I think every Basenji we've had has gotten out. One forced his way out a second story window, climbed onto the roof, and jumped off. Another zipped past me when I opened the garage door literally a crack and she went after a cat. And one literally took off as the garage door was closing, slid on his side to get under it, and then took off. Then there was the one who darted through the slats on a deck and jumped 15 feet in pursuit of a cat. He also got out when the maintenance man opened the door to our temporary apartment without knocking. And oh, the one who jumped the fence in the park with a partner in crime and ended up at a Mercedes dealership.

All of these ended up without incidence. A neighbor collected the one who jumped off the roof -- at 16 BTW -- and came over, range our bell, and told us she had our dog. And we were ???????. LOL The one out the garage chased the cat into our neighbor's house where I collected her. And the one who skidded out the garage door ran around the road which circled our neighborhood -- with me shortly behind in a car being directed by everyone on the street -- until he came back home where he waited for me in the driveway.

The point being it's virtually impossible to ensure these guys don't get out 100% of the time. This is why it's best to practice recall before you need it. And if in doubt remember that running in the opposite direction and starting a game of chase is a good way to have them come back pronto.

I'm sorry this happened. I'll pile on and say that dog parks are not a place for toys or treats, with the possible exception of balls that are being thrown and retrieved. I don't think I've ever known anyone who went to a dog park regularly who didn't have or witness a problem encounter.

That said, I've seen people walk into dog parks with hamburgers.

The way to avoid this is to avoid dog parks where this happens. If possible try and find one where the people aren't clueless -- which may be difficult or impossible. If you have to go, try and go at off hours when traffic is light. Problems usually show up where there are more than just a few dogs.

As far as playmates are concerned, yes Basenjis will be better off with larger dogs. They are rough and tough and usually too fast and strong for dogs of their size or smaller, unless those dogs are also bred for hunting.

A Basenji puppy? You might need drugs before you need a vet! LOL

Sorry I can't help you. I know a few Basenji owners near Phoenix but they're more in the Glendale and Sedona areas, which is a long way from where you are.

My own view is that a Basenji is a dog before they're a Basenji, so a good vet is better than a vet who has seen more Basenjis. Plus most vets likely don't see that many Basenjis because they're not that many around.

For the routine issues -- eating rugs and having diarrhea -- this board is likely a good resource. Some posters here have a ton of experience with Basenjis and know what they're talking about.

Good luck with your new bundle!

So sorry to hear about your pup. It's never easy and it's never easy to make the call. Horrible having to play God IMO. So no, there is no "right time" to say goodbye. The basic rule is that with the situation you've described it's time when you decide it is. That's not cavalier, it just reflects the fact that some people will decide sooner and some later. No real right or wrong. It's a super difficult call whether you've never had to do it or had done it ten times. FWIW we've always made the call later than we should have, including with our first dog who was in a situation similar to what you're describing.

That said, sometimes it's useful to ask: "If I were a dog what would my choice be for me?"

Again, my deepest sympathies. One thing which can make saying goodbye easier is if you can have a mobile vet do it at home. Just a more comfortable situation for the dog and you.

Training "Stay" should not be a big deal though you'll need to constantly reinforce it. Doing it 15 times won't work, and doing it 50 times until the command works and then forgetting about it won't work either.

No need for a lead. And it will likely work better with a clicker. Nothing magical about a clicker but you can more quickly and precisely reinforce the behavior, which gets more important as you move further away. Spend a day associating the click with the treat. This is pretty simple. Then have him sit and give the stay command. Move a bit away. Doesn't have to be far. Even a lean will work. When the stay is there click and then move back to give the treat. Best to keep focus, so if the look is away wait for it to come back.

Gradually move further and further away. At some point you may be 15-20 feet away when you click and then go back and give the treat. This is usually not a tough sell because, from a Basenji perspective, nothing beats getting treats for just sitting there. Should be a fairly quick train. It's one of the easier ones to teach.

Moving a Basenji to a trail is problematic. Their DNA says independent hunter. Huge difference with commands in an enclosed space and when they see a rabbit in an open area. Once they start after prey they lose their hearing. LOL

He is so cute!

