Posts made by Ember the Basenji

My Basenji has caught multiple rabbits and squirrels while on a leash as well. I went to using a shorter leash. At the cottage I have her trained to stay on the property but I do put a bell on her collar. The bell is partly to let me know when she is chasing something so I can ensure she doesn't leave but it's also to let the squirrels know where she is. They tease her relentlessly so if she gets one; it's dead!

The first thought that popped into my head is to make her happy that your leaving. Find something that is a high value treat for her that she really likes but only give it to her once you get home and once she is quiet. Praise her for being quiet and for being a good girl for being alone. Start with 10 min and then make it longer etc. If she associates you coming home as something good, she may feel better about watching you leave. I would also have on music she likes so she isn't feeling completely alone. My last piece of advice is a sweater. My dog hates putting one on, but as soon as she is wearing it she's fine and I find the warmth really calms her. I would put it on in the morning and see if she is a bit more calm and relaxed during the day. Good luck!

If the two dogs were being taunted or teased by a child it is easy to see how this could have escalated to a fight very quickly. It will of course be important to see how the two dogs react to each other going forward but just as important as their reactions to each other, is your reaction to the two of them being together. Naturally both you and your husband are upset and likely traumatized by what happened. Both dogs will feed off your tension when you are all together again and this will make things even harder for both you and them. It's easy to forget there were two in the fight when one is badly injured. If you or your husband are going to be stressed everytime the two dogs are together, then you have a bigger problem so I hope you can find a way to forgive Shenzi and realize that situations like these aren't always clear or one sided. I wish all 4 of you the best of luck with this and I hope you can all heal from this incident and move forward together.

It's a bit of a hike from T.O. but Sanda Allen from Africanadian Basenji's in Petawawa is amazing and her basenji's are the best ....ok I am biased! :).

I am also the one who feeds my girl, drives with her to work, takes her for walks etc so she is around me all day everyday. When she sees my mom, she wags her tail, if my mother takes too long to answer the door, she swats at it and cries. When she sees my son, she wags her tail and chortles and screams at him like she hasn't seen him in years. When she sees the controller at my office, she swats at him and makes a plethora of weird noises until he gives her a treat. I think it's kind of like being a mom; your taken for granted because you are alway there but when they want someone to cuddle with, it's you they go to. I wouldn't take it as a sign that he prefers your husband. Your basenji is just not used to seeing him all the time.

I have never had a puppy basenji as mine was a year and a half by the time we got her. The one thing I can tell you from my experience is that if I tried to pass her to someone who is not in her "pack" she would have done exactly the same thing. An acquaintance or a neighbour would not make the cut. In my case, only family and my office staff (which she sees everyday) would be trusted and allowed to treat her in a familiar way. Any one else would have to wait for her to choose to allow them into her circle. That includes a vet who she would hate for trying to put a cone on her head. She is a gentle sweet girl but she has very clear boundaries about who she lets near her and who she will allow to restrict her.

My vet did something that I thought was going to be a disaster but turned out to be brilliant. He had his assistant call in the office dog which was a Boston terrier named Newton. I thought Ember was going to tear Newton to shreds because her anxiety was over the top, instead, they sniffed each other and Ember calmed to a reasonable level where I could control her. I think all dogs fear the vet and they can smell the fear of all the animals that were there ahead of them. On top of that, she can sense my stress when she goes all crazy eyed basenji on me. Seeing Newton, who was calm and unafraid seemed to change her perspective. I understand not all vets will have their own dog for these situations; however, it did make me realize how high my anxiety level was as well. I now make a point of remaining relaxed and keeping her leash as slack as I can so that I don't add to her anxiety.

The breeder we got our amazing basenji from is in Petawawa, Ont. They are Africanadian Basenjis. They would definitely be worth contacting. Good Luck!!

I have a tri colour basenji who had two of her front nails turn partially black a couple of years ago. I googled it and found that it is common with tri colour dogs to have their nail colour change to black. She has had no issues with it aside from the colour change.

I am from Ontario as well. Bouncing between Burlington and Waterdown. There is a fabulous breeder in Petawawa that will have a litter in late 2019. I have a 6 year old from her now and she is hands down the best basenji ever!! (OK...I am somewhat biased...and I haven't met any other basenji's). The breeders name is Sanda Allen and her company is Africanadian Basenji's. You can find her on Facebook for sure. She did have a website but I don't think it's been updated in years.

Hi, our basenji was a year and a half old when we got her and she had been bounced around to 3 different homes before she came to ours. She was very angry when she left to come with us and she growled any time we remotely did anything she didn't like. I remembered thinking "when is she going to finally accept us as her family?" Well it took about 9 months for that to happen. Now she very rarely growls and it's usually if she feels threatened or just wants to give you a firm no (like at bath time and now that growl can be ignored without consequence). All I can say is hang in there. They love to be loved and in my case, she finally came around.

She is a beauty! My initial reaction when I saw the picture was that she had the face of a German Sheppard. If you find out what mix she is, keep us posted.

My basenji is also aggressive on a leash and it really is her only negative trait. When we first got her, she was very angry (we were not her first house) and she tried to show us she was top dog. She nipped me a few times when she didn't want to do something and ended up in her crate immediately. Now she will put her mouth on my hand as a way of playing or expressing her displeasure but she never bites. As for walking, I have her on an 8ft leash so she can explore once he hit the trails but it is retractable so when we are in the city I keep it short and her close. She has on occasion tried to nip me to get me to drop the leash. I do react quite strongly when it happens. I scoop her up and hold her snout shut and (without blocking her nose of course) tell her no very sternly. I will stand there until she stops squirming. If she tries pulling again when I put her down, I scoop her up again right away and will either stand and wait or carry her and walk until she settles again. When I can put her down and she behaves, then I give her tons of praise and let her know we are still friends. She really dislikes being reprimanded and responds more strongly to praise. I find she very rarely nips now. She will still try and pull towards another dog to attack but I keep her back and give a firm no. I also let the other dog owners know she is not friendly on a leash and ask them to keep their dog away. Having said all this, she is fine at the dog park. She will run and play to her hearts content. I just have to watch her around fluffy white dogs. This is my first basenji and quite frankly she is like no other dog I have ever met. Being a newbie isn't a detriment!

My basenji did that when we first adopted her as well. It took a while but it will pass. According to the breeder it is a stress reaction. We were her 3 or 4th house and she was initially very upset at the change. Once she settled in it stopped happening.

Good luck finding one! My Basenji could eventually work her way out of every one. You have to be very diligent about keeping the straps done up tightly. It got very stressful letting someone else walk her because she was so adept at wriggling her way out that I gave up and just leash her to her collar.

The best coat I have found for her so far is one made by Chili Dog called the Great White North. Only when the temp drops down below -20 degrees Celsius do I add a sweater underneath. The coat fits snuggly the full length of her neck and chest all the way down her back so I find she is warmer with it on. The coat and muttluk boots keep her fairly comfortable.

We live in Ontario and we are buried in snow and ice at the moment. Not taking Ember for walks is simply not an option because she comes to our office everyday and the basenji 500 is just not acceptable work place behaviour. The best winter boot I have found for Basenji's are Xtra Small Muttlucks. Your basenji will hate putting them on, but they won't be screaming because they have salt or ice in their paws. With her muttlucks and a warm coat, she can go for her regular walks. She also likes hiking trails in the winter and is comfortable without her boots on. Hope this helps!