breed is that they do pick things up and can destroy things left sitting around….even as adults. So you just have to be careful what you leave sitting and if it is valuable, put it out of her reach. My B has also vomited on the bed, and like eee said, I try and get her off it when she starts heaving, but sometimes I'm not quick enough. Don't expect that they are smart enough not to vomit in a bed. Some humans can't make it to the bathroom either, so I wouldn't expect my dog to.

Regarding digging in the couch: My dog does that occasionally as well. I just put a cover over my couch so she wouldn't ruin the material. That's a Basenji for you. I'm sure I could probably train her not to do it eventually, but I find it easier just to cover my couch., and she doesn't do it too often anymore. As others have said, I think she has picked up bad traits from her previous owner who was obviously stupid and not a dog lover. If you are persistent you will continue to make slow improvement. Always substitute a rawhide or some type of toy if you take something away from her, otherwise she will get mad. And, if you kick her out of your space on a chair, be nice about it and give her some treat or compensation. Basenjis are special. They're only on this earth for 10-15 years so enjoy both the good and the bad. They are wonderful animals.

She wants your attention and this is her way of getting it. Basenjis are extremely intelligent. You have to praise and reward her greatly when she goes to bathroom outside so that she will WANT to go there instead of in the house. She doesn't go to the bathroom in the crate because Basenjis are very clean dogs and don't like to sit beside their own droppings.

RE: Running free without a leash. Forget it. You have a Basenji. If you continue to do this she will eventually get hit by a car. I never leave my dog free without a leash except in a fenced in area. Period. Basenjis are hunters. Of course others will dispute this, but I know my own dog.

She runs away when she does something wrong because she's not stupid. She knows you disapprove but she is craving your attention and she's getting it!

My dog takes things off the table to get my attention then jumps up onto the couch and looks at me as if to say….LOOK AT ME! I think this is inherent in most Basenjis eventhough we give her plenty of attention they need to be included in your family and treated as such. You just have to reach an acceptable medium between both of you. Basenjis work for treats and I would start there, plus get a professional trainer to help you.

If it works for eee then that's fine IMO. I can appreciate the point of the dog having some more freedom, but still being under control and I would use it if I were sure it would be effective. I'm sure the dog appreciates a little extra freedom too. I live in the country so prefer the longest flexi leash when there are no people around. It gives her the freedom to run 60' in radius and provides some more exercise and room for exploration. If a dog was nipping at strangers whether with an e collar or flexi lead then it would be a problem, but that is not the case here if used correctly. People need to be able to think for themselves, use common sense, and use their own discretion. Personally I wouldn't trust an e collar because there are too many animals where I live and my dog has helped me to track wounded deer so she will go after them without my rebuke, but to each their own. Evidently they can be used effectively. I just wouldn't want to chance mine getting hit by a car at some point and don't want to go through training processes such as classes etc. Everyone must reach an equilibrium with their own dog for god's sake.

I've hunted deer with my basenji in emergency situations during archery season. She has helped me find several wounded deer in the woods after dark. Basenjis are easily distracted by other trails and other deer scents so you need to make them associate the smell of deer blood with getting a raw venison treat. My basenji found a deer for me the first time I tried it with her. Most dogs need extensive training for this but she picked it up in 10 minutes. She has helped me a great deal. If there is no blood on the ground however it'd be tough depending on the wind direction, and they usually get distracted by diverging deer trails if there is no blood to follow.

He should adjust in time to losing his companion. However long that takes is questionable though and he will continue to be angry and feel neglected and reflect that anger with destruction just out of loneliness. It may improve with time and may not. You have to ask yourself is this fair for your dog? I would spend nearly all my time with him when I was home taking walks, etc. and if you can't do more than 2 hrs. it may be best to find a better home for him where he has a better environment. If his new home is a better place where there is a yard to run, and owners that can spend more time with him he will gradually accept the new home and owners. I know that is hard but may be the best. When your living situation improves you may think about owning another dog.
Other than that, working 2 jobs leaves the dog alone too much to be fair so you need to get someone…the same person all the time... over to your apartment to spend time with him if you don't want to give him up. He can bond to that person and that will help the loneliness somewhat. If you decided to give him up, the new owners could come over frequently for walks and visits before you gave the dog to them so that the dog would consider them friends before adoption, that would help the dog transition. I would not give that dog to an inexperienced owner though. That could end in disaster. It will do the same things with the new owner although it should get over the transition quicker because it will be in a better environment. Also, was your husband the dog's leader? You now have to be a positive leader for him because it sounds like he lacks leadership.

