We are (finally) getting our Basenji in just under 2 months, he's 2years old crate and potty trained. I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for "Basenji proofing" our place. I know kleenex and toilet paper is a concern so the bathroom doors will always be closed. Are there any other things we should be aware of? Thank you in advance!
Your Basenji will soon teach you what to keep out of his way.
Basenjis can chew plastic - watch your pens, can chew spectacles, like dirty washing, love litter bins, There are a host of things you may need to keep in high places - in fact anything you value and wish to keep safe.
It's easier to say what's not on the list… Mine starts and ends at the walls, nothing else is safe!
Laundry, trash bin, throw pillows are serious risks in my house...
Exactly… today my better half found the two girls "reading" a paperback.... or better put... ripping the pages out. And that same book had been sitting in the same place for more than 6 months!
Yeah it will be something different every time. Are you getting your B from Simone? Oh the garbage can will be a big problem unless you have something that they can't get into or it in behind a closed door. I am pretty sure that if they wanted to they would even get open a cupboard door (mine never have but I wouldn't put it past them). Good luck with your new B!
pillows on the couch are a thing ours can not leave alone she has to pull the fluff out of the corners of them ! of course she had to chew EACH corner 
heheheheh
we put child lock on the dog food door as she could open the cabinets easy
my outdoor extension cords were a target also
hahah oh my, some of these responses made me laugh. Thankfully we keep our garbage under the sink behind closed doors which I'll just have to wait and see if he can open it or not.
We're actually going to pick him up Easter weekend now, so we will try to organize the place as best as we can and spend that weekend tweaking and hiding the things he wants to play with or chew, haha
thanks everyone ! (and Yes, we're getting him from Simone )
Are you near anyone who owns a B? They could do a walk through your house and make suggestions! Similiar to a home visit by a rescue group.
Jennifer
Good idea to have another owner tour your house - of course that won't stop your little darling from finding things. One guide might be to pretend you are adopting a very curious and spoiled two year old child. With teeth and paws that like to tear stuff up. Keeping the bathroom doors closed is one you already thought of an it's a must - kicking your shoes off and leaving them out may be a problem, and socks always - mine will pull them off our feet if we let her, and she's a big girl of 3 now - I don't know how old they are before the puppy antics fade - we still have the same stuff going on in our house!
The responses would make me laugh if they didn't make me cry,…
I thought I understood puppy proofing, but nonsense. Puppies are fairly easy to deter-- not so a determined basenji. I had one climb a BOOK CASE to get my shoes. Speaking of furniture, so far, throw pillows okay, not so much shelves. Sayblee taught me they have tiny razor blades in their mouths they can whip out and cut bra and slip straps neatly, almost in the same spot on either side, in the time it takes to turn your back and answer the phone.
Fortunately, Cara, save trash and said shelves, has been truly nondestructive-- but then again she is either with me or crated if I am gone nearly 100 percent of the time. But even if I am in the shower for a bit, she doesn't do much. So far. She's only 2. Things could change today.
Congrats on your new family member. I can only say the best basenji proofing is indeed to keep things you value safe. . . and maintain a sense of humor.
Well, when I look at our place it is fairly 'sterile' looking - totally uncluttered, but most of that is because we like the uncluttered look, and my DH is in a wheelchair (and he isn't the best driver). However, this has benefitted us with regards to Kipawa. I do get the feeling though, that Kipawa's breeders taught him respect for things in the home. Sure I have tossed out a cushion, and the cream coloured leather couch has a basenji autograph on it (he found a pen, our fault!), but for the most part things have gone not too bad. Follow your basenji around and they will give you an idea of what areas are most interesting to them.
If you have a fence, I would have someone check it to make sure there are no places where your dog can escape!
Jennifer
Here's a thought. If you want to post some pictures of each room in your house, we all could look at them and scan for areas that need puppy proofing.
After you get some comments, you can always remove the pictures.
child gates/fences/room dividers are nice if you want to keep them out of an area. At least thats what we had to do in our sunroom/daughters playroom. Daughter has her toys in the sunroom behind the fence with gate. Other toys she knows she has to pick up and keep track of or Ginger will get them and take outside.
Shoes, socks, underwear always get put up. I just got some shoes sleeves for the backs of 3 different closet doors. They help alot. My wife actually has to put her shoes up. Ginger taught her in about a week what I couldnt teach her in 12 years.
anything on the floor if fair game. anything on a low shelf withen reach is fair game.
Ginger has finally stopped tearing shoes up when she get them for the most part. She just takes them outside now. We have a doggy door so im always checking the backyard for her prizes.
Lots of chew toys. Got ginger a few antlers 6-7 weeks ago and wish I had known about that sooner. I cant praise those enough. Took her a week or so to actually want to chew on them but now she will take one and chew for 30-45 minutes at a time. They last forever too. out of 3 6-8" pieces we still have 2 left after 6-7 weeks.
