haha thanks for the info. will definitely check out that book as well.

i was really worried about taking my new basenji to the dog park this past weekend, because his last owner said he was bad with other dogs, but he had so much fun! i'm proud of him! he even got a girlfriend (and boyfriend!!) (this gorgeous rosey light fawn-greyish colored italian greyhound - absolutely beautiful!) and then this grey male i.g. started humping him, lol.. that's the boyfriend :p . so good job to your basenji! it's so nice to see them get along with others!

i posted in a previous thread about how my basenji lunges at my cats. i think this is a more appropriate section to put it in..

ive got 2 cats, and raleigh, the basenji. they're getting used to eachother, and getting along pretty well now, being only about a week into knowing eachother. things are all fine & dandy until raleigh does this crazy move that completely freaks out the cats:

it's a very abrupt, in-your-face bow/lunge/jump thing. kinda like he's saying "haha gotcha, scared ya!" i tell him NO! right when he does it, to hopefully show him that that's a definite no-no. help!

another thing he did this past weekend was: my boyfriend was on 1 side of his dad's backyard, and raleigh was on the patio. eric called him over, C'MERE RALEIGH!! C'MERE BOY!" and raleigh came charging, and eric kind of bounced around, trying to do a little "catch me" thing. and raleigh started growling, and tried to nip at his leg!! what is that about? how do i fix it? his tail was wagging the whole time, he had a huge smile on his face, and it didnt seem very aggressive, but erics dad said that's definitely aggression, and needs to be fixed soon. again, help!!

his "special needs" were that he was extremely hyper in the house with 3 dogs, and wouldnt walk on a leash well – because the last owner walked all 4 dogs at the same time! he just needed to get out of that crazy enviornment, i think.. and it's doing him very good. and yes, raleigh's got the deep chest & long legs like a whippet, and the slender snout. still a cutie pie, though.

ive had raleigh a little over a week, lol. i know – VERY SOON to be complaining about him & the cats. he's now used to them, and they're used to him. i unfortunately had to get rid of 1 cat because he was getting very aggressive with raleigh, but i was meaning to find that cat a new home before i got raleigh anyway. one thing that bugs me about raleigh is that he lunges at the cats. its kind of like an abrupt bow-- like BOOM! GOTCHA! and the cats of course hate it.

he's got a crate, and sleeps in it from time-to-time. as far as accidents go, he's had a couple. i bought puppy floor pads, and hes used them once, but never again. luckily i see that once he eats, whatever form thelast time he ate comes out, so i can time when to take him out. another thing – he doesnt eat his food! he always eating the cat food, and wont eat unless i sit on the floor with him, and hand feed him a few kibbles until he's like "hmm this isnt so bad" and finishes the bowl. & it's weird because im feeding him the same stuff his last woner did,. so its not like i completely changed his food..

now that i've got him, i definitely see whippet in him. he's got the pigeon chest, same ears, same thin snout. but still very cute

ive gone with the baby gate and so far there hasnt been a need for it other than when im not around to supervise him, to make sure he has no "accidents".

thanks again for all the advice; ive bought a baby gate, and he seems to be more open to seeing the cats, when he's behind it. im surprsed about what you said, christyrutherford! id have thought the comforting would be good for him, but ill try not to. i have taken his blanket form the crate he came with, and laid it over where the cats sleep, and have laid the blanket they used to sleep on over his doggy bed. the cats havent gone back to the spot i covered with his blanket, but he doesnt seem to mind their scents.

thank you everyone for the advice, it will definitely be taken.

nomrbddgs - i have no idea what his previous owner was talking about when she said he has "special needs", he is great! he's got a healthy, happy personality! i'd say so far his only "issue" is that he's afraid of the cats, but that's normal. he's slowly but surely getting used to them, as are they.