Questions before I get my Basenji pup!

[tanza]

Welcome

An 8wk old puppy can climb out of an xpen within 2 minutes of putting them in it… I would buy the top....

No need to play in the car, you should play lots with him at the breeders before leaving and he should be good to go for most of the way home... when you first start out and he is in the crate, him "may" pitch a fit for a bit until he gets used to the fact of the crate, riding in the car, and being without his littermates.

Just as an FYI, my personal opinion is that 8wks is too young to take from their littermates. Mine do not leave until at least 12 wks, unless the people have had a Basenji before and/or have another Basenji/dog at home....

While chicken soup for the puppy lover's soul is not bad food, there are better. And just keep an eye that it doesn't go bad, that is a lot of food and will take a while to do through with one puppy.

Best also to talk and ask the breeder many of these questions. Who is the breeder, as many of us are related by our Basenjis here on the Forum

[lisastewart]

definitely get the top, most pups are scaling the pen by 5 weeks, and get lots of extra clips so he does not get his head caught pushing up on the top. I know you will feel bad for him when he is sceaming in his crate, but that is normal. My boys screamed the first half dozen times we took rides, then adjusted, try to get him as tired as possible at his breeders so he sleeps, if its getting towards dusk when you drive home, that should help as he will probably want to sleep then. Good luck. Where are you in Arkansas? We go to a few shows and other events in Arkansas.

[DolceMomma]

Congratulations on getting your new puppy. I have my first B who is now 14 months. We brought her, Dolce, home at 10 weeks, so I am by no means a B expert. However, I have had dogs my entire life. As long as your breeder is a reputable one and I assume he/she is, I would say he/she is your best teacher at this point. My breeder, Robyn Dubbert, has continued to be; even today. I would give two pieces of advice as you prepare to go get your new baby.

My first recommendation is to take a momma towel with you. That is a blanket, old t-shirt, or towel that you can rub on your B's mommy, siblings and other members of the pack. You can also toss it in their bed for a short time before you leave. Leave it with your B during the trip home and for several days after arriving home. The purpose is so your B continues to have the scent of his/her family providing comfort away from home. I have used this method on all of my new puppies and all have been well adjusted.

Second, when you arrive home walk your new B in her "potty" place until he/she goes. Give good praise. Then take her inside for the first time. I read this piece of advice and used it with my previous Dalmatian and with Dolce; it works. She rings the bells to go outside.

Good luck and enjoy. Having my first B has been awesome. I am amazed and enjoy every day with her. You will find the B's mannerisms are intriguing and unlike any other dog. Looking forward to hearing your stories.

[sharronhurlbut]

Does your game room the area where most of the people in it?
I think you will find your b will do better when he can be with you or the family most of the time.

[tanza]

@lisastewart:

definitely get the top, most pups are scaling the pen by 5 weeks, and get lots of extra clips so he does not get his head caught pushing up on the top. I know you will feel bad for him when he is sceaming in his crate, but that is normal. My boys screamed the first half dozen times we took rides, then adjusted, try to get him as tired as possible at his breeders so he sleeps, if its getting towards dusk when you drive home, that should help as he will probably want to sleep then. Good luck. Where are you in Arkansas? We go to a few shows and other events in Arkansas.

LOL… image our horror when we picked up Franie and Trip from Wanda last spring... put them in the sherpa together and set off for the airport... both screaming at the top of their lungs.... and we had a 5 hours plane ride to go... yikes... however since they were tuckered out totally from a morning of playing and we did not let them sleep... by the time we were waiting for the plane they were "dead to the world" and they were asleep all the way home on the plane..

[Knipper]

Just because I made this mistake and it hasn't been answered yet… For a puppy I just got an adjustable collar for 8-10". It's really thin and works for now. Cricket is at 9".

[sharronhurlbut]

Knipper, what is the mistake your speaking off..??

[lakers13]

Thank you all for your replies so far, keep them coming! Tanza - they can really escape that well? Ha, what about placing chicken wire all around the pen then they couldn't climb?? Also, He was born on December 10th, so I guess he will actually be 9 1/2 weeks old when I get him.

And for the other suggestions, I appreciate it. I like the idea of taking a mommy towel with me for extra comfort.

