Greetings! We're so excited!

[mtins]

Hi there! I've been a longtime lurker of the forum, but now I can finally post my excitement with you all! My boyfriend of 6 years and I will be getting our first basenji pup in a short 4 weeks! We've spent hours upon hours looking at youtube videos, instagram photos, and vines of this special breed. I ordered the crate yesterday, and we're going to go visit the breeder and her pups on Saturday!

We're getting our pup from Marjani Basenji in Purcellville, VA - she is GREAT so far. The breeder has already let us know that we will have her help for life, and that we can always come to her with any training issues we're having, or even to board the dog if we need to leave for an extended period of time. She's also providing us with a martingale collar for our pup, which I've heard is the right choice for our B.

We've had dogs with our families over the years (Ryan and I are both in our mid-20s), including schnauzers, a lab, a beagle, a poodle, and a coton de tulear, but never a basenji! I've got pretty bad allergies, and so we chose this breed from many lists of "allergy friendly breeds." Our first encounter with the breeder was back in June, when we first found her and when to sit with her adult dogs to make sure my allergies could tolerate them. Julie (the breeder) is great with communication, and posts weekly photo updates of each pup on facebook so we can watch them grow!

We're so excited for the next 4 weeks to go by, and I'm looking forward to posting here when Loki (we've already decided on the name!) becomes a part of our lives!
+Marissa

[QuizBasenji]

Welcome - and don't forget puppy pics!

[mtins]

Absolutely! I'm excited to say that we just found out we'll be picking up our pup on Sunday!!! We spent the day readying the house and shopping for puppy supplies. Photos to come next Sunday!

[Timesthemyth]

Very exciting time! I doubt you'll regret your decision one bit. Basenjis are absolutely [though I'm probably biased] the coolest dogs ever. I also second the puppy pics!

Martingales are the way to go; though I always liked harnesses (after they grow into their grownup bodies) better. Thank you for choosing a responsible breeder.

[Alessandra131]

My husband is extremely allergic to dogs and our sweet basenji doesn't bother him at all!! Basenjis are the best breed ever!!

[stash]

As you gathered we love photo's, especially puppy photo's. This time of year makes me want another puppy, scary thing is Kaiser was such a good pup I can't be that lucky twice. Basenji are very smart so I think the trick is if you can get the dog to understand what you want from it, learning is easy, obeying will always be their choice. So after pup has settled in start training, short training sessions, you will be amazed what a pup can learn. Started Kaiser on a buckle collar but went to a harness as he was a reluctant walker as a pup and they can easily slip out of buckle collars so martingales are important. 4 weeks will fly by and then the fun starts.

Jolanda and Kaiser

[CrazySenji]

Congrats!
Martingales are my choice for my B. I like the fleece or leather lined ones as they don't rub their necks as others will.

http://fuzzywumpets.com/
I have 3 collars from her and I LOVE them. She is a whippet breeder and knows what a sight-hound needs ;).

[Aristophanes]

Congrats! and welcome! I just picked up my little girl and she is everything I could have asked for. Im sure you will love yours too!

-Aristophanes

[mtins]

Hi everyone! We just welcomed Loki into our home yesterday morning! He cried most of the hour-long car-ride home, but he's really settling in quite well. He's only had one accident in the house (number one) and has very quickly learned that going to the bathroom outside gets him a treat. He made it through the whole night last night without any accidents in his crate (from about 11pm to 7am), and has almost already mastered "sit!" We just got back from our first vet visit, and all is well.

As promised, here are a few photos!

[eeeefarm]

He sure looks right at home! Cute pup.

[tanza]

@mtins:

Hi everyone! We just welcomed Loki into our home yesterday morning! He cried most of the hour-long car-ride home, but he's really settling in quite well. He's only had one accident in the house (number one) and has very quickly learned that going to the bathroom outside gets him a treat. He made it through the whole night last night without any accidents in his crate (from about 11pm to 7am), and has almost already mastered "sit!" We just got back from our first vet visit, and all is well.

As promised, here are a few photos!

Consider youself lucky with only one accident…. be prepared for many to come and all will be "YOUR" fault... honestly... 11pm to 7am is a pretty long time... so again, consider yourself lucky... be ready for a possible potty break at about 3am....

[QuizBasenji]

What an adorable little boy

[stash]

Cute as a button, enjoy every moment.

