Hi and welcome….I'm new too and I'm looking forward to meeting more basenji lovers like my family...I am glad to hear that you are having a good time with your new friend. As for the chewing on things, we overload our house with dog toys and they always manage to find one of their own rather than something they shouldn't...in the rare instance that they do pick up a sock or something, we immediately replace it with one of their toys (we don't scold) and they respond very well....we really haven't had a chewing problem and we have 4 Basenjis! Good Luck and welcome.
"Fussy",
We have always handled Jazzy the same way – just quickly replace the "forbidden" item with a toy. In the year and a half we have had her, we've had very few things chewed on. And she has never damaged anything important, which was my husband's greatest fear in getting a Basenji because he'd heard the horror stories.
Now when she wants a rawhide, she'll bring me something she knows she's not allowed to chew and we trade. LOL And if she does grab something she shouldn't have, all we have to say is, "Hey! What have you got?" and she drops it, hangs her head, and waits for us to take it away.
I don't want to be the party pooper here. And I am so glad that everyone has found their beautiful basenji in whatever way they did. But please, please, please don't buy puppies from pet shops. No matter what the staff there tells you, those dogs came from puppy mills. Most of the salespeople are told the puppies come from local breeders, but in reality they are from breeders that mass produce puppies, take them away from their moms at six weeks so they can be on the "shelves" at eight weeks, and they are all vetted and sorted at huge transport companies.
Responsible breeders that do health and temperament testing DO NOT sell to puppy brokers EVER. And they usually charge FAR less money for a FAR healthier dog in mind and body.
Please don't think I am picking on, or criticizing anyone for getting their puppy from a pet store…but please learn all you can before you purchase your next puppy. When we know better...we do better....
That is my public service message for the day 
But please, please, please don't buy puppies from pet shops.
Because it's been mentioned, I opened an new thread under:
Choosing a Puppy called Pet Store Puppies - Problem.
Thanks.
Thanks, Jill. That is a great idea!
At any rate, I am checking my furniture more closely these days and I am spraying Bitter Apple on my stuff.
BWAHAHAHAHAHA… how is that working for you? Every dog I have ever owned thinks I am simply BASTING their object of desire for them.
LOL, I had the same problem. Not with Jazz, but with our other dogs – including Gypsy. I gave up. All three of the dogs that I have tried Bitter Apple with LOVED the stuff. LOL
I also tried jalapeno pepper on a few items. Darned if the dogs didn't like that too.
I gave up putting anything on anything, and resorted to watching closely early and teaching that NO!!! really does mean NO!!!! But I have an advantage in being a stay at home, homeschooling mom. My dogs are generally watched by a houseful of people all day long. They can't get away wtih much!
.
Zahra thinks Fooey is a condiment she ate the cap off the bottle, Bitter Apple seems to work with her but not as much as Chase (our Puggle) all it takes is for him to see the bottle of either and he is gone!
Here is a trick to try: If your dog seems to disregard Bitter Apple, try opening her mouth, and spraying it directly in. Usually, after that, they don't want anything to do with it.
I had to burst into laughter when I read about Jazzy's bringing you a forbidden item when she wants a rawhide!! And they say Basenjis aren't as smart as other breeds - well, they are problem solvers, not blind obedience dogs!! Plus, they know how to train us very well!
Terry
My niece, who has pitt bulls and with whom I have friendly little "competition" as to who has the better dog, says that little "trick" doesn't prove Jazzy's smart, just that she has me well-trained.
Well. . . then, she MUST be relatively smart. She's managed to do a better job "training" me than my parents and husband put together. LOL
