UPDATE
He woke up today completely frisky and happy to eat his kibble. Went to the vet, and they said all blood/electrolyte samples were normal and that his intestines felt fine. We are going to take a wait-and-see approach for now, and he'll be given some gastrointestinal friendly food over the weekend. The theory is that he was likely dealing with a virus/flu-like bug for 4-5 days. I'm tired from all the drama, but extremely grateful for everyone's help and suggestions -- I'm a very vigilant dog-walker, and yet I'm always surprised at how quickly he can snap something up whilst on a 6-ft leash!

Again, I'm extremely, extremely grateful for the suggestions and comments!! I'm sending out all the most positive vibes I can to you & your dogs, and I'll post a few pics of my Grady in the photo section so you can see what an iron-stomached crazy boy looks like

Thanks so very much for all your responses!! I've been reading them, and I'm grateful there are others who understand this unique pain! Lately, I've been practicing patience, and waiting for the growling (which comes before the biting would start) to die down. It takes quite a while longer than the usual "rush out the door", but he DOES calm down and let me put the legs through the leg holes - victory!! For now, it really does seem to be an exercise in patience - but I'm hoping that he likes the little treat he gets when it's all over, and that he gets used to being calmer as time passes. Again, thanks very very much all!!

Just STUNNING!

Thanks very much for the reply! We're going to the vet later tonight. Having normal poops and still being energetic is a bit of a puzzle to me, but that'll be for the expert to figure out. In the meantime, I'm going to try some boiled chicken for him to taste. Fingers crossed!

Hello everyone!!

My 2.5 yr old male basenji becomes extremely aggressive and will growl and bite my hands as I try to put on his winter coat (which he needs from time to time to avoid freezing on our walks). This occurs mostly when staying over with my parents -- oddly enough, he is completely fine with them putting on the coats, it's just me - his owner. And when we're alone back home on our own, he's mostly better and accommodating.

What I'm wondering is, can there be any way to reduce his "anger" at me in this regard? Treats won't cut it, and he's old enough to have given me a bunch of scars by now. Is he confused by who his owner is when multiple people take him outside? Is he wanting to challenge me for some strange reason? Also, it appears the worst part is putting his front legs through any jacket holes. He hates it.

Any ideas/strategies/suggestions are most welcome, as I'm going crazy trying to figure out how to keep an otherwise calm + loving boy from tearing up my hands over 20 seconds of activity. Thanks so very much!! (also - he doesn't have any underlying pain or physical issues to speak of in regards to this, so he's not responding to pain)

Thanks so very much for all your responses!! I've been reading them, and I'm grateful there are others who understand this unique pain! Lately, I've been practicing patience, and waiting for the growling (which comes before the biting would start) to die down. It takes quite a while longer than the usual "rush out the door", but he DOES calm down and let me put the legs through the leg holes - victory!! For now, it really does seem to be an exercise in patience - but I'm hoping that he likes the little treat he gets when it's all over, and that he gets used to being calmer as time passes. Again, thanks very very much all!!

Hello everyone!!

My 2.5 yr old male basenji becomes extremely aggressive and will growl and bite my hands as I try to put on his winter coat (which he needs from time to time to avoid freezing on our walks). This occurs mostly when staying over with my parents -- oddly enough, he is completely fine with them putting on the coats, it's just me - his owner. And when we're alone back home on our own, he's mostly better and accommodating.

What I'm wondering is, can there be any way to reduce his "anger" at me in this regard? Treats won't cut it, and he's old enough to have given me a bunch of scars by now. Is he confused by who his owner is when multiple people take him outside? Is he wanting to challenge me for some strange reason? Also, it appears the worst part is putting his front legs through any jacket holes. He hates it.

Any ideas/strategies/suggestions are most welcome, as I'm going crazy trying to figure out how to keep an otherwise calm + loving boy from tearing up my hands over 20 seconds of activity. Thanks so very much!! (also - he doesn't have any underlying pain or physical issues to speak of in regards to this, so he's not responding to pain)

I'm so sorry for your loss -- I've had my lil' guy for only 1.5 years now, and on the rare occasion I'm away from him for a day or two, I still flinch and react as if he were there. I can only hope to have as long a run as you had - it sounded so fun and rewarding! My deepest condolences.

Hi there,
Funny enough, my guy is from a breeder in Pembroke - just down the road from Ottawa! They've had litters on and off over the years, but I'm not sure whether they're active at the moment (last I heard, one of the moms was in a "false heat" and they might try again with her in the summer). In any event, it's easiest to politely contact whatever active breeders you can find in Ont/QC, and I find they're very nice and often able to refer you to others should their bookings be full. That's how I did it. Best of luck!!

Just STUNNING!

UPDATE
He woke up today completely frisky and happy to eat his kibble. Went to the vet, and they said all blood/electrolyte samples were normal and that his intestines felt fine. We are going to take a wait-and-see approach for now, and he'll be given some gastrointestinal friendly food over the weekend. The theory is that he was likely dealing with a virus/flu-like bug for 4-5 days. I'm tired from all the drama, but extremely grateful for everyone's help and suggestions -- I'm a very vigilant dog-walker, and yet I'm always surprised at how quickly he can snap something up whilst on a 6-ft leash!

Again, I'm extremely, extremely grateful for the suggestions and comments!! I'm sending out all the most positive vibes I can to you & your dogs, and I'll post a few pics of my Grady in the photo section so you can see what an iron-stomached crazy boy looks like

Yeah, there isn't much I can do living in an urban environment - there will be the odd food wrapper or napkin everywhere. The vet appointment is tomorrow, and he's resting comfortably right now after having had boiled chicken (phew). But I kid you not -- on the walk beforehand, everything went well for ~45 minutes, and then he gobbled up something "furry" (like a cat's full tail? 2 blocks later, there's a missing poster for a cat not seen in a long while - this was no piece of rodent, I can assure you). Anyways, I can't believe my bad luck - and his mischievousness - but I'm definitely opting for an xray tomorrow....

I'm grateful for the comments, and I'll keep you all posted!

Thanks very much! I'm also concerned about his very recent habit of wanting to eat "trash" - it's made it extremely difficult to walk with him this last week. I'll need to get to the bottom of that behavior soon enough too!

Thanks very much for the reply! We're going to the vet later tonight. Having normal poops and still being energetic is a bit of a puzzle to me, but that'll be for the expert to figure out. In the meantime, I'm going to try some boiled chicken for him to taste. Fingers crossed!