So very sorry. I seldom log in and reply on any post because I find many regular contributors to be brutally honest. But that said, I am very very sorry and I understand your issue. My husband was on board with getting a basenji, but i later learned for mostly the wrong reasons. No barking, little shedding, intelligient etc. Those are great traits and my princess Piper possesses them all. She was such a terribly difficult puppy to train I thought we were surely going to end up in divorce over this dog. He loves her - but only recently (3 years in) has gained the same level of protectiveness over her. So my advice is to stick with it. Being mad at others for having less vested interest is wasted energy. Love Rogue, protect Rogue, you will figure out what works and the good thing is that you already have good eyes on all the dangers. My Piper does not like cold, rain, water etc and she can be a pain - but she is my darling and I get it. Training can't be understated - but avoiding the need to scold works much better from my experience. So finding options for shoes, garbage etc will help. We have a tall closing trash can that she has never gotten into - also stainless steel so it is heavy. The other advice is make sure even in the cold that you are getting Rogue outside and walking and running off energy. A tired Basenji has a happy owner. Routine is also key. Piper knows we walk a mile at 9 am and a mile at 4 pm every day and sometimes I sneak in an extra mile at noon. She will go out for our walk in the cold as long as it is not pouring rain. But the snow sends her into an energy rush and she is hysterical! We have snow rarely in my state so it is a fun distraction when it occurs. If it is at all feasible you could consider a new living arrangement - but I am not certain that is a reasonable option.
Make peace with your family, protect Rogue and enjoy your pup. The one time Piper got out and was gone for 24 hours it was totally my fault (I underestimated her). It happens and I did not sleep that night. We built a fence around our backyard after that.

I just returned today from a visit with my grandchildren. They have two mixed breed dogs that tolerate an amazing amount of bumping and surprise hugs during rest time or whatever. I marveled as I said out loud multiple times that my Piper would never tolerate this random activity all around her.
I agree that this dog is acting like a Basenji and my very strong advice for your family and your dog is to re-home the dog before something worse happens.
All children and dogs are different and some things can be trained away, but in my estimation this is happening too often and the dog is not going to be easy to retrain for another family if he is not removed soon. And your son deserves to be safe and not injured for trying to show love.

All those things work but it takes time. Don't get discouraged. I wore long sleeves to protect my arms all the time when Piper was little. It takes effort to find a toy that consistently brings teething comfort. Bully sticks and yak cheese were her favorite when she was younger. Diversion from your body and consistent reaction to her biting helps. It will get better. Puppies explore with their mouth. Best of luck with your new sweet baby.

There is no way Piper will wear clothes. She chewed off a thunder jacket and started working on chewing off a custom sweater my daughter made for her. So I won't be investing in clothes and thank goodness in NC it is not extremely cold for long.

I see that everyone thinks the crate belongs in the bedroom. Though
this may make him happier it worked for me not to have our pup in our room. Not every human you live with will go along with this plan. If the crate is large enough for a favorite dog toy and his own blanket he will eventually adjust.
Would he be happier in bed with you or in your room, sure. But it is your house and you are allowed to have some off limits rooms. The first few months can be rough. But it is worth it.

Wow, I thought I had a difficult first year! I am so proud of you for being Harry's human hero and giving him many chances. I have read much information about basenjis and I had never heard about not moving furniture. That actually explains a few things to me.
I have recently thrown my dog for a loop by providing respite to a dog who's owner is in the hospital. It has taken 6 days but they are finally playing rather than just sniffing each other rediculously.

Oh my gosh, that could be Piper any day of the week! Thank you for sharing that!

I think the behaviors are compelling. Hope you can confirm suspicions. I am guessing one of the parents were full or half basenji. Gorgeous!

I realize I am coming to this chat very late but I want to give you some hope. I have 6 chickens and though my 3 year old Piper will chase down and kill a bunny or squirrel and eat it ....she has demonstrated time after time that she understands the chickens are off limits. Infact I will go further to say that she acts as their protector. If one flies over the daytime fence she lets me know, if one is making any unusual noise she comes to get me. It has become quite comical how motherly she acts to them. 4 of them she was introduced to just a few months ago as I brought home baby chicks.....so they were small enough for her to attack for many months. I just kept telling her they are special and I would even let her sniff them while holding her collar. She knows the difference between prey and protect. I would love to get a few goats but I am not certain if that would work. I am still thinking about that.

