DebraDownSouth, thanks so much for the links! And great idea involving kids in her training.

Looks like she's settling down a bit, no accidents yesterday and keeps herself busy by chewing on the bones and toys. We take 2 long walks (about an hour each) per day and go outside in every couple of hours at least for 5-15 minutes. So for a 4 year old dog that seems to be enough physical exercise, right?

As for the crate, I don't trust her yet. Not a fan of a dog in my bed, and she actually likes her crate. It's her spot, she goes there to take a nap, and late evenings, when she's ready for the night, she curls up there as well. Before getting her I wasn't sure if I wanted to use the crate at all but it seems to be working out for her. As for the bathroom incident... that was only an emergency solution for one night and she obviously didn't respond well:)

We adopted our dog Muri last week from a rescue organization. She's a complete sweetheart but needs so much attention. She follows me everywhere (might even want to take a shower with me!!), keeps an eye on me when sleeping in her crate, needs to be close all the time and so on. I'm more than happy to help her adjust (I believe it's her insecurity and adjustment period) but there are times when I need to leave her on the other side of the door or ignore her. That's when the problems start - she starts peeing and pooping everywhere. It literally takes a moment after I close the door. I assume it's her way of showing she needs attention? How can I address this?

Last night after she destroyed her crate and it was too late to get a new one, I had to leave her to the bathroom (didn't close the door but blocked the doorway so she couldn't get out). Oh the mess she had made! She's fine in her own crate - no accidents overnight so she CAN hold it.

The other problem that I'm having is her trying to dominate over smaller dogs and children. I have two young kids that are completely annoyed by that and have started to avoid her. She definitely needs an obedience class but meanwhile what can I do? Any helpful tips? Since she's a rescue dog I don't have any information about her background but obviously she comes with a baggage.

Thanks! The dog has arrived and she's sleeping soundly in her crate (after running around hours and hours). She's such a sweetheart, I'm completely in love. She loves kids and people in general, very curious, checks our everything.

I couldn't take a good picture - she was way too active - maybe I'll have more luck tomorrow. I think she is basenji - she runs the way they do, has been so quiet, hates getting wet. It's hard to tell on the photo but she does look a lot like basenji (I don't really see any beagle).

So far only one hat destroyed, but I've been following her (and vice versa) all the time. She hasn't napped (or even layed down) at all since I picked her up at noon. Is it just her adjusting to the new place or are they really that active? She's been outside for about 2 hours in total.

You're all great! Thanks for helping me out!

Will post pics once she's arrived. Turns out she's 3-4 years old instead of two (based on their new vet). So instead of a teenager should I expect a mature adult who is not going to destroy my furniture or is it too much to expect from a basenji?

As for the fence, I don't think we can put up a real one. We have about 2 acres of land and the way landscaping has been done, an actual fence would not look great. All of our neighbors have dogs and invisible fences and only once I have seen one of them escaped (a new dog). That gave me hope that maybe, just maybe the fence will work.

That was a great point about invisible fence not keeping other animals out. We live in CT near the woods. I see and hear coyotes every night, deer family walks through our backyard etc.

Would an adult basenji get enought exercise just by going on walks two-three times a day? I don't feel like it's enough. What do other do?

Also are you keeping your dog in a crate when you're not at home? I would like not to do it but I might be too naive here:)

We are adopting a basenji beagle mix from a rescuer. She's supposed to arrive in few days and I am completely panicking, especially after reading all the posts in this forum. What am I getting myself into!!!! A furniture destroyer, trash eating, squirrel chasing escape artist will definitely turn my life upside down! So any tips for making this transition as smooth as possible are appreciated!

The dog is about 2 years old (not much known about her past), currently being held in a dog farm where they all love her. Great with people (kids included), walks great on a leash, is house trained. Based on her apperance she seems to be mostly basenji with little beagle mixed in. Anyone ever had a mix like that? What to expect?

We have two elementary school age kids (which means toys everywhere). I work form home so spend a lot of time in the house but not like I can chase squirrels and chipmunks with her all day long. We have an invisible fence and training sessions lined up but now I'm reading that it really doesn't work with basenjis. Great.

And this sleeping situation!!! Do they really need to sleep in MY bed???