Basenji Talk

There's an intermediate class but it's full right now. If I'm able to get the days off I'm going to try for it later.

@sharronhurlbut: Fran, use baby wipes on his feet. I use it on my b's. Sharron - glad to see your reference to baby wipes - I have often wondered if I could use them on my girls when they get their feet and legs nasty at the park - I thought if I could get most of the mess off them it would be easier for them to keep themselves sparkly white - but - then I thought maybe it would be bad for them to lick whatever baby wipes leave on - what do you think?:confused:

How exciting for you Chealsie508. I would like to comment on the old wives tale about calcium. Supplementing a puppies diet with extra calcium in the hope that it will build up the ear cartilage is not scientifically or biochemically valid. Adding calcium above the usual balance of that mineral in the diet has actually been shown to cause growth problems in some dogs. Do not add calcium to the diet in the misguided hope that it will strengthen the cartilage. EVERY PUPPY IS DIFFERENT. For example, the two extremes of my native imported pups were my boy's ears were standing straight up when he was ~10 weeks old; and one of my females had one ear flopping until she was ~5 months old. But, it did go up on its own and stayed up. So, look at your pups pedigree and don't sweat it. As I have come to understand, the general rule is that if the ears are standing or have been standing by between 3-5 months (the time teething starts), they will come back up after the adult teeth are in. Yes, calcium is one of the building blocks of cartilage growth. The body uses calcium as needed and when teeth and bone growth are developing, the calcium isn't being used for nonessentials like the cartilage at the base of the ear frame. Supplementing calcium is NOT a good idea and can actually be harmful. Be forewarned that most over-the-counter calcium supplements are NOT absorbed by the body and are a waste of money and time. With calcium that is absorbed, too much is given. Calcium will settle in joints when there is too much in the body, setting your pup up for bone spurs, hip problems, arthritis and other problems when they are older. If you really feel that you need to do something, provide natural calcium found in bones. I would strongly advise that you talk this over with your veterinarian. To be fair, you really need to give your dog until the age of 8-9 month range before you even think about the ears.

I've come to this thread pretty late and all the advice has been given but I would like to say Fran that I think you've come to the right decison to wait a while until growth is complete. There are many myths about neutering that are accepted even by vets. I've seen neutering at 6 months reccommended as routine.

Kirsten, absoloutely…a play date would be great...pending all this darn snow. Thanks everyone, its 8am here and I am getting all the last minute stuff done and charging my camera!

I've got some really cute basenji puppy pictures. I'll email them to you tomorrow.

Just received and read my copy. I loved it, but I want more stories! There are not many stories, but they are funny, had me laughing out loud, and so true about Basenjis. Definately worth it.

@tanza: Just an FYI, most of us start letting our pups lure practice even as young as 10 to 12 wks…. granted it is just a short straight away, but gives them some sense of the game. And usually by 7 to 8 months most all B pups can do a full course. Pat, thanks very much for that info. I trust your comments. I know Kipawa would love luring. There is a club that does luring that is about a 40 minute drive from where we are. They don't have any events planned yet - not even 'fun days'. I will keep an eye on their website. http://www.meetup.com/Tri-Cities-Dog-Coursing-AgilityTraining/

Yeah I also found those…maybe Pippin will get one if he is a good puppy ;)

Well I do think it would be good if someone found funding to bring in more dogs now, but I don't know. :(

It depends very much on the cat & the dog & your setup. I have a cat who never could adjust to the dogs. She was terrified of them. Every time she came around, they got excited because they wanted to sniff her & play with her, which freaked her out. Her instinct was to run & hide, and of course when she ran, they chased her, which freaked her out more. Even after nearly 3 years, she just couldn't adapt to them. My current cat, Spooky, stands her ground. She rarely runs from them, and if they get to be too much, she uses her claws & teeth to tell them so (every dog under her domain has been to the vet for a scratched eye once and only once each haha). She has been known to instigate wrestling matches with the dogs. But she is a much more outgoing, friendly, trusting cat than my previous cat. Both cats were exposed to the dogs as young puppies, and I make sure I'm around to supervise interactions in case they do get too rough. Basenjis do have a high prey drive, but generally speaking, if the cat can stand its ground, and you are there to supervise & introduce them to one another slowly, it could work out. Good luck!

Ahhh.. Nasty taint to my bouncing puppies. But I flagged the battery video too. ugh. people.

He is so well trained!

Glad we could help…Pippin is back sound asleep...can't wait to see your little guy...;)

it's called OBSESSION!!! And guess what? It doesn't go away….......

I never noticed the frito smell on their feet!!!!!!!! can't wait to get home and smell his feet!! Hhaha

We are also finding that Kipawa baroos when he sees us after we have been out of the home. I think he is trying to tell us something like "how dare you leave me".

I can leave mine loose in the car as long as there is more than one -the only time I've had damage (which included seat belts!) is when one's been left on their own. I would never leave the car running though and I always leave it in gear (I don't have internal locking either).

@Thana: she does have basenji characteristics then apart from her colours and looks.- i also think she must have some basenji blood! She is lovely and lucky no matter what! adorable little face:))))) Having read about the characteristics I think she does. The lady with the basenji that we met also commented on some of the things she was doing as "very basenji" (eg. standing on her back legs so she could see what was going on). Has a lovely wrinkly forehead too. Got very frustrated with me earlier and did her funny bark, more of a wierd howl really. She is def one of a kind. Its a shame we have to have her spayed (not that I could ever justify letting her have a litter).