tanza: "How old is she?"
she's almost 3 months.
Maybe I am just being impatient, but I thought she'd at least sniff the bell…or, if anything, try to eat the bell. lol
I will keep trying. Maybe I will get some chimes or a hanging bell. I'll keep you guys posted on the progress.
Thanks for all the input!!
…..i'm sure somebody in my house would be ringing that bell every 5-10 minutes or whenever a rabbit walked by which would be more frequent. (I almost trip over bunnies going to my car.) Except when it's really yucky and cold outside when they would still try to convince me they don't need to go out until spring.
Ha Ha!!! That is hilarious!
I was thinking of clicker training. I might give it a try.
Thanks for the input Tanza…I see you reply to a lot of questions in the forum and like that you are so willing to offer advice to whoever needs it.
We help her ring the bell every time before she goes outside and give her a treat when she comes back in (but only if she's gone potty while she was out). We let her out in the morning, after naps, after food, and before bed. I just want her to know to ask on her own to go out if she has to. I think she may be relying on the other dogs to tell us when they need to go out (then we put them all out together…even if only one of them has asked to go). And/or she is relying on our own judgement of when to let her out. I'm just not sure how to go about getting her to let us know when we may not be paying as much attention to her actions sometimes.
Thanks again!;)
Hi Everyone!
We've had our little Mabel in her forever home for almost three weeks now and potty-training is going fairly well. We have two other dogs (a senior and a teenager) so she frequently just "goes with the flow" of when they want to go out. The only time Mabel lets us know on her own is when she's in her crate…so then she whines when she needs to get out and do her business. When she is uncrated and the other dogs don't ask to go out Mabel goes potty in the house. She's not catching on with how to ask on her own.
Since we brought her home we've had a service bell by the door and every time before we put her outside we've helped her ring the bell with her paw. (It's a hand bell like you'd see at a service counter.) I've seen the "jingle bell" type that people hang on the doorknobs or near the door...but I liked the idea of the service bell more.
She is just not catching on the the bell idea. She has never rung it on her own. I would have thought that in three weeks she would have caught on at least a little bit...but she shows absolutely no interest in the bell whatsoever.
Do you think I need to try the jingle bells? Or do you think she may eventually catch on to the service bell and I just need to give her more time?
I know she's smart because she's already learned "sit" and "lay down" commands with hand signals. Our teenage dog still can't even catch on to "sit".
Anyway, sorry this is so long, but I'm just looking for suggestions or recommendations...and maybe someone else who has had success with a service bell as opposed to the jingle bells.
Your thoughts and advice are appreciated!
Have a Basenjiful day!!!:)
Such a cutie! Don't they look angelic when they're asleep?
Angelic indeed!!! I love when she's asleep…she's so rubbery. But she is a lot of fun when she's awake...a lot of work, but a lot of fun.
How adorable..and I love her name..Mabel..super cute. Welcome onboard…again.
We named her after my Grandma. I figured why not…since we don't have any human children....and I don't think my brother will use the name for the son he's expecting in May. lol
Here are some more photos.
We just love her to pieces!
Ava thought this would "make a nice picture". lol
The pack showing her how to take care of business
Mabel's already showing Cooper her spirit!
Sleep…
Sleep…
And more sleep!
Showing off her new nametag
Hi Everyone!
I previously posted in the forum when we were in the "decision stage" of Basenji ownership. http://www.basenjiforums.com/showthread.php?t=9543
I am happy to report that last week (February 5th) we drove from Green Bay, WI to North Branch, MN to pick up our new little pack member from Sally at Sonbar Basenjis. We had originally chosen a brindle female from Laura Mae Hess, but that female was doing SO well, that Laura decided to keep her to show (we didn't want to own a dog under a show agreement). Laura took to the task of finding us another little girl and led us to Sonbar.
Our sweet Mabel is doing well and Cooper (our chihuahua) is getting used to her and they play together quite a bit. Cooper gets a little possessive of his toys and will tell Mabel to stay away…we are trying to stop that behavior and teach them to share.
Mabel tries to encourage our 14 year old beagle Belle to play with her, but Belle almost always tells her no. Mabel keeps trying!
