Well, let me take this chance to say hi since I didn't post an intro thread. I'm Danny from Puerto Rico, I'm 22 and I just got an 8 wk old basenji 1 week ago. At first I started letting him sleep in my bed, even as he woke at 3-4am to pee or do whatever, I wouldn't mind. But now school started, and I haven't slept well in a while which is really affecting me.
I tried having the dog sleep in the living room (I live in an apt) but he will just wake up around 4 and start scratching my door or crying. Last night after he woke me up I had to crate him as far away from my room as I could, and I still could hear him cry. It really breaks my heart to have to crate my dog, but I can't fail this semester because I have a puppy.
Any help/suggestions would be appreciated.
Welcome to the puppy world! Puppies that young cannot hold their bladder. Typically, they cannot go more than 3-4 hours without peeing. Have you tried some puppy pads? Crating is not a bad thing, but you still have to take him out to pee no matter what.
Oh dear… Im afraid that most puppies do cry when they come to a new home. Im sure someone can give you some more basenji-specific advice, but when we sell a puppy we tell the new owners to get them into a good routine from day 1. And we also tell them not to put the puppy in the bedroom if possible.
In the last week your puppy has moved to a whole new environment and then you moved him from sleeping into your bed, to going into the living room, to then being put in a crate in a different room. Thats a lot for him to have to deal with.
I'd set up a large crate/pen with sleeping area, toys, pee area (yuou can get "training pads" for helping with toilet training, we always use these) and food area. Let him out for a pee just before you go to bed and when you first get up. You'll have to accept that he WILL cry, maybe for another week or more. The breeder should have explained this to you. But he will stop. you just have to leave him to cry.
It will get better as this pups body is able to hold his waste overnight.
Having a pup is hard…
8 wks is pretty young… they sleep more as they get older... however any new puppy is a reciepe for "no sleep"...... it is pretty much a given....
He is a very young baby at 9 weeks old you can only expect him to be able to "hold it" for about 3 hours so if he is only waking you up once at 3am then you are doing really good. It doesn't matter where you put him he is going to need to pee and if you don't take him out he is going to learn that peeing in your apartment is okay.
If he was only waking you up once during the night when he was in your bed and you were otherwise getting a good night's sleep, then why not go back to that schedule. As his bladder grows he will sleep later and later and will start making it through the night but it is going to take time.
The puppy times are the hardest of times. We didn't get much sleep at the beginning either. Also once you let them in your bed its almost imposable to break them of wanting to sleep with you.
I can't fail this semester because I have a puppy.
Maybe not the best time to get a puppy?
Puppies take LOTS of time.. also at night.. They just have to pee after a couple of hours of sleep..
I think it took me 4 - 6 weeks to build up the time Tillo slept through the night without the need to go to the bathroom. You have to try to wake up before he's going to cry to be left out. You let him pee outside (or where you say it is allowed) and then put him back in his crate or your bed. After a couple of days you wake him up a bit later.. etc..
Good luck with your puppy! Don't forget to post a pic.. 
Danny you'll get through it.
The first couple of months are pure hell but it does get better.
I had the same problem. I am also in school and with having a puppy I didn't sleep much either. It drove me mad at times but after a few months they calm down and will rest longer at night.
One piece of advice…wear your puppy out. Since puppies love to nap during the day, when I would get home in the evening I would not let the little guy sleep until I went to bed. That way he would sleep longer. It did help
Thanks for the comments guys. I just came back from the vet with my dog and it turns out one of his testicles has not descended and according to the vet it probably wont. So he's going to need a surgery when he's about 1 yr old to remove that testicle still inside. I'm still in tears as I type this, I don't know if I'm overreacting, apperantly they can live a healthy life even with this, but I feel terrible. I don't crate my dog because I wouldn't like to sleep in a cage locked up, so I guess there's the logic to me feeling like this.
Of course the dog has a health warranty that should cover this because its genetical, but a dog isn't like a TV that you return at the store… I've bonded with this puppy so much. I feel so bad right now, I'm praying so hard that his other testicle will descend, maybe its a basenji thing? I don't know...
