okay thank you everyone

The bonding is going well… I taught (reminded) him how to sit, shake a paw and lie down. We're in obedience classes currently so he's catching on to "stay" and sits before I give him his meal. Walking is still not the greatest but better. He IS a snuggler! But the thing now is he clearly doesn't like being disturbed while sleeping or sleepy. He fell asleep on my lap and I went to scratch my leg and he growled and went to bite me, mouthed but not a full on bite, I still felt his teeth though. I was completely caught off guard so this seems to be the issue now. Clearly there is a dominance struggle going on right now as his growling is very much increasing, and it's almost been a month having him

We just adopted Maverick from his breeder 4 days ago and I know everything is still new and we're all getting to know eachother. He is crate trained and somewhat food aggresive we were told. Funny enough we haven't had much issue with food (even begging at the table- we think his past owners fed him from the dinner table) But I think he's figured out he isn't getting anything from us so he just sits on the couch. But we've tried crating him while going out a few times this weekend and he cries and cries, pawing at the door. We ignore him and leave although it's sad. We crate him at dinner time with his dinner which he doesn't eat but once he can't see us in the kitchen anymore he cries. SO! I'm assuming he is having some seperation anxiety just because it's a whole new world for him. But I don't want him to think of his crate as punishment.
We won't crate him in the future while we're at work, but for now at the beginning his breeder suggested we do so to help him understand who is in charge. We did leave him the the house for about 4mins while we carried something to the car, and he peed on the floor by the door. I know he didn't actually have to pee because I took him out right before that. So I definitily don't want him alone in the house right now or he will most likely destroy or make a mess on something else.

So basically, some advice on why he's doing this or am I right about it? I think I will pick up a Kong toy for him to hopefully be distracted by while we leave. I'm hoping once he gets used to the routine around here he will be okay with going in his crate, I just really don't like him thinking of it as punishment.. if he is even.

Thanks in advance! (p.s… I have talked to the breeder about this, but was curious about others ideas, too)

@agilebasenji:

You may want to take him to a positive training class. There are many, many fun things available in dogsports right now - agility, rally, nosework, tracking, flyball, free style, etc.

Where and how would I find these classes in Vancouver? We're starting his obedience classes Tuesday but I would love to join something like this he may enjoy more but no idea where to find them. I just googled it and not having much luck

I will try hand feeding tonight

Okay thank you everyone for the helpful responses. Today is literally the third day we have had him so I know it's early. My boyfriend is going out tonight and I'm going to stay in with Maverick and try some training with him myself, and I'll take him for a walk, too.
Can someone explain to me what exactly hand feeding is? He still has to have his dinner so is it literally him eating it from my hand?

I am the dog lover between my significant other and myself and have wanted one for 7years. I've been doing research on this breed for 2years and we finally adopted Maverick from a well known breeder out here. So the unfortunate thing is he's bonded quite quickly with my boyfriend and clearly prefers him over myself. It's very disheartening seeing as I'm the one that has done absolutely everything to make this happen. The breeder told me he bonded quickly with the husband of the last owners but because the wife didn't really care. It will apparently take more effort on my part being alpha..
Anyways, I really don't want to start resenting my bf and I know it's not his fault but it's still very sad for me. Any suggestions on how I can create a bond with him soon? Thanks in advance

This is a very interesting read because we are trying to figure this out also. Crate seems to be the best way to go, but something else that interests us is a ZipLine harness..

http://www.kurgostore.com/products/Kurgo-Auto-Zip%252dLine-%E2%80%94-Leash-Zip%252dline-Combo.html#reviews

There's a big chance it can still be chewed through I guess depending on your Basenji, but we can get it for a really good price and will probably try it out regardless

hahah oh my, some of these responses made me laugh. Thankfully we keep our garbage under the sink behind closed doors which I'll just have to wait and see if he can open it or not.
We're actually going to pick him up Easter weekend now, so we will try to organize the place as best as we can and spend that weekend tweaking and hiding the things he wants to play with or chew, haha

thanks everyone ! (and Yes, we're getting him from Simone )

We are (finally) getting our Basenji in just under 2 months, he's 2years old crate and potty trained. I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for "Basenji proofing" our place. I know kleenex and toilet paper is a concern so the bathroom doors will always be closed. Are there any other things we should be aware of? Thank you in advance!

yes Thank you! I contacted Simone last week and went there to meet a couple male basenjies… Hoping to pursue with one of them Thanks everyone

@nomrbddgs:

I have a lot of thoughts on this, but will keep them to myself except for one. What happened was NOT your fault and you cannot go back and change things. Your father was an angry, angry man who could not deal with his life changes and this in no way reflects on you. As to the vet procedure-he probably did not expect anything to happen the way it did and therefore was not prepared to be able to prepare you as to the process that was going on with Charlie. He may have been as surprised as you at the reaction (which was, more than likely, involuntary on Charlie's part) So, remember, you could not have changed what happened at that point in your life and you should not feel guilty about the choice you made. Obviously, at that time, you made the best decision you could.

Thank you For my next dog I will be on top of everything that goes on with him! I want to know it all and make sure the vet understands also