Hi everyone!!

[Ana]

Hi,

So I just realized that I haven't made an introduction of myself and my baby Basenji. I am from Montreal, Quebec. I got my little baby Zorro a little over a month ago. I had previously named him Ritz, but with his personality Zorro fit best! He is a tricolour ball of energy. Toilet training him has gone great!! He had one accident in the last week!! (SO HAPPY) However, as some of you have read on my crating post, he is having trouble with crating. I tried leaving him in the kitchen, but he is one crazy escape artist. I would get home to find him sitting in front of the door waiting for me. So back to crate training he went.

That was a disaster… I have a wire crate that you can make smaller to prevent him from defecating in the cage, but he got his neck caught in between the separator and the crate (and he had pooped). Thankfully I got home in time to get him out, but he sulked all day after that, not to mention the limp he had. I was quite worried he hurt his leg but after his nap he seemed to have completely gotten over it. (He is a bit of a drama queen)
So I bought a plastic carry crate for him, the problem is, he still seems to defecate in it. Also, he hurts his nose trying to get out. Twice I have found blood on the roof of the cage. It seems to happen even if I only leave him for 20 minutes.

The other problem is the cat... I have a four year old tabby cat with long hair. At first, she would just hit Zorro and he would whimper and run away... but now he just full on attacks her, climbs on top of her and bites her really hard. She doesn't do anything but lie there and cry... Another reason why I don't think I could let him have the run of the house when I am gone.

Other than that, he has reduced nipping, unless he is wound up (which is normally our fault when playing and getting him excited). And we are starting obedience training this wednesday for basic training!

Here is a picture of the little devil

[tanza]

Welcome… who did you get your "bundle of joy" from? Many of us are related by our Basenjis

[Ana]

@tanza:

Welcome… who did you get your "bundle of joy" from? Many of us are related by our Basenjis

I got him from Josabry breeders near Montreal.

[perryakramer]

Welcome! We too have a Zorro! It's very fitting as he is the "masked bandit." We had so many of the same issues as you do when Z was a pup. He climbed over the gates when we left him in the kitchen and would be waiting patiently for us on the couch. We tried crating him but found that he was not house destructive. We just let him have reign of the house and it worked out fine for us. I can't really help you with the cat situation. Does she have enough high places to retreat to where Zorro can't get to her?
I think there are plenty of folks on the forum that have cohabiting Bs and cats, perhaps they will weigh in?
We recently added another basenji to our home and it's working out so well. Zorro is so happy to have someone to play with!
Best of luck and congrats!

[Kipawa]

Welcome to another fellow Canadian!

Sounds like Zorro is the typical young basenji! You will get lots of great advice on this forum. When reading your post, Zorro getting his neck caught concerned me. We have to 'think' like basenjis in order to stay a step ahead of them. Remember, those little bodies can really wiggle their way (or try to) through things.

We have a cat as well, with medium hair. She is 19 years old. She pretty much stays in one area of the house, but sometimes Kipawa wants to play with her. When this first started, we firmly and consistently told him 'no'. He is quite fine with her now. He only gets excited about her if she starts running around the house. Until you are 150% sure that you can trust Zorro with your cat, never leave them unsupervised.

[Ana]

@perryakramer:

We just let him have reign of the house and it worked out fine for us. I can't really help you with the cat situation. Does she have enough high places to retreat to where Zorro can't get to her?

I would love to let him have the run of the house too. Especially since he doesn't seem to have destroyed anything when I found him waiting for me!
My cat does have many places she can get to when he runs after her. She sleeps on the dryer or can get into our room even if the door is closed. Thing is, when Zorro gets hold of her, he doesn't let go unless he sees me coming or I pry him off her. I would leave them alone together if my cat wasn't being so submissive with him. Also, since I am moving in two months to a bigger place, my cat won't be able to hide as easily… The washer and dryer and one on top of the other, and when I close the bedroom door she can't get in or out of it! That's why I am having to get him used to crating even if he hates it...

[Ana]

@Kipawa:

Welcome to another fellow Canadian!

Sounds like Zorro is the typical young basenji! You will get lots of great advice on this forum. When reading your post, Zorro getting his neck caught concerned me. We have to 'think' like basenjis in order to stay a step ahead of them. Remember, those little bodies can really wiggle their way (or try to) through things.