Umm, I personally think he is too young for a vet to tell this. He's nine weeks! They will go up and down for the next few months. Shadow did this off and on. Pat? Lisa? Robyn? Diana? Does anyone else have experience with this?
It does seem a little odd that the vet can determine this at such a young age.
I don't know though. I am not a vet. I am sure Lisa or Pat will interject and offer some good advice.
I understand how you feel though…its tough especially when you love them so much. You don't want them to ever have to go through any sort of discomfort. Your doing everything you can right now....asking for advice/support. Good luck and please keep us posted on your little fur-babies progress.
I hope this is true and he can have his 2 little buddies there
I'm feeling alot better than I was about half an hour ago, I was watching him play and stuff and either or, it's still him, I will still love and he's just a joy. His name is Rocky, I'll post some pics later.
Hey Danny,
First of all. PR is one of my favorite vacation spots. What part are you from?
Way back in the day when I worked in vet clinics, we told people that testicles may not descend until up to 4 mos. I think it is too early. Either way is no biggie as long as you get him neutered.
Really, as a pet he should be neutered at a year old, it will not make any difference. There can be complications if you do not have him neutered and he is cryptorchid.
By 8 eight weeks I have always been able to see two testicles descended but they are not always visible. What I mean by this is that by 8 weeks I have seen both descended into the scrotum usually when they are sleeping on their backs and relaxed but if I go to look for them they may not both be there because of excitement, temperature, etc.
Hi Danny! Welcome to you and Rocky!
I love PR as well. I spent about 2 weeks there a few years ago and LOVED Flamenco beach on Culebra Island! We had an awesome camping spot right on the beach… fantastic!
It's pretty hard to tell at the vets office at eight weeks… I could also only see them when he was sleeping.. One vet (I believe still a student..) told me with six months that she could only feel one... well.. there were definitely two
About the cryptorchid being a risk, I've read that it is a minor risk that doesn't way up to the surgery (removel of testicle from abdomen). Your pup will be fine both ways, with one or two.
He is way to young for a Vet to be saying that… I know many Basenjis that clearly they had two at 4wks, only to have one disappear and not reappear until as late as 4 to 6 months... and remember Basenjis carry their testicles one in front of the other and it is very easy to "miss" one.... This is totally normal (one in front of the other) for a Basenji, not so other breeds that are usually side by side.
Have you talked to the breeder? Have there been problems in the bloodlines with and undesended testicles? Some pedigrees do have those problems.
And not to start a big debate (US vs the World on neuter), but I disagree that is is not a health concern with not removing a testical from the abdomen.. it is a big health risk for cancer and Testicular Torsion among other things.
And as Lisa said, by the time he is 1yr he should be neutered anyway unless you had plans on showing and breeding? But if it doesn't desend, then for certain he should not be bred and this is a DQ in the breed standard.
And by the way, all dogs should be crate trained.. it becomes (if done right and excluding those few that have crate phobias (sp) ) … a safe haven for them.. and a happy place. Mine sleep just as well in a crate as in the bed. They were crate trained first....
Thanks for the feedback people, well let's see…
I live in San Juan, in the Condado area... if you came to PR that's probably where you're hotel was, and that beach in Culebra is amazing.
The research that I've done, and the comments from people here all seem to indicate that 2 months its to early, I would not want to nutter my dog if both his testicles end up descending, I would like to breed in 2-3 years from now and even if I didn't, it would have to be an extreme case for me to go for that. However, I must do more research on health benefits or risks of neutered.
I have not talked to the breeder yet, but I sure intend to. Today my emotions were running a little high... or low, and I just knew it wasn't the time for that conversation.
Oh, I've decided to prepare the living room for the dog to sleep in. He just hates being left alone in the crate, if we are taking him somewhere in the car he's just fine. Right now he's over there sleeping, I just hope that at 4am he isn't scratching the door and crying for attention. And btw, when I first got my dog I let him sleep in my bed, but the bladder thing wasn't a problem, he wakes up does his thing and then calls back to get back on the bed, ONCE ON THE BED he starts biting me and trying to play, if it wasn't for that I'd be more than happy to have him sleep at my side.
Oh yea, and here's a pic of lil Rocky, he's the cutest thing.
