We're in DC- we could meet up somewhere if you're interested!
Meet Millie!
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@elbrant @2RedBas @Zande @bark @NancySS @tanza @JKent Great news! We have made lots of crate progress in the last couple of days and she even slept through the night last night! She definitely prefers to fall asleep in someone's lap, but has, several times, gone into the crate on her own and fallen asleep for both naps (with door open) and the last two nights, where we have closed the door and she has been ok with it. Being sleepy definitely helps!
I am sure we will take turns having her sleep in our beds, but for now, and until she is potty trained, I am relieved that we are able to get her in there. Thanks for all the advice; it has been really helpful!! -
@italeigha - To be honest, typically in bed with you rarely will they even wake or go potty in bed with you... if she does make sure you check her for a UTI... I have had young puppies that had issues with a UTI at a very young age.... just take a recent urine sample to your vet. Also, if she does wake to go out... you will know and take her out and then back to bed.
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@italeigha Great job on a nice start with her in the crate. Remember that it takes time, like with us when we were babies, for her to learn, get used to things, and your home and all the new things for her there. And she is NOT too young to learn those good dog behaviors you want her to learn, so teach her something every single day on obedience/training, exercise her, discipline with gentle corrections, and lots of loving affection as I know you are doing. Like her dad and granddad Aussie and all Basenjis, Millie is very intelligent and will learn what you want and don't want her to do. And that training is NOT just about 'sit, come, stay, down' but much much more!!!!
ALl things in time with lots of patience and loving devotion, work with her on some thing Every Single Day. And when you work with her, do it in short periods and always praise, praise, praise her! Granddad Aussie sends bahroos of XOXOXO and love her way.
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@tanza She does seem to do several small pees sometimes instead of one big one. I asked the vet about it, but she seems to think this is just marking. How can you tell if you need to check for UTI? (Nurse here, so I know even in humans this can be difficult to tell.)
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@italeigha Basenji bitches tend to 'mark' just the same as the boys do. I don't think, over the years, I have ever had one NOT marking. Some as more assiduous than others.
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@2redbas Thank you! Very encouraging. I am curious about how to tell if they are happy. She seems to like us fine (always wanting a cuddle) but it is only with strangers (a little girl that came to meet her and the teen neighbor boy next door who apparently all dogs love) that we have really seen her tail wag and her run to them. And what does ears back mean? We have seen ears back with a tail wag, and without. Not sure if that was scared or excited?
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@zande - I have found over the many years in this breed that bitches are more likely to mark than males... LOL.... they really are the dominate sex in this breed!
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@tanza
We the females are the dominate sex no matter what breed! Including the human race!
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@kembe - For sure the human race... LOL
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@italeigha Both of mine do that where they put their ears back and wag their tails but it depends. Most of the time they are happy and excited with whatever it is. when Belle was a baby pup, she would put her ears back and wag that curly butthole tail like crazy especially when she was meeting a bigger dog. That can be a sign of submission to the other dog in times like that. I would say Millie is excited and happy that the teen neighbor wants to play with her and all that.
Aussie and Belle will do that with us but don't feel bad that Millie doesn't do that with you all of the time. Aus can do that more with other people so it is just dependent on what the situation is, For instance if he like my girl Belle know that we are going by in the car, they sense that and get excited to he especially will nip and jump and play and out his ears back, often bahroo, and wag that tail. Millie knows you all and sometimes it's just their happiness/excitement in other people and how those respond to them. I have some folks who walk when Aus and I are out and the one guy has an Attitude and is pretty tense so Aussie raises his hackles and that type of attitude to him lets him know to be cautious with that person, that is not so trusting. Then again with others, he thinks they are his best newest friend and will fall all over himself with them. He does that with me but with my one family member not as much sometimes. My girl Belle is more fearful of people she doesn't know so she is less willing to go up to someone whereas Aus will do that. She will learn and her personality with you all will come out as time goes on even more so. The thing you want to do is to be ALWAYS calm in every situation because excited dogs can be more nippy because of that.
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Thank you, Rhonda. We will try not to get our feelings hurt that she isn't ears-back, tail-wagging at us all the time!
