Fostering a Basenji

[new2basenjis]

Lita has been having a good day today! She woke me up at about 4 am whimpering in her crate, something she hadn't done before. I let her out and, without turning on any lights, she went outside and pee-pee'd outside, came back in went in her crate-with a treat waiting in it–and went back to sleep. My alarm sounded at 7 am and she bounced onto my bed, tail wagging and happy as can be! I must not have latched in correctly in the dark, but she didn't try to get out until she heard the alarm.

After breakfast, potty, and some play she laid down and got a belly and chest rub. While she was still I lifted her onto my body and she relaxed there for a while for more rubs. My daughter informed me that while I was away at yet another basketball tournament, she curled up voluntarily on her lap and took a nap. I think she's warming up to us.

Thanks everyone for all your advice and kind words. Time, patience, and lots of love we are giving to Lita and she seems to be responding well.

[eeeefarm]

That's excellent news! Sometimes you just need a bit of time for things to come together. Hopefully this is the start of a wonderful relationship!

[Moth]

How wonderful to hear that little Lita is adjusting

Please keep us posted on her progress…

[YodelMa]

I fostered (and later adopted) a 2 y/o totally unsocialized puppy mill Basenji and the two most valuable pieces of advice were 1) Hand feed A LOT and 2) Don't force anything on the dog like picking up, "cuddling"–especially hard if you have younger kids at home.

If you follow those two rules you'll go a long way to establishing trust and preparing Lita for her forever family. But it sounds like she may have been bounced around a bit already, so if you can keep her for a little while it might help her relax and understand that humans really ARE ok : )

[Buddys Pal]

@new2basenjis:

After breakfast, potty, and some play she laid down and got a belly and chest rub. While she was still I lifted her onto my body and she relaxed there for a while for more rubs. My daughter informed me that while I was away at yet another basketball tournament, she curled up voluntarily on her lap and took a nap. I think she's warming up to us.

.

Sounds like you may be warming up to her, and who knows, this may be the breed for you and you didn't know it, I didn't and now I have my second!!!!

[DebraDownSouth]

What a wonderful update!

[new2basenjis]

Here are a couple of pics of Lita. Do you guys agree that she looks like a Basenji mix?

[eeeefarm]

The face certainly looks Basenji, other than the ears.

[Patty M]

Oh, she's adorable! I love her wrinkles!

[new2basenjis]

@eeeefarm:

The face certainly looks Basenji, other than the ears.

Yeah, her ears kinda remind me of a Whippet.

[krunzer]

Looks like some sort of B mix. Got 4 white feet, some wrinkles on her forehead. She is a cutie! Does she bark or yodel?

[Kipawa]

I think Lita is well on her way to worming herself into your heart! What good news.

[new2basenjis]

@Kipawa:

I think Lita is well on her way to worming herself into your heart! What good news.

No, still at this point, Lita is still a foster dog. I care about her, and I wonder what her poor short life was like. It must have been hell, because this is one very anxious girl. She is exhausting me.

This morning she would not even go off the porch. She just paced and cried. I tried to engage her with her ball, but she was too anxious to distract. We came in and she paced until I started getting ready for a walk. She was so excited! She got into her little puppy play pose when she saw the lead! It was cute.

After our 45 min walk, she came home and paced some more and cried. Nothing would distract her, so I ignored her for a while. Eventually, she curled up in a little doggy ball on the couch at my feet.

Soon enough, a car door slammed, and she was up pacing again. So, I ignored her again. It didn't take as long this time for her to assume doggy ball position at my feet again.

As I started to write this, she was pacing again, so I ignored her and this time she began to occupy herself with a chew toy! Yay! I'm tired!–On Christmas day, I kid you not, she played with her ball for 7 1/2 hours straight--about 5 of those hours I spent playing with her. She throws it at your feet and looks up at you expectantly--it's hard to say no.

Uh oh, now she?s pacing again....Did I say I was tired?

[new2basenjis]

I should add, I think Lita would do well in a home with another dog. Sometimes she paces and cries when she hears other dogs bark. Oh and yes, she does bark, but only when she spies someone out front while in the yard, or when someone enters the house. She's not a yodeler, but her bark does get kind of howl-like when she's really excited.

[krunzer]

What about a Kong with peanut butter inside of it or a Bully stick for her to chew on or a beef bone? Maybe that would get her interested enough to stop pacing and settle down with it for a while. I wonder why she is so anxious when you are there and won't settle down. Kind of sounds like she needs a job to do, something to keep her mind entertained. You can buy those big Wobbly Kongs that have a keyhole in the front. You can put her kibbles in there and she has to knock it over to get any out. My dogs love this and it makes their mind work, which in turn makes them tired!

[dcmclcm4]

I would suggest having her be with other dogs especially since she came from a place with so many of them. She will learn from the other dogs. She may not engage with them at first but just watch them. This is how many of my dog auction rescues first behaved since most of them had never been out of a crate! They learn behaviors from the other dogs especially playing, etc. and even being on grass.

Jennifer

[DebraDownSouth]

Anxiety, fearfulness etc does not mean a bad previous life– it can be temperament. That said, ignoring her completely when she paces, giving her attention only when she is calm, can help you to change the behavior. And let me add my own HOW CUTE!!! to the others.

[Patty M]

How is Lita doing?

[new2basenjis]

@Patty:

How is Lita doing?

She's MUCH, MUCH more comfortable with us. Interestingly, she seemed to calm down after I purchased a doggy coat for her; just a normal fleece coat. Now she is letting her personality show, and it's very playful! She absolutely LOVES going for walks and she prances with joy! She is a little too eager for food, though. She will get in puppy play position and bark at us while we are eating to try to get attention for a morsel.

My kids tell me she cries for me if I leave the house. She's really cute and loves to have her chest rubbed. It's funny tho, sometimes she just stands with her front paws on your legs, chest, or stomach and enjoys a chest rub in that position. I don't really like to be stood upon, but if you move her legs she finds a different area to stand on. She's funny, and she seems to have taken to my son fabulously! She was most leery of him when she first came into our home, but they have been enjoying each others company playing ball in the yard. She makes us laugh, and she's so fast!

Guess you can probably guess, she's found her fur-ever home!

[Patty M]

@new2basenjis:

Guess you can probably guess, she's found her fur-ever home!

Hurray! And if your Lita could talk, she would say THANK YOU, Penny's mom !

(My rescued basenji name is Lola, but when I'm scolding her, she has a very long name:
Lolita, Senorita, Margarita, May!
(Perhaps because I've always found my kids' middle names when they are in trouble? :))

Basenjis, even basenji mixes, definitely have their ancient instincts, but it's the endearing quirks that make them so special. When my Lola wants attention, she will stand on her hind legs and stretch as far as she can to reach me, and I swear that she's flexing her front toes as a sign of affection. And when she wants to be petted and I'm sitting down, she'll stand right on top of me until I'll concede and pet her.

Such happy news! Congratulations on your new family member!