First off, if a vet thinks neutering will change aggressive behavior you should look for a new vet. That is such a discredited myth. If she doesn't know that what else doesn't she know?

Sounds like he is a bit of a butt head. When we took our five puppies in for their first shots, the four girls were like champs. Then we had "Jungle King". OMG. Took three vet techs and the vet to give him a shot. When we left people in the waiting room wanted to know what had happened he was so loud. Totally ridiculous. Not as ridiculous as your vet's suggesting your pup be neutered, but close! :grinning_face:

It was the same for toe nail trimming. What a wuss.

On to the fear reaction: We kept one of the girls. Very gentle and mellow. We decided as part of socialization to leave her at doggie day care for one day a week. The first day we dropped her off we took her to the enclosure and left her. When we came to pick her up they told us to wait in the parking area below because people coming back agitated the dogs. We heard shrieking from hell, looked at each other, and said: "That sounds like it might be Diki." After more shrieking the main woman came out carrying Diki and told us she had biten one of the handlers when she went to pick her up. Apparently she thought she was going to be carried to her death.

Long story short this was the only time she has been aggressive. A good lesson that even a sweet natured Basenji will bite if they feel threatened enough. Not to say that all dogs would have interpreted the situation as she did. Just to say that strange environments can be very scary to a puppy. IOW I wouldn't be too concerned about this at this age.

Nails can be an issue. Try a grinder (like a Dremel). Not sure it matters for the dog but at least you don't take too much off and have them bleed. FWIW we've always given baths when they start to smell funky. They hate it but it's the price they have to pay to sleep in the bedroom with someone who has an exceptionally good sense of smell (not me).

I like this one. it doesn't have crossbars so it's hard to climb. Plus you can use it if you want to keep your pup in a room. https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B003SOX02U/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 You can also make it smaller if you want with just one panel on a side.

Crates are the only foolproof enclosure. We had a pup who I caught climbing a gate to get out of the kitchen. Since we wanted to discourage climbing, I gave her a squirt from a water bottle (fate worse than death), told her "no", and then picked her up and put her back in the kitchen. She looked at me, went over to a cardboard box she was using as a toy (boxes make great toys), pushed it over to the gate, jumped on top of it, jumped over the gate, and then gave me a rather questioning look, as if to say "How about this?". I was laughing so hard it was all I could do to pick her up and put her back in the kitchen. The point being that Basenjis are awfully good at figuring out things on their own, and they have a lot of time on their hands to do that. You on the other hand have other things to do. Not a fair contest. So I'd agree that your lucite pen isn't going to pose a huge problem for a determined Basenji, unless it has a top.

But note this is for a "determined" Basenji. If they aren't motivated to get out of the pen, then they'll be fine.

It's hard to say without actually seeing the dog. Many (most?) Basenjis are CONSTANTLY on the lookout for food. Sometimes it seems as if "found food", no matter if it's a three week old piece of hotdog, is better than the piece of filet mignon they can get from you. LOL In fact someone has remarked that our youngest is the first dog they've ever seen go through the weave poles while sniffing. And rabbit pellets? OMG the most delicious things ever! (Other critters must like these as well since they are there in the morning but gone in the afternoon). You may have a Basenji who is on a tail but not by more than a standard deviation or two.

Also the puppy from the last litter who we worried about not eating enough -- we'd sneak her extra -- is now far and away the fattest. Actually she's the only one who is fat. As a consequence I hesitate to project puppy behavior into adult behavior as far as eating is concerned.

Having said that, my guess is she'll always be that way but will learn to dole out the effort.

I think this dog needs a home without children. While Basenjis aren't necessarily great with all children, they are usually great with children from "their" family. For whatever reason this isn't the case. Consequently this is definitely not a good situation for either the dog or your son. To protect both of them it would be best to find another home.

Fun video. I believe they do flush, that's what the bells are for, so it may just be in the DNA. But given how easily he goes in the water I'm not convinced he's a Basenji!

