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Nagging Question Needs an Answer

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  • Q

    A couple of questions

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    ShannaniganS
    My boyfriend and I got our Basenji in February, and he's 9 months now. We did our research, used positive reinforcement training, crated him at night until he was potty trained and then let him sleep in the bed with us, and we had extensive play sessions with him in the mornings and walked him until he (or we!) got tired in the afternoon/evening. He's crated for a few hours during the day when both of us are at work; we live in a small apartment with no room for an x-pen, and are considering doing some test runs with leaving him free in the apartment, because he hasn't been destructive the few times that he has escaped his crate. Result: he sticks to us like glue. Though we rarely get to let him off-leash anywhere, he likes to keep us in sight and keeps a watchful eye on strangers who come near us both in and out of the house. We still have playtime with him in the morning (anywhere between 30 mins and 1 and a half hours of fetch, tug-o-war, chasing, and the Basenji500), and we try our hardest to give him a good long walk before we go to bed. He's okay with the crate, though he doesn't hang out in it of his own free will, but he tolerates it for when we're gone. His most destructive times are in the morning when he wakes up before us and decides to see if we were silly enough to leave any clothing or paper in his reach to shred up (we've lost money, a deck of cards, shoes, underwear, shirts, bookbags, etc.), and in the afternoon when one or both of us happens to be home but not paying attention to him, so he starts tugging on drapes, bedding, even the carpet - but more to get our attention than actually ruin anything. It's work, but Paco makes it worth it in the end with cuddles, doggy-smiles, and never-ending enthusiasm!
  • MayaM

    Question

    Basenji Talk
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    tanzaT
    @saralars: This is off the subject of crate escape… I was told growing up that turkey and chicken bones were very dangerous for dogs. Are Basenjis different in this way too? Or am I missing something... Raw, uncooked bones are fine for any dog, not just Basenjis… it is "cooked" bones that are the problems
  • Katrina02K

    Questions for Breeder

    Basenji Talk
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    S
    @Maya: When i was first in touch with Maya's breeder i asked lots of questions about health testing. I knew the temperment of Maya's mum (which is fantastic!!) as i had met her several times, so i asked all about Dad. Having witnessed some horrific temperments around the ring over here, health and temperment were a priority for me… I also would have been concerned if the breeder hadn't asked LOTS of questions of me. She wanted to know if i'd researched the breed, if i knew they weren't necessarily easy to live with (and explained!) and just lots of questions about me to make sure she knew if i would be a responsible basenji owner. I think with such a unique breed you need a responsible breeder who is looking for a permenant home who has done their research :) This was totally my experience as well. I was very aware that it wasn't just us interviewing a breeder, but the breeder getting to know us. I was really grateful to see that our amazing breeder took the time to make sure that we knew what we were getting into. It would make me exceptionally leery if a breeder handed over a Basenji, no questions asked.
  • BasenjiMayaB

    Dog food question, need help

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    bellabasenjiB
    I just bought Bella some Merricks Grammy's Pot Pie (dry). It sounds so good I'm tempted to give it a try, LOL!!! I haven't given it to her yet, I'm trying to time it out so I can introduce it slowly… I had to get it at a feed & seed supply store. It IS sad that people are uneducated about the differences of dog foods… but what is worse is that some of these companies don't care how bad the food is for our pets. Another example of how money is more important in their pocket... BTW, for treats we like Old Mother Hubbard!!!:D
  • etzbsederE

    Collar Question

    Basenji Talk
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    jys1011J
    This one is a tuffy to say the least :) I think everyone has an opinion on what works & doesn't work for them. And I can honestly tell you that I have tried a number of collars AND leads LOL :D Talk about trial and error. My poor husband is so confused now he's like WHAT COLLAR WHAT LEAD?? In the end we use a martingale leash (simple a martingale collar attached to a 6ft leash) to walk them & at first we used a gentle leader or snoot loop to train to walk nicely. Training them with this takes time & lots of effort. When they go on their extra long (25 ft) exploring walk (I only use this in large field or hiking when I know no one else or no other dogs will be around) I use their harnesses BUT the harness I use attaches to the lead at the top of their backs not in front. So really it's whatever is more effective for you & your dogs. I got all 3 at the All Hounds & I REALLY love their service! They are really nice & helpful. http://www.allhoundsapparel.com Short Story on choke chains: I worked with a trainer who used choke chains & I did not like using this because I nearly choked my little girl to death once while we were attacked by an off leash dog. It was an accident & she was fine but I could have really hurt her. I also think the choke chains have a negative reward for a dog while walking. If they lunge at something…person, dog, squirrel, bird etc...they will choke themselves & associate something negative with that.
  • tlbuddyT

    Questions?

    Basenji Talk
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    L
    On tv this morning they showed some dogs that were to be adopted at Petsmart from the Humane Society. One of them they said was a basenji/terrier mix. That dog was huge and he didn't look anything like a basenji to me. No batwing ears but the tail was curled.