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Odd hair chewing

Behavioral Issues
  • bcraigB

    Just a quick report on a behavior we had never seen before from Ella.

    We had a friend over for dinner that brought her Labradoodle, Oshee. The two dogs got along well. After a few hours the Labradoodle was lying down snoozing when I noticed that Ella that was chewing at something and realized she was chewing on Oshee's fur. Oshee was not bothered but despite our efforts to distract her, Ella was focused on chewing, grooming and eating his loose, bushy coat for the rest of the time they were there. At one point we called Ella off and she looked up at us guiltily with a mouth full of hair as if to say, "I don't know how this hair got in my mouth."

    Anybody ever seen this before?

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  • nobarkusN

    I guess it's the Basenjis like to make sure everybody is clean and groomed like them. Ella is just being a good friend and helping out Oshee.

    Buddy, Paolo and Dan

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  • etzbsederE

    Medjai will do that to a bunch of dogs at the park. He looks almost like he's nibbling on their shoulders.

    Michael Feldman
    Gilbert, AZ

    Chaverim Basenjis

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  • btterfly111B

    Barley shocked us all when we were visiting my boyfriend and he was getting an in home hair cut. Barley started eating all the hair off the ground!!! I couldn't imagine this being nutritious for him so I made him stop. It was a fight as I tried to hold him and he WANTED to eat the hair!!! Not sure what this craving was about??

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  • RedVelvetLynxR

    Ha-ha! Denver will perch himself on the top of the couch above where my husband is sitting & try to chew-clean his eybrows in between licking his face off! :p

    Holly

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    My red & white grew out of chewing up stuff when he was about 4. He had mastered unzipping the couch cushions and destuffing them! It was his duty to destuff any couch with a zipper! My female will be 8 next month and she (I'm afraid) will never grow out of destuffing/chewing! Small hole in a comforter, no problem, let's make it bigger and destuff it so the room looks like snow! Toilet paper, hanging on the toilet paper dispenser? Never in my house! It only lasts 2 minutes and then it is set on a path of distruction…down the hall....in the living room.....in the bathroom.....on the bed..... Unfortunately, she is teaching the toilet paper destruction to my almost 3 year old rescue. But he doesn't shred, he litteraly eats anything he is destroying. We have had to be extra dilligent to keep chew dangers out of his way. He is tiny for a male (20 lbs) and we don't want him to ingest something and not be able to pass it. I echo everyone else's statements. It's like baby-proofing your house, except it's basenji-proofing! And when you catch the chewing something they aren't supposed to have, scold them and give them one of their own toys. These are intellegent dogs, they get it....after a while!
  • KitKatK

    Need Help with chewing, everything

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    BlueBellB
    I am finding out quickly that if things are too quiet I better go find Bella. Most of the time she is asleep but there are those times that my tennis shoes or sandals are now becoming just chew toys. Upsetting but funny too. Kind of like my 2 year old grandson's antics.
  • RedVelvetLynxR

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    @Shaye's: Shaye has never chewed on stuff she shouldn't until the last week or so - she's almost 6 months though, and lots of her behavior has gotten worse - if we go into the bathroom she starts chewing at the door jambs - she has also discovered carpet is a good toy - and if we are not paying attention to her, she purposely starts doing something she knows she shouldn't - my friend b owners tell me it's her "teen phase," pushing all the limits - hope she grows out of that soon…..maybe that's what your dog is up to - Exactly. Trinity was so good about not chewing on things she isn't supposed to until a few months ago - I thought I must have been blessed with the best behaved chewer ever! Ah-haha! It started with the base board corners & has moved to carpet threads. I would like to believe she doesn't realize what she's chewing on, but this isn't so. When I catch her in the act, there are no no toys around her, unless she's carried one over for a decoy. Otherwise, she sniffs around until she finds a spot. As soon as she stops & starts digging her nose in the threads, I know the chewing is not far behind, so at least I have an opportunity to nip it in the bud. I happen to think the chewing has also become an attention-getting mechanism. She wants to play ALLLLL of the time - it gets ridiculous! :eek:
  • MiaM

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    @Mia: Yes it is in the backyard, and no it's not fenced :( I wished it was. He is fine when we are going on walks, but as soon as he is left alone for more than 5 min he chews it up in a matter of a few minutes! Would a martingale collar work? I think the reason teh harness doesn't work is because he wedges his jaw on the shoulder part of the harness, and I figured that maybe a martinglae collar would work better since he can't get to it. Ahhh why can't he be more like his calm sister Mia lol… Welcome to the club! Trixie chewed her way thru at least 5 - 6 harnesses and yes also in a matter of minutes. The only time she has a harness on is when she is going for a walk or if we are taking her in the car. She has had her current one for at least 3 months ! It's a miracle, but I feel your pain!
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    BasenjiDivaB
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    Odd happening today with mouthing

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    spitfirekrl1S
    My girl does this but it's with a toy in her mouth and when she first started doing it I thought she just didn't realize that she was getting my skin in there when she was trying to get me to throw her toy. I learned later that she knew perfectly well what she was doing. After a while I was watched her doing this and she would feel for my skin with her toy in her mouth and would get it just right and then start nipping. What a sneaky little devil. And OUCH does that pinch bite hurt.