Just to pile on -- just punning. Dogs are very social and pups grow up in puppy piles. They want to be near you.

We learned this the hard way with our second Basenji. The first night we went to the bedroom and left him in what we thought was a very comfortable situation. He didn't think so and made us very aware of how he felt about all this.

The second night we put him in a crate in the bedroom and he slept through the night.

The next morning we looked at each other and said: "How dumb were we?"

Sorry your pup is having this problem. I'm sure it's upsetting.

A question and an observation. The observation is that, if the anal glands are becoming impacted from chronic loose stool, the issue wouldn't be the anal glands. It would be the loose stool. What does your vet say about the loose stool?

The question relates to symptoms. What problems do you see arising from the anal glands?

We had a female Basenji who had to have emergency surgery for an impacted anal gland. She did fine with the canned pumpkin to the extent that she never had the issue again. Just to be sure we're on the same page, as I'm sure you know, the canned pumpkin sold for pie making isn't what we want. (I mention this because some grocery stores only sell the canned pumpkin for pies).

I believe that repeated anal gland expression is a route to impacted anal glands.

At six months I'd wait before doing anything drastic, especially since the cause of the loose stools is unknown.

@zande said in New puppy, suddenly peeing a lot.:

This morning it worked ! RAIN is actually falling from the sky. Mku is not amused. I am not going outdoors in THAT - I'll DROWN. Mom, have mercy !!

But out he goes ! Mom is totally heartless -

You are heartless! A regular Cruella de Vil.

Better be careful or Mku will have a lawyer and a list of grievances. Happened to a friend of ours. They had a friend (who is a lawyer) stay in their place and watch their dog when they left town for a few weeks. When they got back they were handed two official looking documents: The first was "A List of Grievances"; the second was A List of Demands. Both were very detailed (and funny).

Priceless.

Such a handsome boy. Love the pictures. Especially the second one with the front paws in the air. Very cute.

And yes, Basenjis like cat towers:

We must have had smarter Basenjis. They have avoided trying to dig through wood and concrete, spending their efforts on digging into bedding!

At fourteen weeks God knows what they are up to. At sixteen weeks this may have been forgotten for something new and more exciting -- like eating underwear.

Seriously haven't seen this but your idea of insects -- dead or alive -- is a good one. If so then he'll likely lose interest fairly soon when his efforts don't yield any results.

Unfortunately I have nothing to offer other than my sympathies that this is happening. Hope you and your girl find a solution.

Neutering isn't going to help. The idea that neutering will decrease aggression is a long discredited myth. Quite silly when you think about it. Didn't help in the Turkish Empire with humans so it's unclear why anyone thought it would work for dogs. Neutering will, however, increase health risks.

Agree with @Zande that male Basenjis have a hormone cycle which makes them more aggressive or on edge in the September timeframe. Even if other females are not around.

My question would be: Is there a reason you want him to socialize with other dogs? Some dogs want to socialize and some don't. If they don't, forcing them to interact with other dogs is bound to make them unhappy. In my limited experience Basenjis also seem to care less about other dogs once they hit two. IOW your dog may be perfectly happy with you and doesn't feel it necessary to interact with other dogs.

So my advice would be to skip the interactions and see how he responds.

@jkent said in Ellie 6 months old today!:

@donc here's the in between!

The first one is significantly better IMO. When you have a cute critter full face you want them looking right at you. Doesn't matter what type of mammal it is.

With respect to his eating, if you're concerned he's not eating, and at this age you are right to be, get a scale and weigh him once a day AT THE SAME TIME (before the first meal for example). If you have a good scale you can weight yourself, pick him up, and then weigh the two of you, but his weight is such that a separate baby/pet scale would be much much better. He should still be putting on weight at a pretty good rate. IOW he should weigh more on Wednesday than on Monday. (You like to see an increase every day but measurements can be off because of you, the equipment, or the active dog, or natural variance -- or all of the above. The two day measurement should be more reliable).

As long as he's gaining weight and looking good then you should be fine. If not then you may have a problem. FWIW from the picture he's adorable and looks healthy. Super cute actually.