a yorkie, 2 goldens, and an idiot.

[leyley904]

 Thats a joke I say when someone asks me what kind of dogs I have. Roger…. I’m not even sure he’s a dog! He’s so crazy and does such stupid things I’m constantly cracking up at him! I have no clue what breeds are in him, but I’m hoping you guys can help! 

I got him from the pound as a 7 week old puppy. He had been there a while already. You can tell he didn’t get that important few weeks where he learns boundries with his siblings. He also suckled in his sleep up until just recently. 

He is now about 6 months old. Here are a few personality traits (just think craziness)

-Hyper

-Instinctual (walks in circles before laying down, hides things…. {and forgets about them!}) 

-“Groomy” (he cleans himself like a cat… I swear)

-Clingy

-Hyper

-Weeny (when he sees something he will RUN inside then turn and bark at whatever it is through the window)

-Barky

-Hyper

-Jumpy (high jumps!)

-Fast… I guess I’m getting out of personality traits now, huh?

-Hyper

-Sleeps like a log

-Digs, not in the yard, but in the bed sheets

-Annoying (but I love him!)

-Oh, and hyper!

Okay. Here are pictures, then I will point out some things.

 

Okay, I’ll take a video of him later.

(the last two pictures are from today, the rest could be slightly outdated… slightly as in a few weeks.

As you can see…. LEGS!

He has a deep chest (you can’t really see in these pictures, I will get some better ones soon.

His “polka dots” started just on his tummy and now you can see them easily throughout his body through his fur.

Um…. he has a long tongue…. lol

And… that’s a picture when he lost his first two teeth…… 

His ears are what confuse me the most. Down, they look like a jack russell’s, when he leans his head back and they go up (sort of shows in last picture) they look like a Basenji’s (I’ll talk more about that in a second) and when back, like just when he’s chill and not alert, they look like a greyhound’s.

Jack russell- Ears, coloring, legs, a tad in the shape of his head. Hyper-ness

Italian greyhound- he’s faster than my two golden retrievers (okay, one is fat… but still). He has a deep chest and unbelievably long legs. These pictures don’t do his legs a bit of justice! And, hello, hyper-ness!?

Beagle- baying?????? Just being a barker in general. 

Basenji- I know, they are super rare. But I’m, like, 99% positive that he has it in him.

1) tail,exactly like a basenji’s, maybe has a bit less curl, has a curl though, and it is fluffier and longer than a jack russell’s.

2) his ears when he looks up. They flip up and stay like that easily, he doesn’t have to look straight up… just a little. I’ve always loved basenji’s ears how they are not as high up on there head as other breeds with erect ears. His are just like that.

3) stature. He has slightly longer legs (very slightly) but otherwise, is a 100% match.

4) grooms himself like a cat, which is a trait of the basenji 5) hi barking, I’ll go into detail about that in a second 

5) long neck, his neck just looks like a basenji’s…. 

6) coat pattern. I know it’s not exactly like a basenji’s, but it is the right color. He has a slight mask, and he does have white points (feet and tail) but just… plus some more white 

7) He also has forehead wrinkles, which basenji have.

8) size. Speaks for itself, really. Weighs about 20-22 pounds. I just measured him, but it could be off as he is tired and kept wanting to lay down. I got about 16 inches at the withers.

9) eyes, dark hazel, dark rimmed (I’ve been doing research!)

10) feet, arched toes, compact. very thick pads.

11) the jumping

12)…. The “bark”:

First off… his “bark” is NOT a yodel, but nor is it a bark… not really a bay either.

It starts as a bark then sort of turns into a bay. But it’s higher pitched and more “singing”. I’ve only heard yodeling on videos, but it sounds sort of similar. But when he barks it does start with a gruff, quick bark-type-noise. But it’s definitely not anything like a normal bark after that. 

Ask any questions about anything you want to know.

I may do one of those DNA tests on him, but it seems kind of hinky as they difference between different breeds’ DNA is almost nothing. But it may be worth a try.

