In addition to all of the above posts, there are definitely basenjis who will not be crated. I have one. Went through all the correct procedures trying to crate Shaye as a new puppy. We got her a wire crate, the right size, put a soft piece of our clothing in it, put it next to our bed at first so we could touch her through the bars - she screamed all the time she was in there, did her business wih her butt against the side so it would go outside, peed all over the place and sat in it, even though we were very slow and careful with it. The eventual result was she broke nearly all her baby teeth biting the crate, never calmed down in it, would not go in to eat, get treats or anything else. Her personality has never changed; she still backs off if she even sees crates other dogs are sleeping in. She is now nearly five, and she does not act like that when she needs to be kenneled at a daycare place, she seems to know it's different there, although if possible she will try to climb her way out at first. When she cannot, she will calm down and rest for the hour they put her in there during the day. Be patient, but if it just never works, so be it. Once Shaye got a little older and we got her a companion, she has been totally trustworthy while we are gone.
Fun story about toys!
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Shango's never been one for toys. I, of course, would spoil him with various stuffed animals and chew toys that he would pick and nip at, but never really play with.
Today though, that all changed. I take him to a baseball field every morning near my apartment where I let him off the lease to run free. It's fenced in and he loves the freedom so it's a great way to bond with him, while allowing him some freedom to run. I saw him eye something in the grass today that I thought would be some scrap of food or other exciting thing for a basenji, but when his head came up he had a baseball in his mouth that must have been left over from a previous practice.
Boy does he LOVE that baseball! He brought it back to me, almost as if to say "Dad, look what I found!" and we played with it for a good half hour, throwing it and chewing it, he even played catch! It was so funny.
It's just a little moment that makes me smile, I know you all will understand. Seeing our pups find something they enjoy so much, no matter how simple it is.
For Shango, he doesn't need expensive toys from the petstore, he just wants to play with an old, hard-hit baseball
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The hunter found his "prey" in the wild…the elusive baseball! It really is fun to see them enjoy something so much, congrats to Shango on his "kill".
Anne in Tampa
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Awwww. Warm fuzzy feeling! I'm glad you got that once in a Basenji lifetime game of catch! I had it once, many years ago….
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It really is fun to watch them play. Sometimes I'll be in the kitchen and suddenly here comes a soft toy (or the hard kong) flying into the room – EL D sometimes will get pretty wild with his throwing
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So cute! I wish Dallas would fetch…maybe just once to make me happy. LOL. Glad he found a new toy & you both got happiness from it
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Awwwwe,how sweet!
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It's awesome! I thought that the baseball would only be a one-day thing- we woke up this morning, headed to the field and played catch ALL morning again!
I think I've found Shango's favorite toy (And it didn't even cost me a penny!)
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My husband and I went to a Rays baseball game several weeks ago where he actually caught a foul ball! Well we brought the ball home and he was so proud (never caught a ball before) but guess who has had her eyes on it since it came into the house. You guessed it little Ms. Trixie. He had it showing our kids and she actually jumped up onto his lap and tried to take it. We of course have since went out and bought her (I know spoiled rotten) her own baseball and she loves it!
