@theoriginaldev As others have said, an older dog would be better on neutral ground. A puppy will probably go really well. From my own experience, a bit of initial posturing from the older dog, then when they realize it’s playtime...the games will commence. Good luck!
Where does your basenji sleep?
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Kipawa is the biggest bed bug I have ever seen! And many a night, like Sharron said, I am sleeping on the extreme edge of the bed while he is happily snoring away and taking up my side of the bed in a horizontal fashion. Do I push him away? No. Do I attempt in any way to reclaim some bedspace? No. Why? Because it is so darn comforting to feel his warm body against me.
Kipawa spends the entire night going under the blankets, coming out, going under the blankets, coming out … you get the drift. My husband sleeps super soundly, so I am on 'guard duty' every night, ready to lift the blankets for him to get under them. I have somehow built this into my sleep pattern. I can do it without actually waking up. And I know there must be a smile on my face when I do it.
Each time he heads under the blankets I get a free lick or two on my feet. I admit it feels really nice.
The first time he goes under the blankets every night, I get quite the foot and calf lick. Sometimes he spends a good 10 minutes on it. I think it relaxes him - it surely relaxes me.These are the kinds of things that endear this breed to us. They are such characters!
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Such cute stories. I wish my mix could sleep in the bed with me but he wants his own space. He likes the hardwood floor right now. I put pillows and blankets and towels on the floor but he wants nothing to do with them. Maybe when it becomes cold he will want to cuddle up to me a bit more. Other then that I am left with a bedless puppy.
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**This has been a fun read. I do so much enjoy reading these type stories and I'm often amazed at how simular yet different our B's are.
Peanut would hop on the bed the minute I climbed in and head right under the covers behind my knees. He wouldn't come out till morning no matter how warm it got.
When Zander entered the picture they would both share the bed, but it was 1 on one side of me and 1 on the other. As Zander got older and grouchier, Peanut just quit comin in at all and went & slept with mom.
Now it's just Zander, on top of the covers if the TV's on, but under the covers when it goes off. He stands and stares at my face till I lift the covers too. He'll also squirm up with his head on the pillow on occassions if it gets to warm under the covers.
That's when I get to wrap my arms around him and really snuggle him up….but those occassions are few and far between.**
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I got my boy when he was 5. When I went to pick him up, the guy I was getting him from was napping, with the dog. (He worked night shift). The wife went to get him and I met a couple other B's while she did. Guy comes out with
my boy, and I'm in love. He tells me that fella loves being under the covers. OK, well, I just don't want him under the covers. As with my first B we learn to make it work. My boy knows when I say "bedtime" to come to bed and he knows that he has his own blanket on top of the comforter to get under. Occasionally he will be active enough, in his sleep that the blanket falls off the side of the bed. That's when I get the cutest, little, gentle paw at my shoulder…. "Mom, I need a blankie"! Now, the couch is a whole different story... we fight over that. I'm constantly trying to tell him that we have to share, "blankie" included.:D:D:D -
Basil has slept crated at night because up until the last month or so he wouldn't go to sleep if I tried to put him on his dog bed or on my bed! Just wanted to play, play, play. Now he's starting to fall asleep on my bed and I let him… he loves sleeping cuddling up and likes being tucked in. He usually won't move unless he just stretches out. He'll usually sleep on my bed for a couple hours then he'll get down and go sleep in his crate. Most nights he'll put himself to bed in his crate and the door remains open. Sometimes he'll lay down on his doggie bed and nap there but usually won't sleep there at night.
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Although I've already posted our bedtime ritual and antics, last night and this morning were a bit interesting.
Last night, Cody fell asleep curled up against me on the couch while I was reading. When I tried to wake him up to go get in bed, he just sighed and flipped over onto his back with his paws stuck up in the air. Of course, I can't sleep without him anymore, so I scooped him up, took him into the bedroom, and sat him on the bed. Then starts our nightly "argument" over sleeping arrangements, usually ending in picking him up and moving him a few times. Lately, his favorite spot is on the pillows in the very center of the bed, so I have to be quick to lay down before he does. So last night, after a bit of maneuvering, we both got comfortable and fell asleep. Throughout the night, he continued to make himself even more comfortable until I woke up this morning laying horizontally across the bed with my head hanging off of one end and legs hanging off of the other. Of course, he's blissfully comfortable, also laying horizontally across the bed on top of the pillows.
