The Dog Whisperer...

I cannot tell you how much easier life with dogs is when you pay attention and follow this guy's advice... it all makes total sense!
If you have not watched Cesar Millan yet, it is a MUST for ALL dog owners and fosters!

Dog Whisperer Tips

Cesar on the National Geographic Channel

Now, a glorious day will be when Cesar Millan meets with the folks from Dogtown... and they will learn what usually takes them months will only take weeks or even days!

Fostering - Week One

Thank you everyone for all of your kind words… it has been a good and interesting week. I have wanted to post updates, then thought I should do it all at once, and now there is too much to post!

Neon and Scottie are doing well. Both are incredibly sweet, affectionate, and pretty much sleep all day and all night. Scottie is a little more active of the two, and now during the day watches my every move and follows me everywhere. Neon will too, when she isn’t sleeping. I first thought Neon was the dominant one because she wasn't a good listener, but now I think it may be because she could be almost deaf. Scottie's energy might be labeled as more Alpha, but since they first arrived, I have established myself as the Pack Leader and have not had a problem. I have been working on door manners (myself, the Pack Leader, leaving the door and entering the door first, and so training them not to rush the door) and leash manners, which they have gotten very good at, as long as we aren’t near any trees or fire hydrants. There were a couple of nights and mornings this week that were below 30 degrees in temperature, so I had gotten them a couple of coats on sale at PetsMart, and the first cold morning, I was doing the door manners thing with them, and I opened the door and stepped out and they stayed right where they were, and I thought, “whoa, I am good… thanks to Cesar Millan!”, and then I realized they had NO interest in going out in that cold weather!

Interesting observations… I have been pretty consistent with a walking schedule, giving them a nice, brisk, calm/assertive walk, around 20 minutes twice a day, and a couple more let-out-to-potty times, and after the long walks, followed by a meal, Scottie would go to the door and whine like he needed to go out again. He would pace for a bit, and really act like he needed to go out again, but that really wasn’t the case, so I wonder if that was some ritual he did with his previous owner after eating…
As of yesterday and today, I haven’t seen that behavior any more.

There is no food aggression with these two at all, and in fact, they like to share each other's bowls, which I thought was fine until I realized that he was still eating while she walked away, and so I think she was just letting him have it without an argument, and thus is ending up thinner, so I have begun to feed them in separate rooms so she can get her entire meal.

As for the crate, they go into it pretty easily, with a treat incentive. The first couple of nights, I crated them (there were some potty accidents in the house the first day, and I was wondering if they were really housetrained, but I think they were just messed up from the shelter life, as there hasn’t been a single accident since), and they complained a bit, and then settled down. Once, I crated them before I was leaving, and then was in the other room for about 5 minutes, where they whined and then stopped and went to sleep. I see evidence of nesting, as the bathroom rug I put under the crate pad has been loosing its threads, but that is it.
So, then, the sucker that I am, I left them out the 3rd evening, as they were fast asleep on the couches at midnight. I heard Neon’s pain scream around 2am, which also woke Scottie up and they both ended up on my bed.
They slept through the rest of the night, and every night since, probably sleeping much better than I have been because, even sleeping single in a king sized bed, and long pillows everywhere, they end up against me, and I am afraid that I will end up smothering one of them, so I’m still trying to figure out how to get around that!

One morning, I think it was Tuesday, I had an hour class to teach, and both were asleep in the couch, and so I left them out, and saw Scottie's head pop up when I left through the door. I came back and all was well.
So, Wednesday evening, they were sleeping, and I thought I would leave them while I had a 4 hour stint of teaching… Scottie saw me leave… and I came back to a cardboard box massacre all over the living room (actually it was probably 3 boxes), and some of the bottom of some blinds torn down. Well, I had to try, anyway. Nothing valuable, just a mess, and both were sleeping soundly when I came in and cleaned it all up. So, crating it is.

Soon after I posted, Neon developed a cough, and Scottie started on Tuesday. Not really a cough, but more of a phlegm-stuck-in-the-windpipe kind of thing. At one point for each of them, I thought they were going to pass out from lack of breathing properly. I got them to a vet Wednesday morning (after continuously and unsuccessfully trying to reach the previous owners to find out who their vet was), and got them on antibiotics. They also had some serious scratching going on, especially in the ears, and they had some major yeast growing there, so we got some ointment for that as well.
Also, dear Neon, who is much thinner and seems a bit more frail, woke up Sunday night after sleeping for HOURS with a scream that would raise every hair on your body – I swear I thought she was dying right then and there. I observed that after that lasted for about a minute, she then walked with a hunch in her back for a little while. It continued to happen at least twice a day or more, usually after her long sleeps. I started her on some baby aspirin, but she is particular, and not really interested in any treats, and had no interest in regular cheese, peanut butter, or even a pill pocket. I recorded one episode on my phone, and showed it to the vet, and she prescribed some Tramadol. I also got the suggestion from Arlene about putting the medication in processed cheese, and that worked! I stopped the aspirin, as I’m not sure if she should be taking both…?
It seems to be helping, as she’s only had one screaming episode per day, usually in the middle of the night, where I am afraid my apartment neighbors might complain…

Friday, they seemed to become a bit more playful… a moment of chasing the tail, doing the bow down to run away thing once, that sort of thing. Yesterday, Saturday, I gave them a bath again, because they were scratching so much, and I found some oatmeal dog shampoo I had and tried that on them (After about an hour, they scratched more than ever, so now I’m not sure what to try.), and after they both were bathed and towel dried and I let them out of the bathroom, they went on one of those crazy running back and forth streaks that I haven’t seen in them yet… and it seemed that was a good breakthrough!

We have not done a cat evaluation yet, because of their illness, but one night we passed a cat in the parking lot of the apartment complex, and they looked at it and kept walking… same with a bunny and a squirrel… but I never make a big deal about them, and we just keep walking. Also, another dog owner with some unbalanced dogs were across the parking lot once, and made a big fuss about us, but we just kept on walking, and all was well. I have not been able to assess them with children yet, though there are many in this complex, and I will assess the right time for that. They have no problem with meeting new people.

Still looking for a forever home!

Basenji Info - Dog World article

Basenji Breed Info

Basenji Info - Dogster.com

I'm a Foster Mom!

Hello! Is anyone reading this?
If you are, email me, and I will try and keep it more up-to-date, but I'm on Facebook all the time! :)

I am now a Foster Mom to 2 FurKids - a brown and white male and tri-color female, 14 year old Basenjis. (Both are fixed.) They were dropped off at the Plano Animal Shelter by their owner, something about he had to crate them for too long or something, anyway, they were really stressed in the shelter, and Basenji Rescue and Transport sent out a call that my Mom sent me, and well, I went and got them.
They are re-learning leash manners, no food aggression, sleep most of the day, affectionate, and will be evaluated with cats and kids later this week.

They ARE available for adoption!

and someone posted THIS on their site when I sent out some photos...

For more information... Basenji Rescue and Transport

I also wanted to take home a yellow Lab, a Chocolate Lab and 120 lb Rottweiler with the sweetest face... find more loving pets to rescue at PETFINDER.com .

Don't forget the SPCA! They are awesome also!!

Please... DO NOT SUPPORT PUPPY MILLS!!

Blessings! :0)