The game room is upstairs, but when we're home he will be around us alot.

The breeder is out of the Houston, TX area and her name I believe is Mary Weiss. Does anyone have a relative from this breeder or is familiar?

[tlish]

just click on 'search' at the top, then type your breeder's name… then read from the beginning.

[Knipper]

I thought I bought a collar that would fit her. It will fit her when she grows up, but for now, I had to get her a much smaller one. She's very happy with it!

[lakers13]

Ok so I did the search and found out that my breeder (Mary Beth) is questionable…can anyone explain what is going on with her operation?? Please help me b/c I have a trip planned to Houston for this weekend!

[Schouiffy]

Her operation is making a profit off of puppies, sadly. These are not health tested puppies or puppies with solid breeding knowledge behind them.

Message BasenjiMamma (Petra) on the forum, as she has spoken with Mary Beth and is in TX, you can also talk to Tanza or lvoss.

[Shannanigan]

I think knipper is talking about buying a collar that was either too big or too small. I still have a collar that's too big for Paco and he's full grown.

edit: didn't realize there was a second page to this - it's too early for me, apparently!

[tanza]

@lakers13:

Thank you all for your replies so far, keep them coming! Tanza - they can really escape that well? Ha, what about placing chicken wire all around the pen then they couldn't climb?? Also, He was born on December 10th, so I guess he will actually be 9 1/2 weeks old when I get him.

And for the other suggestions, I appreciate it. I like the idea of taking a mommy towel with me for extra comfort.

The game room is upstairs, but when we're home he will be around us alot.

The breeder is out of the Houston, TX area and her name I believe is Mary Weiss. Does anyone have a relative from this breeder or is familiar?

Chicken wire will not even slow them down…. buy the top... or better yet, first find a responsible breeder instead of someone that is just in it to make a dollar. Here is a link on questions to ask the breeder
http://www.tanzabasenjis.net/selectbreeder.html

And you want to get the names of the Sire and Dam (AKC registered names, not just the call names) and check out for yourself health testing before breeding. I believe you will find that there has been none.
www.offa.org

And last but not least, consider going to a responsible breeder. There is Sherwood Basenjis in GA that has puppies available…. www.sherwoodbasenjis.com Robyn is also here on the Forum

[Basenjimamma]

Chicken wire will not even slow them down…. buy the top... or better yet, first find a responsible breeder instead of someone that is just in it to make a dollar. Here is a link on questions to ask the breeder
http://www.tanzabasenjis.net/selectbreeder.html

And you want to get the names of the Sire and Dam (AKC registered names, not just the call names) and check out for yourself health testing before breeding. I believe you will find that there has been none.
www.offa.org

And last but not least, consider going to a responsible breeder. There is Sherwood Basenjis in GA that has puppies available…. www.sherwoodbasenjis.com Robyn is also here on the Forum

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I second this…

[Kipawa]

@Basenjimamma:

I second this…

I third it. Initially it will be hard to turn away from the puppy you are looking at right now, but in the long run you will be thankful you dealt with a responsible breeder who will back you up no matter what happens in the future - such as taking the puppy back at any time in the dog's life if for some reason you are not able to keep him.

Responsible, quality breeders go many extra steps to ensure the puppies they raise are healthy. Proper health testing is usually not done by 'for profit' back yard breeders. Without proper health testing, you have no idea if you are buying a puppy that will have Fanconi Syndrome in its future. Fanconi is a serious and sad disease for a dog to have.

Another thing to think of is if you buy from an irresponsible breeder, you are basically telling that breeder that their practices are acceptable and that they can continue to produce puppies that will be prone to health issues. Responsible breeders select their breeding dogs based on many factors, with health usually being first.

I understand the situation you may be in right now, but please reconsider and talk to responsible breeders on this forum who currently have puppies.

[lakers13]

I completely understand your concerns and you want to stop people like this from breeding. I have decided to stay with this pup though. This woman is done breeding and is selling the sire. My pup is from the on site sire and dam and I am not showing or anything, just want a pet! The mother and father have only been tested for fanconi using strip tests and were negative for fanconi. The pup has had his up to date vacs and so forth. I know I sound irresponsible now, but I have decided to go with this. Me and the lady have a deal worked out where she will take the pup back in case of any problems and so forth. I am getting him nuetered around the age of 1, so no breeding. I hope you will understand and allow me to be a part of your basenji family!

