Swedish Animal Welfare Regulations
Section 13 of Sweden’s regulations on keeping dogs and cats states that, “dogs and cats may not be kept in cages” unless they’re used for transport, hunting, or a competition or show.
Even then, pet owners are required to let their dogs out of their crates at least every two to three hours.
@debradownsouth yes, it is in Sweden, the Swedes told us, unless for transportation and I'm sure when recovering at the vets.
I am sure you can find a lot of good info here on crating. Apart from that: why use a crate? Our 2 B's can sleep wherevere they want; they don't destroy anything. Sometimes they stay on the couch, sometimes they join me in bed. I'm from the Netherlands and I learned through other basenji-groups that crating is illegal in a country like Sweden, unless for transportation. All the best!
We have 2 B's and they sleep wherever they want: on the couch, in their own bed, or with me. Everyone is happy. Also: I wake up when something is up, need to pee, poop, vomit.
What worked for us while training was a harness with front attachment: if the dog starts pulling, it pulls itself around towards you, so you can get his attention and start over. Furthermore, we found out over time that when we walk the dogs, it's THEIR walk and they can sniff around as they like, on a long leash. When we need to go somewhere, we take the leash short, and by now they understand that this means walking nicely next to us. Maybe not by the book, but it works for all of us.
We have it easy - our 2 sisters hardly ever want to be in the garden, only when we are there, and even then they prefer the couch inside. As long as they know where we are. Our fence is less than 4 feet and they never even come close to it.
If you can, try fresh food: raw meat, soft bones, cooked vegetables, eggs, chewing stuff like tendons, cartilage. Our Lela was a muncher with kibble but when we changed to raw, she became a little wolf, really into food. And despite what vets say, I hold fresh food healthier than kibble.
Some good advice already here, and remember that you have to figure out what works for YOUR dog and YOURSELF - part of the magic of having a dog I guess (or kids). Our first pup, when in puberty could bite hard, too. We found that sound or verbal commands did not work (for dog and ourselves). We took to body language, standing firm (Yang in Chinese terms, putting some energy pressure, but not too much), silently, turned towards the dog, and turning with her movements, so she knew we were actively involved in the scene. As soon as she got it and stopped, we would go soft (Yin) again and turn away to take away the pressure. It took patience and practice, but we learned a lot about how these non-verbal interactions work and what makes our miss Lela tick. We still prefer - whenever possible - body language over verbal commands.
He looks wonderful! From his face and coloring I would put my bet on jack russel x basenji - quite a mix!
One of our sisters does not want to play. She is a hunter. She loves man tracking class where she can show off her tracking skills. Her sisters wants to play all the time. It's how it is.
Agree with Debra. To add: our Lela has the same issues to a lesser extent. Recently we took her to a holostic therapist who looked at her from a TCM-perspective (Traditional Chinese Medicine), and without knowing the dog or the question, she nailed the issue instantly. TCM works with the elements - Lela is a Water-dog (basic emotion = fear); if Water is out of balance, the element that is supported by Water, Wood, becomes weaker. The Wood emotion is anger. Add both, and you get a 'fear biter'. To a certain extent you can compensate the issue with sensible behaviour (see reply Debra).
@nathanyodavis Well, another life, yes, whether it's normal remains to be seen. Many, even dog lovers/owners, find basenjis strange creatures and the way they move around the house (as in couch, table, bed) difficult to appreciate. As long as you realise you have entered a universe where different laws apply and new possibilities arise around the corner every day, you'll be fine.
One of our sisters is called Bintu (Swahili for daughter - Binti for calling her). The other one's official name is Elinor (Arabic for light of god). To find a short name that was connected to that, we went from Elinor to Eleonora (the European version), and from there to Lela (Spanish abbreviation for Eleonora). And a Lela she is 100%.
Congratulations! We found that - besides good info - among the important things are: patience, an open heart, a soft voice, clear boundaries, and above all a sense of humour. And you do realise that your life as you know it, will be over soon?
We have bougth several from http://basenji-aab.lt/en/shop.html in Lithuania - they make every coat to size. Maybe they ship to USA too. Good quality.
Pretty girl with a pretty name. You all are so lucky.
They can do well in a small house, but need walks AND exploration AND interaction with other dogs. Movement is not enough, you need to let them use their mind. When on leash our 2 sisters can sniff all they want, even if it means we do one mile in an hour. They will be tired afterwards.
Trainability: depends on the individual, the age, the human. On YouTube or dedicated fb-pages you can find basenjis showing perfect obedience, even stunningly choreographed doggy dance routines. Will take time and effort and patience. We found that if we treat them along the lines of how you would interact with a 3 year old child, all goes well (most of the times anyway).
I don't have personal experience, but on a health forum I visit, I read many good stories about CBD-oil and seizures. May be an option. Good luck!
Maybe something happened to him before he came to live with you - a male that did bad stuff to him? Do you know anything about his previous life? For now, I would leave him alone, be very calm and talk in a quiet voice, both you and the guests, and ignore him. No treats, no touch, no eye contact, no words, no direct body language in his direction, no big arm movements - hopefully he will start to pick up that all is well and quiet and that he can feel safe enough to be calm himself. All the best.