asharp,
do NOT feel bad if your basenji cannot handle not being in a crate when you're not home. Put some toys/chew items in there and a blanket if he won't eat it. (If he eats blankets, no blankets.) Maybe in a year or so, he can handle being out, maybe not. My recently departed Digital, could always handle being loose in the house, but not so with the other basenjis. So, he was loose, Jet the trying was in an xpen and Zest! was in a crate. My malinois has recently had to be put back into an xpen when we leave b/c she started some naughty behaviors when she was out. (Some things have disrupted the "normal" routine and I think that's what has caused her lapse. we'll try her out of the crate in a month or so.) Being in the crate will help create good habits for your dog as they can't start the bad habits.
Really he sounds like a sweetie. And he's very handsome.
Every basenji is different in how they decide to alter your household. I had my first electrical cord chewer in Tempest. I ended up putting any lamp cords she could reach in pvc pipes for safety, fortunatley she outgrew her fascination with wires pretty quickly. I have had some who could never be crated with a bed or blanket as they would be chewed to pieces, others I can leave in run of the house within thier first year. Do you know which breeder your sister got the dogs from? Most basenjis are on contracts where the breeder must be notified if the dog is placed with another person other than who it was originally sold to. Have you had him neutered yet? Mating season is fast approaching and many male basenjis act out in the Sept-Oct time frame if they are no neutered, not good in a household with other pets.
Basenjis…if they teach you nothing else, they teach you how to get clever about picking up after yourself and finding ways to keep things out of dog reach.
Positive training methods are key to working successfully with these guys. They are immensely clever and very quick learners if you can get them motivated. I am lucky...my guy will work for food and attention. I recommend clicker training.
If you need ways to make him more comforable in his crate I recommend Crate Games by Susan Garrett.
Do not feel bad about crating, it keeps them and your possensions safe. My guys are usually crated if I am away for a length of time. If I am only gone they are now good out of their crates for up to an hour or so. They are however fully grown adults with lots of training under their belts.
First off, what a handsome brindle!
Adapting your life is a very good way to put it. They keep you on your toes and make you think differently. They also manage to wrap you around their little paws. Loki was a handful as a puppy but at almost 2 is a very good boy. He still hates being crated and left alone, but we toss in something for him to destroy so he doesn't get creative. Kaia at 10 mths has a ton of energy. We take them for 2 long walks a day with a few dog park visits per week and she still has multiple bouts of racing and wrestling sessions. Every evening without fail she races down the hallway out into the yard, back inside, scrambles over the bed, dives under it, repeat at speeds you wouldn't think a little 19.6 lb girl could. It's great that you have a younger dog your boy can play with. We did not have that with Loki and luckily I was not working at the time and was able to spend the day doing plenty of training and getting down on the floor to play to tire him out. Tyson may or may not outgrow his bad behaviors. Loki did, but I know Kaia will not, she'll keep on being a mischievous little devil whenever the mood strikes her and eventually I'll learn to never put my purse where she can reach it & continue wearing my hair in a messy sort of bun when at home, but I guess that's what I get for choosing Twice the Trouble as her registration name 
Tyson is such a cutie… I sympathize and feel for you. I have 2 male dogs (aged 3 (Ridgbk) and 5 (Sibe) and they are terrified of Zsa Zsa who is 9 months old. She came to live with us at 7 months when her original owner found out they were allergic. The 1st month of transition was not easy and an eye opener for me who thought another African hound would not be a problem - wrong Basenji are nothing like ridgebacks... A month ago she was sterilized and had a hernia repaired so she was in a crate to keep her calm until everything closed up. Well since last week she has been let loose with her brothers, and she gets into these phases where she goes nuts (we call it the zoomies) running from one couch to another and using the backrest as a mode of propulsion and then when bored of that game, goes attacking the legs of the big boys or growls at them if they move where she doesn't feel they should be there. We usually have to spray her with water to get her attention and stop the unwanted behavior.
As much as she drives us crazy, we all love her and the bonus since she arrived, my pre-teen daughter's area has nothing lying on the ground (i.e. toys, books, etc). We specially love the sound she makes in the morning when she greats us...It sounds like a rooster 
Enjoy your dogs and everything will work out sooner or later (hoping sooner than later) ;P
When Loki had his neuter and hernia repair we had to keep him from the dog park for 4 weeks. Once we were able to take him again, we spent 4 hours there and he still wasn't fully tired! Kaia does the exact same thing as Zsa Zsa every single evening. She often tackles Loki right off the bed during one of her sprints. And her favorite thing to attack is his tail, she knows it'll get him to wrestle with her every time, though she'll first try chewing on his legs, neck, face, ears, etc. And she'll go lay on him, then get mad that he's close to her and does the strangest sounds. My favorite thing is that when she gets mad at him, he repeatedly smacks her in the face and talks to her, like "hey, shut up already". They may be small but Basenji girls are the ones in charge and they know it!
How wonderful of you to take Tyson and keep him in the family, the more research you can do about the Basenji the better off you will be, our boy is nearly 15 months and crate trained right from start so that made it easier, keep with it as it is a lifesaver to have for many reasons - sickness, injury, visitors, workmen etc. Not many people seem to know the benefits in NZ of crating your dog and I got a few weird looks from the family when I said my puppy will be crated, they also thought it was mean, far from it - it is sanity. I hope to have him uncrated when he is older.
Having a Basenji definitely makes for things being put away and out of reach, one slipup and they seem to be right there. All the best and hope your Basenji trains you well.
Jolanda and Kaiser
I have to say I have ALWAYS had 2 other breeds (chow and rottweiler) with my basenjis for almost 12 yrs. None crated except the basenji and nope, they didn't have an issue with that. Just as good parents learn you cannot treat every child the same, you can't treat every dog the same. You adjust to their needs. Crating is often good.
I can give you a bit of comfort though. I did read, a LOT, before I got one for my daughter. And yet, stupid me, thought.. how much trouble can a 25 pound dog be (I of the BIG DOG history). Dear spirits I know the breeder went to be laughing every night imagining how much I learned.
Bless you for hanging in there and adopting the right attitude. You just have to work with what you have.
Zsa Zsa is crated when unsupervised and so is the Siberian Jay-Jay (Mr. destoyer of furniture and carpets when he was left unsupervised). My Stalker/self proclaimed protector, Duke the ridgeback has not been crated for over a year and a half. It all depends on your dog's temperament and no two are alike. It's also by trial and error (which can be very costly) that you find out if they can be trusted running loose in the house.
Just pay attention to the behavior and do some trial runs when you feel comfortable with your trust level and go from there…
what a cute little sh–--head! yep, your getting used to him! you'll be glad you got 'stuck'. REALLY!!!!!
