So IF (when!!) we are lucky enough to get a Basenji pup to agree to come and live with us,
What will he/she need?
I'm talking 'from scratch', beds, bowls, car travel bits, insurance, toys etc etc.
What would be recommended? Essential vs. Nice to have.
Oh and I have already started the list with the 'special forces/Top Gun' waterproofs as that is FASHION!
Alan
Most breeders will supply a lot of things with the puppy. For instance, I supply collar, lead, food bowl, soft toy, chew toy, piece of bedding, small quantity of food, jumper (although not quite as cool as TopGun) etc. Breeders vary but most will supply a few things. A nice bed (basenji proof of course), maybe a crate if you are going to crate train him/her and a few extra toys should be all you need to buy to start with. It is really easy to buy too much and spoil them though. Puppies should come with 6 weeks free KC insurance should that will help also.
That all depends on how much you want to buy at once, and how much you want to spoil the pup. (I had all my stuff so my breeder provided just the dog)
• A nice (but not too expensive) bed, as it will probably get torn up before the pup is a year old.
• A food bowl, and 2 or 3 water bowls for where the dog will spend most of the day.
• Nylabone puupy starter kit (3 different styles of nylabones)
• A stuffed animal or two.
• A couple small balls (tennis type or not)
• A crate or kennel (preferably a wire crate with a crate pad to crate train in)
• Talk to the breeder and find out what food it's on and get a small bag of that, and maybe a small bag of a better puppy food if you want to feed them better.
• A regular leash and if you like a retractable one as well.
• A tieout chain or real long lead and maybe a spike for when you go somewhere not offleash dog friendly and want to let them kinda loose
• Some training style treats
• A clicker, if you will be clicker training it.
• A jacket if needed
• Something for the car (changes on how you want to travel. I have a bed with tall sides in the hatch of my station wagon, but you may just need a tiedown for the collar, or something like that)
• Oh, a nice collar is good (I recommend the 'allhoundsapperal' martingale ones as they have lifetime warranties even if eaten by dogs)
• Look around and talk to a few vets to find one that knows of basenjis and who you think will be a good vet
• many more things based on how spoiled you want the dog.
These are great responses, appreciate that.
Alan
In addition to the things others have said, I would add, make sure to talk to your breeder about what foods they feed and treats they recommend. You will want to check and make sure they are available near you and if not get recommendations about what food that is available locally would be good to switch to.
I also really liked how the Snugglepuppies I sent home with the pups this year worked. I have always used a large stuffie for the pups to cuddle when they go home but the warmth of the snugglepuppie seemed to really help to the pups settle in their crate at night.
I also really liked how the Snugglepuppies I sent home with the pups this year worked. I have always used a large stuffie for the pups to cuddle when they go home but the warmth of the snugglepuppie seemed to really help to the pups settle in their crate at night.
+1!!!!!!!!!!!!
I can't say enough good things about the snugglepuppies. I got one for Liyah before she came home at 11 weeks. I'm 100% convinced that it made a big difference in Liyah acclimating to her new home and sleeping well in her crate. It is still in her crate (she'll be 6 mo. this week), but I no longer use the warming parts or the heart. I used it initially in the car as well and she is a great little traveler…not a peep from her in the car, and she has traveled from Mass to PA (7.5 hours).
Most breeders will supply a lot of things with the puppy. For instance, I supply collar, lead, food bowl, soft toy, chew toy, piece of bedding, small quantity of food, jumper (although not quite as cool as TopGun) etc. Breeders vary but most will supply a few things. A nice bed (basenji proof of course), maybe a crate if you are going to crate train him/her and a few extra toys should be all you need to buy to start with. It is really easy to buy too much and spoil them though. Puppies should come with 6 weeks free KC insurance should that will help also.
I'm just curious what beds are basenji proof???
I'm just curious what beds are basenji proof???
Good Question.. We've been through every type of bed so far!! The only thing I can find that so far hasn't been destroyed (and we've had it for over 6 months now!) is Pro Fleece Vet Bedding. It says it's chew proof and…....so far so good. 
It also washes and tumbledries really easily.
I always buy vetbed but have to renew it often, as one of my dobes is a chewer.
