Hi there everyone,

I'm Kimberly from CA

My 7 week old puppy his name is Rocky and he is such a good pup he sleeps thru the night now thank god LOL He is getting there with the potty training but still having some accidents, he is in a crate at night and he tends to fall asleep on my shoulder or under my neck and then I put him to bed in his crate and he goes right to sleep, what I do is when he goes potty I tell him good boy and he gets a treat for going potty and so far its been working… he is a smart little guy I got him at 5wks and he never wined in his crate or anything, when I throw him a ball he goes after it and brings it back to me already lol he is not afraid of other people he likes going for a ride in the car.... I am so lucky to have such a good puppy.....

Wow 5 weeks is really really early to get a B. Sounds like you are having a great time with you pup so far. Make sure that he has a lot to chew on, B's are big chewers and once his teeth start to loosen and the other ones come in he will be chewing everything! Nothing like having new puppy around the house!

Hi Kimberly and welcome to the forum. It sounds like you are doing a good job with the crate-training and house-training. I am concerned about his age though. Most responsible breeders, including myself, do not let our puppies leave home until they are a minimum of 8 weeks or preferably around 10 weeks. The main reason is that puppies really need that extra time with their littermates to learn canine body language and manners as well as bite inhibition. I would strongly recommend that you enroll your puppy in a puppy kindergarten type class where he can play with other puppies his age in a safe environment. You both will enjoy it.

In most states it is illegal to sell a puppy that young! Make sure your puppy gets lots of socialization.

Jennifer

Welcome Kimberly! I hope you can find the answers that you are looking for here… it sounds like you and Rocky are getting to know each other. He has lots of growing up to do, and I'm sure that you can find lots of advice here. If you are in California, there are a lot of people on here from CA that you may be able to meet in social groups. Is Rocky your only pet, or do you have other animals?

I strongly agree with Yodeldogs!!! please please do so as you WILL have problems if you do not get the needed socialization at the needed intervals of age for other dogs, new sights, sounds, people, etc…..Here are some time frames: http://www.diamondsintheruff.com/DevelopmentalStages.html

@Buddys:

I strongly agree with Yodeldogs!!! please please do so as you WILL have problems if you do not get the needed socialization at the needed intervals of age for other dogs, new sights, sounds, people, etc…..Here are some time frames: http://www.diamondsintheruff.com/DevelopmentalStages.html

I have seen this once and could never find it again. A very useful link for puppies and exposure. Thank you Buddy's Pal.

Who did you get your Basenji from?…. Many of us are related by our Basenjis.... I see you are in CA, North or South?

Yes, thats what I thought ,but the owner said it was fine, I really think if I hadn't gotten him he would of not made it, he had ticks, worms and fleas I took him to the vet and they took good care of him and he is good now. The other pup had a problem with his eye, he is a good puppy he is 7 weeks now and is almost potty trained, he doesn't cry at all and is learning how to fetch now he is amazing and yes I am going to get him into the puppy kindergarden when he is alittle older the age is about 10 weeks to start him in that class. He loves to chew on Ice one day I was having a drink pepsi and he came up to me and he was just looking at me so I gave him some Ice so now when I have a drink he runs to me and wants so ice lol he is also on a schedule he goes to sleep when I am ready about 10:30 or 11:00 wakes up at 5:30 right when I am going to work. My bf takes care of him when I am at work.

I am in Central, CA I got my puppy from an ad in the paper…....

Thank you very much! for the input I am going to take him to a class when he is old enough so he can be around others pups,
I am taking him to the vets this friday to have his puppy shots. I am looking forward to taking him to the class.

Thanks I am planning on it for sure.

Yes, Rocky is my only one and he is so much fun he is sleeping thru the night now and in the daytime is playing quite a bit, he is learning how to fetch now he goes and gets it and brings it back but i have to take it out of his mouth lol

Sounds like you are having fun with your baby. Do make a mental note though that this breed is prone to certain diseases if health testing was not done prior to breeding, which it kind of sounds like it wasn't. Make sure to order the Fanconi test as it is very prevalent in this breed. I wonder what kind of eye problem the other puppy has, as basenji's do have eye problems in their breed as well.

First off, it is illegal in the state of California to sell puppies under the age of 8 weeks so the person who sold you your puppy lied when they said it was okay. The newspaper is not supposed to run ads for puppies being sold under the age of 8 weeks old.

Second, after your puppy has had its first set of shots it can start attending puppy socialization classes. You will also need to get your puppy out and about and exposed to lots of different experiences. Here is a link to the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior's position statement on early socialization, http://www.avsabonline.org/avsabonline/images/stories/Position_Statements/puppy%20socialization.pdf

Here is a link to the OFA website, http://www.offa.org/dnatesting/fanconi.html, so you can order a Fanconi test for your puppy.

Congratulations on your puppy! I'm sure it's a tiny little peanut at 7 weeks…I definitely agree that you should get the fanconi test cheek swab kit. As a basenji owner it's important to do. Socialization will really be KEY and I see a lot of people replying to this thread about it. It's so important since you got him at such a young age to expose him to noises, sights,places and experiences and teach bite inhibition since that wasn't given at the appropriate times by the mother and litter. It's like "getting ahead of the eight ball" if you will. There's a lot more work you'll need to do for your pup than say I had to ( great breeder, got him at 10weeks..really great foundation to work off of). Regardless of where you got your pup from doesn't matter..just that you build a really great foundation for him to grow up on is important. Keep up the good work and let us know if you have questions...people are glad to give their input
Ps- Oakley did great with clicker training, might make it easier to train for behaviors you want

It might also be worth you while to ask your Vet for the name of an eye specialist and have him checked out. A regular Vet is not qualified to do full eye exams.

Is the pup registered? or did he come with registration papers? And as for telling you it was OK to take him at 5 wks, those people should be reported to animal control, because as stated in is not legal in California (or many other states) to sell a puppy at less then 8wks.

Would love to see pictures.

And it is really important that you have him DNA tested for Fanconi… that way you know the situation for the future.

Do you know what was wrong with the puppy's eyes? Was it blue in color or something else? It could be a genetic disorder so your puppy should have a complete eye exam done by an opthalmologist. I rescued a mom and her pups and the mom and one of the pups have eye problems!

Jennifer

You certainly have a good puppy and kudos to you as well for his training.

You've already had good advice re health checks and the very great necessity of socializing Rocky.

In the UK we've no compulsory minimum age for selling a puppy but I totally agree that 5 weeks is too young to leave Mum and siblings.. It'll now be up to you to introduce him to other puppies (after shots) and older dogs. I hope there are others not too far from you who you can meet up with, - that should be a great help.

@kimberlyhoward:

Hi there everyone,

I'm Kimberly from CA

My 7 week old puppy his name is Rocky and he is such a good pup he sleeps thru the night now thank god LOL He is getting there with the potty training but still having some accidents, he is in a crate at night and he tends to fall asleep on my shoulder or under my neck and then I put him to bed in his crate and he goes right to sleep, what I do is when he goes potty I tell him good boy and he gets a treat for going potty and so far its been working… he is a smart little guy I got him at 5wks and he never wined in his crate or anything, when I throw him a ball he goes after it and brings it back to me already lol he is not afraid of other people he likes going for a ride in the car.... I am so lucky to have such a good puppy.....

i also have a puppy but he is too young. Nature of my yorkshire is really so good and charming personality as well. You will love to meet again and again. What a classic scene it would be when he used to sleep on your shoulder lol i wish i could have this scene