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Things I have learned from/since getting my Basenji…

Basenji Talk
  • 8. That food MUST be for me!!

  • Yep, you're hooked!
    I don't even get upset at chewed furniture anymore… I figure it will always be there to remind me of them!

  • Basenji Wish List

    Sunshine, full belly,
    toys, treats, races with my friends
    warm bed at night, bliss

  • oooooh, that's lovely eee!

  • @eeeefarm:

    Basenji Wish List

    Sunshine, full belly,
    toys, treats, races with my friends
    warm bed at night, bliss

    a haiku! yay!

  • 9- There unconditional love. :)

  • Anything that falls on the floor is mine!
    If I can take it from you-it's mine!

  • 12- Things on counter tops are there to help me keep mentally and physically fit by figuring out how to get up there and doing it.

  • LOL, btw– We have not one but 2 people wanting this dog (she opens jars of stewed tomatoes, no breaking of the jar or lid) and eats them. She came out of puppymill-- bless her heart she is making up for lost time! Opens cabinets... LOL, yes we learn a lot about the world, and how insane we must appear to others to enjoy it!

    Her foster Mom says she’s breaking records for jumping up and on things such as the kitchen table and counter, without really pushing herself too hard. She’s learning not to counter surf and hop up on tables. Apparently, she has an aversion to hydrangeas–she's twice taken hydrangeas out of a vase (without upsetting the vase) while leaving other flowers alone, even if the other flowers are right next to the hydrangeas. She's responsive to training when she is caught in the act. She’s moving along with house breaking. The new forever family will have to continue to work with her on this.

    Her behavior is mostly good when someone is home, but all bets are off when no humans are around. She's a Houdini, escaping from two different crates. She can open cabinets, jars, just about anything. Tansy is a very smart girl and needs a home that is basenji experienced and will stay one step ahead of her or at least try!!! She’s doing best in her foster home by confining her and the resident basenjis to only a couple of rooms, using two stacked baby gates across the door. This is less than ideal as there are still many things for them to get into, which they completely have done.

  • @DebraDownSouth:

    LOL, btw– We have not one but 2 people wanting this dog (she opens jars of stewed tomatoes, no breaking of the jar or lid) and eats them. She came out of puppymill-- bless her heart she is making up for lost time! Opens cabinets... LOL, yes we learn a lot about the world, and how insane we must appear to others to enjoy it!

    She sounds like little genius dog…I love dogs with smarts and opinions :D

  • Debra - she sounds like a sister or soul mate of my Bungwa - at 7 he is still the same!

  • I thought hydraneas were poisonous to dogs?

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    My Rosa wrote the "How To Be a Basenji DIVA" manuscript - as many rules there were, it was so worthy of a 'script' at the end! She, and all her offspring, had spring and fall heats, but I only bred her once in the spring. That produced one puppy, my Captain. She always ruled over her pups, except when Captain came along - she did what HE said when he was about 2 weeks old!
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    Thanks everyone for your help!
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    Wow! Somehow, I never got emails letting me know I had responses to this thread and just assumed there weren't any. But now that I'm back in the loop, I did want to thank everyone for their feedback and provide some thoughts of my own. That makes me laugh about the rescue person who wouldn't let young families or lawyers adopt her dogs. :-D I can understand her rationale from both perspectives. It's a compelling argument on her part about lawyers, but not all lawyers are the same, of course. I know a lot of extremely busy lawyers in large firms who struggle to hit their billable hour requirement each month. They're machines instead of people, and I wouldn't even let them dogsit my babies for fear of neglect. That's not my situation, fortunately. The young family part will be, but I've been thinking really carefully on how I'll balance this when the time comes. My dogs are my first children, and I would hire as many trainers as needed and try as many alternatives as I could before I would give them up. Unfortunately, I don't think a lot of people have that mindset about their dogs. :( I would absolutely be open to the idea of having the breeder choose a puppy for us based on their experience and prediction as to personality. All basenjis are gorgeous to me, and as long as the markings aren't completely off-base and I can get a tightly-curled tail (I've seen that the Avongaras can be lacking in this area, and I need a cinnamon bun in my life), personality is the most important thing. I wouldn't nitpick it to death. I'll have to decide on a breeder at some point, and I'd love one who's relatively local so I could visit. The man I got Penny from had great pet Basenjis that he bred… I'd like to go with a more reputable breeder this time around. At the very least, he tested for Fanconi. I can be grateful for that, as all is well so far and I more than likely dodged a bullet when I ended up with such a fantastic dog. My plan would be to decide and get on a waiting list far enough in advance that if there were a couple litters that just didn't produce what my family and I were looking for, we wouldn't be waiting forever. In short, what I'm banking on is that the right pup with the right personality will fit in pretty flawlessly. I know what sets my basenji off in other dogs, and I'm hopeful that I could find one that would suit her and suit our home. Daisy certainly worked out well for her, and I'd love to have that same success again. I've done three puppies in my lifetime, and all of them have grown up to be well-adjusted adults. I know what it takes, and I know it's hard work. I would never go the route of having an infant and a puppy at the same time (isn't THAT actually the definition of insanity?? ;) ), but I am still trying to shoot somewhere in the next 3-4 year range so my two aren't past ten and too old to handle a puppy.
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    Yes, early socialization and positive experiences is the best way to go. I think the most important thing about puppy kindergarten is that it is positive based and focuses on socialization with both people and dogs. Some basenji don't necessarily do well with the small dogs and other love them. Sophie was always the best with the new pups of any size in her puppy class, she just had phenomenal dog language and would make herself as small as possible and go at their speed. What you want to be careful about is people who have already formed a preconceived notion of basenji behavior. My mom's first puppy class instructor always expected her boy to be aggressive even though he never showed any aggression and was always very appropriate in his interactions. I crate puppies next to the bed while housebreaking and it works fine. I have always used a large stuffed toy in the crate and this year used SnugglePuppies, they were wonderful. The pup snuggled right up to warmth and fell asleep, provided we did a good job of tiring him out for the night. I got my first basenji while I was in Grad school and lived in an apartment. It is doable as long as you are willing to make sure they get enough exercise and mental stimulation.