Hello to everyone,

I found this basenji forum just 2 days ago and I have to say it´s just wonderful and so helpful to everyone who seeks for experience and information about basenjis.
I am 25 years old girl from Czech republik and I fell in love with basenjis 2 months ago. I was trying to get all the information about this breed. I´ve visited 2 breeders and I´ve just fallen in love with one gorgeous basenji puppy girl called Hodu. She´s gonna be 8 weeks in about 2 weeks so it´s gonna be the right time to bring her to her new home. I have to make a decision about buying her or not buying her. To be honest when I read some peoples experience about having basenji I´m getting a bit freaked out. Especially their destructive behavior makes me worry. I know that they are being destructive when they are bored. Does it mean that I can´t leave my basenji on her own unless I want to have mess everywhere? I don´t know why I´m trying to convince myself that my basenji girl is gonna be different.

I'm sure there are others that can give you good advice, but I would say no you cant leave a basenji puppy by herself without being crated, i have 4 right now, but i have never had a puppy. i'm sure they would get into everything if you left them alone, and i would think its not safe for them.. and since she will need to be housebroken, if you left her alone she would probably go to the bathroom wherever she wanted.. but i'm sure people who have B puppies will give you more insight.. but if you are up for the challenge they can be a ton of fun and you will fall in love! (how can you not love their sweet faces?!)

A lot of what you read about will happen with any puppy. It is true that an adult basenji is a little more destructive than other breeds, but there are several members here who have left their dogs out of the crates for several hours with no ill effects. You should look at the different basenji club websites and read some of the information on them. BCOA (Basenji club of america) is a good one, even though you're not in the states.

Have you had pets before? Do you have kids? Do you live alone? With a yard? There are a lot of things like this that make a big influence on if you should have a dog or not.

I crate my 11 week old (tomorrow) pup during the day while my boyfriend & I are at work. I don't only do it because he would destory everything in sight while we're gone but I also do it because 1) he's not house trained yet so I'd imagine would go EVERYWHERE while we're gone (puppies pee like every 5 minutes it seems!) & 2) for his safety. I don't think it is safe to leave an untrained pup loose in the house for several hours throughout the day. Who knows what kind of trouble he could get himself into! It's just simply not a risk I am willing to take for his own sake. Crate training has been difficult but I think worth it.

Don't be afraid to get a Basenji because you have heard they are destructive. Any puppy can be destructive if left alone since all puppies love to chew things, especially those things they "know" aren't their's to chew! They always manage to figure out what those things are too. :p

Think a lot before getting any dog because they do take time & a huge effort to raise one properly. Training is a lot of work for any dog. Basenjis are said to be difficult to train, although Dallas is only 11 weeks is already does "sit", "down", & "look" so I havent' seen that yet. In fact, my beagle was far more difficult to train than Dallas has been so far.

Hope I have helped any & if you have any questions of course further ask! I know I have leanred a lot from this forum that has helped me decide that a Basenji is the right dog for me. Hopefully you will get the same value out of the forum as I have!

Have you had pets before? Do you have kids? Do you live alone? With a yard? There are a lot of things like this that make a big influence on if you should have a dog or not.

It's a big commitment and I would defiantly crate train any dog, until it becomes trust worthy. Ours were fine after about 1 & 1/2 years.

Now we never have any problems with leaving them out. We even go away for a week with a pet sitter and no destruction as of yet (4 years).

If you keep your dog happy and give it lots of exercise, training and things that they are allowed to chew (toys) they will be fine. Be warned it takes a lot of dedication, training and set backs happen.

ARE YOU ready for such a commitment - this is true for any dog. You know cats are so easy as pets. As far as destructive dogs go I think basenji's are not the worst, big dogs can eat wood molding, whole socks etc. I think Basenji's are middle of the road.

Welcome to the forum.:)
I have 2 basenjis who are mother and son. Cali is left out when we go out as she is not destructive at all but Kwame is put in his crate, he is 2 1/2, when we are out as he does tend to get bored and will find things to chew!
Cali was put in a crate as a puppy until I felt she could be trusted, though not all Basenjis can be trusted it totally depends on the individual.
Nothing more to add to what others have said really.

Who are you getting your puppy from? Scrap that I know the litter!!
The father of this litter is the same father of my puppy (different litter) that I am collecting in 3 weeks time. He is lovely by the way!!

As was stated before, any puppy or dog can be destructive. Crate training a puppy helps with house breaking and to establish good behavior. That does not mean your puppy will need to be crated every time you leave for the rest of its life but until you have established that good behavior over time and rewarded that behavior you will want to crate your puppy so it does not practice bad behavior.

The best thing to remember is the saying, "A tired basenji is a good basenji." If you make sure that your basenji is getting adequate exercise and mental stimulation then you really shouldn't have much of a problem redirecting them toward positive outlets.

