Yeah, I still lurk around here. So much good advice!

I can't help but reply to this. I started my B-mix out with a supposedly "positive only" trainer for his first class. Really, it was positive rewards and positive punishment, and made my dog more reactive. I think he also picked up on my discomfort with screaming at him, yanking the collar, etc. After the conclusion of that class (I regret not trusting my instinct and just quitting), I joined this forum, in hopes to understand my dog better because I saw that he was not responding to traditional training methods.
I also found this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWSJVwZybwo
We started with that, and now my dog knows at least 20 commands/tricks. Our relationship is 1000% improved, even if he still has some quirks. This youtube trainer (channel name Kikopup) has videos for teaching everything, and how to do it with no intimidation. In my horrible collar correction class, I had a dog heeling, head down, eyes glazed over. Who really wants that???? I now have a happy, tail-wagging, heels-before-I-ask dog because he associates heeling with rewards and praise.
Sorry for the huge post, I just had to bump this up.

I laughed so hard when I read about Shaye and the bell. This is exactly what happened to me also. Literally we would come in from outside and my boy would go straight back to the bell. It became his "I want attention/play/outside/walk/food" bell. I keep the bell there mostly so if someone else is watching him they know he needs something, since he is a relatively silent dog. I have to take the bell down and hide it every once in a while to get some peace.

Those are some great shots and the dogs are gorgeous. Also I love the collars. This makes me really want a new camera.
You mentioned sailing, do you take the B's on the boat?

Link is about 18" at the shoulder and 30 pounds. He is a very strong dog for size, so the whole pitbull x basenji may not be far from truth. My neighbors are convinced he is what happens when you cross a pit and chihuahua (I really hope not). I've also thought about red heeler mix. At the dog park everyone asks if he is a basenji, and his trainer says absolutely some kind of sighthound mix.

On a side note, discovered this week during Balloon Fiesta that he is terrified of hot air balloons. Unfortunately the balloons have been going directly over my place the last couple of days. This has actually led to him peeing in the yard much more than usual and then running back inside to hide from the "sky monsters".

I attached a pic to help you see his relative size. He is very sad in that pic because I left outside alone for a few minutes.

Wow, all these stories sound just like what I have to put up with. I have to go first and drag Link out. Once we're out on the street he'll walk but shake off every 10 feet and look under every car we walk by (city cats are always under cars on rainy days). I don't know what's going to happen next year when I move back east. Time to buy a silly raincoat….

Thanks everyone. I think Dude and Link would get along great. We go on a hike every weekend, and he loves it. Especially chasing lizards (he can spot a 3 inch lizard on a log from 30 feet away).

Yes, name is Link. I appreciate the welcomes and kind comments. Oh and there is hope for the potty issues, he will pee in the yard most mornings now (and then gets his walk immediately after). This only works if I refuse to take him out after 10pm and let him wake me up in the morning (usually about 7am) so he really has to go. Any other time of day he has a bladder of steel.

He absolutely refuses to poop unless on a walk, and generally refuses to pee unless on a walk. I can't keep him in the yard unsupervised because of escape artist tendencies. So we take a walk in the morning, I come home for lunch and we walk, get home from work and we walk, evening go to the park and walk, before bed we walk.
My dog training friend suggested teaching him to pee on command. After following all of her advice, and tried the command in the yard. He lifted his leg immediately (nothing came out), wagged his tail and ran to get his leash.:mad:

Hi all,
I have been coming here more and more over the last couple months…so I realized it's time to stop lurking and say hi. I adopted a basenji mix (?) from the shelter in January and after many moons he is finally a good boy (usually). This forum has helped me SOOOO much with advice specific for sighthound/I hate the rain/how to meet cats/etc.
I tried to attach some pics so hopefully that works.

The other reason I joined was so I could see everyone else's cute B pics that you have to be a member to see.

About my dog-

Good:Housetrained, loves people, gentle with kids, likes dogs, loves learning tricks.
Bad: Leash reactive with other dogs (started a class to help).
Ugly: Even extra tough dog toys become a shredded pile of fabric/rubber, can eat a Kong tennis ball in 5 minutes, can't leave any toys out for him to play with.