I didn't understand at first,
I thought she was misbehaving.
Grabbing the toilet paper and dashing out of the room...
Ripping (bigger) holes in the socks I left by the bed...
Chewing on the attachment to my hair dryer that never gets used...
I thought I was just learning about having a Basenji.
Then I caught her!
As she turned to look back half way down the hall...
I'd swear she had a laugh in her eyes.
With a "catch me if you can!" smirk on her face.
She wasn't trying to be a bad dog...
She just wanted me to play a bit with her.
So I knotted up that old ace bandage,
And we played "tug of war".
The material was stretchy,
Which just made it more fun.
We played a little bit.
She didn't need to grab more things.
Now we understand eachother.
She was only bored.

IMHO, I don't like that your Vet put a muzzle on a not-yet 5 month old puppy. I've never known a Veterinarian that was afraid of a puppy. Nor have I ever known one that didn't know how to handle a pup and/or calm down a frightened animal. My instincts say: "Get a new Vet!"

btw, cute little guy!

@praz said in Should i go for a Basenji (I do want one)?:

I do plan to take 3 weeks off from work to settle the pup when it arrives.

Dogs, especially high energy breeds like the Basenji, need to exercise. Left alone all day, any day, is an invitation for them to find "creative" ways to entertain themselves. And that typically isn't something their people would have approved of. Like, when my dog killed my son's bed pillow....

I'm sure my girl had a reason to do this, but I have no clue what it would have been.... and since I wasn't there to see the pillow fight, she cannot be punished for it. Primarily because she would never understand what the punishment was for. There are stories all the time about Basenji's being destructive. A recent post provided a picture of a B ripping the wallpaper off a wall. So, you see... knowing that your dog will be unsupervised for extremely long periods of time is probably inviting trouble. Not to mention that you should never leave the door to your home open while you are away (even on the 3rd floor)!

I suggest that you wait and get your Basenji in a year or two when your life is better suited to having a dog. For now, get a kitten. Cats (even young ones) only require food, water, and access to their litter box while you are gone. They can be left the entire day, or even two days in a row, without any problems. Dogs cannot.

I am so proud of 'doodle' and I have to share this...

I have been taking doodle out for (typically) 3 mile walks (almost) every day for just about a year now. We cross several roads along our path and I have made it an iron clad rule that we stop and wait for all the cars to clear before we cross the road. We never run across with traffic coming. Never. We come to a stop and I give her our command, "wait". It's the only time I really ask her to wait, but the basic rule is that she remains next to me until I start walking again. Repititon, for almost a year.

So, we were on our walk this morning, passing along a row of tall hedges (that I could not see over) when doodle came to an abrupt stop, looking to the left. And just as she did, a white service truck pulled up to the edge of the driveway. The driver clutched his chest and said he didn't see my dog. But she was fine. She did exactly what we'd been working on with every walk. -- Do not walk in front of cars that are moving! --

I'm so proud of her for learning this valuable lesson! And I'm so relieved that a horrible accident was avoided this morning! Whew! WTG doodle!!!

Someone recently mentioned how Basenji's would give you the cold shoulder if you upset them. Here is doodle this afternoon, she wasn't ready to end our hike and "get in the car". This is clearly a command that I have to work on!

Unhappy Basenji Behavior

@dres_actually My initial reccommendation is: stop the weekly dog bath. There is a good chance that the regular bathing is stripping away natural skin oils. So, skip them... try one every 3-6 months instead. If you feel like Sasha needs more grooming than that, use a boar bristle brush, or a damp microfiber towel instead.

Hair could be an issue as well. I shed when I brush my hair, toss and turn at night, etc. Every once in a while, doodle will ingest a stray strand of hair... when she "eliminates" it, it will often times result in a bit of solids dangling from her backside. It kind of freaks her out. I simply use the ever popular poop bag to assist in removing the dangling solid and any tether to it.

(that was the most polite way I could think of to describe it)

@roguecoyote Welcome to parenthood. Eventually you will realize that not every single thing is a death trap and you will be able to breathe again. I'm glad that you found Rogue safe and sound waiting to come back into the house. That your pup knows which house she lives in is a really good thing! Now... try to bear with me on the rest of this.

Rogue is your dog, not your Mom's. If you don't want Rogue digging into the trash, you can either teach her not to, or you can just take the trash out yourself. If your Mom thinks it's too expensive to buy extra trash bags, then you need to buy the bags yourself. If you are worried about Rogue getting sick from the chemicals in road salt (which seems logical), figure out a way to prevent her from gaining access to the shoes and boots. It isn't your Mother's responsibility to babysit, train, or clean up after your dog, it's yours.

One quick and easy solution would be to put a baby gate up at your bedroom door so that Rogue stays in your room when you are gone. That prevents her from being near the shoes and the trash while allowing Rogue to see/hear what's going on in the house. Once you get home, the baby gate comes off, Rogue gets to explore and hang out with everyone, and you are there to supervise her.

Now, please apologize to your Mother and let her know that you didn't realize how stressful it is to be responsible for someone (baby, puppy, etc.) other than yourself.

I spy... with my little eye....
a red&white B in bed with Kai?

Who might that B be?

