Sorry if this is repetative- housebreaking

[Kipawa]

I agree with Shouiffy - don't beat yourself up now. Just make a pact with yourself that you will do research on anything in the future to do with Dexter.

I would send away for the cheek swab test. Knowing your dog's health is better than not knowing. If Dexter tests positive, we are all here to help support you and Dexter.

[tanza]

@DexterDex:

I read the health information from the link that was provided as well as some from others as soon as fanconi was mentioned. My fiance and I were ignorant in our search for a breeder and for Dexter, an issue that I'm sure many people have unfortunately. We were told that if a breeder has a license and is registered with the AKC that they must be good enough, and I see that this is not true. I was nervous and mentioned to my fiance several times that I didn't know how a breeder should act, but that I was unsure of the fat that Dex's breeder didn't ask us any questions other than "Will you be breeding him?", but as I said, we were ignorant, and we did not know what to expect or do. I hope no one will look down on us for that, and all I can say is that I will do what I can for him and that now I know better.

As already said, what is done is done… you can now take the time to learn about how to find a responsible breeder and you can help to educate anyone you know that buying a puppy is more then just doing an internet search.... or asking the price.

As noted, you should do the Fanconi test for your own piece of mind... well worth the 65.00.

And here is a link to "how to screen breeders" that you can learn from along with helping to teach others.

http://www.tanzabasenjis.net/selectbreeder.html

[curlytails]

Hi Dexter, and welcome to the forum.

Agreed that what's done is done – but a mistake made in ignorance probably won't be repeated, once you know. I've been there/done that too, joining a pet forum after my partner and I got our first dog, our Shiba Inu, from an unethical source. And, well, learning what we did, and learning to grow up with our little hellion, changed our life.

If you're in it for the long haul, this forum will help you.

(That said, can I just make a quick gripe that it drives me batty that this breeder can't even spell Shiba Inu properly on her website?! "Sheba Ina" ...?! I know in the bigger scheme of things, there are greater offenses, but this is the kind of thing I would expect a stranger on the street to call this breed that I also care about, NOT someone who claims to know what they're doing as a "breeder"!)

[Patty]

I'm sure that now you have all this information you'll feel much happier. It's not Dexter's fault nor yours of course - you did what you thought was right. I think that we are luckier here because there are few breeders and mostly we know them all and so can help anyone enquiring about puppies and point them in the right direction.

It's easy to take a swab for the linked marker test for Fanconi Syndrome and not too expensive so you'll be able to get that done soon, I hope. I also hope that the result is ok.

We used to have a breeder here who if asked for a puppy (even over the phone) would say ok just send a deposit. These people exist, I'm afraid. I'm sure that if in future you decide you'll get another puppy you're forewarned.

Love and enjoy Dexter - he's still your beautiful boy whatever his breeding.

[agilebasenji]

Welcome Dexter's family! You have your new puppy and love him, so don't dwell on what you should have done in the past. And the good news is that you'll know better for your next basenji.

I'd also suggest starting to clicker train your pup. It's lots of fun and engages the little badsenji's brain. I like Karen Pryor's books and in my town they can be found at the library.

[DexterDex]

I will be sending of for the swab test soon, and I will definitely know how to go about things the next time we look for a breeder/puppy. I will also advise anyone I know who decides to get a puppy what I learned. I've definitely been having so much fun with Dex, I'm already so attached to him
I'll look into the clicker training, thank you for the suggestion!

[Patty M]

When we got our first basenji, Lucy, she was only 8 weeks old, and she was willing to be subservient if she did something wrong… we'd say, "what did you do?" and she would roll over on her back, show us her belly, and smile (I swear her little incisor tooth would stick out!)... and we would think, "awwe, she is too dang cute to reprimand!!!"

At that point, we would say, "Lucy! What did you do????" She would get off of her back, give a little shake, and ROO her confession!!!

Does Dexter Roo?

[DexterDex]

Awww how sweet! Ha! When I ask Dex what he did wrong, he gives me an example and shows me again first hand lol. Well, to be honest, I've seen people say that their dogs/pups "roo" or "baroo" and maybe a few other sounds, but I don't know exactly. Lol.
I don't know the difference between regular puppy noises, maybe?