As far as the childproof locks – you might be lucky enough to have one of the basenji geniuses who can figure out those locks lickety-split! 
I should know. I have one of those. He can undo the normal ones in about 3 seconds. He can also open doors. He's a little nut.
Hoover carpet shampooer's work great for those prolonged rainy periods.:D 
Follow all of the above advice and hang in there.;)
Setting up a tree and expecting a "gift"! LOL IF your tree stays up that long! Keep the faith…it will happen.
close call-i talked to my mom yesterday…after she set up her tree, her boy, vegas (who hasnt pottied in the house since she got him) hiked his leg to mark her christmas tree. luckily she saw him do this, and put him out.
my puppy opened a present and when he does his b500 he knocks a couple ornaments off of the tree. i know he will get better. i still cant keep him from stealing food off of the counter!
careful…she may learn how to get into the fridge. Mine waits till we leave and then she opens the fridge and eats all our food!!!!! Lil rascall. But I love her to death and would never let her leave my side...she even sleeps under the covers with me!!!! such a lil heart she is!
Hello,
I am the new owner of a Basenji who was found running loose at an intersection with no ID. I have posted on several sites and called all local SPCA's and shelters. No one is misssing her. I have had her since late September. She is a young brindle/white and is spayed.
I have decided to keep her as the family is attached to her, as is my other dog, a manchester terrier. The problem is, I think I know why she was stray. Her behaviors are quite challenging and I am looking for help and advice. I have a book on Basenjis and know their little quirks. The biggest issue I am having is that she seems to have A.D.D. I take her out and she may urinate if I'm lucky. She prefers to look up at geese flying by or squirrels in trees three blocks away. I try to get her to poop but most of the time she comes back in the house and eventually goes into one of my kids rooms and unloads on their clothes. Then she goes and eats the toilet paper and opens the kitchen cabinets and steals food. Everyone thinks I'm crazy for keeping her but she is so lovable. Does anyone know how to manage the potty training issue? The vet thinks she may be a year old so maybe she's still going through puppy stages. Who knows???? I just set up my Christmas tree and I am waiting for her to leave us a "gift" under it. HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!
Please consider crate training its a miracle worker, no den animal wants to soil thier den. worked like a charm for me. Tobias begs to go out by slapping me with his paws or nibbling on my shirt or arms . If anyone knows how to stop the biting (its non-aggressive but wish he would'nt) Please let me know.
Hi. I know how you feel. My dog is just crazy like that. She is pretty good on the potty thing now but when she first came…shed wait to go inside and then potty. But after a few nose dives into the pile of wastes that she left and praises outside...she is doing good. Crates work well when you leave the house, but if you are there, odds are, she will just wine, yodel, baroo, and wimper until u let her out. What you have to do is take her outside and let her go like u said. When she doesnt go outside bring her in. When she is inside Watch her closely as she is walking around...if she sniffs the ground, she is searching for a scent to remark and not soon after, gifts will appear. Follow her and when she squats then grab her quickly, say "NO" in a very sharp, authorative way and put her outside. When she is outside...make her stay until she goes. Either put her on a chain, in a kennel, or just watch her until she goes. MAKE HER GO.... If it is cold out, she should go soon, because the cold will stimulate a potty. Once you see her go, wait till she is done and her hind end comes up and run out and praise her FAST.. such as "GOOD DOG...O SUCH A GOOD DOG...YOU WENT POTTY GOOD DOG!!!! and make ur voice high and excited so she gets the idea.
As for the food thing. Im afraid there is little to do. I put duck tape on my fridge to hold it shut...and try to train her not to do it. When she does it and eats the food, put her nose in the rubble and say "BAD DOG...NO....BAD BAD BAD DOG!!!!" Then you give her a tap and put her outside, in a cage, or somewhere she dislikes going. Soon, HOPEFULLY, she will get out of that state. If you need extra help and my advise seems to be working, please feel free to private message me. I can give you private information if you please. I hope I helped you!
Take care, Whitney (AkA Twiddles)
What you do when Tobias starts nibling on your arm or shirt. Grab his mouth and say no! Then if he does it again, grab the bottom of his mouth and his tongue and hold it down. He will hate this and most likely stop. When he stops, say good dog and, "want out side?" then let him outside. I dont have this problem because my dogs are trained to scratch on the door when they want in. Missy will, if i get up to do anything, gets up fast and runs to the door. sometimes she will uff, baroo, or yodel to let me know she wants out. Also my pomeranian will bark, and Missy follows her to the door, but if you dont have another dog or a dog that barks when it wants out then that wont help you. But I have a feeling this will work(grabbing his tongue and bottom jaw and holding it down so he cant move his tongue or mouth.), Ive helped other people and it seems to work. But try that and let me know if I can help any more. But be sure you dont hurt him, just let him know that you dont like the behavior that he is doing and you want him to stop. Hopefully he will. Take charge and be the alpha dog in the pack. I hope I helped you…Best of Luck,
Whitney (AkA Twiddles)
What you have to do is take her outside and let her go like u said. When >>she doesnt go outside bring her in.
I would suggest NOT bringing her in if she doesn't go outside. Do NOT bring her in UNTIL she goes potty outside. When she does go – and it may take a while -- praise her heavily "Good potty!!!, etc, THEN bring her in the house.
If possible, Take her out every 40 - 60 minutes or so, with a cheery "come on! Let's go potty!!" And heavy excited praise when she goes.
For accidents in the house -- if you don't see it happening, just clean it up as quickly as possible without any fuss. Use cleaners {white vinegar, enzyme solutions, whatever you have} to get the smell out. If you see her about to potty {or if she's just finished}, Say, "NO!!!" and run her outside as quickly as possible.
When you see her sniffing around the cupboards, firmly tell her "Leave it!", and remove her from the area. You may consider standing in front of the cupboards, and every time she attempts to approach, simply move your body to present a block and take a step toward her -- sort of pushing her off w/out even touching or speaking. You'll be "claiming" those things as yours. Maybe snap your fingers to get her attention, eventually you will probably be able to keep her away from them by simply snapping your fingers if she heads toward the kitchen.
Crate her if you can't be with her -- when you are gone, taking a shower, etc.
Keep the bathroom doors shut.
The key with a Basenji is to be infinitely patient, and CONSISTENT. It takes some time, but with gentle but firm consistency {I don't recommend hitting a dog, or rubbing their noses in messes they make} you will have a dog that you can live in peace with.
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This is generally considered not good advice for dogs like Basenjis. Unlike other dogs, they are not very forgiving with people that cause them pain. You will likely end up with a dog that becomes fearful of people reaching for his head. Often squeezing a dog's muzzle to alleviate play biting will have the opposite effect as well, as it charges a dog up even more.
And FTR, rubbing a dog's face in anything is cruel, and ineffective teaching. Not one, single professional trainer that is up to date on current techniques would advocate that.
There are many threads here about working to reduce puppy play biting with Basenjis. Look under the training threads.
