Most Vets now days use glue, so there are no stiches to take out when a bitch is spayed.

I applaud you for getting a rescue. There are tooooo many out there. For a first timer, an older one would be good, at least 18mos old or more where their personality is who they are at this age. Research all you can, and if you fill out an application and are denied, no not stop trying. I was denied by a Basenji rescue, and Uzie is my second where I found him right here 'free to good home' so we drove two days to pick him up and he is thriving without fenced in yards. (not for everyone as not everyone lives on 10 acres or more…I get this....!) but he has blossomed and doing well. So, don't give up!
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I guess I'm just lucky with Finn. I'm sure he'd prefer it dry, although hes fine in the rain and snow! Maybe getting him around December helped

Sounds like she is letting you know where she is - Lela really (I mean REALLY) howls when she does not know where we are.
When we leave our B's alone, we always tell them we are leaving and when we will be back. They understand. We don't use crates.

Or take them both, and be relaxed about it all. The less anxiety in you, the calmer they will be.

Spray bottles or squirt guns can work well to get your point across. Yes, it's an aversive, but very mild. The dog can make a choice here. The breeder I got my current boy from used a spray bottle to good effect, and as a result I have the best Basenji I have ever owned in terms of house manners. He doesn't destroy anything, and doesn't even get into tissue.

There is no question that aversives work, and work well if timed correctly. Nature trains with aversives and so do bitches, for that matter. I see no harm in it. When positive training gets the results you want, it's the best way to go, but when you are struggling with a problem that isn't responding to what you are doing, it's time to consider something else. Stealing is potentially harmful to the dog and needs to be controlled.

well..figured I should update as well, so right now I switch between freezer dried, freeze dried, and kibble…seems to work great for her!

Thanks everyone for sharing your experience!
Saturday Feb. 14th 2015, we brought home an 8 weeks old puppy: Pix.
Alf who is 2 years old was really great at introducing himself to the puppy.
4 days later, he litteraly is educating Pix, teaching him good manners and snipping him gently from time to time.
I wasn't sure if all the noise was normal, but I for sure know that Alf never really hurts the puppy. He never had any troubles with any dogs, and I think Pix is probably a really good actor 🙂

Oh, I love this! Every description I read makes me more proud to have my B in my life. I hadn't seen that one before. 🙂

Also, that egg… makes me want to try this with Penny, but I'm assuming that one was hardboiled. I'm always looking for more ideas for her. She figured out the laser pointer was a hoax in under 5 minutes.

Cara was big at 16 weeks but I don't remember how big. If the ribs and backbone are slightly visible, weight is okay…too visible, too thin, cant' really see at all, getting up there. Builds are different, so the first and only evaluation is=== how does YOUR dog look.

Cara is almost 5 and about 43 pounds, btw. She probably needs to lose a couple of pounds tops.

Mind don't mind theirs but I'm in GA, rare need them

Just wanted to give an update on my experience and hope that it helps others in the future. So I did get the puppy and have had her now for about 6-7 weeks. She is doing AWESOME! Shes completely healthy, and at 14-15 weeks, is incredibly obedient. For instance, I take her to the dog park, and she recalls every time I say "Nani come." There are also some agility obstacles in the park which I'm starting to train her on and she does really well with simple things like walking up, down, sitting, staying, gonig through the tunnels, etc…

When I give her her food, I make her sit, stay, and give me a fist bump before she can eat, and I'll switch the order up every time. I then say "now you can have it" and then she eats. Its to the point now, where she is in the kitchen, and I'll go to my room, come back in 2-3min, and she is still sitting by the food and hasn't even touched it yet until I give the command.

She is doing fantastic! Fantastic with other dogs, fantastic with kids, adults, everything. She doesn't have a tendency anymore either now to chew on things she's not supposed to and when she does get the urge, she looks for her toys.

Not sure if this is just because the breed itself is very intelligent, or the breeder, or a mix of both but I couldn't have asked for a better puppy, especially the way she is now at the age of 14-15 weeks. My allergies also do very well around her whcih is HUGE!

Not sure if I just got lucky or what, but she is great a puppy for how obedient she is already, her compassion, and her behavior. Just simply amazing 🙂

Ladybasenji, where are you in Quebec? Montreal? We have a place in Gatineau (Aylmer sector) and one of my dogs might even be related to yours. You're experiences with your girl remind me so much of my first basenji, about 20 years ago–it gets easier, I swear! Let me know if you'd like help with Lady--they're nothing like labs and will never be "obedient" but there are tricks for training them : D

It might be a little far for you but ,I'm in NJ near Great Adventure.
I can watch your B's.
Breeder for going on 39 years. Send an e-mail and I will speak with you.

Kathryn

How about your breeder?…
If not.. then a sitter that stays at your house

Happy Thanksgiving weekend 🙂