Tilly can pull the stuffing out of anything - so i have a really tough cover (taken off a bed she totalled), and i buy cheap continental quilts from supermarkets/ikea, and just fold them up well into it so its nice and thick - and got my mum to sew on a whole load more fasteners to try to Tilly-proof it. Really easy to wash and quick to dry.
I always buy vetbed but have to renew it often, as one of my dobes is a chewer.
Is it the thick vet bed you use? I have vet bed also but it's not as good as the Pro Fleece, the dogs have shredded it to bits!. It is quite hard to find especially at shows. I was lucky enough to find a stall at LKA that sold Pro Fleece. You can buy it online quite easily.
Yes Vicky it is the thick vetbed i use - can get two good sized pieces for ?14 at most shows - but have to get more most months, so dont see the point spending much more on it… when i put my youngest dobe girl in the kennel during the day, she always drags her bed out into their run and lies on it having a good chew. have tried putting straw in their beds in kennels, which was nice n warm for them in winter but im still finding bits of it floating about!
My Katie is a digger, then rips as soon as a speck of fluff appears. The only bed I have never replaced is Duluth Trading Company dog bed. Outer shell is like iron!! Washes well and is water/pee/skunk smell proof so the inner shell has never been damaged. I replace the innards every couple of years with some cedar chips (small bag of rodent bedding from a pet chain) and batting from walmart just to keep the bed fluffy and warm. I go to Salvation Army or Goodwill for baby blankets to cover it with (50 cents apiece and I don't care if the digging/nesting damages it:))
They cost a bit more than your average dog bed, but in the long run I've saved a ton of $$. I replaced 6 of Katies beds before the Duluth. Best thing, it's big enough for the 2 Basenjis to share so it saved space as well.
The one necessity I can't live without is the pint size stainless water bowl. Not big enough for the all-day fresh water, but perfect for my bedside table and keeps the dog spit out of my bedside water glass.:D I just have to figure out how to keep them from walking on me if they get up for a midnight slurp;).
I love this thread. Of course I already have my puppy and then some, but I love the different ideas. Thanks all.
Gotta say - the bed is sounding like a super important bit of the Basenji world. Which is fair enough really!
All the advice and tips are most welcome and i'm confident we shall not be missing anything come the hoped for day of arrival…...............
Now, where did I put my prized antique priceless family heirloom stuffed squirrel toy?
Alan
Gotta say - the bed is sounding like a super important bit of the Basenji world. Which is fair enough really!
All the advice and tips are most welcome and i'm confident we shall not be missing anything come the hoped for day of arrival…...............
Now, where did I put my prized antique priceless family heirloom stuffed squirrel toy?
Alan
Hopefully you put that prized antique pricelesll family heirloom stuffed squirrel in a real, real, real safe place…gggg
The one necessity I can't live without is the pint size stainless water bowl. Not big enough for the all-day fresh water, but perfect for my bedside table and keeps the dog spit out of my bedside water glass.:D I just have to figure out how to keep them from walking on me if they get up for a midnight slurp;).
This is so funny! Our cat sleeps on the bed with us and stands on my head to drink out of my glass of water on the bedside table! 
This is so funny! Our cat sleeps on the bed with us and stands on my head to drink out of my glass of water on the bedside table!
You must be more tolerant than me Vicky - my cats used to be allowed in the room - but being woken up by Bourneville - a 14 year old chocolate point Siamese with Kitekat breath- standing on my face then coughing up a furball on the pillow - got them banished.
On the subject of crate's - what is the ideal size for a puppy?
Do I need to get bigger one's as he grows?
Alan
Dwaf,
I got Otis, my 5 mo old a medium sized crate, all wire style, about 30"L x 21"W x 26"H (=77cm L x 54cm W x 66cm H, ballpark). The crate I bought came with a divider panel, so you can make the crate smaller while the puppy is potty training and then make it larger as the puppy grows. We don't use the panel anymore, Otis is OK without it. The crate is large enough for him to move around and it will stay roomy enough for when he is fully grown. Mine has 2 doors, one on the short end and one on the longer side, that way it is easier to place in a room and yet be simple to open up.
Hey, I've just discovered what a 'snugglepuppy' thingy is. We found a cuddly teddy in a charity shop years ago which had a ticking clocks as it's tummy. We bought it for our puppy coming home and it worked wonders. Have used it with puppies ever since.
