Brought my 1st B home today! Need suggestions…

[Michele13]

So I happily brought my boy home today. I know it takes a while for dogs to get used to a new environment, but I am wondering if there is anything besides the obvious that I can do to put him at ease at all. He has been trotting through the downstairs back and forth and will stop and lay in the living room for a while. I thought he might need to go out but he sort of barked at me (like a woof). I don't want to do anything that will make him uncomfortable and stall the process of settling in. And suggestions are most appreciated!

[krunzer]

Congrats on your new B! Make sure he has lots of toys and chewies so he doesn't start to chew on things you don't want him to chew on. Did he come from a home that had other dogs? Maybe this is why he is restless, he is looking for his doggy friends. He will settle down in a bit. Good luck with him.

[dcmclcm4]

Is he a puppy or an adult? How old is he? If he was still with his littermates or lived with other dogs, I am sure he is missing them.

Jennifer

[Michele13]

He is an adult, that was in a home with several other dogs. Since I wrote that post, he has adjusted quite well in the past 2 weeks. At this time, he DOES NOT like the crate at all. He had been used to being in the crate about 5 hours a day, but has destroyed everything in there or nearby on the days we put him in. He has proven to be ok when we leave him in our backroom for an hour or two. We are getting a fence in the yard in 2 weeks so we can have some dog friends come over to play. He does have fun when we have gone to see friends with dogs.

He has been sleeping in the bed and is very attached to my boyfriend. I think for being at day 16 together, he is doing pretty well.

thanks!

[tanza]

Have you talked to the breeder… and as asked is he a puppy or adult?

[eeeefarm]

If you are dealing with an adult, it may take awhile before he realizes that the situation is permanent. Perhaps he is restless, waiting for his previous owner to come and take him "home". My current boy took literally months before he accepted us as "his" people. He was friendly enough, but I always got the impression he thought he was "just visiting".

[lisastewart]

So you got one of the adults from Jean Martin, big congrats, sounds like he is getting used to the routine in your house.

[Chealsie508]

Congrats on your new boy….I don't have any advice on adjusting bc I got Oakley at ten weeks but as far as the crate training goes...take it slow, build positive associations and proof around it and in it as best as possible. I once came home to the side of my couch chewed because I put his crate next to it (stupid in hindsight,funny now)..good luck with him, he's probably going through a lot of transitions so make them easy

[wizard]

You can retrain him to go in his crate but it will take some time, patience, and lots of treats. Start out with short periods of time and build up. And even though he is comfortable in the backroom, crates come in useful in lots of situations.

[tanza]

If you start to feed him in the crate, he should start to associate the crate with good things, not punishment

[eeeefarm]

Dogs that were fine in crates with other dogs crated next to them are not always happy to be crated on their own. My current boy had been very good in his crate for three years, but with 4 or 5 other breathing bodies close to him. In new surroundings at our house, he found the crate intolerable and ripped up everything inside it, while working himself into a frenzy. Even with a nice meaty bone, we found it impossible to leave him for any length of time. (we did not crate him when we were home) We weren't long working on leaving him loose, and except for a very few incidents he has not abused our trust….....in fact, he is the best Basenji I have had in terms of not destroying things. Interestingly, he is fine if we go out for a few hours, giving him a roller ball with treats as we exit. He is less happy if we are outside where he can see us. He wants to be where we are, which is not always possible, e.g. if one is mowing the lawn, blowing snow, etc.