The things I put up with….
I think that next time I may just leave him on the couch .... nah! -
We vowed that Hana would sleep in her crate every night. This is embarrassing, but it took MONTHS of my husband sleeping on the couch next to her crate for her not to whine and cry. Then we got fed up, and thought 'let's bring the crate up to our bedroom.' That was much much better. At some point, not sure what happened, we gave in and allowed her to sleep on our bed. All I can say is she's one very happy happy cuddly pup now. She literally does her last potty outside at night, waits at the bottom of the stares and looks at me for permission (since I go to bed first in our house) and then as I head up she races with anticipation and happily lies down on the bed. When I get in she will re-situate herself and literally curl up into a ball right into the space near my tummy as I'm a side sleeper. She'll stay that way all night! Sometimes she'll stretch out but she's always at lease 75% somehow connected to me?! I can pat her, I can move and push her to try to give myself some space but is very hard to move when she's in such a deep sleep (or frankly pretending because she doesn't want to move!). And yup, like some of you have said, I have woken up to her with her head on my pillow. Sometimes we'll go back to crating to make sure she stays used to that and that the bed is a privilege. So far, she's only been under the covers at our feet once. She prefers on top of the comforters. There is a joy and comfort to cuddling your basenji isn't there? I can't describe it.
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All of ours have ended up sleeping with us. When I had two it could be a bit crowded, although one Basenji can be a crowd all by itself…....especially when they decide to sleep sideways in the bed! We make it a condition that they are not allowed in the sheets, but can be under the top cover. Our first boy would make a nuisance of himself trying to find the "right spot". He would push the cover up with his head as he wandered around. Sort of "bong, bong, bong", shoving his head up under the cover......cute, but exasperating when you just wanted to go to sleep! All of ours liked to crowd you. When my husband was out of town I would sometimes resort to getting out of bed and back in the other side. It would take awhile for the bed hog to discover where I had gone, but sooner or later I would find myself crowded and leaned on again, with about an inch between me and the edge of the bed. Why do we put up with it??? Because they are so cute! There is nothing sweeter than a sleeping Basenji.
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I woke up this morning laying horizontally across the bed with my head hanging off of one end and legs hanging off of the other. Of course, he's blissfully comfortable, also laying horizontally across the bed on top of the pillows.
ROFLMAO. Arwen stays in one spot at the bottom MOST of the time. Cara moves a little but she sleeps most of the time diagonal with her lower back and butt against me. If I move her to fully lay against me, she moves. About a week ago I was sick and she smushed against me as if she knew I wasn't well and needed more comfort.
but is very hard to move when she's in such a deep sleep (or frankly pretending because she doesn't want to move!).
Basenjis weight quadruples in the night making them hard to move.
Mine always sleep under the covers– but then my room at night is very cold. It was 30s outside last night and I had my window open. I sleep better with cold air.
As for sheets-- hey I wipe the dogs off, keep them clean, change my sheets often. I would find it more annoying on top of the covers or between the sheets and blankets as that would trap me with the covers. -
Luckily only two of mine (Spring and Gbala) share my bed, one behind in the curve of my knees (I'm not allowed to stretch out my legs -it makes her uncomfortable!) and one cuddled in front. They take it in turns and change over during the night. Yes, I agree it is more comfortable when they're under the sheets besides they might get cold on top!.
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Yes, I agree it is more comfortable when they're under the sheets besides they might get cold on top!.
We turn our thermostat down to 55F at night, and the furnace certainly runs in the winter, so it isn't very warm. The Basenji(s) sleeps under the duvet, so is plenty warm. Yeah, the downside is that his body weight on the covers can leave you feeling trapped! Current boy is pretty good, but does like to crowd, even when it's hot. It takes a heat wave before he doesn't want to be covered up!
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Baby Tucker and Becca
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LOL that is priceless picture, until the basenji falls off the couch! LOL.
