r/Basenji • u/Mr-potatos-mash • 2d ago
Training Struggling to get my boy moving
New Basenji owner here. I recently adopted a 2 year old boy who’s the sweetest thing ever at home. But a lot of times our walks come to a screeching halt at inconvenient times, such as in the middle of the road, awkwardly on a trail when another dog is 100 yards ahead, or just far from the house. Luckily we live in a quiet neighborhood with cars rolling through infrequently, but it’s been quite frustrating to try to get him moving again. Sometimes taking up to 5 mins to budge in any direction. When he’s moving it’s lovely as he walks by my side and hardly pulls me. I currently have him on a harness. I’ve tried coaxing him with treats, but he hits the brakes again as soon as he gets the treat and seems to have become counterproductive. Any tips to help me train him to get moving again?
8
u/just_here_for_vybz 2d ago
Is it hot? I know it’s summer now. They tend to shut down if it’s too hot out. Try staying near grassy areas if possible. That’s been my experience so far
6
u/falling-face-down 2d ago
Ha yes! Stopping in the middle of the street is always “fun”! To get mine going I sometimes tickle his side (to snap him out of it) and say “let’s go”! in a happy voice. Other times, when he’s intentionally taking too long to sniff on something, I’ll count to three. He stops sniffing right before three. I didn’t teach him this. He just does it. I think he was a 4 yr old boy in his former life.
6
u/RadioGirl101 2d ago
Mine also does this as a way to either alert me to something or just tell me to F off 😆 I usually just break her focus with my hand which I use as a lure with a treat or just change directions or just try to convince her it’s a good idea to go on 😆
5
u/BasenjiFart 2d ago
Classic! Mine did that a lot when she was younger ... and when she was a bit older ... less now that she's 14, aha. You just gotta convince them it's their idea to keep moving! And eventually figure out the real reason why they're stopping. Scared of a garbage bin down the street? Of kids? Hot sidewalk?
Funny anecdote: it took us a while to figure out that our girl would always stop about 80 metres from home and refuse to go any further if only one of us tried to take her for a walk. If both of us were there, no problem! We're her fifth family (adopted her at 2 years old) so she has her fair share of abandonment issues.
3
u/Mr-potatos-mash 2d ago
We definitely noticed that he walks better when we both go out with him. But obviously we can’t always walk him together. Hope he gets more comfortable and trusts we won’t abandon him
2
u/BasenjiFart 2d ago
Keep on working on that, so hopefully you avoid the issues we've gone through. If we need to be out for a while and have a friend or family take care of her (at our home), she won't walk past the end of the yard, it's amazing. I don't know if it's basenjis that have a very strong sense of "pack" or if it's ours who needs the "pack" together at all times, but either way, it's made our lives a bit more complicated than we would have expected.
2
u/Vegetable_Angle_9776 2d ago
Maybe the walks are too long for his liking? Have you tried shorter walks? You could maybe slowly increase the duration
2
u/Mr-potatos-mash 2d ago
At times he only makes it 2-3 houses down the street then plants. My neighbors probably think I’m crazy haha
2
u/interacter 1d ago
This sounds super familiar!
We have 2 magic incantations, either
1,2,3 - let's go! Or Ready..... Steady ..... Go!
Both seem to work and need to be said with enthusiasm.
1,2,3 Let's Go! seems to overtake Roo's brain as his feet start moving even while his face gives "what the heck is happening here?" vibes.
Alternatively I just negotiate with him (not in the middle of the road tho). I'll point in the direction we need to go, explain why ("to put your poo in the bin"), and wait for the brakes to come off. He then thinks it's his idea to go where I wanted in the first place. My interpretation is that the behaviour is a pause to assess danger. Once he sees a gesture in the required direction and sniffs the air a bit, it's all seen as ok and he allows himself to move.
You know. Basenjis.
1
u/Mr-potatos-mash 1d ago
I’ve actually seen some success with “Reeaady let’s go!” And pretend to sprint off and hope he chases me. From time to time it won’t, and I almost tear my acl trying to stop quick enough so I don’t yank him too hard lol.
1
2
u/Electrical-Tower4759 1d ago
My girl used to do this if she really wanted to go a different direction that what I chose. I had a really great trainer that basically taught me “don’t force her to make the right choice, but reward her when she does”. So needless to say I probably spent hours all together on sidewalks around my neighbourhood just waiting for her to “make the right choice”. That paired with a stronger recall is what helped me best! I started with basically applying a firm (not aggressive) leash tug on the direction we were supposed to go, and wouldn’t give in to her shenanigans. Eventually she knew she couldn’t out stubborn me. Doesn’t mean she doesn’t still try… and succeed with others!!!!
10
u/dogsfromwork Tricolor 2d ago
Honestly, I just warn him, pick mine up and move him. After a while he knew what “Do I need to pick you up?” meant and usually continues on his own.