Practical Obedience Choices
- Make it more interesting to do what you want them to do (lure/reward -- cookies, happy talk, etc.)
- Make it physically impossible. Use baby gates, child-locks on cupboards, closed doors, dragging a 6-foot leash that you can step on when you are around to supervise, sheets on chairs and sofas, rocks and railroad ties along bottoms of fences, etc... or simply permanently removing the object. Be creative.
- Basenjis hate being ignored. Turn on your heel and walk away. No reward of any kind.
- Negative -- to be used only as a last resort, because negative things usually don't work very well with Basenjis -- the Basenjis just try to figure out a way around the slightly negative things. (Spray bottles, for example). NEVER set up a head-on, physical confrontation with a Basenji for ANY reason -- find a way around problems rather than using force.
Practical Obedience Concepts
- Do obedience work in small increments during the day -- only 1 minute or so, as Basenjis have the attention span of a gnat. Make it fun for both of you. Call him to come at odd times during the day for a treat. Make him sit before meals and going outside. Have him do a trick for company and give him a delicious treat (or better yet -- have THEM give him the treat -- makes him think that visiting people are GOOD! Be creative.
- Never give a command that you can't convince them to do. Don't set them up to fail.
- Say the command only once. They're like little kids -- if you say, "Sit...sit... sit...sit...sit...sit," they'll ignore you.
- Make it understood that the command is not "multiple choice." No rewards for anything but what you asked.
- Make it worth their while to do what you want (Treats, praise and petting for compliance). Basenjis are motivated by self- interest. Someone has said, "They work for a paycheck!"
Practical Obedience Commands
Overall Commands
- "Good dog! " Good boy/girl" or "Excellent!" Praise given for good or outstanding compliance.
- "O.K." A release from any sustained command that you give.
- "No!" (or "aaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnnhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!) Means your dog should immediately stop whatever it is that he is doing.
Commands For Not Taking Things
- "Leave it/O.K." To not touch something unless you give him the "O.K." release.
- "Trade." To give him something good in return for something which he shouldn't be chewing. (Note that this command can also be a Godsend with small children -- you teach the dog that you can take away his food bowl, but that you will return it with a treat in it.)
- "Give." You must give it up--right now--to me.
- "Take it." Take this piece of food that I'm giving you.
- "Gentle." To take them take something out of your hand gently-- keeps you from losing your fingers. (Offer the food in a closed fist and only open when they stop being greedy.)
- "Find it" or "Get it" -- to find a cookie that you have dropped. Can be made into a game of hide and seek or fetch.
Useful Commands Either on a Walk or at Home
- "Come." Always with praise, treats and happy talk. This is an emergency command and should always be followed by good things happening. (If you're going to give him a bath, don't say, "Come!" Just go and get him.)
- "Heel." Walk at my left side with a loose, 6-foot leash. (Reverse direction if he runs out ahead and call him to come along with you.)
- "Wait/sit--O.K." by roadsides and going out of doors.
- "Easy." When nearing the end of a Flexi-leash so your arm doesn't get jerked out of its socket.
- "Stay." To be used for all positions: sit, stand and down -- Basenjis aren't very good at doing this for long periods of time, but can be taught to do it for a few minutes at a time.
- "Be good." Combined with tiny treats for praising them when they are getting along well with another dog (and in my case-- for NOT going by someone else's crate and playing, "You're in the crate, and I'm not" -- accompanied by much rude snarking.) "Taking away the "audience" works well for this sort of thing, as well. Turn on your heel and walk away with no comment.
- "Off" To get them back on all fours when jumping up on people, "counter-surfing," occupying your seat, etc. Dragging a six-foot leash when you're there to supervise works well for getting them off a bed or chair. Couple that with a nice reward and some "happy talk."
- "Up." to get them to jump up into the car or onto a bed.
- "Cookie-in." To get them cheerfully into a crate. I have plastic "cookie boxes" above the crates for easy access.
- "Out." To get them to come out of the crate so that you can change their blanket or clean the crate.
- "Move!!!'' (or "Look out!!!") to get them to move so you don't step on them or hit them with an opening or closing door.
Copyright © 2004 by Betsy Polglase
All rights reserved.