The problem becomes if you are a meek or hyper person in general, that the dog sees through you and it is very hard to pretend to be something you are not 24/7. This where you can learn from your dog / training and take some of the good for yourself. Being a strong leader, fearless, calm & in control. Who could not use some of these qualities?

@AJs: AJ was able to let himself out of his crate when he lived with Calliope…when she was in season. It's the main reason he was snipped. Got caught with his hand in the cookie jar one time too many. :D:D:D Rita Jean, i love his name, the two names sound nice together, i'm glad your having fun. Malaika is wonderful and we love her to bits :) She's getting a bit stroppy though and trying to become dominant, at 17 weeks :eek::eek::eek: We are talking to the trainer and realise she needs careful handling.

Great to hear that she has healed and that you found out what the culprit was. BTW, I thought she had a very sweet looking belly!

@nobarkus: The vet said to keep the dog out of the sun. Yeah right! Good luck on that one. Isn't that the truth. :D:D:D

I love it..what a great pair of ..trouble…Great picture.

@basenji_fan: LOL sorry to laugh but this has happened to me, but not by a basenji by my boxer when he was about 18 months old in a RENTAL car :eek: I had him buckled in and he started snacking on the middle seat belt. Maybe Toyota should offer something like Lupine for their seat belts to get customers back. :D

My boss asked recently if I'd reached the point where I could leave my dog alone in the apartment outside the crate yet, and I told her that I didn't know if I ever would - he's a chewer and if I'm not there to watch what he's chewing, I don't know if I can trust him. She said "oh, so he can't be trained?" "He is trained, he's just a chewer." "Hmmmm…" was her reply, with a face that said "either you're a bad trainer, or he's a dumb dog." Happier note: took Paco to a dog-friendly restaurant last night, and the bartender yelled "Is that a basenji?!?!" from across the place, ran over to say hi, and went on and on about how her neighbor in the States bred them and how smart they were. :D

LOVE it! But I currently have a screen saver up of my 'wondercat', and he would be really p*ssed off if I changed it.

We have occasionally thought about bringing in a second B, which is shocking because most of our first year with Ella was so hard. But the second year has been so good it has become a fleeting thought. But the description you gave of what happened with Cassie and Alex is exactly our fear. Ella loves to meet all other dogs on walks but is pretty submissive and I have a feeling she very well might get bullied by a new pack-mate. We think about it because Ella also stays home alone for much of the day 4-5 days a week. But I do not sense that she is stressed about it at all. She sleeps in the sun or looks out the windows most of the time. I usually have to wake her up when I come home for lunch and at the end of the day. When I am home during the day she pretty much ignores me and sleeps in the sun and looks out the window anyway. After the novelty of a new dog wore off, I think she/they would still do the same thing each day. The thought I have is, if you get a second dog do it because YOU want a second dog. Don't do it because you think that is what your dog wants.

I am very lucky, I do rescue and have support of many of the PNW breeders. I also have a very responsible breed club who take back any basenjis I find fall into rescue. I am also able to refer folks to quality breeders who have puppies, who don't want a rescue. So, win/win…and best of all the b's WIN!

Bushongo Cosmo, breeder who decided that. And I think its ok :)

Nice little video to watch with my morning coffee. Thanks for send ing it. I just wonder what will happen to that toy once the dogs really know it isn't a dog. Well, actually, they probably already know (by scent) it is not a dog, but instead some strange thing on the floor that is trying to act like a dog!

Hope Noel continues to yodel for you, it's such a lovely sound.

We have used 6 ft leather leads with braided ends, which were nice. Also have used nylon leads from regular stores, but they are too slippery for me and the handle/loops weren't that big for hubby's hands. So now we use Lupine leads that I have bought from vet offices or online. The handle/loops are large and padded and we like the clip end. And the feature we have had to use already that we like best: they're guaranteed even if they're chewed! Just send the leash back (don't even need the receipt) and they send you a new one. They try to even send back one in the same pattern if possible. The website also has collars, etc.

How random…Basenjis and volcanos. Thanks for sharing.

Heh. good for Tillo, but poor Job!!! :/ don't worry I'll send pics.

@Benkura: I've got Chance to walk to heel quite easily - the other Bs are a different story! I use a piece of liver cake in my right hand, loose lead in my left. I hold the liver cake by my right thigh and make sure the B knows it's there. If he moves in front or to the side, I stop and call him back to me and use the word 'heel'. After doing this a few times he got the hang of it and now I don't always use the liver cake as he just follows my hand. Sorry if my description is not all that clear - it is quite difficult to explain without showing someone how to do it! LOL! :) This is the method we have been advised to use at our first puppy class, bit tricky at the moment as she is so small and we have to bend down to show her the food. The trainer has told us never to move the dog by pulling the lead as the dog will naturaly pull against a taught (sp) lead. This is a completely new method to me and we shall have to wait and see.

Welcome to the forum Krita..I must have missed y'all when you first got on here. She is adorable..and I love her mom too.