 

I almost feel angry typing all of this out. He seems so much like a basenji but I just don’t see how it could be possible, it’s frustrating! They are so rare and this is a pound puppy for goodness sakes! I’ve never seen a basenji in person. But, of corse, some irresponsible owner has one somewhere that they let have puppies then dropped them all off at the pound in the middle of the night when they should still be with their mothers! UGH! Well, that’s actually two different things that make me mad…. 

 

I love my nincompoop no matter the breed, but I’m extremely interested, and I just can’t stand no knowing where he came from (even if it’s just breed-wise)! 

 

[Andi]

I see a hint of beagle, with JRT.
Oh a friend of mine is a Basenji breeder, they are very quiet low key dogs I find. I have considered getting one, but the Hubby thinks they are to small :p

He’s a cutie for sure!
I’ve met dogs who they knew the parents and the puppies looked NOTHING like the breed of eaither parents.

[mrmac]

Roger is adorable! He looks mixed to me. I have been around a couple of basenji’s before. He definitely has the right tail but with his weight currently he is already the size of a full grown basenji and beagle. His fur is also longer than the basenji. He has beagle eyes for sure and muzzle.

[leyley904]

mrmac, that reminds me. He hasn’t gained any weight or gotten bigger (possibly a tad taller?) for a month. It seems he is done growing. Is that even possible? I can’t recall how long it took for our other dogs to fill out.

I also want to emphasize on the grooming. I have never seen a dog do anywhere near half as much grooming as he does. It’s very strange!

[mrmac]

He may only get a little bigger then. It really just depends on the breeds. Smaller dogs may stop growing around 8 months while larger dogs can continue to grow into 2 1/2 years.

[Andi]

maybe he’s actually aprt cat
My Dog LOVES cats, and hates dogs… i think she may be part cat too LOL

[leyley904]

Ha!
We have one declawed cat (my grandmothers cat, got him when she passed away. I personally dislike the idea of declawing, but that’s not the point ) and Roger thinks they are friends because he doesn’t get hurt by him!!! He tries to be friends with the ones that do have claws though!!!

Part cat…. believable! But I think his lack of coordination and agility (besides when running in a straight line) causes it not to make the list! Haha!

DNA test results:
Beagle
Jack russell
…error…. unknown breed

[jerseygirl]

DNA test results:
Beagle
Jack russell
…error…. unknown breed

This is hypothetical? lol

Just wanted to agree on part Beagle. I can also see your reference to Italian Greyhound just in the ears. As for those spots?……mmm?….
Whatever he is, he’s cute and a character by the sounds.
When people ask you what kind of dogs you have I think you should say “a yorkie, 2 goldens and Roger” He’s his own unique breed.

[leyley904]

Yes, hypothetical, as in… part cat

I’ve actually only said “and an idiot” to one person. I ususally just say “and a crazy mix” or “and a crazy mongrel”
Mongrel actually just means mix and isn’t meant to be negative. I just like the word, personally!

[leyley904]

During bath time, I swear he transforms to a dalmatian! You can always see his polka dots through his fur even when dry, but when is hair is wet, it looks crazy! The dots also are still growing, lol. They spread and the polka dots themselves get bigger and turn into smudges, combining with others! It’s insane!

[jerseygirl]

leyley, I wasn’t censoring you. I just think perhaps there isn’t a word for Roger. lol btw, “idiot” was a favoured term with me and my siblings when we were growing up!

[Monkeybun]

I like that word, Idiot. It’s a fun word I named my dog in fable 2 Idiot.. and my dog on my evil character Moron. It suited them. lol

[MimzMum]

lolz… We had a little dog when I was a kid that we called “Heinz 57” for her breed. Which basically means mixed parentage. ^_^

He’s cute as a button! How old is your Yorkie, btw? (we just got one last month from a local rescue)

[leyley904]

Oh, I know you weren’t saying anything about how I call him and idiot What you said just made me realize that it could possible offend someone. But, it doesn’t sound like it did!

Tootsie (my yorkie) is turning 3 in June.
Eesh, my sweetheart is growing up!

