Hello...

[packmom]

Hello everyone, I wanted to introduce myself as a new member. My name is Liz, and my husband and I have been married for 15 yrs. We have 3 kids, 1 in college, 1 out of the house, and 1 in middle school, so really just the 3 of us at home. We don't have a Basenji yet, but in a few short weeks, our new little girl will be old enough to come home, after she is 9-weeks. We've started the naming process, but don't have anything definitive yet, I'm hoping that when we go to visit her next week, the list will get shorter.
We are excited and nervous all at the same time. I've read some horror stories of misbehaving Basenji puppies ( like the one with a sofa that didn't stand a chance); but I'm intrigued by the challenge of outsmarting the animal that thinks they are the smartest in the room.
We had a Great Pyrenees, Lucy, that we rescued as a 4-month old puppy. The lady who had her was "disappointed that her personality wasn't more like a Lab or Golden Retriever". Lucy wasn't socialized at all, and she was way more than a handful (think Turner and Hooch). She didn't know how to walk on leash, she was strong, she was dangerous. She chewed on everything, at 5 - months old and more than 50 Lbs, she took down a young tree and an above ground pool.
As an adult, at 110 lbs, she was fiercely independent, stubborn, intelligent, manipulative, sweet, & loving. She had nasty temper tantrums, like when trying to go somewhere and she didn't want, she would sit down and not move, like an adult-sized toddler. If you tried to force her, she would lie down and she wouldn't budge. Unfortunately, after a long fight, we lost her to cancer, she was only 8 years old.
I've read that Basenjis have some of the same personality "quirks", just on a smaller scale with less hair and drool. It was mostly the attitude I'm drawn to with the Basenji more than anything else; even though I like the idea of not having trash bags full of dog hair or getting your "nice" clothes slimed on your way out the door. I'm looking forward to a wild ride, with lots of laughs, and lots of love.

[tanza]

Welcome! Who are you getting your puppy from, who are her Sire and Dam? Many of us are related by our Basenjis. Sounds like you are prepared for the "wild ride"..... Note that your puppy does need to be confined when you are not there. All puppies misbehave... especially when alone... do not give the pup the run of the house... crate the pup (or use an xpen set up) if you don't have a small place that you can leave her in, such as the kitchen or laundry room. BUT remember if there are things in there that you don't want chewed... you need to remove them. I used our laundry room, however at that time there were no baseboards in there.... didn't take long for the pups to "strip" wall paper....

[Sass7656]

Congrats on your new baby girl! I am so excited for you. We just got our baby girl this week but we have 2 at home already. Each basenji we have had the opportunity to have in our lives has been unique and special. They have all had a certain amount of attitude and quirks, and some things seem to be universal. They are a cool dog and you seem to be the right fit for one. Keep some chews available and use lots of praise. Mine have all been really smart except for one. For me that meant you have to keep them engaged or they find trouble. Training and exercise is key but that is the norm for most dogs. I also would kennel your dog or you too could be the proud owner of a shredded couch. I was.but they are so loving and such fun you will have a blast!

[packmom]

@tanza Hi. It's nice to meet you. I don't have the sire and dam information with me here at work, but can get back to you with it. My husband and I both work full time, but I'm one of those lucky people whose office is less than 2 miles from my house, and I go home for lunch; and I go to work in a "dog-friendly" environment, where dogs are welcome. I'm thinking that this is a great opportunity for socialization once she has all of her vaccinations.
In terms of your advice on using a crate, it is a definite. We have a large area next to the kitchen for her to call her own where we will keep her crate. Our Pyr was a crate training nightmare, she actually broke the welds on her first crate and got out. Thankfully we were just at the store and not gone long enough, but we still had to replace what once was a Lazy Boy recliner.

[packmom]

@sass7656 Hi! Crate is a must. All of dogs have had separate crates and areas of their own. We currently have a 7-yr old all-American Mutt named Buddy, who likes to hang out in his crate to relax. I haven't talked much about him, but he's always been so easy. We got him as at the animal shelter when he was around 6 months old, he's never had an accident or chewed anything but his own toys. We don't have any funny stories, he's a very polite mild-mannered, stable guy. I love him dearly, but he's kind of boring in that way.
What are your thoughts about antlers? Our Pyr was a monster chewer, the only things that could keep her from chewing everything, including the air conditioner (yes, she chewed on the outside air conditioning unit) and the siding on the house, was frozen stuffed Kongs (they had to be stuffed or she wasn't interested) or large antlers that I had to run under warm water.
How is training? Thoughts on the clicker?

[DebraDownSouth]

Welcome! The breeder name is enough to know who might be related.

As for names, responsible breeders generally have their kennel name and then you can add to it. Some litters have "themes", or start with a certain letter. Ask your breeder so you don't get too into names. That said, what you CALL the puppy can have nothing to do with the registered name.

[tanza]

@packmom - Not sure where you plan her sleeping area, but she should sleep in the same room you do, regardless if in a crate or your bed. So it helps to have more than one crate.... (speaking from experience, I have many crates.... ) That is great that you work close to home... so do I and was perfect when we had litters.

[ChrisF]

Welcome, I have a young female, Piper. Bought her last Jan at 8 weeks old. I had read lots but still was not prepared. Yes expect lots of laughter. A few important lessons I have learned is to always keep boxes of tissues up high and out of sight, keep bathroom doors closed, keep laundry baskets both clean and dirty behind closed doors....and though crate trained, she has never slept in our room and she does fine. I can't stress enough the importance of socialization with people and animals and lots of walking or running opportunities daily. One more tip I could not do without yak cheese. She has not damaged any furniture and she loves to chew. Speaking of that long sleeves help the first year....my girl uses a grab to my wrist with her teeth as an attention getter. This is being extinguished over time. Looking forward to seeing her picture and hearing the name you choose.
Chris

[Patty]

Welcome to the Forum, Packmom and to your little girl when she arrives. You've already received good advice so I won't add to it. You sound well prepared for the so-called problems but a Basenji will always find something that surprises you! I look forward to your stories about your new 'adventure' pup.