Sometimes I can get wrapped up in how great my Basenji is but my son came last week with his two dogs, a coon hound rescue and a beagle mix rescue and they are two of the most loving,obedient and smart dogs you would ever want to meet. The three dogs got along fabulously and my dog has been sad since they left. If I were to get another dog I am not set on limiting it to a basenji. Time will tell.

My Piper came from Nocturnal Farm and kennel in North Carolina. Sarah might not be a "preferred breeder" but if so I don't know why. She is an awesome person and very knowledgeable. She loves her dogs. And gives them lots of appropriate hands on care. Maybe she has no show champions. I am sure someone who reads this forum can add more. I was not looking to show, just wanted a family pup to love.

I just returned today from a visit with my grandchildren. They have two mixed breed dogs that tolerate an amazing amount of bumping and surprise hugs during rest time or whatever. I marveled as I said out loud multiple times that my Piper would never tolerate this random activity all around her.
I agree that this dog is acting like a Basenji and my very strong advice for your family and your dog is to re-home the dog before something worse happens.
All children and dogs are different and some things can be trained away, but in my estimation this is happening too often and the dog is not going to be easy to retrain for another family if he is not removed soon. And your son deserves to be safe and not injured for trying to show love.

There is no way Piper will wear clothes. She chewed off a thunder jacket and started working on chewing off a custom sweater my daughter made for her. So I won't be investing in clothes and thank goodness in NC it is not extremely cold for long.

All those things work but it takes time. Don't get discouraged. I wore long sleeves to protect my arms all the time when Piper was little. It takes effort to find a toy that consistently brings teething comfort. Bully sticks and yak cheese were her favorite when she was younger. Diversion from your body and consistent reaction to her biting helps. It will get better. Puppies explore with their mouth. Best of luck with your new sweet baby.

It is good to see it can work but from my experience with one I can't imagine trying to keep their attention for training. I can see some benefit for a constant buddy, it just seems like double trouble. Not sure if you can relate it to twin children at all but I have twin grandsons now almost 11 and though it is wonderful, when they were toddlers it was definately double trouble! It makes me laugh to consider the challenge of two Basenji babies!

You could also consider "Nocturnal kennels" in North Carolina. It is about a 6 ish hour drive to Pittsburgh I think. The kennel is in the town of Roxboro. I just checked the site and Sarah is accepting wait-list applicants.

Sorry Mike about the hostility you feel on this forum. I have figured out they just can't help it. Lots of Basenji advocates that are experts and I think their dogs may be more important than people. It is a good idea to read others questions and learn from that rather than putting yourself out there to be chopped up.
I researched too but still had no idea what I was actually getting into. We went to puppy school and then I hired a private trainer who had lots of Basenji experience....it is hard to get through the first year. But trust me it will be worth it to persevere.
I used a crate, and no it has not been in my room near the bed ever. She started in the laundry room at night only and I used daytime gates so I could control her location with me. Also I bought a playpen type fence to be on the deck.
Now she is 3 yrs old and we are down to one gate and a fenced back yard. She has a bed on the sofa and in the guest room, and on the back deck.
She basically has the run of the house minus the bedrooms. (Well she thinks the guest room is her room).
I am sure you are doing lots of things right. What I find with this breed is that they are so smart you have to develop dog psychology. They must understand that you are the boss without you raising your voice or hand against them. I have developed a routine and it seems to work for us. For example while you are establishing that you make the rules don't put your dogs dish down until you begin your dinner. Small thing but once she learned that we eat first and she must wait until I put her dish down that made me the boss. But you need to be consistent. She gets it and she sits licking her lips as she sees her dish on the counter. There is no jumping or drama about it anymore.
This process of you being a dependable and caring provider that your dog can predict behavior from you will pay off.
I have had times of discouragement too. I think if you limit the crating to when you can't be there and keep your life in a predictable pattern you will find the dog fitting in and settling down.

Sooo very handsome! Hold on and get ready for adventure.

I do have a good place for off leash hiking and we do it daily with no problem. We have a mile of hiking trails we have made in our woods. She at times will charge after a rabbit but 90% of the time there is no problem. Today a neighbor was walking their dog on a nearby trail (which has only happened one other time in 3 years) and she looked up at me and then turned and ran toward them. There was nothing I could do but wait and she did return shortly. For a few days it will be leash only walking to make a point. But she ignores me when the desire is overwhelming. Fortunately this is a rare problem.

My husband uses this as a reason for me to wait on him...piper hates her sleep disturbed, and she often cuddles up to him on the sofa. I have gradually reduced her sensitivity but not enough to allow her in bed.