[MimzMum]

Wow! About the same age as Jenna! ^_^
Darn that’s something I forgot to ask the rescue lady….Jenna’s birthdate. I guess I’ll just have to use her adoption day…April 22.

[leyley904]

Do you know about how old she was when you adopted her? You could figure out an approximate date from that. We figured out Roger was mostly likely born near, if not on, New Years day.

[leyley904]

 Hm, my uncle mentioned a feist. I’ve never heard of these dogs. I’m actually quite surprised at what I have found, there are MANY variations from what I’ve seen and the little I have read, but this one looks a good bit like Roger. I need to get more pictures of Roger standing in normal positions, but he DOES look a lot like this, maybe a bit thinner overall, though.

 

Here is a good bit of info. If you look at the second picture down you can see that if the tail is left in full length that it does curl.

 

Here says “They have strong necks and shoulders, deep chests, sturdy legs and tails that are set high. Feists have short, smooth coats that come in red brindle, red & white, black, black & tan, tricolor (black, tan & white) and blue & white. Overall, Feists have an alert and outgoing look.”

 

Which matches Roger to a t.

 

 

[MimzMum]

No, I have no idea. Come to think of it, even the rescue lady didn’t seem to know her age for sure. Kind of hard to understand, since she claimed she got her from a pup and she was ‘her baby’ (hence explaining why she charged us $500 for her when other shelter dogs were only $100.)

Doesn’t really matter either way. These days, I’m mostly concerned with enjoying whatever time my pets have with me, not exactly how old they are. I don’t feel like I really spent enough quality time with my other dogs, although they were a lot more independent than Jenna is. So even if she does turn out to be older than what we’re guessing, I haven’t wasted any time thinking, “Oh she’ll be around for awhile, we’ll play later…”

Your Yorkie has her full coat too. Jenna does not. She has some fringe around her bottom and some dragon whiskers under her chin, but no topknot or real facial fur length. Plus her tail has not been docked. She actually looks more like a chihuahua with a bit of a Yorkie fur coat on. ^_^

We had a kennel club show going on at our fairgrounds in town today, but with all the wildfire smoke, I just didn’t feel like getting up the gumption to take her in. It would’ve been fun to see all the dog breeds we have here though. Maybe next year.

[leyley904]

We don’t let Tootsie’s “bangs” get long enough for a topknot. Her hair on her head is long enough, but not the bit that flips over. If we let it get long it still flips over her eyes, so we would need to keep a topknot in basically all the time. But the problem is, she is no prissy lap dog! She runs around with the big dogs, getting muddy and gross. She hates anything on her head! She either gets it off, or one of the other dogs starts playing wih the “toy” coming off the top of her head and gets the clip/band off!

I just wrote a paragraph on how my dog doesn’t like topknots, lol!

Any ideas on the feist?

[Barbie]

I’ve also heard that my Nick might be a fiest. I know nothing about fiests other than that they are basically mongrels bred for squirrel hunting and are popular in the southern US states. Because they aren’t an AKC recognized breed, their lineage is mixed and can have a very varied look. I really don’t know what constitutes a “fiest”…

But this is Nick:

He’s in the 20-25lb range – this is one of the bunnies’ beds that he comandeered, lol

 

 

Sorry this last one is blurry, but it shows him in profile pretty well (he was playing with a pinecone – he has some very cat-like antics, lol)

 

I’ve heard that he could be: fiest, basenji, chihuahua, GSD, or JRT….

[leyley904]

Besides the ears, they definitely have a VERY similar build!
It’s very interesting

So, if someone were walking by you on the street, and quickly asked what breed Nick is while they reached down to pet him, how would you respond?? You don’t have time to say feist/basnji/chihuahua/gsd/jrt

For Roger… ooh, it’s tough

I got a video of Roger’s bark, I’ll upload it later. This time he sounded more frantic, as there was a kitty on out front porch But I still will show it to you guys!

[Barbie]

Yeah, I’ve been trying to get a video of Nick’s bark too, but the only time he barks/whines is around other dogs when I’m not letting him go say hi. And then I’m too busy trying to get him to settle down to hold a camera too

Yes, Roger and Nick do have similar builds!

