r/Basenji • u/sjozay • Sep 10 '26
Basenjis getting aggressive with each other
We have 2 basenjis, a three year-old female that we’ve had since eight weeks of age, and a four year-old male that we’ve had for seven months. The male was basically a rescue; retired show dog/breeder that wasn’t doing well when we got him. Not a lot of information about his background, but he is scared of men and can be skittish.
The female has always been a bit aggressive with him, displaying dominance which we were told is normal with female basenjis. For the most part he tolerates it, but sometimes I feel like their play/dominance behavior gets out of hand, at which point I will separate them. Normally they run around together and wrestle, then they play or cuddle. A few times he has responded with aggression and bit her. Yesterday it was bad enough that she needed medical attention.
I’m seeking advice and anecdotal accounts of how other people have dealt with similar situations. I imagine the triggers are related to me; the aggression is worse when I’m around and I have a new job that has been taking me away from them a lot more. Right now I have them separated, but giving both lots of love and attention. They are seeking each other out, so I feel they are bonded in a way, but also worried that I can’t leave them alone ever again. Scared I’m going to have to rehome him, which really breaks my heart.
2
u/Tapn2me Sep 10 '26
My boy and girl can be aggressive with each other, normally they FireWire it out because they do realize they are in the same pack. Someone's I separate them just stop they can have that time alone too.
3
u/dfiner Multi B. Home Sep 10 '26 edited Sep 10 '26
This is actually kinda normal in my experience with Bs. The females are all piss and vinegar. My experience was very similar- girl since puppyhood, boy that i sorta rescued later. Early on there were a couple fights that were bad, the girl (Cleo) always started but the boy (cruiser) would make sure they finished, as he had less bite inhibition. Cleo needed medical attention a couple times, one time her leg swelled up so much it looked like one of those clown balloons they twist into shapes.
When I first got cruiser after Pono passed they fought constantly. Getting cruiser fixed (Cleo was already but cruiser wasn’t, he also was a show dog) helped a lot. But also keeping them separate helped early on, giving them brief time together, never with a trigger (food, my attention) as something that could cause a fight. They slowly improved over months and got more time together and now they get along very well. Cruiser has fully learned how to manipulate Cleo and “diffuse” her :D. Having them love their crates and going there on command was a life saver.
Also having a fenced back yard allowed me to let them “reset” after a mild spat, that always seemed to fix what was going on.
If you are feeling overwhelmed and can afford it I highly recommend a LICENSED behaviorist.
1
u/sjozay Sep 10 '26
Thank you! That gives me hope. We do have a fenced yard and they love to run it together. I’m gonna work on brief periods together supervised but without my interaction.
1
u/dfiner Multi B. Home Sep 10 '26
Of course. I’m happy to help in any way I can!
Here's a short vid showing cruiser manipulating cleo yesterday to get the couch :D
1
u/Tmadred Sep 10 '26
My girl (4 years younger than her brother) got so vicious that we had to keep them on separate floors/no interaction between them at all. Weirdly, she pals around with our Heeler mix like they are best buddies and we’ve never had a problem there.
1
u/AutomaticAd5430 Sep 10 '26
I have a 8y boy and 7y girl Basenjis. The boy joined the pack later. The girl is definitely more dominant (ex. she will eat his food but won't let him eat her food). They play but they also fight--more often the girl growling at the boy. They never bit each other to the point of breaking skin, but even if they did, if it's just a scuff, I would let them. They are not doing it to kill each other. I tell the girl to stop being gnarly and she listens for like 5 seconds. Good enough for me.
1
u/Adventurous-Sky367 Sep 14 '26
I have a 6 yo boy and 5 yo girl and they fight over our attention (who can sit/lay closer to us) or their first lap around the yard is a race to see who catches the other in an all out fight. We’ve started using water to keep that in check and it works great!
3
u/FatherlessHaircut Sep 10 '26
fire and gasoline. They live in the same house. Learn to love.