@wizard: Now stay-forever is a much harder command to teach IMHO, even with the clicker. As soon as I started to wander away my dog would bolt and it took agility classes to finally get Gossy to stay as I walked away. Maybe because she knew she would have fun shortly if she stayed. I think it makes it easier if there is an obvious high value reward coming at the end of the exercise. Not food, necessarily. "Do what I want, then you will get to do what you want" is a great incentive! "Forever" can be a hard one, however, and I don't think many dogs in practice are going to achieve this. I came closest with my Border Collie, who performed a (completely accidental on my part) two hour stay. Somehow I just can't see a Basenji doing that!!:)

Oakley will pee in the middle of the road or anywhere really but pooping is a whole different story…walking is the only way and he seems to do it in the same spots on our walks.. If the wind so much as sways it will deter him... In the cold he just flat out refuses to go! It is a basenji thing

i stay with the same brand, good quality kibble. thats all Hope gets with maybe a raw bone and/or bits of left over meat (such as chicken) and pumpkin to have in the evening. when i was working in a grooming salon she used to get other premium kibble (samples for our customers) as "treats" - she was none the wiser and thought "yummo!" hehe and never had issues with it :) also -when we have fostered dogs she has had some of their kibble and had no issues with eating it. im pretty lucky i dont have a fussy eater :)

Hello, One of our B's had similar biting issues - she had been raised in a pack with a lot of competition, and she had never learned that a treat or a toy must be released on command. I applied Cesar Millan's approach and it worked beautifully, the first time and within 15 minutes! 1. Show the dog the treat, make her sit and stay, and make eye-contact. 2. As she calms, bring the treat closer and stay in eye contact - she must stay calm-submissive throughout. 3. Put the treat on the ground in front of her - use your posture, body language and voice to keep her calm-subm. 4. Then release her to get the treat. 5. After a minute or so, order her to release. If she doesn't, a little Cesar-prod to the side will help to snap her out of her state of mind. 6. Repeat the whole process, until she releases the treat at first command. 7. Repeat the next day. Be patient and follow through all the way to the end - Binti got it really fast that we wouldn't let up and she changed accordingly. I'm sure you can find videos on Cesar's site or National Geographic with similar episodes - it works! All the best, Kees-Jan Donkers, The Netherlands

@dmey: Do you have pictures???? This is him about 3 weeks ago but he's only gained .5lb It seems I can't upload a picture right now, will try again later today.

Anytime I have a dog that has a UTI, I add extra water to their food. I also give Cranberry pills. I sometimes give Vitamin C but that is based on the ph level of the urine and the recommendation of the vet. My dogs rarely have crystals but perhaps I catch the UTIs early. It seems like rescues I get from shelters almost always have UTIs. I think they get it from either holding it too long because they do not want to get their kennel dirty or because they eat dry food and drink water separately. Jennifer

@Moth: He is such a pretty little guy :) And well travelled too!

I would suggest the Ruff Wear Climate Changer plus the Ruff Wear Quinzee maybe some boots if you can swing it. XS on both of the jackets.

@curlytails: Basilboy, I just saw this post recently and thought of your post. "Dog Park Etiquette: Dos and Don'ts from a Trainer" http://dogblog.dogster.com/2011/10/04/dog-park-etiquette-dos-and-donts-from-a-trainer/ (I'm having a weird issue where all links to that blog keep redirecting to one specific post, not the one that I intended to link, so you might have to go to the main page? Anyway, sorry for any confusion) I personally prefer dog parks where I can keep moving, where there are lots of trails and plenty of things for my dogs to sniff and see aside from just interacting with dogs – because not every dog enjoys playing with every other dog! I feel like they learn to keep a closer eye on you (and you on them) if you're a moving target and not grounded to one spot all the time. So I don't really like small, completely fence-enclosed dog parks myself, but I do need adequate physical barriers (large bodies of water, partial fencing, etc.) combined with high visibility in order to feel secure letting my dogs off leash. Thank you for the article, a great read for before going to the dog park. Though I think we will wait until our puppy classes are over and I'm more confident in his behavior.

Sure, why not? Although I must mention that my guy dislikes the filing more than the clipping…..

I totally agree with pat - your vet needs to test a sample of Basil's urine before he can determine a problem.

As a reference when we brought C-Me, Franie, and Trip home… that was three baby puppies (9 and 11 weeks) that we had to take out of their carrier, ggggg... and it was exciting to say the lest. But we did just fine!!! I do remember one time that when I was flying from NY to SFO, there was a person with a cat in a carrier that was not concerned at all that the cat was going to go through the xray... I did tell her that she needed to remove the cat, her response was "why"... my answer.. "and would you go through that?"

Cara had coccidia when we got her, but I have read research that it is killed more easily with ammonia than bleach so that's what I used–- pick up, pour ammonia over area. Neither Connor nor Arwen got it. But since you weren't doing it before, do take in stool samples of the other dogs to avoid them continuing to pass it around. A dog can have it with limited effect and still be passing it in stools to recontaminate your pup. http://www.sheltermedicine.vet.cornell.edu//shelter/coccidia.htm

Patty this is heartbreaking and disgusting. How can there be so many sick people out there?

Mine will run down the garden through the pouring rain and into the wood shed rather than pee quickly and come indoors! They end up absolutely soaked but very happy that they've managed to find somewhere under cover. Basenjis!!!!

How cool that you found Basil's sister. I hope you can get them together.

he is really super cute.

Well, it does sound like you are doing the best. This is just a forum and the info given and then taken into action on your part may be miles away because they (we) are not living right there…. Just keep up the best that you are doing. Wish you all the best....it can be frustrating beyond what we would understand because the situation you have with Basil is similar BUT WAAAAY different then we ever had;;;;we never had Basil!!!!!!!!! I am (we are?) behind you and wish you good luck. It is a handful. Knowing you get on the forum to vent is why it exists I guess....Take the info and apply it as best you can before the behaviorist or trainer gets involved. Remember, dogs, even Basenjis can learn something all over again with the correct input-HANG IN THERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Kudos!!!:)

@DebraDownSouth: A relationship is a 2-way street. Learning to communicate both ways with your dog builds communications. I guess a control freak who simply makes a dog do what they want, when they want, still has a relationship. But when I see people who work their dog–- be it obedience, agility, herding, whatever-- usually those who succeed have built a relationship of communicating and trust. Very wise words! And also, what a lot of people lose sight of is that you are always teaching your dog, even outside of your formal training times. You are teaching him, and he is teaching you. The best "educator" of dogs I have ever seen was Chuck Eisenmann. He communicated constantly with his dogs, and his first rule was simple, "Learn to observe your dog as he observes you, never overlook a single glance or movement". I can't imagine ever achieving the level of expertise that Chuck achieved…...I don't think it has ever been matched by anyone.....but I have learned a great deal by reading his books. :) For those who don't know Chuck: http://www.naturally4pets.com/smart-dog.html http://tomhawthorn.blogspot.com/2010/12/chuck-eisenmann-trainer-of-littlest.html I was privileged to see one of his demonstrations…..absolutely amazing! :) Now, this was a man who had a "relationship" with his dogs!

LOL I have had worse escape artists than Basenjis… but it's rare. Yep a top on it.