Mabel is just a little over 2 months old now and she already knows the "Sit!" command. We are working on "Come" and "Down"...which she isn't picking up on as quickly. The word she hears most often, of course, is "No!"...which I'm hoping she will hear less and less as time goes on.
She really enjoys going outside with the rest of her pack to do her business. We are teaching her to ring a bell before she goes outside also. She's not quite grasping that either. Once, I was in the kitchen and I heard the bell ring and was so excited. I rushed to the door only to find that she was biting the top of the bell (it's a bell like a hotel bell...or a service bell). I'm confident that she will get the hang of it.
I've learned a lot just by reading through these forums and although I am not an active poster I just wanted to introduce my little girl to all of you. I respect all Basenji owners because I know that they are kind and patient people (you have to be with this breed!).
Thank you for taking the time to read this and I hope I won't be too much of a stranger in the future.
Here is a photo of Mabel and my niece, Ava. Ava adored Mabel!
If you go before nationals you will get to meet BCOSW's rescues too.
-Nicole
Yep, we are going within this month. I'll give the rescue dogs and extra squeeze!
My husband and I are going to visit Laura Mae and her whole pack in the upcoming weeks. We are going to go hiking. I can't wait! I'm going to give each one of her basenjis a big squeeze! 
Just have to pipe in that Laura Mae is wonderful. She really knows her basenjis, she breeds really nice dogs, and she stepped up to temporarily foster BCOSW's two rescues. She definitely is what you want in a breeder. Good choice.
-Nicole
We talked to Laura Mae last night on the phone. She IS great! I think a sign of a good breeder is one that tells you exactly what you are getting into, good and bad. She didn't sugar-coat anything. Even though there was no sugar-coating, she made my teeth hurt with sweetness and now I want a basenji even more! 
Besenji owners are awesome! I had no idea I'd get such support. Thank you!
Lauren, you made me laugh and think of some destructive times I've come home to. I used to give my dearly beloved Benito (my first chihuahua) squares of toilet paper and giggle at the spectacle he'd make of it.
I understand how sometimes unfavorable traits can become endearing and just cause us to love our animals even more.
Now I'm getting all sentimental…where's my tissues?
I find that 2 b's are better than one when it comes to keeping them when your at work.
I have a pair and they have never tried to leave each other, when I am at work…
we have a 5 ft fence and a doggie door.
I work from home so I plan on loving my basenji all day!
Thanks for all the advice. Seems to me Basenji owners are as rare as the breed themselves…meaning it's not too often you find such nice people all in one place!
My husband has big plans for wearing out the dog. When our beagle was younger he used to take her on bikerides...she'd pretty much pull him on the bike. I'm thinking a basenji will be a bit stronger and have lots more determination to get somewhere or chase something, so I may have to discourage this. He might just have to stick with jogging.
The fence rollers sound better each day...even if the dog doesn't turn out to be a jumper or climber, it's always good to err on the side of caution.
Have a Basenjiful day!
Thanks for the info Patty and crystalncody! Very much appreciated.
The fence that you can't see in my photo is behind the garage. It is a four foot chain-link and on the other side there lives 5 Dachshunds. If needed we will construct something new…we just took advantage of the neighbor's fence that was already there to save a little money. I definately want to put up fence rollers...and I can totally make them myself. My husband thinks it's a good idea too.
As for chewing...It looks like crating is in the cards when we are not around for sure.
I've talked to a breeder that lives about 3 hours away from me...her name is Laura Mae Hesse. I am trying to arrange a phone call with her. She told me that 2 of her Basenjis are homed just 20 minutes away from where I live. So I'm hoping the owners will let us come out for a visit.
Thanks again everyone for your advice.
Here are my babies:
And my yard:
Thanks Dan! That makes me feel a lot more comfortable.
I am such a huge animal lover and any hint of putting a dog in jeopardy makes me weepy. Basenjis are such beautiful, magnificent creatures! (Not to say the dogs I currently have aren't….My Cooper and Belle are amazing and we tell them such everyday!)
Thanks for sharing your experience!
Doll
