Advice for potential first-time basenji owners
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@dogelover - Thanks for the pedigree. Didn't know that she had her Basenjis as kennel dogs..... It will be a period of adjustment going from a kennel dog to a house dog. Do you know if he has had "house time" or always in a kennel? If always in a kennel, everything will be new/start from scratch for training. Back to house breaking 101.... and needed to be confined when you are not home. Try to keep it as routine as possible for the first couple of months.
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@tanza It doesn't seem like he has house time, but I can't say for sure. He is okay hanging out in his crate because he has to be in there when traveling for shows. He is not housebroken. But he is very food-motivated so that will help when training.
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@dogelover - Like I said then, back to house training 101. You may have issues with him marking in the house
since he was never housebroken. You should ask the breeder if he has had any house time... Will you be having him neutered or will he be neutered before you get him? While I have never used one, you might consider a belly band https://www.bellybands.net, Here is a link so you can read about them. There might be people on the Forum that have used them. -
@tanza thank you!! The breeder says she has never seen him mark while she has him walking around at dog shows, but who knows what he will do in a home setting. We will be getting him neutered after we take him home.
Is it true that intact males generally do not do well with other males? The breeder says he gets along well with females.
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@dogelover - That is true for most all dogs... breeders will recommend male/female combo and not same sex. This is a rule of thumb, not to say it can't work. And unless you are breeding, no reason to keep intact and not neuter. In fact, males can be collected and semen frozen, so can still be neutered and sire litters.
I have to laugh a bit about the comment "never seen him mark to shows".... honestly, I have never NOT SEEN a male mark at shows... or female for that matter.
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OH MY GOODNESS! Congrats on the championship. How adorable!
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Happy update: Lincoln arrived home 3 days ago and seems to be adjusting well. He's a little timid in the city environment since he has not been exposed a lot of the loud noises. He's gradually getting used to getting affection from us and seeks out cuddles on the couch. I go back to work tomorrow and am so nervous about leaving him alone (I think I have separation anxiety myself, LOL)...
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Will you be able to come home mid day to check on him? I'm sure he'll be fine, though. We expect more pictures!
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replied to DebraDownSouth on last edited by
@DebraDownSouth I'm coming home for my lunch hour each day. We just moved to a new apartment very close to my work - so that I can give him enough exercise during the workday. I'll post some more photos!!!
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What a cutie. He seems really settled in!
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I found this entire thread very informative as i am planning to get one soon. Particularly info on breeders and tips on adjusting. So greatful to see people helping each other in this regard.
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The forum isn't positive to backyard breeders, puppymills, and those who support them. For people wanting to learn and do it right (Ie get from responsible breeder or rescue), we'll do handstands to help. :)
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Congrats on your new boy, he is gorgeous! Our boy Cafu (2 year old) is also from Marjani! (we picked him up from Julie when he was 12 weeks old). Some advice on dog parks: After Cafu became 1 year old, he started to occasionally show or receive aggressive behavior from big dogs in dog parks. I could not believe it when he attacked a pit bull 5 times his size! another time he was attacked by a german shepherd, and I was very concerned that he was going to get seriously hurt. He is a very sweet, friendly dog, so I was shocked. I only take him now to dog parks that limit areas by size. If he stays in the "under 25 lb" area, there are usually no problems. Another issue is the dog potentially running away. I don't trust giving Cafu to walkers, unless they are very familiar with him. He can outsmart them, and if he is really interested in running away, he can find a way to cut his leash. Also, I recently placed a GPS tracker on him (see my post on this), in case we lose him. I feel much better knowing that we can easily locate him if needed.