[Basenjimamma]

I understand..but please understand this….striptesting for fanconi only means this..the dog or bitch didn't show sugar in the urine at that very moment the test was done...they still can very much be carriers or even affected, just not showing it yet. ..you will have to keep on doing that test all the time, every so often, unless you know for sure your dog can't get it..You can have your dog tested for fanconi via a DNA test, easy peasy to do, swab his mouth send it in and with two or so weeks you have the result.

I wish you luck..and I especially wish you luck should something come up in the future and you realize you might have to give him back to her..she won't be there..

[Kipawa]

@lakers13:

I completely understand your concerns and you want to stop people like this from breeding. I have decided to stay with this pup though. This woman is done breeding and is selling the sire. My pup is from the on site sire and dam and I am not showing or anything, just want a pet! The mother and father have only been tested for fanconi using strip tests and were negative for fanconi. The pup has had his up to date vacs and so forth. I know I sound irresponsible now, but I have decided to go with this. Me and the lady have a deal worked out where she will take the pup back in case of any problems and so forth. I am getting him nuetered around the age of 1, so no breeding. I hope you will understand and allow me to be a part of your basenji family!

Of course you will always be part of this basenji family! Everyone on this forum loves the breed and wants to share their stories/pictures of their crazy companions and breeding dogs.

Just understand that the comments people are giving you are done with the very best intentions so that you can have a healthy puppy for a long time. It's not even about a future possibility of breeding - we are trying to avoid heartache for you, high health costs down the road and the well being of any dog you bring into your family.

Since you mention this breeder is getting out of breeding, make sure the contract you sign specifically indicates the breeder, regardless of whether or not they are still breeding dogs, and wherever they may reside, will take back your dog for whatever reason. This would include you not being able to keep the dog (for personal reasons) or due to the dog's failing health.

BTW, I too only wanted a companion puppy. Breeding was not my interest at all. But I am happy that I can trace back 5 generations of Kipawa and know that he genetically has good hips, tested eyes and will not develop Fanconi. I love animals so much, and I actually have a pretty much open wallet when it comes to vet bills (they can get ridiculously expensive so fast). But I just didn't want to be involved in a life with a suffering animal.

What you might want to do is type in 'Fanconi' in the search area of the forum. There are a number of posts you might want to read so that you can feel totally informed on the illness. Some dogs die very young from it. Others can survive longer, but not unless they follow Dr. Gonto's 'protocol' of proper nutrition, vitamins and medications.

Once again, regardless of your choice, everyone will be here for you.

[ownedbyspencer]

@lakers13:

I completely understand your concerns and you want to stop people like this from breeding. I have decided to stay with this pup though. This woman is done breeding and is selling the sire. My pup is from the on site sire and dam and I am not showing or anything, just want a pet! The mother and father have only been tested for fanconi using strip tests and were negative for fanconi. The pup has had his up to date vacs and so forth. I know I sound irresponsible now, but I have decided to go with this. Me and the lady have a deal worked out where she will take the pup back in case of any problems and so forth. I am getting him nuetered around the age of 1, so no breeding. I hope you will understand and allow me to be a part of your basenji family!

Nothing you nor this breeder can do will prevent this dog from suffering from Fanconi if it is in the dog's genes. The only thing that striptesting does is tell you when the Fanconi is becoming symptomatic. That won't be until the dog is 4-7 years of age. If you want to know if the pup will contact Fanconi, you will have to pay the $65 and have the DNA test. If your pup has Fanconi, good luck getting a BYB to return your phone calls, much less take the pup back. Been there, done that, won't do it again.

Your breeder is not being straight with you about the striptesting, and there's only one reason not to test her dogs– she knows exactly what the test will show. My BYB's line was filled with Fanconi. My dog didn't have a chance. He striptested clear for six years. Until one day, he didn't.

I posted in your other thread about what it's like owning a Fanconi dog. I sugarcoated it. It's actually worse. If you buy this dog, I hope it works out well for both of you. But I would keep Dr. Steve Gonto's phone # and email close at hand. He may become your BFF.