Posts made by lift2live

Yes, Bruiser does this as well. I was meaning to ask about this, but I forgot. I thought it was because he had to use the restroom very badly. Also, he sometimes licks at his pee early in the morning when I let him use the bathroom on the paper…..is he just thirsty? I have never heard of a dog that does this.

Update on Bruiser.

Crating in the bedroom at night is a must. He doesn't need to be taken out now till about 5-6 in the morning. He is learning to control it. He completely UNSTUFFED his porcupine until it was just a hollow covering with little balls of cotton EVERYWHERE! So I resurrected the porcupine and bought another one….maybe he will last at least a week....we shall see. The nipping still continues, but is getting a little better. He gives his affection by grabbing my arm or hand at times and when he does it too hard I get onto him. If the behavior continues non-stop, I then crate him for around 5 minutes. Another suggestion would be to spray the area he is nipping at with bitter apple, this will put a stop to it temporarily.

I took him to the park last weekend and he made it half a mile before he was completely taxed. He sprawled out on the concrete where every part of his body was touching it. Wish I had my camera for that one...completely hilarious!

Today we had our 1st day of puppy class. Wow.....complete psycho spaz! Everyone else's dogs were relatively well behaved. He was not aggressive to the other dogs or people, very curious and loving. He was chosen to show how to use the clicker for treats....but....he didn't like the treat he was given. So the lady tried 4 more treats and he rejected all of them. So she then switched dogs to give the demonstration. I told everyone that we would probably be the problem couple and my prediction came true. BUT he was the only one who had learned to sit before classes began. He did very well with the clicker and is responding very well. Why do I think I will lose my clicker? He did steal the show from every other animal at Petsmart, everyone thought he was the cutest thing alive.

Great looking dog! I like the color!

I showed Bruiser a video of him on the computer and he just sat there and watched for about 10 minutes. As long as doesn't make long distance calls back to Katmandu, I think I will be alright!

Alright, another Texan! I found my Basenji breeder through a local newspaper ad in Abilene, TX. I am not sure about where you are located, but I have read that there is a quality breeder somewhere in the Houston/Beaumont area.

Sorry I have been very busy with school and work. I was mistaken. Puppy class doesn't start this weekend but next. I may break the doctor's orders and walk him at the park this weekend! My dog has A.D.D. and will demolish everything in his path. His favorite toy, a stuffed porcupine, has his insides coming out and the poor creature doesn't squeak anymore. I also had a nice stand up fan that he chewed the wires apart and has to be trashed. At least it wasn't plugged in or I would be burying fried Basenji. I bought a new video camera this week and have been trying to capture his antics. I will eventually put together a DVD to distribute to family and friends of a crazy monster that lives with me!

Well, we went to the vet this weekend and Bruiser was stuck with a big needle and cried like a wimp! He also is on the board for puppy of the month where the cutest puppy is chosen and the winner's picture is framed and placed on the wall for a year. He currently has 38 votes for him over the other 8 who only have 10 votes altogether! He has been actively shredding his bedding, which from reading the forums seems pretty common. I currently have about 20 scratch and bite wounds on my hands and arms from my goofy son. His timeouts due to biting are getting better and he is learning. Potty training seems to be improving. The doc said he shouldn't go walking at the park for another 2 weeks, so we have to wait on that. And last but not least, he starts puppy school next week. Why do I have the feeling the puppy training will backfire and get us into more trouble? haha!

I use myspace to keep up with my friends who are scattered all over the place.

http://www.myspace.com/workoutfreak81

No stalkers please! :p

Alright, quick update on the Bruiser! Yesterday he only had 1 accident on the carpet. He is learning very quickly and did get more than a couple timeouts for biting while playing.
Human "No Bite" = You better not bite me again or you will get in trouble!
Dog "No Bite" = Bring it on you weak little dog; you cannot hurt me!
He does sometimes go into tazmanian devil mode when he gets upset and anything is fair game for him to tear up while he is on his rampage. He likes to grab his poop newspaper and try to tear it up while dragging it through the house. Bruiser can "Sit", play fetch, and while on a leash he can "Come" and "Leave it"! He met his first friend yesterday while we went walking around the complex. A neighbor's black lab that was unleashed ran over and began growling and sniffing and freaked out the Bruiser. He was not sure how to take it. He was both excited and afraid, but Bruiser didn't have to pull out his Chuck Norris moves on him, so everything was fine. For some reason it seems that he is not eating as much as he should be. He has only been eating about 1 cup of food a day. The package says at his size he should be eating a cup and a half. He weighs around 9-10 lbs and is 9 weeks old this week. Is this normal? Should I cut back on the treats and puppy chews?

So far, Bruiser sleeps in his kennel until around 4 AM, He then has to go use the restroom and gets to sleep in the bed with me because I will not go back to sleep with him crying in his kennel. Like many others' basenjis, he enjoys laying on the blanket in between my feet and legs. My theory is that they do this because the leg mountains protect them from the gremlins.

If Bruiser was forced to fit in a bag, he would immediately dig himself out of it and find his own store to go shopping at without me! Basenji's are not bag dogs and will eventually ruin your plans of domination over them. Good luck, I hope it all works out. She is a cutie!

Those magic elves must have transported Bruiser up the stairs and into my bedroom. I got back from the gym and I heard his collar up there. He had gotten into everything. I hate magic elves!

They are cute indeed!

For all who are curious, I do spend my mornings and lunch with him and at least 45 minutes before I head off to class. I do have a pretty flexible job, so I can check up on him. Also, when I get home from class, I spend around 3-4 hours playing with him. I will be buying a crate, some bitter apple, and enrolling him in puppy training class. He currently has chew toys to keep him busy (rope, nylabone, stuffed porcupine that he throws around). Yes, he was purchased from a breeder. He does have an appointment next week to get his vaccination. Thank you all for your input, I know it will definitely help in both of our lives!

I am a new Basenji owner and forum user. My name is Ryan, I'm 25, and live in good ol' Texas. I currently work full time and go to grad school full time, which is rough on Bruiser who is only 7 weeks old. He is a chestnut colored (brown and white) and is a handful so far. He loves to nip and chew, which I am working on breaking him of. Reading some of the posts in here has given me some amazing insight to try. We currently live in an apartment and the first night I tried to baby gate him in the kitchen. He screamed, squeaked, and cried all night. Waking up in the morning I had found that he had made short work of the gate as it was knocked down….little rascal had toppled the thing over and was running around. I finally gave in and decided to let him have free roaming power over the den, living room, and kitchen. I get more sleep that way! hehe. The main problem I have been having is him chewing on wires and power cords, that I have tried to block him from. Its funny though, he hasn't figured out that the stairs go up to my room upstairs. So I have to wait till he's not looking and run up there. I currently have him paper trained to go on the paper about 1/4 of the time, which isn't bad for the 1st week. So far, he is a very loving dog, who craves all my attention when I am there with him. I knew what I was getting into buying a Basenji and so far I am alright with all the hassel. Hopefully when I have him partially trained (can you ever fully train them??) I will have somewhat of a life back.....maybe...haha! BTW, once I fix my home cable cord that he detached from the splitter I will be posting a picture of him and an avatar for all to see. How old do you guys think he should be before I start taking him for walks on a leash outside? I would definitely appreciate any advise you all have to offer me.