[giza1]

@packmom said in Hello...:

How is training? Thoughts on the clicker?

Basenjis are not the easiest breed to train, but they certainly can be taught. And clicker training is THE BEST way to teach a Basenji anything!
-Joanne

[Zurimaya]

Welcome!
Fully understand your emotion and nervous feeling. Basenjis are beautiful and you have to consider they are not a regular dog. I have two basenjis, Zuri and Maya, 12 and 10 years old respectively.
You have to be patient with your current furry kid and with the new one. My best advice is : your patience will be rewarded with many years of basenji inconditional love and that is the best.

[Kembe]

Congratulations! I am the proud mother of a 12 year old female named Kembe. I took my baby to doggy school when she was young which I think was great for socialization and also in teaching simple commands, walking your dog, etc. I have been very fortunate that my dog was NEVER destructive and she NEVER peed or pooped in the house. I was forced to install a doggy dog because she would wake me up during the night to take her out to the bathroom. My dog was crate trained but I found I was able to let her have the run of the house with no issues. She also sleeps in our bed - she is a child trapped in a dog's body.I walk her 2 to 3 times a day which I think helps keep her stimulated, active, and in good health. Basenjis are extremely smart - you have to be one step ahead of them. My dog knows everything that is going on in the house and she understands what we're talking about - to the point that we have to spell out words in our conversations. You will need to be patient and firm in your training because they are stubborn and highly intelligent.You are going to get so much back in love and devotion from your basenji. They are a very unusual lovable breed and I'm sure you're going to be very happy! Best Wishes!

[uconolly]

Basenji puppies can really be a handful for those who are unprepared for it. I think girls are generally better behaved than the boys. No surprise! All Basenjis are different, but as the mom of an 8 yr old blind male (bad breeder, he has PRA), our experience with Bongo (from 11 wks to about 18-24 mos.), was that he was a total sweetheart who had an appetite for secret destruction! This adorable little baby chewed holes in every single piece of furniture in our living room. AND we had a crate. He would do it when I was around but not looking at him! My husband had this v expensive sculpture and one day I came home to find Bongo up on a console table delicately biting and licking the most expensive thing in our house!

We had some trying times for sure. But he has taught our family so much. We all love him so much. Basenjis are aristocrats and they LOVE to be naughty. Give your new girl lots of exercise, use the crate, and teach her the rules. Even if she won’t always follow those rules, make sure she knows them. I think Basenjis are the most lovable creatures I’ve ever had the privilege to know.

[packmom]

Thank you all so much for the kind words. We are starting scent introductions next week between our current dog and our new girl while she is still with the breeder. We purchased her a blanket that we can use to get her scent, then bring home to Buddy to start getting used to. Have any of you had any issues with bringing a new family member into the house? I've read that Basenjis can have problems in that area, but hoping that starting young and taking things slow will alleviate those problems.

[tanza]

@packmom - The meet and greet should be on neutral territory, not in your home/yard..... take them both to a park or some fairly quiet area on leash and walk them around together.... then go home..... make sure that you treat your current dog first.... pet first, feed first, etc.... so he doesn't think he is being replaced

[Sass7656]

We just introduced our new puppy to our 2 existing basenjis and we did everything wrong! Unfortunately I flew in late and it’s winter so no introduction was possible at a park. My breeder lives in Seattle so no scent blanket available. We had to do it the hard way, ta da! Here’s a new puppy! My girl I was worried would be grumpy and she was great the first day, my boy who I thought it would be fine was all sorts of put out. In the next couple of days it reversed and Maia was pretty cranky and Remy was fine. They growled at this annoying little brat a bit but that’s all. They are all from the same breeder so she smelled like home. They are also all very mild mannered so that helped a lot. It hasn’t been a week yet and we have had full blown basenji 500(once you get one and watch it run you’ll get the reference) and they are all sleeping together on the couch and in bed. It was a pretty easy transition thank goodness!she has settled right in and seems pretty happy with her new digs. She also really loves our dogs and they are all playing like puppies. Potty training is going well but it is our only struggle at the moment, the cold and the snow is not helping. I hope when you bring your girl home it goes as well as ours did. I can’t wait to see a picture of your new fur baby!

[coyohti]

@sass7656 I don't mean to derail the thread but I am curious as to who your breeder in Seattle is. I got my girl from a Seattle breeder way back in the day and I'm kind of hoping I might find someone who has dogs descended from her parents.

[tanza]

@coyohti - Do you know your girls pedigree? Breeders (responsible ones) use their kennel name in their registered names.

[Sass7656]

My breeder is Rita Webb she is originally from Hawaii. Her kennel name is No Ka Oi. What was your kennel name of your breeder she might know where you can find a descendant. She is pretty involved in the basenji community there. She also shows up and down the west coast.

[Redial]

"A Basenji is a slob's best friend"
Remember that and you will be right. It teaches you to pick up and put-away things you don't want destroyed, chewed, or nibbled. Especially the crotch out of underpants, the right thong/flip flops (so that you finish up with left ones untouched), your Mother's best coffee table, your best plant, (they will always pick the "best" that you have if you have multiples). I feed mine RBBB cut into chunks by the butcher - but wait until the pup gets their adult teeth. Good luck with your pup.