Jolanda and Kaiser

[mtins]

Thanks, all! So far so good on day 3. He cried more in his crate last night, but I ended up sleeping on the floor next to the crate to keep him calm. Still no accidents though, and I'd much rather deal with the crying than clean any messes out of the crate when I'm trying to get ready for work. Other than that, Loki's doing pretty well in terms of training - "sit" comes easily to him, and we've gotten him some hard, solid chew toys to try to distract him with when he insists on biting hands/arms/stomachs. Such sharp little puppy teeth!

[tanza]

If you would put the crate in the bedroom next to the bed… you can hang a hand down by the crate to sooth the pup.... for biting... "normal at this age".... yelp and then give a chew to to them... when they take it and chew, praise them....

[mtins]

Pat - We have heard SO many things from so many different people/breeders/books about overnight crate training. We've been told everything from "keep it in the bedroom with you so you can comfort him" to "keep it downstairs where he'll be far from you and it's quiet and don't go to him" to "if you're eventually not going to crate him overnight, why would you give him the mixed signal of crating him in the beginning?"

How do we know who to listen to? Yes, we will eventually allow him to sleep in our bed/his bed in our bedroom at night, but only once he's 100% housebroken.

[mtins]

@tanza

Pat - We have heard SO many things from so many different people/breeders/books about overnight crate training. We've been told everything from "keep it in the bedroom with you so you can comfort him" to "keep it downstairs where he'll be far from you and it's quiet and don't go to him" to "if you're eventually not going to crate him overnight, why would you give him the mixed signal of crating him in the beginning?"

How do we know who to listen to? Yes, we will eventually allow him to sleep in our bed/his bed in our bedroom at night, but only once he's 100% housebroken.

[eeeefarm]

The first Basenji I had (Val, 8 months or so when I got her) slept in a dog bed…..not a crate.....next to my bed. Never a problem at night. The second one (Lady) was a puppy, and we did the "traditional" thing of having her in a separate room at the start. It sort of worked, but she would raise a racket when she woke in the morning, and we finally got smart and started her sleeping in our bed, where she would remain contentedly even after we got up. The next one (Tamu) we got at seven weeks as a second Basenji when Lady was seven years old. I slept on a cot next to her crate initially......for only a few days.....then she slept in the cot with me. Very quickly we "graduated" to the bed with husband and Lady. Tamu was housebroken amazingly fast, because whenever she got restless at night I immediately got up and took her out. She was quiet because I was right there to comfort her.

Our two boys both were older when they came, and housebroken. They were "bed dogs" from the get go. IMO, if you are going to have them in bed, the sooner the better, and they will certainly be happier at night close to their "pack".

[lisastewart]

My girls are 4 an not 100% house broken, when they get excited they sometimes pee, no matter where they are, but they have all slept with us from day one, just put a towel under them, you are quite likely to wake up at 3 am when they come shooting up from under the covers to pee, all my adults tend to get up mid way thru the night and use the wee wee pad in the bathroom, expecially in winter.

[tanza]

@mtins:

@tanza

Pat - We have heard SO many things from so many different people/breeders/books about overnight crate training. We've been told everything from "keep it in the bedroom with you so you can comfort him" to "keep it downstairs where he'll be far from you and it's quiet and don't go to him" to "if you're eventually not going to crate him overnight, why would you give him the mixed signal of crating him in the beginning?"

How do we know who to listen to? Yes, we will eventually allow him to sleep in our bed/his bed in our bedroom at night, but only once he's 100% housebroken.

Of course everyone needs to make their own choices…. but IMO (and this is how I have always raised my Basenjis and advise my puppy people to do the same) is that the crate is in the bedroom. I don't want my dogs way on the other side of the house where I can't hear/see them at night... not only the separation factor, but even things like "barfing" in the middle of the night or again as a baby puppy, when they need to go out. With my pups, I would wake them up in the middle of the night 2 or 3 am and take them out to pee or to the litter box (I can do outdoors here is No. Cal).... most every time, they pee immediately and are still not quite awake, put them right back in the crate and back to sleep they go.

That said, I also tell people that if you have to crate your pup during the day, then at night they should be out with their humans... including sleeping in bed. I have never had a pup have an accident in bed unless sick (or very old)... and yes a towel works under them. Baby puppies, especially the girls, I have found can have a bit of a UTI and may pee while sleeping... or they may have accidents when teething...

I think it is important that they are crate trained for a number of reasons, not just house training.