How to bond with my male basenji pup

[aury]

Hi everyone! 👋 I’m new at the forums and I got my puppy on April 20th. We spent almost a month just the puppy ( simba) and me. I’m married but my husband was traveling. then move out and aim as doctor took him for a week and a half to her farm to socialize with other dogs while we finish the moving ( we know that’s very stressful for dogs). Simba is my dog, I was the one who picked him and wanted to adopt him.
Thing is I want to really bond with him. He’s now 3.5 months and knows the command “sit” he follows off leash perfectly and comes when called.
The thing is, he never yodels or baroo at me. Just whenever he sees my husband.
I feed him, train him, walk him and play with him. ( also hand feeding) , but he never makes sounds or put his ears down or move his tail for me. If I go outside he cries, if I go to the bathroom he wants to go too.. but when he sees my husband is an instant yodel...
I’m the one who spends the day with him... so I don’t know... I want to be his favorite person. Si ce I’ve si many plans with him ( agility, travel together etc)

Is that behavior for him a pro or or that my husband is his favorite? Why doesn’t he move his tailor yodels to me?

Thanks a lot it’s my first basenji

[eeeefarm]

Basenjis like who they like, and decide when to vocalize, sometimes for reasons known only to themselves. None of mine have been much for tail wags, but my 2nd girl extravagantly wagged when our previous landlady came to visit after we bought our first house. For some reason she greeted this person with more enthusiasm than she ever greeted us! Why? Who knows. She had not had occasion to spend much time with her, but something about that lady just triggered the wagging tail.

I was always the person who did the training and spent the most time with all of our Basenjis, and universally given the choice between me and my husband, they would invariably prefer to sit on the couch with him than with me. But if asked to do something, they would often ignore his commands and seldom ignored me, probably because I wasn't going to let it go. Maybe they prefer the person who is more "laissez faire"? Which would make sense, because Basenjis do not like to be told what to do!

[aury]

@eeeefarm thank you! That’s right they decide. What I can do is keeping giving him my love, play time and the best leader for him.

[Kembe]

@aury
My basenji is 14.5 years old an I think I’ve heard her yodel/baroo maybe 2-3 times.

[Pawla]

Do you know the saying, "absence makes the heart grow fonder"? You are the one that Simba spends the day with, so he doesn't get excited like he does when your husband comes home. However, he is obviously very bonded with you if he gets anxious when you leave his sight (ie., go outside or to the bathroom). A baroo definitely does not signify love or bonding - I think it is more excitement (or reacting to a sound).

My b is very quiet (except for yawns) but he started yodeling the first time he met my younger son who was visiting from out of town - I think he sensed MY excitement over my son's arrival and reacted to that. He obviously loves my other son who he sees often but has never yodeled for him (and it does hurt my son's feelings).

My b did once "sing" along to the mournful sound of a trumpet playing taps on Memorial Day. Long ago, I fostered a b girl who would reliably sing/yodel/baroo to the sound track of "MASH". It was very funny. I taught my previous b to "speak" on command - he would let out a little "woof" for a special treat, but I had to get him all worked up and excited before he would do it.

My current b is unusually calm and I think that's why he is also very quiet. I'd rather have a calm b than one who makes noise.

[Ember the Basenji]

I am also the one who feeds my girl, drives with her to work, takes her for walks etc so she is around me all day everyday. When she sees my mom, she wags her tail, if my mother takes too long to answer the door, she swats at it and cries. When she sees my son, she wags her tail and chortles and screams at him like she hasn't seen him in years. When she sees the controller at my office, she swats at him and makes a plethora of weird noises until he gives her a treat. I think it's kind of like being a mom; your taken for granted because you are alway there but when they want someone to cuddle with, it's you they go to. I wouldn't take it as a sign that he prefers your husband. Your basenji is just not used to seeing him all the time.

[aury]

@ember-the-basenji thanks a lot for your reply. Well yes that’s very true. He also does that with some strangers ... and to cuddle, sometimes with him (mostly) and sometimes with me. Depends if it’s cold.

[Sandy Hovis]

Thor very seldom vocalizes, my neighbor (lady)....probably gets the best vocal response of anybody around.
It’s gonna be sweet when they do, but it may be seldom.....so enjoy it when you hear it.

[Zande]

Oh how well I know that feeling ! Having bred Basenjis for almost 40 years, I had to buy in a puppy this year. A house is simply not a home without a Basenji.

I have bonded very well with Mku, feed him, walk him, provide a lap for him to cuddle on in the evenings - have trained to in recall etc, but his yodels are for my son whenever he comes through the gate. Mku also yodels at the postman, the man who comes to mow the lawn, the newspaper delivery girl and the once a week gardener.

He yodelled at the emergency plumber who came to fix a leak and he yodelled at the man coming to repoint the chimneys and at the scaffolders when they came to take it all down. He vocalises to anyone and everyone who comes near the house.

But not to Mom.

Nevertheless I don't feel put out. I am just so pleased he is friendly and welcoming. (NB I hope he will discriminate if we have a burglary.) I yodel back to him each time he greets anyone and the other day got a greeting when I came down in the morning !

Don't despair ! He knows he is your dog and is just telling your husband he is happy to see him too. Yodel at him, and keep doing it. Once a puppy has left the nest, if he doesn't hear it, he can easily stop doing it.

[eeeefarm]

I find there seem to be too occasions that Basenjis will yodel. One is when they are pleased about something, but the other is when they are frustrated! My Perry would often sound off if I made him wait for his roller ball, and Sunny would do a "head fling" followed up with a yodel or howl if he wanted his dinner and we were sitting on the couch ignoring him. Sunny would also howl on cue. We had a little "howling song" that always set him off!

[aury]

@zande oh Insee Hahahah so it’s a bj thing! Thank you! Since is my first basenji there are things I just don’t know how to handle but thanks to this blog I’m learning everyday

[Sandy Hovis]

@aury it sure is a great site, I too am new to this breed....they have help me in so many ways understand my boy Thor. It’s a good thing, welcome to the site and congrats on your new pup.

[Zande]

@aury It would be nice to ensure he is in the pedigree on-line database ! WITH a photo - which you can email me.

Please tell us who are his Mom and Dad and his date of birth (and registered name) so I can add him or check to see if his breeder already sent me his information and that of his siblings.

You can use the email address on the website (in my signature block) cos I have fixed the redirect which wasn't happening.

[aury]

@zande thanks I will send you all the info 😊