As for what I tell people… I used to just say that I don’t know. But then I’d get people standing there and trying to carry on a conversation with me about what breed they, in their “expert” opinion *rolls eyes*, think he is. So now I just tell them he’s a basenji mix. Size wise, that’s the best fit of the possible breeds he looks like.

[leyley904]

Here is his bark video, but read this first:

When he barks at something, he barks for a while and has different barks throughout (obviously…). Pay attention to the first bark in the video. It’s more drawn out. When he hears something and starts barking, he usually barks more like this first bark. But, the video was when he was barking at a cat on our porch and he was more frantic. So… in the video he is like:
RUU-RO-RO-RO-RO… but more often he is like:
RUU-ROOOOOOOO….
Just letting you know

It’s just a picture of him, because I was actually in the other room and the video was just of my ceiling fan anyways!  So I just put a picture.

[leyley904]

I’m pretty confident now if what breeds are probably in him now, or at least could be. So I don’t need any more guesses, but I was just wondering what people thought of how he barks? Is that normal and I’m just being paranoid, with basenji in the back of my head?

Also, any quick tips on training a dog to behave around other dogs? He just BUGS the other dogs to no end. When they are in the mood to play, they all get along great. But Roger ALWAYS wants to play. The other don’t. It’s worst for Tootsie. He will LITERALLY bite her “nub” (what we call her docked tail) and pull her across the floor and she can’t do anything. She gets scratches all over her tail and butt. He also does this with her ears and just her skin on her back. This is what he does when she doesn’t feel like playing, while she is sleeping/relaxing.
For the big dogs (golden retrievers) he will bite and pull on their ears, and will lick at their jowls CONSTANTLY. It used to be okay, as the big dogs could just sit up and he couldn’t reach. But now he can. Sophie gets it worse and she will just start whining because she just can’t get away from him. They are out on the porch a lot by themselves (we have a pet door) and so I can’t keep him off of them unless I’m outside too. I’ll say “uh-uh” or something like that and he backs up like he knows he’s doing something wrong (I guess from just pulling him off an saying “no” almost every 2 seconds), and he just doesn’t care! I don’t know how to train him not to bug other dogs, I can handle it when he’s misbehaving around people, but I just don’t know what to do! Even if anyone knows of any sites/books that talk about this, if you could point me to it I’d be VERY appreciative. I’m not asking your to type out a paragraph

Ugh, but I ended up righting one myself for this “quick question”!!!!!

 

Add: 

He also bugs Tootsie by not letting her jump up on the bed/couch. She will start to jump and he will run up in front and block her by jumping up himself. But, sometimes he will purposely not make the jump himself and keep blocking her over and over. You can see how she gets frustrated, she starts growling even sometimes (she never bites, but growls pretty viciously! Enough to scare me!).

[Barbie]

I’m not sure about the bark… I can hear the howling, but comparing it to what Nick does and compared to the basenjis I’ve heard online… my understanding is that they can only bark once, they can’t bark several times in a row. I haven’t spent any time around a pure bred basenji to know well enough though…

As for getting him to stop bugging the other dogs, I think you need to establish yourself as the alpha dog, that way, you are the one who controls who gets up on the bed etc. Do things like eating your dinner before the dogs get fed – pack leader always gets fed first. And never feed them from the table. If you must give them table scraps, at least wait until after dinner and put the scraps in their bowl. It sounds like you need to “take Roger down a notch or two” so I would eat your dinner, feed the other dogs, and then feed Roger last. You may have to hold him back or block him from the room that the dogs eat in so that he doesnt cause any trouble, but that will send a clear message that he’s no longer the one that bosses everyone around. After doing this for awhile, you can probably go back to feeding them all at the same times. Be careful though that feeding Roger last doesnt cause any problems in the pack or another dog to start bossing him (though it might help him stop bugging the other dogs).

