Skip to content

First Night With 8 Month Old

Basenji Training
  • Hi all - I'm new to the forums and to the Basenji breed. Today my family adopted an 8 month old Basenji mix from the local HS, and I have a couple questions:
    I plan to sleep beside the crate for the next 2/3 nights (or more) to hopefully assist with any night-time issues. After all the reading I've done, it seems as though Basenjis and towels etc do not mix - so is it safe to place a towel or 2 into the crate for her? She will also have some chew toys.
    Also, any recommendations on proper beds for her? As in, ones she won't eat?
    TIA

  • Our pretty much tore up or soiled all bedding till they get trained. Start off only short times in the crate and always make it a positive as possible experience.

  • To answer your question regarding bedding; no, towels are not a good choice, they can turn out to be a dangerous thing for a dog to chew up and ingest. Polar fleece is a much safer choice.
    -Joanne

  • Sleeping next to her is a good idea, and fun too. Some experts do it for more than a week.
    Fleece is good.
    I would't put chews or toys in her crate, you never knows what happens when you are sleeping deeply.
    The longer/better the walks, the more tired she is, the less she will destroy your house. If she doesn't get enough running time (and I mean EVERY DAY), you're in for a hard time.
    Emjoy!

  • Polar Fleece is a better choice, I agree… or sturdy beds/mats for the crate... you really need to see how she does with bedding, none of my Basenjis were bedding killers. And the crate should be in the room where you sleep, next to your bed.... then you are right there to deal with any issues.

Suggested Topics

  • 4 months old and difficult potty training

    Basenji Training
    28
    1 Votes
    28 Posts
    6k Views
    elbrantE
    @jkent said in 4 months old and difficult potty training: sometimes just looks at me when I give her the command to eat it, not understanding. She might be confused about the signals. Try eating a cracker while she's watching and then, setting her bowl down and telling her it's "okay" to eat. In the dog world, the boss (Alpha dog, or leader) eats first. Then the other dog(s) get to eat.
  • First Points!

    Basenji Training
    14
    0 Votes
    14 Posts
    6k Views
    JannekeJ
    Yay! Congrats again!!
  • Problems in her crate at night..

    Basenji Training
    33
    0 Votes
    33 Posts
    11k Views
    hdolbowH
    she slept all night last night:D 1045pm-6am.
  • Ask To Pet First…

    Basenji Training
    19
    0 Votes
    19 Posts
    8k Views
    wizardW
    I've run into similar situations with the kids in the neighborhood. When they saw me walking my previous beastie, they would come running. I always told the kids to stop and let my dog smell their hand so he could tell if they were good or bad ("oh I'm a good girl" :)) and the kids surprisingly obeyed. Now when they see me with EL D they remember and do the right thing. And sometimes I hear them telling their sibling or friend "let EL D smell you first".
  • House Breaking a 9 Month-old

    Basenji Training
    6
    0 Votes
    6 Posts
    4k Views
    C
    Thanks for all your advise so far. Here's the update… patience and persistence seems to be paying off. We confined him to whatever room we were in so we ALWAYS caught him. After just 3 weeks of this he started running to the door! I completely thought he'd never get it. He didn't seem to be connecting "outside" with "potty time". But its been nearly a month now and he is about as house broken as our other 11 mo old. We still have accidents, especially when its wet out, but all your advice seems to be paying off. Thanks.
  • A night with Bandit

    Basenji Training
    14
    0 Votes
    14 Posts
    7k Views
    ChaseandZahrasmomC
    Angee, You are so right about the good feeling you get when you wake up to those happy wagging tails. When my husband is deployed it really makes waking up in the morning bareable! It is great when I get home from work too. I dropped them off at a kennel today because we are going on a few days vacation before my husband deploys, we are leaving tomorrow but dropped them off today so we could get some running around done. It is so quiet sitting here right now without them. I don't think I could handle this house alone without the dogs! Jenn