Hi everyone!
My husband and I recently moved into a new home with a backyard finally! My 2yo basenji male seems to be having trouble adjusting to potty time is now mainly in the backyard. He is use to 3-4 walks a day and marking ALOT outside due to living in an apartment for 1.5 yrs. Any suggestions on how to train him to potty in backyard? He FINALLY went pee this morning after holding it most the day/night yesterday but poop, he just won’t. Btw I will still walk him for excersise but I need him to get use to the potty time in backyard. P.s we don’t have any trees or shrubs in the backyard yet. Moved in 3 weeks ago.
Is it possible for you to install a doggy door? I was forced to put one in - my basenji would wake me up @ 1-2 am to take her out. I'd be sleeping and there'd be a dog @ my face tugging and nudging me to take her out. My basenji has NEVER peed or pooped in my house and she will be 13 in January. I will say she does most of her BUSSINESS on her walks but will go to her "poop station" w/ her doggie door if necessary. The doggie door has been a god-send. We do not crate our basenji so she can go out whenever necessary to relieve herself. My only issue now - she is too old to jump up on the bed - so when she goes out @ night she comes in and stands on side of bed hitting me & pulling on the blankets for me to pick her up onto the bed - she is such a baby and I love her!
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@kembe I live in a Condo but my Dog knew to ask to go out. When she was 12 she had a Carcinoma and when it was removed I had to pick her up to put her on the Bed. She lived for 4 more years and this year would have been her 20th Birthday. I think the Doggie Door is a great idea. These dogs love to run, at least mine did...
Antigone
I am not a fan of doggie doors open at night. Snakes, fence damage, idiots or monsters...
There are great stairs for dogs to get on the bed. We had one for one basenji and although she resisted it at first, she finally really was proud that she figured out how to use it. 
Pottying... pick up poo on a walk, put it in the back yard. If you have to matchstick a few times and celebrate and treat to the max, do it. But do make it also fun... marking is so important, lol. Get a fake fire hydrant made for dogs, or find a log and sit it in the yard, or a fake bush, whatever. Cheer when he marks, pees, poops. After he poops, take him immediately on a walk so he gets "poop here" then "walk to mark and sniff after."
@lindsey
When on your walks, bring home his poop and place it in an area in the back yard that seems right and area open so you can see his poop when picking up tome comes around.
If you need to care for his going out, put in a "doggy door" next to the back yard door.
Stafford-Ames Morse
[removed email address]
Unless they grow up pooping in the backyard, it seems like they view the backyard as an extension of the house, which means pooping there isn't desirable. (And something you should be thankful for! LOL). So their/your backyard can't be used. But your neighbor's .....
My solution has been to just take them on walks. Works and gets me some exercise. But I like Debra's suggestion(s).
Haven't noticed the same issue with peeing.
Let us know how it works out.
Thank y’all so much! I will def try all the suggestions and will keep y’all updated.
Many Basenjis will NEVER poop in their own garden. Mine will but the will never poop in the same place twice ! I have a very big garden (yard with shrubbery, lawns, flower borders, trees ?) and although mine go to the woods for a free run most days, if I have other things to do, they have to make do with the garden and that means I have to clean the lawns !
Plant trees, make the yard interesting and given him something to pee against
@antigone I feel for you. I can tell u still have an emotional connection to your baby. True love.️️
@kembe When she finally was put to sleep in my Arms I felt like I had lost my kid. I am sure many feel the same way. I will get another from a relation but I have to wait for my 14-year-old Killer Cat to pass. I refuse to euthanize a healthy animal and I know if I brought a Puppy or a Kitten here she would kill again.
The thing is Cats kill other Cats more often than most people think. She killed my fave Cat and I have had at least 30 since I was 15 years old, and that silly little Cat with the Mustache was so delightful it will take me a very long time to get another Cat.
The loss of my B and my fave Horse who was 25 nearly killed me. My Horse could have lived much longer but he had EPM which Dogs can get too. It is a parasite that the animal gets from eating grass that Raccoons and Opossums have left their Scat on and there is not a cure. It is basically Animal Multiple Sclerosis which cannot be cured but it can be managed.
German Shepherd Dogs and the Belgian Malinois have something that causes them to lose strength their Hind Legs but that is not EPM. My Mom had a gorgeous Belgian Malinois and she treated him with Vitamin B12 Shots at the Vet and kept him as active as possible. He was pts when he was 14 years old and he was one of my favorite Dogs. He was brought to the US by his Handler who was a member of the Spanish Guard. He understood Spanish but took him a while to learn English. He also had a career as a Coke Sniffer at JFK. His name was 'Cokie'!
I clearly love all animals and do not have a preference for Breed except for the Basenjis. The things that people have a hard time with are exactly why I love them!
Horses are easy because they tell you all you need to know by reading their Body Language. Dogs are a bit harder because you may not have a clear idea of what horrible things have happened. Felines are a Mystery to me! Lupines are great but they are super quiet but are responsive to being part of the Pack.
It is my experience that animals are rarely aggressive, they are DEFENSIVE. Sure there are dangerous Breeds like the Presa de Canario that have killed people. That is the exception and I think they are no longer allowed in the US. I am not sure of that though.