Also, teach him “watch me” or “focus” by putting him in a sit in front of yo, you standing. hold a treat in front of his nose, say the command and draw it up to your eyes. As soon as he makes eye contact with you (this is when you could click, if you’re clicker training him) give him the treat. You can work up to holding eye contact for a longer length of time and not using the treat as a guide. This is a command that you can use to redirect his attention on you rather than on the other dogs.

When he does start that obnoxious behavior, rather than saying “ah ah”, remove him completely. He’ll soon get the idea that if he doesnt play nice, he doesnt get to play at all. Just put him in a small room, say a bathroom, or just take him out of the room everyone else is in. If he has a crate, don’t use his crate for a “time out” though because you always want him to associate his crate with good things, never punishment. Say “ah ah” and then remove him immediately, don’t speak to him and touch him as little as possible as you’re taking him out of the room. Leave him by himself in the room for maybe a minute, and then come get him, and reintroduce him to the group. When you do go get him, be calm and speak very little to him – you don’t want to get him riled up before going back to the other dogs. Never go get him if he’s howling or barking, that will only encourage him to bark more since he’ll figure out “oh if i make noise, someone lets me out” so you have to be strong and wait until the noises stop for a few seconds to a minute before letting him out. If he does it again, remove him again. This is going to be very time intensive, and it’s going to require that you’re there, so if you’re not home, it might be a good idea to separate him from the other dogs until he learns his lesson.

I’m sorry to say, that I laughed a bit at the image you were describing of him dragging Tootsie by her tail. But you’re right, this is not a good habit, especially if he’s physically hurting her. You need to be consistent about removing him from the room, the first time he does anything you think falls under the category of “bugging the other dogs” you need to take him out. When you say “ah ah” or “no” eventually you’ll be able to use that word as a warning rather than having to take him out. If you can catch him as his going for another dog, try using “watch me” command (as long as he’s learned that command well) to break his focus.

Hope that helps!

[leyley904]

 Yes, I know it is definitely no yodel like a basenji makes! It just sounds a bit different to me.

Um…. YEAH! That definitely helped!!! Okay, so part of it is just basic obedience, is what I take from your first paragraph, correct? Teach him “watch me” and just work on him associating “no” with what it actually means. I think taking him out of the room for a “time out” type of thing will definitely help! I really don’t know why I didn’t think of this! It seems like something he would really respond to. As for the eating order thing, he’s so spastic I think it wouldn’t help AS much because he’d probably go find something else to do and not even notice, but I’m definitely going to try it! No scraps, I promise!

Don’t be sorry you laughed! At first, when he only had puppy teeth, we would still take him off of her, but we definitely laughed! I really didn’t think it would escalate, but, of corse, it did! Now it’s more of an issue as it hurts her. She acts really mean, but doesn’t hurt him. When he’s really bad sometimes I start to think “Just bite him back!”… 

I’m not sure, but it seems like some of this behavior could have resulted from not being with his litter mates long enough. I think I heard somewhere that the last week or two is when they learn what’s appropriate, and what’s beyond the boundries. I also know I’m at fault for not working on these behaviors earlier on. 

What do you think he licks the bigs dogs mouths for? Is it showing them affection? They sure don’t take it that way. They don’t get mad at him (They really never get mad) but they will whine and look all pitiful . I’m going to work on that just like I will with the other issues, I’m just wondering if you have any idea why he does it.

Oh, and if he is running around like the hyper dog he is, and he passes by Tootsie and bites her but keeps running, if I take him out of the room, will he still make the connection from the time out to the bite? Is there something I can do to make sure he does? Would saying no as it happens help? Kind of like the clicker does in training before you are able to give them the treat?

 

Again, thanks a million!!

[Barbie]

You’re welcome! Yeah, sometimes I wish my bunnies would bite Nick so he’d be less interested in them I’m slowly introducing him to the bunnies and he’s doing well, but still…

Yeah, any basic obedience training you can do with him should help. If he’s getting too hyper, you can always calm him down by running him through some of his commands.