We have a cat as well, with medium hair. She is 19 years old. She pretty much stays in one area of the house, but sometimes Kipawa wants to play with her. When this first started, we firmly and consistently told him 'no'. He is quite fine with her now. He only gets excited about her if she starts running around the house. Until you are 150% sure that you can trust Zorro with your cat, never leave them unsupervised.

Hi!
I was worried too about the neck problem, also him climbing up on the sides of the crate trying to get out. I was scared silly when I got home and heard him screaming. When I got him out, I never wanted to put him in there again! That is why I got the second crate, and I like it a lot more, he has less chances of becoming a crazy monkey in that one and squeezing his head in between bars! Reading up on Basenji behaviour, I have noticed he does sound like the typical basenji, gets into all sorts of trouble! But that is what I love about him, he makes me laugh!!

About the cat, I have a feeling it will either get better or worse. You are absolutely right thought, I will never leave them alone unsupervised.

[Ana]

I am so glad to have found this forum!! It is welcoming and the tips I get are very useful. I have owned a Westie, a Daschund and a ****zu-Pomeranian mix but the Basenji seems to have stolen my heart! haha
I was also wondering about size and weight. I keep seeing pictures online of 3-4 month old Basenjis and they all seem a lot bigger than my Zorro. He is now 14 weeks old, last time we went to the vet he was just over 5,5Kg. He is tiny! I don't want to over feed him, but I get the feeling he is just going to be a small basenji. He has long long legs that he swats me with sometimes when he sleeps, but he has such a small body. Are some Basenji males smaller than average? He seems to have been the runt of the litter.

[tanza]

@Ana:

I got him from Josabry breeders near Montreal.

I am not familar with this breeder, but looking at the website, I don't see that the sire and dam of the litter has been DNA tested for Fanconi?

That is pretty small for 14wks. My girls at 10wks were about 10lbs and the girls are usually smaller then the boys. Sounds like he will be a bit on the small side

[Ana]

@tanza:

I am not familar with this breeder, but looking at the website, I don't see that the sire and dam of the litter has been DNA tested for Fanconi?

That is pretty small for 14wks. My girls at 10wks were about 10lbs and the girls are usually smaller then the boys. Sounds like he will be a bit on the small side

The breeder did have both the sire and dam tested for Fanconi. I don't know why they don't mention it on the website. She included all the paperwork for the DNA testing with the pup.

I think you are right about the size, I think he will be on the small side, I am ok with that. I just want to make sure he isn't the only one. The vet says he is fine, but he doesn't seem to know the breed that well.

[lvoss]

We created a safe space for our cats. We have had two that would spend time with the dogs and retire to the "cat space" when they wanted a break and one that pretty much stays in his "cat space" anytime the dogs are around. When we rented, we used to baby gates across the opening with a gap in between that the cats could easily get in and out of but the dogs can't fit. Now that we own, we installed a cat door that is too small for the dogs to fit through.

[MrBaRooampBitty]

We have found that when either Bitty or Baroo get fixated on either of our cats that a good soaking with a spray bottle of water will stop it very quickly

[Patty]

Welcome to the forum. Zorro sounds a bundle of fun.

The biting of the cat should be dealt with straight away. until the last few years we always had cats with Basenjis. Attitudes varied. As Ivoss says the cat should have a safe area where the Basenji can't reach them. It is easier to train one on one but remember that some Basenjis will kill a cat if they really get excited. I'm not trying to frighten you only for you to realise the seriousness of the situation.

[Ana]

Well to update, Zorro still bugs my cat a lot, but he knows he shouldn't… I use the spray bottle, and once I pick it up, he stops. He does fixate on things that are fluffy! Since I have to get my cat shaved (because she goes outside and gets things caught in her hair that I can't get out no matter how much I brush her) I am going to see if he leaves her alone more... She won't have all the fluff and might be less appealing. Since he has gotten used to his crate, I leave him there when I am gone, so there is no way they are alone together. Also, the cat does have her own spot he can't get to. Yesterday, my cat sat on Zorro's blanket. I thought he would jump and bite her but he just sat beside her and chewed his bone. Things may be looking up!

[Patty]

It looks as though you've solved the problem but do be on the alert!