Give them some time to adjust. It may take weeks for things to settle. I introduced a rescued male to my female and she was quite standoffish. They were both the same age. When you train or play with them do so equally with both and do not favor one over the other during these sessions. If your female has a favorite spot do not let the male supplant her. However, make sure you allow both equal access to you. In other words I had to move to the middle of the couch and later on it didn't matter anymore. In my case and after a while (about two months) they adjusted to the new makeup of the household. And sure they still had their snits from time to time but I always growl louder than they can to remind both who is the top dog in the pack. As you know they have unique personalities and hopefully with love and patience and you being the leader they will learn all is ok.

People have matchsticked for decades and I can supply about half dozen VET SCHOOL links that tell people to do it for dogs who have had surgery. That said, paper or wood, works fine. Except, oh, Cara. She just leaves it in, I don't care how far you put it. The only way I got her to go when it rains is by giving her fiber in her food every 3 days. She held so long 2 yrs ago she got impacted and an anal fissure. After nearly 2 mos of hot compresses to heal it up, no more. Fiber. Yeah she often poops on the back porch or sidewalk but at least she poops. For normal dogs, I'd only add one thing to the above… tie the dog TO YOU if it doesn't poop until you go back out. Give it zero chance to poop inside. And if you need to add a tablespoon of fiber a few meals, some green beans for roughage to make the need more.. do it. And when the dog poops outside, CELEBRATE with one great happy dance and special treat. :)

I can only comment on my experiences with Kipawa, my first basenji, who is just shy of 2 years old. @viv58: 1. OBS #1: they were only affectionate on their terms and didnt like to be petted or picked up.Is this more common than not. They wanted to be by you, but hands off for the most part. 2. OBS#2: Off the leash - they are unpredictable and may not come when called. Had some wild roaming experiences at the off-leash beach. Always kept treats -and 95% of the timeit worked.Can you train them to counter this? or is this a stretch ? 3. OBS#3: Not snuggly 4. OBS#4: Only looked me in the eye when I had food- everything was a distraction. 1. Kipawa is just an extremely affectionate dog. His affection for me is special, but he recognizes all family members and care aides who come into the house and enjoys their attention and gives it back. He loves being petted and adores being massaged, but has a preference for it being from someone in his 'pack' (family members and care aides). He will tolerate being picked up by anyone, but prefers it when I do it. He is a little uncomfortable when turned on his back, however, we practice this quite a bit and he's getting better at it, especially if tummy rubs are included. 2. The only areas Kipawa is off leash is in our backyard or dog parks that are fully fenced. For these places, he is predictable, because he is very used to them. He usually comes when called, but if it doesn't work, I carry the squeaker part of a squeaker toy with me, and that most always brings him back. If he needs to come to me based on an emergency situation (say he got onto a street by accident), I have a word/sound that I only use in emergency situations. He is excellent at responding to that. All this said, if he spotted a bunny in the dog park, I don't think the emergency recall would work. Based on his breeders seeing him this summer, they have indicated he has a very high prey drive. 3. Kipawa is super snuggly all the time and is also a 'velcro dog'. We are tightly bonded. He is on my lap when I watch TV, or at least laying against me. He sleeps under the blankets on my side of the bed. 4. He easily looks me in the eye. If I am talking to him, we have full eye contact. He enjoys when we give each other 'soft eyes' - the slow blinking a person/dog might do when fully relaxed or before settling down for a nap. If he is distracted (only happens outside) I use the command 'watch me' to get eye contact. Usually 95% success rate, but that would go down to zero should he see a bunny. I can't answer your other questions. Kipawa will be a solo dog in our home. As for the breeders, his breeders were Therese and Kevin Leimback (FoPaws Basenjis) from Washington state. We researched for a year before selecting them. Their breeding program concentrates a great deal on temperament. Hope this helps.