Pros and cons of having two of 'them'
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We just started talking to our local rescue folks about adding a second basenji. Sometimes it seems like a great idea, like when Karen sends us info on a sweet boy who would do well with another B, or when Fiji is being her mostly angelic and adorable self.
Then there are times like last night when she tries to empty the couch cushions right before our eyes, or decides to chew the corners off of a couple of library books :confused: <sigh>That's when DH says: "why would we want 2 basenjis? So one could keep us distracted while the other destroys the house?" LOL
I'm interested to see the responses to this thread.</sigh>
Are you in SoCal?? I have a father/daughter pair from Medfly Brigade. The nice thing about getting a rescue is that you usually can get info up front that will help to determine if the new addition will get along with your B. I've had Bs for about 17 years–all of mine did better when they had a companion--whether it was another B or another breed--as long as they were a good match.
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Yes, we are in San Diego. We have always had great mixed breed rescue dogs, and have always lived in houses with big yards. After a few years without a pup, and having downsized to an urban loft, we researched a bit more about what kind of dog we wanted this time. But we knew it would be a rescue in any case.
When we took a deep breath and decided to find a basenji we were working with Medfly - Karen is the best! Then, by happenstance, we came upon a woman who had to give her b up after some life changes and we were able to give our almost-3 year old Fiji a new home.
We've kept in touch with Karen though - in fact our neighbors like our girl so much they're now working with Medfly to adopt a B. When I emailed Karen about them she told me she had a perfect boy for me if I was ready for that second B she always knew I'd want. :) She thinks he's a perfect fit for our family, so we'll see what happens…
wow - long answer, eh? :o
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Yes–Karen and Chuck are the very best! I love to hear about people adopting from them because they work so hard and have so many Bs that need homes. Karen told me that Tyler and Zoey would be perfect for me, and she was right. When I went to SoCal to meet them (I live in the Bay Area), they did not warm up to me (but I wasn't expecting much because of their history--and after all--they were Bs). But I trusted Karen's judgement and drove them all the way back home--and they are my two little cuddle bugs now. Whatever room I'm in, they are sure to follow--they are in their bed by my computer right now. I really do think that two help to keep each other occupied and out of trouble. Keep us posted!
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IMHO, two are less likely to destroy your home, they are too busy with each other. You don't feel guilty for leaving one alone all day then all evening, they keep each other company. Two are so cute walking together, and darling to travel with, you are no more tied down than with one. Vet visits are doubled, but that's about it, the cost of food isn't a big deal, and the joy of two, one snuggled on each side of you, is wonderful! We have three, and love having all of them, will hopefully never have just one!
Anne in Tampa
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Rescue b's can sometimes be a bit slow to warm up, but they do realize when a great home come by…
so, given time, they sure can become snuggle bugs. -
Great input, as always. I'll keep you posted on our journey and hopefully Janneke - who started thisthread - will too.
Max - was Tyler's name TriTip once upon a time?
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We are thinking about adding a basenji, because we feel that Mirtillo needs a friend to play and cuddle with in his own basenji-way. He isn't destructive, because when he is in the house, he sleeps.. I woke him up this morning around 9 am.. it's 11.30 am now and he is still sleeping. Has not peed yet..
When I see him sleeping, I always think.. 'he would LOVE it when there would be a friend laying next to him'. When we meet other dogs on our walks, he can look so disappointed when we have to walk further.
Of course, we would also love the company of a second B.
But there are some things we also have to think about: extra costs in €€'s and time. We love to train with Mirtillo and want to continue doing this. Maybe some agility and Lure Coursing in the future. I feel both dogs should get the same amount of attention/training. We also love the showing-part, so that costs a lot of time and money too.
Then the question: is it a good idea to add a second basenji, when the first is only one year old? We are thinking about adding a pup.
There are no basenji-rescues I can think of in the Netherlands. And we would like to show the other B as well.. (and we are considering some breeders already)And we have an extra 'problem'. I'll start university in September. Five long days a week, for.. SIX years.. (veterinarian/researcher animal health). Bf works full days as well but a) can come home in the afternoon to feed/walk the B's or b) can take Mirtillo to his work. I don't think it is possible to take two B's to work ;)
So, it's one B to work, or two B's home alone. When we leave them at home, is it possible to give them a 'play room'? Or do they have to be crated separately?
Lots of things to think about..
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I have to chime in my 2 cents. Last year, I started a thread and asked the same question, but the only difference was I am single so the care, walking, everything is down to me…everyone basically said, 2 are better than 1 and the single folks wrote in that basically the only problem might be bringing 2 dogs to friends when you go to visit.
Anyway, I added Brando in March...best thing I ever did! In my case, both Brando and Ruby are retired show dogs. Both Brando & Ruby are 3yo. My breeder found the perfect match for Ruby. Crazy high energy...very playful and fun...both of them. Ruby and Brando constantly do the B500 inside & outside. In fact, on the weekend I've seen them go at for over an hour :D.
One thing that is way easier if you have 2...the bathroom habits. When one goes, the other nearly always goes immediately after. Walking can sometimes be a bit of a challenge still as I'm still getting used to walking 2 at the same time, but generally it goes really well.