Try spending an afternoon with several short in/out trips. The goal is to establish a routine so your pup knows what to look for when you leave. If you have the leash, she gets to go. If not, she doesn't. You can't just say, "bye" and leave. You absolutely must make sure you have her attention so you can teach her the visual clues that she can rely on to tell her what is about to happen. No slipping out while she's napping. If she were to wake up and you were gone, she would be frightened.

Give the pup a scratch on the head and a kiss on her forehead and tell her you will be "right back", or "you have to stay home". Just be consistent with the phrase that tells her you are going and she is staying. Then leave, lock the door and walk around the building. Do it again and check the mailbox. Go again and drive around the corner. Go again and go to the end of the hall. You actually do have to leave the other side of the door. Your dog can smell and hear you, so if you are just waiting a few minutes to open the door again, well... you will have one very confused pup! Each time you return tell her hello (if she's greeting you at the door), scruff her head again, and then get on with putting everything down. If she's at the door crying and howling when you go in, look at her (don't scruff her head) and ask her, "what's wrong?".

Do this several times in one afternoon and your pup will begin to learn the visual clues that tell it you are leaving the house. She will begin to understand that sometimes you come right back and sometimes it takes a little longer. Mostly she just needs to know that you go in and out all the time and it's no big deal.

Can you please post the pups birthdate? This will help prevent future members from asking about the pups in a year, or two, or ten from now. Also, pictures if you please. Who can resist puppy pics?

ps.... just curious, who is the proud papa? (Are the Sire and Dam your own dogs, or did you use a stud dog?)

@basenjilover-0 Please be "up front" about your concept of re-homing your Basenji. How much are you asking for? How long have you had this dog? Can we see photos of the dog? Is the dog a purebred? There is so much a potential "new" owner should know about... Just saying you have a Basenji is not enough.

@Basenjilover-0 Please provide details up front:
Male/Female? ...age? ...reason for re-homing the dog?, ...purebred (with papers) or not? ...general health conditions? ...up to date on shots?

It seems like it may be from an "old" book. I did find it at the following website: https://wakandalegendbasenji.com/basenji-in-africa/ The site owner should be able to tell you something about where they found the photo.

@willfrog @MorseSA makes a good point. You have to spend some time really looking. Contact your local Kennel Club(s), Veterinarians, etc. Don't rely on the internet alone. Start close by and gradually increase your circle. Be careful and don't jump at the first pup you find. There are people who will lead you on, tell you to send a deposit, and the pup and money will vanish. Just be careful and keep your wits about you.

I know there is a link to an article on what kind of warning signs you should look out for... I think this is it.

@kodabasenji It's not FOMO. Your pup is associating you and your partner as his pack. That's a good thing. I just think that your pup is upset because he isn't sure how to behave. He wants to be in charge and he cannot be in charge if his pack is not at home.

Doodle got sick of my little game in one afternoon. Today she cocked her head like she was asking me if I was leaving... I asked her if she wanted to go wait in the car (she knows the word "wait") and she promptly turned and went into my bedroom. LOL

Take your pup for walks and work on commands (like, sit, stop, heel, etc.) along the way. This is two fold. One, he will learn that you are in charge. And two, it will tire him out so that he behaves when you are out of the house. You've got this.

My standard solution is to teach your pup when your body language says you are leaving:

1. If you touch the leash, dog goes with you. If you do not, dog stays home.
2. Go in and out repeatedly every half hour or so (for an afternoon) and your dog will "get it". All trips out of the house must be further away than the curb. If you stand on the other side of the door, your dog will smell you (and know you are only on the other side of the door). Which will totally confuse them. Go in and out about a dozen times over an hour or two. Your dog will get sick of the weird game and start ignoring you.
3. Never leave the house without telling the dog goodbye. I tell doodle that I will be "right back" and kiss her forehead.

Doodle is so tuned into this that she will walk from spot to spot in anticipation of her walk. Ok... Mom's putting on her shoes... she's in the bathroom... is she talking to Adam(?)... she always talks to Adam before we leave(!). At which point, doodle is standing in front of Adam's bedroom door waiting for me to let my son know that we are leaving. It's really kind of funny to watch. When I miss a beat, doodle will go back to what she was doing.

Whichever routine you end up with, your dog will realize that you are going to come back and they will decide that having the place to themselves isn't so bad. Don't fret about it. Give your dog plenty of exercise and they won't chew on shoes, cry, pace, or scream. They'll just sleep.

Call her into your room before you close the door. She will settle down and let you do your thing without requiring you to "entertain" her. Watch TV, work, talk on the phone, etc. At the most you will need to reach over and pet her once in a while. (If you are on the bed, allow her on the bed with you. If that's an "issue", make sure she has a comfy spot of her own in your room.)

@eeeefarm said in Adolescent howl and behavior changes:

I no longer have a dog

@eeeefarm said in Adolescent howl and behavior changes:

t I guess I needed a crutch to reassure me that I wasn't putting my dog at risk by granting him freedom.

Ok, thank you... doodle comes at a whistle when we are roaming in the woods, but not unless she wants to once we arrive at the parking lot (car park). I had hopes that I could teach doodle to be in a loose heel while we were on a walk without the leash and without worrying about her wandering into traffic.

Dreaming, I suppose.... I know, I know, she's a Basenji!