No, I don't know that one but these are beautifully hand carved collars made specifically for Basenjis. They're custom made in very limited quantities. Worth a look…

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=271110778466

These are beautifully hand carved collars custom made specifically for Basenjis.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=271110778466

We live in a somewhat remote farm area and our female puppy used to be fine off lead around our house. This went on for about a year and she seemed to know the boundaries of our acreage and always kept within earshot. However, the older she got, the farther she would explore, eventually going 1/4 mi. away onto other people's property. This is when we put a stop to her wandering because she could get into trouble…with neighbors, traps, cars, you name it. Now, I built a big fence area behind our house for her to run inside of. The lure of deer and other wildlife is too great for most Basenjis to resist. On the very odd occasion that she gets free now however, she always comes back after a while and knows where home is. Avoid them running free at all costs though if you value your B!!!!

I agree. It upsets me to see people walking with Flexis and their dog attacks some other dog because they're not paying attention, or don't know how to work the trigger mechanism properly. I've come to think that maybe people in cities just shouldn't use them because errors will inevitably occur…humans will be humans. I live in the country though, and there's no one around where I walk my dog. The long Flexi is the best choice for me because I like to let my dog explore some on her own when we're on walks, and she can run here and there while still not being able to take off. Not every situation is the same for everyone. If I were in the city or around people and congestion I'd probably use a 5 or 6 ft. fixed lead.

My sister only feeds her dogs their kibble. Period. She says that the dogs like and eat it, and her dogs have always had VERY long lives…most living past 15 years. It is her theory that dogs don't really crave the variety of foods that humans do and the kibble has all the nutrients that they need. Whether this is true or not for Basenjis is subject for debate but the fact that her dogs live so long does carry some merit. My wife gives our B way more table food than I would like and sometimes the dog has adverse affects from certain types of table food even though it is all natural. I personally don't feel that the dogs needs that much variety. So, I guess you could try it but I'm not sure if it would be very beneficial.

Our Lilly digs up dandelion roots which she loves to eat. She also likes the bitter tasting dandelion leaves and people eat them in salad as well so I let her eat them. She doesn't have any stomach problems after eating them and it may provide certain nutrients which are good for her. IDK.

I can see where the Flexi would not be ideal for both dog or person in certain circumstances. I've seem many instances where users just can't figure them out, or are not good at using them and that is hazardous to all involved! However, I live in the country and find that the long 27' Flexi is a good way for her to burn energy on our walks where there are no people or cars around. If my dog sees a squirrel, deer, groundhog, etc. and dashes towards it as most Basenji's do, I anticipate it getting to the end of the lead and already have my arm in a back position and cushion the dog when it gets to the end by letting my arm go forward in a "shock absorber" fashion. Also, my dog has learned how long the lead is and will usually slow itself down when it knows the end of is near. IMHO, I see no harm in it if used properly and in the right areas and circumstances although one has to be very aware of what is going on around them. For where I live in the country, I don't see much sense in having my dog walk perfectly beside me. Basenji's like to run and sniff things out so I let them. It is her time to enjoy. Just my opinion.

My Basenji is 8 mos. old and probably like most basenjis is very particular about what it will chew on. She prefers to chew on and take things that she knows she shouldn't, just because she knows that makes it more valuable! She has never had an interest in Nylabones. I found Greenies to work…which are supposedly good for cleaning her teeth as well, but our dog quickly got bored of them, and they were too soft and didn't last long enough. A rolled piece of rawhide seems to satisfy her, particularly if one end of it is soaked in water for about a minute to soften it. That will help to get the dog started on chewing it. I know some people condone rawhide but our dogs have always chewed on it and lived long lives. Large bones with a little smoked meat on them work well too. Our dog loves pig ears but it gives her gas and too many can't be good for her health. Avoid chicken bones as they break and are hazardous.