Skip to content

House training Basenji's that have been raised outside for a year

Basenji Training
  • I am adopting 2 female B's that are at least one year old and have been raised/lived outside in fenced yard. Does anyone have any suggestions for a good start at house training. I will be crate training for 'away' times until I know I can trust them to be alone/loose in the house. I don't want to leave them outside until I'm able to supervise and trust them to not climb the fence. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks, Angela.

    P.S. I work 8 hr shifts, 4 days a week. I hope to have them sleep with me in bed at night.

  • Until the dogs understand what is not acceptable in the house, vigilance at all times when they are loose is essential! Regular trips outside, especially after naps and mealtime, and immediately after release from a crate, just like a puppy, should help. With most dogs, I think you can spot the signs that they are thinking about relieving themselves, e.g. sniffing around for "the spot", and get them out before they go any further (pun intended). Praise when they do it outside, a firm "no" and out the door immediately if they make a mistake, just like a pup. Because they have more control at this age, it shouldn't take very long to acquaint them with the "rules".

  • Yes, I agree that it might be less work for you to house train these basenjis. Are you also spending time 'basenji proofing' your home? I do love the fact that you would like to have them in bed with you at night. They do make such warm, cuddly sleep companions!

  • That's what I will be doing for the next 3 days! This adoption is happening sooner than I thought it would, but I am beyond excited and determined to give them my best. I'm getting 2 of the 5 B's posted on Craigslist, Eureka, KS

  • Also beware that although the two females get along, that could be a concern now that they are living in the house and there will be more thigs to get territorial about
    Just a thought

  • I agree with eeeefarm about house training adult Basenjis but I should say as somebody who fostered kennel Basenjis for years I only had 2 that actually needed house training, they seemed to realise that outside was for elimination rather than in the house.

    Also please heed Chealsie508's warning that the two could become quite territorial even though they've been getting along in kennels. Try to divert them from any direct confrontation.

  • As long as the weather is nice, I've found basenjis (even ones from puppymills) easy to housetrain. As long as the weather is nice. (yes, there's a reason I repeated that.)

  • Thanks so much for the advise, all excellent. Are there any suggestions you have for dealing with 'chewing everything', other than close observation and replacing the object being chewed with an acceptable chew toy. The owner says chewing everything is the only bad behavior they have (which is pretty bad). I know with my puppies I was able to replace the chewed object with a toy and they got the message pretty quick.

  • I would guess that considering their current living conditions, they really didn't have much to chew on… so therefore... chewed whatever they could get their teeth on (so to speak). So by providing them options and lots of them and close supervision in the beginning, they might get the idea quickly

Suggested Topics

  • Basenji House proofing

    Basenji Training
    14
    0 Votes
    14 Posts
    5k Views
    H
    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.
  • House training with ugodog

    Basenji Training
    14
    0 Votes
    14 Posts
    8k Views
    R
    Hi! I'm looking for a dog trainer, but no success.. I've looked through so many reviews (http://www.pissedconsumer.com/consumer-reviews/animal-services.html)!! But nothing helps.. I can't find a perfect trainer who'd combine excellent professional and personal skills..Can you help me? Please advise!
  • Make your Dog's TRAINING easy now

    Basenji Training
    1
    -1 Votes
    1 Posts
    1k Views
    No one has replied
  • Malaika's training

    Basenji Training
    5
    0 Votes
    5 Posts
    2k Views
    P
    Well done Malaika.
  • Don Sullivan's Training Program

    Basenji Training
    3
    0 Votes
    3 Posts
    2k Views
    JayCeeJ
    Wouldn't go near it! Particularly as he advocates and sells his version of a prong collar - an adversive way to prevent a dog from pulling - and not very successful at that. Try using methods that have actually been proven - scientifically and not by marketing spiel! Great website for finding info is www.dogstardaily.com loads of free stuff to read and watch too. Basically there are no short cuts, good training and manners take time, but if you learn to enjoy the process rather than focus on the results you enjoy and treasure you spend with your B learning together and then the finished behaviour/trick/exercise is just the icing on the cake.
  • Our Thoughts on Training and Raising a Basenji

    Basenji Training
    40
    0 Votes
    40 Posts
    15k Views
    DukeD
    @DiegosMom: I think Tanza was just agreeing with a post I made about being careful leaving dogs in cars.. no one was attacking you or saying you were not careful or were wrong for doing it.. we were just saying, in general, there are risks involved with leaving a dog in the car unatteneded.. That was my exact interpretation. Adding caution to the wind…never hurt anyone. :) This is not an exclusive conversation - many people from all over the world at any given moment are viewing the forum - if they didn't take the time to read this thread beginning to end - blah - blah - iterating words of wisdom in the middle of any thread could save a life. btw - I find advice about training is situational - every dog and every trainer has different styles. Hopefully when we get stumped with a training issue, this forum and members have different tried and true methods, various options are out there. Thank you Jason for your time in sharing your thoughts and training methods that are working well for you. It's always good to have diversity and commonality. ps - I don't want anyone else to feel left out with my appreciation - so a big thank you to others who've shared their important thoughts and training ideas here and elsewhere on this forum. You are all so very helpful.