Thank you all for your useful tips. Through this trial and error process I have found that crating them has been very helpful. I guess it is there safe place.
Night Howling
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We have 3 month old Basenji puppy ( jasper). We've only had him for 3 weeks. The first week, he was really great in in crate at night. It's gotten worse and worse. We always take him out before bed around 11. He started howling at 3:40 am, so I took him out and he did his business. I put him back in his crate and he was howling on and off for the next few hours!!! Help.. We need our sleep.
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I know the key to crating your pup is consistency. I know lots of basenjis get crated over night. My first basenji would howl and cry in his crate and after months he never did like his crate, he had separation anxiety. He only ever settled down in his crate when we brought home his sister. So needless to say he slept in bed with us, we couldn’t stay the course. You could try bringing the crate in your room so he can see you, it might help. My guy never could be alone. He would panic and destroy whatever he could find. Good luck!
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Where is the crate? Should be in the bedroom with you.... and next to the bed so that you can dangle your fingers in the crate so he knows you are close by. What kind of crate do you use? If a wire crate, cover it at night. If plastic type, try a wire crate
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So it’s a wire crate and we’ve been keeping it in our laundry room
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@acrook - Move the crate to your bedroom. Cover the crate at night to make it "den like"...
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@acrook OK......give up, he is a basenji. He will do nicely under,the top cover of your bed. They are a little to prickly to sleep under ,the sheet. I dont know how it happens but the three that i raised from 12 week old puppies, never ever peed in the bed. However they were never truly house trained til about 6 months old. They tucked in every night of their lives. I wont suggest how to get things done but where there is a will there is away...wink wink.
Crate in bedroom and a nice chewy bone keeps them occupied.
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Our Sarge got to the point that he hated his crate and would chew and scratch on the crate. Finally after nights of interrupted sleep, we put him on our bed and covered him completely up. Now after a year and half the nights are still good and he sleeps there all night without a peep.
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sleeping with a basenji can be hazardous to your health. Never wake a sound sleeping b. They are known to snark and maybe even take a nip at your fingers. One of mine did. I had to approach t he bump in the bedclothes, talking and speaking her name, rubbing the blanket near her, patting the mattress until i felt her rustle and squirm waking behavior, flip the covers back and step back myself just to make sure she was awake.....she never ever touched anyone with her teeth even in playing but boy oh boy dont reach under the cover to pull her out. You will hear stories. They are not all snarkers but a good proportion ....well just make sure they are awake before shooing them out of bed.
I imagine it is normal behavior for them in their natural state. If you were very small, considering the other inhabidents in the jungle. You would jump and prepare for battle of something touched you from a sound sleep. Guess,that s why they dont bark...why advertise a nice juicy morsel is in the long grass near a lion. Anyhowz it will work out in the basenjis favor.
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???Hazardous to your health??? My B Baby has slept under the covers every single night I have had her. They sleep just as sound as little babies so you just have to wake them slowly & Sweetly.
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The Basenji surely is one of the most unusual breeds, I call it a "Love them or hate them relationship". I have had two, my girl Emma pasted away at 18 in 2017....so now it is just Rickie and I. He has grown up ( now 10 ) to be a GREAT BOY! But...it was no easy task, he was VERY snarky as a little one, now rarely. My friend just got a little girl at 13 weeks old...we both believe that if you really "manhandle" these little creatures that snarky attitude goes away, but you need to start when they are young. Rickie is now the best Basenji...people comment all the time on him. In my opinion...crating a Basenji is a bad idea...they are creatures of habit and really love the warmth and love if given it at night when the cuddle in their blanket in bed. Rickie has his own two blankets and knows he is safe when he sleeps on them. Basenji's love and thrive on consistency ....
Another note...I found out that the "diet" can cause them to be snarky...finally got it right and maybe that's why he is so happy. Basenji's have very sensitive tummies. Just can't chicken or grains of any kind...no soy or corn. I purchase a turkey breast (raw) and cook it covered with water added( no seasonings) and he gets that with his grain free dry. I did alot of research and the protein in chicken is toooo high for them.
Good luck with your little one...it will improve!
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@chelsea-basenjichi ong time ago, a man and his wife slept in bed with 5 basenjis. Unfortunately
Something roused one from a sound sleep and snarked. Husband went to er and had a stitch or two in a very tender spot. Moralof this story, which by the way is true, dont let your b sleep under the sheets.
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What! We've had at least one Basenji sleeping in our bed - under the sheets - for almost 30 years; ever since we brought our first home at 8 weeks and there was never any discussion as to where she would sleep. It just seemed obvious. There's been as many as 4, currently there are 2. We've never been bit, or peed on.
Okay, peed on once, but that was a funny story!
-Joanne -
Ours have always been under the sheets. A sheet would be very little help if one decided to bite.
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I sleep with two sister-B's under the covers. Everybody happy.
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@acrook Hi. Perhaps your problem is solved (?). If not, we put a towel over her enclosed crate (wire one was too uncomfortable for her), use a white noise machine and play Baroque music to soothe her (recommended by Colorado Basenji Rescue). It works (and yes, we do have to use ALL of these methods). We make sure she is warm and we have a routine as to when she is put to bed, let out, fed, etc. Have not had a Basenji pup but a Samoyed pup (10 weeks). With him, I put an alarm clock close by (made him believe it was Mommies heartbeat) but also a stuffed animal. Cannot do this with a Basenji as they will destroy it.
We have a Basenji female we rescued @ four (4) years old who has always slept in a crate (we tried moving her to a bedroom uncrated but it caused her to be aggressive (she tried to become the 'Alpha' female of our household.)
I agree with letting not ANY pet sleep with you. You are not only sleeping with your pet but also sleeping with anything which they might be bringing into your bed. Also, what about YOUR intimacy? No one seems to have discussed that but to me, it is EXTREMELY important.
This little 20lb female is SO jealous of us just holding hands that we absolutely cannot have her sleeping in the bedroom and she is absolutely one of the most beautiful Basenji's CBR has ever seen (she seems to know that!).
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Sleep in your bed or not, sleep under the sheets or own cover or between sheet and cover...two issues only. Your personal choice and if it causes behavioral problems.
As for " alphas"..nothing has done more to cause more harm to training than that outdated wrong concept.
This is a nice article explaining how we got into the alpha stuff, and the way to think that will really help with how you see and train your dogs.