You might be surprised with the eating… even if he’s not whining and trying to get at their food, he’s certainly going to notice that he’s eating in the position of the omega dog – dead last. It doesn’t have to be forever, just until he gets the idea that he can’t just do what he wants. In essence, you’re going to communicate to him in a way that the dog can understand. Since you’re going to be the alpha dog – the other dogs are going to (if they dont already) look to you for food and shelter (which, duh you already provide) since the alpha always has the responsibility of taking care of the pack. But as the alpha, you also determine who eats when (among other things that the alpha controls is who gets to reproduce, who sleeps where in the den…) So Roger will soon get the point that you are the alpha, which should help with training him.

The “time out” is great. You can also use it when he’s getting too hyper around visitors or whatever. The important thing is that you do it as he’s misbehaving, and that you don’t just take him out of the room and then leave him – you have to go back for him, lol. All it takes is a minute or so alone for them to realize that, “Hey when i act this way, I’m isolated” Dogs are very social creatures and have an innate need to be a part of a well organized, hierarchical pack, so he’ll want to come back, and he’ll get the idea that he can’t act in certain ways.

The mouth licking actually goes back to a instinctual behavior. In a wild pack, the adult dogs/wolves/etc go out and hung for their food, eating as much as they can, and then going back to the den. The puppies in the den, lick the mouths of the adults, and the adults regurgitate their meal for the pups to eat.

It could also be that he’s just being a little stinker butt and thinks it’s fun to lick the other dogs’ mouths.

Yes, if the puppies are taken from the litter too early, they miss out on some of the behavioral development that their mom and other pack members would shape. But you can do it now by training him.

As the alpha dog, your dogs are going to feed off of your behavior, so you always want to maintain a calm energy. I know it’s hard, but I avoid rough housing as much as possible with Nick, especially not when we’re inside. I just dont want him learning to get worked up from me. We play fetch and all that, but I have absolute control over when we stop. I just take the toy and put it away, sure he’ll bounce around me a bit and try to get me to play, but I just ignore him. You can do the same with Roger. If he’s being jumping on you but not necessarily being bad, just turn your back on him. Don’t touch him and don’t look at him, just turn around and completely ignore him. If he comes to your other side, turn the other way. When he sits down or goes off to do his own thing, then you can praise him and pet him a bit, but calmly.

It might be beneficial for you to do some impulse control training with him. He needs to have a basic sit-stay down pat before you do this though. you can hold out a treat for him and say “wait”. If he reaches for the treat, close your hand and wait until he calms down. Do it again until he waits to get the command from you that it’s ok to take it (I just just a high pitched “ok!”). And then you can work up the time that he has to wait for the treat. You can do the same with eating. Put his bowl down but dont let him go eat until you release him. You may have to physically restrain him, depending, but eventually all it should take is a “wait” or “stay” and then he should focus on you, waiting for your go ahead. Same with toys, toss the toy and make him wait to go after it until you say ok. Might want to start with just holding the toy and making him wait to take it – the movement of the toy might overwhelm him if he doesn’t have very good control yet. Also, going outside. I make Nick sit and wait at the door, I step through the door, and then call him. That way he’s not barreling through. Same for getting in/out of cars. There’s a good youtube video of an advanced dog doing training like this. I’ll look for it. Eventually he’ll be more focused on you than the toy/food/treat/car that he’s going to get, and that focus on you is what you’re looking for!

As for your last question… I would really try to just keep him calm, I know it’s easier said than done. If he’s being bad and you can catch him immediately after, the do the time out. If not, use the warning “ah ah” or “no” (btw, don’t shout the “no” a firm low tone loud enough for him to ear works fine). In situations like that, you may just want to take him out of the room, do some obedience training with him – a few sits, downs, stays, etc, just to get hm re focused and settled down, and then introduce him back to everyone else.

ETA: found the impulse control video I was talking about http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=267rbpNIhBM

[leyley904]

OH MY GOSH!
Thank you SO much! I will get started right away

[Barbie]

Youre welcome! I’m sorry I wrote such long posts! lol

[leyley904]

Do NOT be sorry! Haha, you just added more advice!

[Author]

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