During the day when I'm home, Ruby and Brando sometime curl up together...mostly happens if I am also on the couch, but the kid usually likes her own space otherwise. I tried them in an ex-pen together one night (after Brando had been here about 2 months) to see what would happen having them both in there together. I heard some noise that was really not friendly at all and was escalating and consequently haven't tried that experiment again. That's fine, but it also made me understand why a lot of people said to keep them separated when I'm not around.
I rarely hear any noise from either of them fighting over toys or bully sticks or anything. Which was a surprise because everyone had said it gets pretty noisy with more than one. In fact, there has been absolutely no territory or adjustment issues at all. I have not had to break up any spats on my own, because they are so infrequent. The only time I hear noise is when Ruby is tired and Brando still wants to play and he goes for her neck...then she'll make some noise and he'll stop, but again that is very rare. 99% of the time, when he wants to play, she wants to play and vice versa. And in my situation, that is nearly ALL THE TIME. Let's put it this way, they pant a lot around my house because they run sooo much :D!
Also, in my case, Ruby was somewhat crate phobic. She is sooooo much better with Brando around. No more shaking when it is time to go to her crate...now she willingly runs upstairs and runs right in. I almost cried the first time that happened. She still makes noise on occasion, but in that case, Brando usually starts it because he still cries a little when I leave. However, even that stops by the time I get to the door to leave.
The rest is just money...vet, food, but neither are huge. In fact, my vet cost is about the same as it was with one because I changed vets to one that is further out in the country and has a bunch of basenjis in their practice (in fact they've done surgery on Klassy...and they did Ruby's spay) and the vet cost is lower than the one that I was going to before.
After how it has gone for me, I would always say 2 are easier and better than one.
Oh, and a bonus in my case...Brando fetches...so he is easy to tire out...
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I think alot depends on the dog. I have pups in homes where they are the only dog and likely to stay that way for awhile and in homes where they have a buddy. I do think that there is definately something to be said for them having a companion that speaks their language but in the homes that I have where the pup is an only dog, they don't really seem to miss having other dogs because they are such a central part of the family which I think is really the key to basenji happiness.
I know several people who have a dog room and it works out pretty well. You will need to crate separately if you have a girl when she comes in season.
As for the work involved to raise two, it is not that much more. The biggest time commitment is to training and if you have someone else in the household who is willing to help with the training it isn't too bad. I am really lucky in having found an agility class where two of my girls can attend together. Since I now have 3 in agility, I do have to attend 2 classes but it isn't really that bad. My agility instructor is really willing to work with us. Lure coursing is by far the easiest for a multidog household since everyone gets to go and then just has to wait their turn, which is the hardest thing for a basenji to do.
I think 1 year between is probably the minimum I would want so I can give a pup enough attention and establish good behaviors. I have 2 year between my youngest and her sister. There are 3 years between Nicky and Rally and 4 years between Rally and her daughter Rio.
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Thanks for your input Renaultf1! Good to hear some positive stories! :)
I agree with you Ivoss, that when a dog gets enough attention, he probably won't need a dog companion. Mirtillo seems happy with all the attention he is getting at the moment and my concern when adding a second is if I have enough time to give them both the attention they need. (of course they can then give eachother a lot of attention..)
The other thing I question is, if a year between two pups is enough for Mirtillo to really be trained etc.
We'll keep thinking about it.. I found a wonderful mother for the pup.. who won't bred this year anyway ;)
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We found ourselves asking this exact same question about 6 months ago, which was only 8 months after we got our first puppy. Booger alone had always been fairly well behaved, IMO considering what I've read about basenjis in general. He has always been very happy as he is the center of our world. However, every single person agreed 2 is better than 1, and we wanted him to have a friend, so we got another puppy this year. They are almost a full year apart. Our first is a boy, the second a girl. The day Lola came home she took charge. There was a little adjustment to Booger dealing with such a bossy butt, but all in all he is happier for it. They run, chase, wrestle, and cuddle together. As I write this they are doing the B500 through the living room & over the couches.
Hasn't added much extra work, although it takes a little more coordination walking two at a time. We stopped crating when Booger was 8 months because he has severe issues with it. We never crated her because he kept her in line & showed her the ropes. They have full run of the house & either play or sleep all day because the worst we ever find when we get home is a few shredded pieces of paper. Not much extra cost food wise, treat wise or vet wise.
The best part is: double the cuddles, double the fun, double the cute. They are joined at the hip (except at the park… she's still so little he leaves her in the dust), and I would never have another b without a companion for it ever again. They definately complete each other and us. -
Great input, as always. I'll keep you posted on our journey and hopefully Janneke - who started thisthread - will too.
Max - was Tyler's name TriTip once upon a time?
Yes–Tyler was named TriTip at one time. I thought it was "cute" but decided I did not want him named after a piece of meat :) Karen agreed--and when I told her I was thinking of Tyler to have something similar, she thought that was perfect. Zoey is still Zoey. And they both did just great here from day one.
I do have a "dog room" that mine stay in when I'm not at home. It is "basenji proofed" and they have a dog door to a fenced in backyard. It's a regular size bedroom in my house, so they have plenty of room, and each has their own bed--but they usually cuddle up in one bed.
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Sounds like a heavenly environment for pups! Yeah, I don't think I'd like to have my b named after a cut of meat either :rolleyes: We named Fiji to sound like her previous name Weegee and she adapted easily. If we bring Peanut home he may become Pinot. Red wine, red dog, y'know ;)
