@ave_basenji Grizzly was at 22lbs around his birthday, November 17th. I fed him pretty freely in the beginning and did a mix of wet and dry foods (Wellness Brands). I left his food out all day and he ate when he wanted, which was sometimes in the middle of the night. He tends to not eat while I’m at work which can be very late so I didn’t feel right depriving him. I feel like it worked well for both of us. Now he eats about 2 cups a day of dry food a day with occasional wet food mixed. He stays lean. He finds ways to sneak eat weird things on our walks so he has occasional stomach issues but outside of that he’s very healthy.

Hopes this helps!

I used to live in the Richmond area and used Swift Creek Pet Resort for our Basenji, multiple times, once for 2 weeks. They were really great with him. They’re also an animal hospital so they were able to get him seen by a vet during his stay if there was ever an issue.

I used to live in the Richmond area and used Swift Creek Pet Resort for our Basenji, multiple times, once for 2 weeks. They were really great with him. They’re also an animal hospital so they were able to get him seen by a vet during his stay if there was ever an issue.

I never taught my puppy to signal, but I kept everything for going outside by the front door of my apartment.. Eventually he would just sit/stand up next to the door when he was ready to go out. (With some added whining and circling if he felt like I didn’t see him). Also, he doesn’t have free reign of the house when I’m gone and he was still able to pick this up fairly quickly. I recommend using the same routine for going out whenever you can and he’ll pick it up quickly.

The day we picked him up, January 1, 2018

Grizzly yesterday, January 1, 2019

@ave_basenji Grizzly was at 22lbs around his birthday, November 17th. I fed him pretty freely in the beginning and did a mix of wet and dry foods (Wellness Brands). I left his food out all day and he ate when he wanted, which was sometimes in the middle of the night. He tends to not eat while I’m at work which can be very late so I didn’t feel right depriving him. I feel like it worked well for both of us. Now he eats about 2 cups a day of dry food a day with occasional wet food mixed. He stays lean. He finds ways to sneak eat weird things on our walks so he has occasional stomach issues but outside of that he’s very healthy.

Hopes this helps!

@tanza @DonC thank you! i honestly don’t know his pedigree. Our breeder was a man from outside Dallas who didn’t give us much background info or keep in touch after we picked Grizzly up. Wish I knew though!

@tanza I wasn't aware of that. He had a video of him doing Fanconi testing from a few years ago and told us that the dame was registered through AKC, but we got very little paperwork from him so it's hard to know what was true. We are planning to have it done just to be sure.

Thanks @Zannah !! He definitely wasn't my first (or second, or third) choice. My boyfriend found him through puppy finder, it wasn't until we got closer to picking Grizzly up that I found out how irresponsible this breeder was. I had contacted much more reputable breeders from all over before, since I'm currently stationed in Virginia and my boyfriend is in Texas. However, none that were anywhere near us had any puppies available. Ideally we would've waited, however we have Grizzly now and we are so happy with him!

*If all goes well with Grizzly, I could definitely see us getting a second. I will plan ahead next time and be sure to wait for a more reliable and trustworthy breeder.

I really appreciate the tips so far! I have already looked the puppy socialization and found a puppy kindergarten in the town where my bf lives that works perfectly with his schedule! We'll try out the the suggestions on his food and see how that works.

Thank you both!

He was 6 weeks old when we got him. We told the breeder we were from out of town so only certain dates would work and he said he would be ready at 6 weeks. When we picked him up we mentioned his size and the breeder told us he was the runt, but comparing him to his litter mates through facebook posts they look to be around the same size.

We feed him at least 3 times a day. Mostly wet food w/dry mixed in bc he was having a hard time chewing at first. Trying different brands--Nutro, Wellness, some Pedigree- but we try to stay away from it.

The breeder...wasn't our ideal choice. Definitely not as reliable as others we researched. However we have been happy with our pup since day one and are trying to do the best for him now.

Hi! I've been reading the forum for a couple months, but I'd like to introduce myself and hopefully get some advice. My boyfriend and I picked up our Basenji puppy 2 weeks ago, from a breeder outside of Dallas, TX. Our puppy, Grizzly, is now 8 weeks old and exactly as described in most of what I've read about Basenjis (loves to play, nibble, and prone to temper tantrums).. My only concern is his weight. At his last visit to the vet, 7 weeks, he was 3 lbs..I know weight can vary depending on the litter, but I haven't seen it this low on any site and wanted to know if anyone could provide any insight on why this might be, or tips to help us get him back on track.

Open to suggestions!

Thanks,
Destiny

Here's a picture too :))