It is important that you research breeders before getting a puppy. Make sure that any breeder you are considering a puppy from has done the DNA marker test for Fanconi and that at least one parent has tested Probably Clear/Normal.

Also I think it's important to loook down the road. Are you going to have kids in the next five years?

Are you going to be working decent hours to be able to get back home or afford for someone to take care of your dog?

Will you be able to spend quality time with the dog?

Are you going to be moving soon and will they accept dogs?

There are some wonderful helpful book on raising basenji puppies.
I can sugggest one if you wish.
Good luck.
I agree that pups need to be crated, but my 2 adults are loose when we are at work with a doggie door to the yard.
Hubby walks them 2 miles in the morning before we leave them however.

hi Atoosa

where in the czech republic are you from? My boyfriend is from Prostejov and we spent a few weeks there last summer - a very lovely country!

I'm sure all puppies are destructive. Basenjis need lots of good and consistent training with lots of positive reinforcement. Some training methods that work for other breeds just don't work for basenjis. You have to remember that the breed is thousands of years old. They behave like that for a reason, or they wouldn't have survived all these years. We can only attempt to train them to behave in ways that are acceptable to our human standards. With lots of love, patience and a sense of humor…you'll have a wonderful companion and wonder how you lived without one for all these years.

My husband was also afraid to get a Basenji. Everyone he spoke to at work, etc. told him he was crazy because they'd all heard horror stories. THEN, he talked {via email, I think} with Sharron Hurlburt – I still have no idea how/where he even found her, LOL, as he did that behind my back -- and whatever she said reassured him.

We've been happy Basenji owners for three years now. While there are aspects of Basenji-ness that he's still not wild about, he is constantly amused by these dogs and loves them both very much.

Do your research. With proper preparation, you can be ready for whatever dog you get. But rest assured, you're not getting a black lab or a goldne retriever personality.
Basenjis are different, challenging, and WONDERFUL!!

It will depend alot on the dog also. My first basenji was so destructive in the crate but once I let him out all day he would lay on the back of the couch and watch the world go by. I did make sure he got a long walk in the morning, came home for lunch and after work, weather permitting, would take him to a park and exercise him.
I also always crate train my pups until they are potty trained and past the teething stage. I'm home now so it's easier, but when I start letting them out I will leave for 15 minutes at a time and then gradually extend the time I'm gone. So far it's worked for me. I occasionally come home to things chewed and torn up.. but that's usually my fault for not putting something away. My vizsla has actually destroyed more cherished items then my b's.

As lvoss says.."A tired basenji is a good basenji." …I also give my dogs two good walks a day.

They go through a destructive stage that in most cases subsides at 1 and a half to two years IMO.

They can drive you nuts during rainy periods, not wanting to go out in the rain.

Many Basenji's don't like to be left alone and you'll read a lot about problems Basenji Owners have with that.

These dogs require attention and time…..however, I don't think I'd be without a Basenji in my life, actually Basenji's in my life.

You might want to consider an older, more settled b for your first dog.
They can sleep through the night, puppies can't.
They can wait to go outside when your at work, and they often
have a lot of manners most pups don't.
Just a suggestion.

@Tayda_Lenny:

hi Atoosa

where in the czech republic are you from? My boyfriend is from Prostejov and we spent a few weeks there last summer - a very lovely country!

I am from South Moravia. A small town - (Straznice).

@sharronhurlbut:

You might want to consider an older, more settled b for your first dog.
They can sleep through the night, puppies can't.
They can wait to go outside when your at work, and they often
have a lot of manners most pups don't.
Just a suggestion.

Excellent suggestion Sharron.

Of course, those darned puppy faces are so hard to resist!
But an older dog may not be a bad option if you fear you may
not be up to the puppy-hood.

Thank you!
Most folks foreget that puppies have to get up to pee 2-4 times a night.
Like an baby that they are laugh.
So, its an awful lot of work!
Nothing cuter than a puppy, but boy, its nice to sleep through the night!

I got an adult for my first basenji and didn't realize what a smart move that was until after we'd had her a little while. I highly recommend it. She came house-broken, leash-trained, well-mannered and able to be left out with minimal damage. I do plan on getting a puppy and possibly being a foster family when I have both the money and space to do so and I feel I will have been thoroughly trained in the ways of the adult basenji when that time arrives. The basenjis really aren't the only ones who get trained, haha.

You might want to consider an older, more settled b for your first dog.
They can sleep through the night, puppies can't.
They can wait to go outside when your at work, and they often
have a lot of manners most pups don't.
Just a suggestion.

Excellent suggestion! I actually got TWO adults as my first basenjis and have been very happy with that decision. Many breeders sometimes have adult dogs that they are willing to place with a family.