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!

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!!!

@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.

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?

@mikesull said in Screaming must stop!:

"he doesn’t enter the bedroom etc. he’s a dog", "tons of love and commitment, etc. not 24-7", "my way or highway"

He's a baby... where are your expectations at? Realistically, what did you think having a 2-3 month old dog would be like?

@Mildred-Mayhem I don't think climate is the cause (as I am in the Southern U.S.). Nor do I think that it is related to foods. So, I'm wondering if the undercoat is directly related to age. Is there a big age difference among your B's?

My (6 yo spayed female) developed an undercoat around the same age. A good brush (outside) helps. Diet, in my experience, has little to do with the intensity of the shed.

@drjuliana you should see an avatar circle in the upper right hand corner... yours is purple with a white D. Next to it is a little cartoon quote bubble. Click on that. A drop down menu will pop up that allows you to access any open chats.

Do you mind sharing your general location? UK, USA, or ____? Area, region, or state?
Do you want/need any kind of a rehoming fee?
What about possible transportation?
And/or things you are looking or hoping for for Bosco's new home and humans?

The more information, the easier it will be for people to determine if it's realistic for them to inquire about Bosco. Else wise, you may find yourself weeding through inquiries all over the globe. (Most of us our softies and would jump at another B.) A pic would be great, as well.

I was a little pre-occupied earlier today, and Doodle displayed her displeasure at my constant delays... how? She got up on the sofa and did this little prancing-dancing thing. Like she was saying, "haha, look at me misbehaving". LOL oh yeah.... if that is her "breaking bad", I'm in trouble, she's got my heart!

@senjisilly LOL ( couldn't help it )

Consider trying a "bedtime potty" and a "just woke up potty" routine. And possibly transition to picking up the water bowl after a certain hour (close to bedtime) to help curb her need to go out. -- just an idea, it's been a long time since I've had to potty train a pup.

@abonnard said in Could use some of your Basenji Love:

Do you use a crate ?

No, I do not do crates. If some random "bad guy" breaks into my home, I don't want my dog(s) to be locked in a crate. I want them to sneak up on the creep and ask 'em what they are looking for!

Others are die hard crate users... I'm just not one of them.

@abonnard said in Could use some of your Basenji Love:

signs of destruction

Seems like they become a Velociraptor in their adolescence. Don't react. That's what they are looking for. It's like a game... what's he gonna do when I ___ (fill in the blank) ___ ? If you don't freak out, the game becomes boring and they stop. Or, at least, my girl did. Of course, doodle removed all of the corners from every pillow in the house first. Either she got bored of the game ... or she ran out of pillows.

Zola has awesome markings! So cool.

Puppies always seem to have so much energy, but I am impressed that you are trying to find out how others have dealt with that.
My recommendation is to offer her stimulating toys. Maybe a puzzle toy, or a "Kong". Fill the Kong with part of her daily kibble and seal it with a bit of peanut butter before you go to bed at night. Freeze it, then give it to her after one of her walks. She'll enjoy the peanut butter and then have to decide the best way to get the kibble out. It doesn't just teach her to entertain herself... it allows her to learn that you don't have to interact with her 100% of the day.

The other thing I would do is work on her basic life skills during your walks (sit, stay, come, etc.) so that the walks are more than just potty breaks. Stimulating her mind will contribute to puppy naps. At this age, keep the skill sets short so that boredom doesn't set in. When you get to the corner, say "stop" (I use "wait") as a cue that you are going to stop walking and she should too. She will probably do this instinctively and then look up at you. Praise her, then give her a new word to learn (like "come") when you proceed across the street. Always use those words. You are teaching her "English" (or whatever language you prefer to speak). Even when she is a 5 yo, use those words. Gradually extend her endurance during the stop from seconds to minutes as she gets older. There are lots of things to learn on walks. Use them as a lesson. You are learning how to communicate with each other so you can keep her safe in our world.

Welcome to group! I am looking forward to hearing about your many puppy adventures.