My wife and I decided we were going to finally go ahead and purchase a Basenji. We have researched the breed and had interest for quite a few years but we were not ready for another dog, especially a Basenji and all the warnings surrounding the breed. Since we were unable to find them locally, we went looking elsewhere and found a reputable AKC registered breeder from Georgia. Although my Basenji was born in Georgia, he is a natural Nebraska Cornhuskers fan! We also have a 5 year old Toy American Eskimo who is 12 pounds.
Since we had to purchase our pup from out of state and he would not get to us for a week after we made the purchase, the excitement was unbearable. So my wife asks me if we can go to a local pet shop that always has many different breeds of puppies just to play with them. I call it a good mistake.... because we ended up leaving with a gorgeous Shiba Inu/Mini Poodle mix. We went from a 1 dog household to 3 in a matter of 2 days. Yikes, right? Anyways, the pups absolutely love each others company and our Eskimo is coming around to both of them. He seems to be more fond of the Shibapoo at this point but is getting much better with the Basenji. We think it may be because the Basenji might eventually trump the other two in the pack hierarchy dogs tend to form.
We have had our new baby Basenji for about 4 weeks now. He was potty trained in about 5 days and has only had 3 crate accidents (pee), I suspect it is just because he is a pup and his bladder is still developing. He was only born on 11/6/2015 so hes still a babe. He also knows how to very enthusiastically do his basic tricks...Sit, shake, lay down, and roll over. Love the breed so far and can not wait to set up Lure Course Machine in the back yard.
here is a few pictures over those last 4 weeks that I feel the need to share, hence the reason I am here. Meet Rusty!
I work from home so I get to spend alot of time with these guys. Rusty will sit on my lap for hours while I work. He does not move until he wants something to eat or the other dogs start playing and he wants to join. 
Learning about the ornery side to our Basenji. Little guy took me off guard when I left the room for 3 minutes, came back and he was about over the chair. 
First week we brought him home he decided to explore under, inside, and all up in the chair. Look at his expression, not sure what he got himself into. Lol.
Welcome!
Yep, he is a curious looking pup for sure! Love the name that definitely reflects his unique tri-color! Baby Basenjis' ears are soooooooooooooo cute! great that he is learning so quickly! congrats!
Hi and welcome. Those adorable pictures! PUPPY, PUPPY BUTT, PUPPY trapped... fantastic pics.!!! Who did you get your pup from? I live in GA (not a breeder).
I hate petstore purchased dogs (except adoption ones), but glad your new addition has a good home.
I do want to give one cautionary bit of advice. Never ever go in pet stores or dog parks with a new puppy in the house or coming. The risk of carrying in diseases is a scary one. Many petstore puppies are not healthy, but you also have to wonder about issues at dog parks. Once your pup's immune system is fully developed, all vaccines done, go for it. Obedience classes are fine IF you make sure they require proof of vaccination in all puppies. The seriousness of it, btw, ... well if someone were getting one of my pups (I bred rotties long ago), they'd have to wait at least 2 or 3 weeks after bringing in another dog from a shelter/petstore to make sure no parvo or infectious diseases. Y
How old is the other new addition, is Shibapoo a male or female? Hopefully you are aware that basenjis can be dog aggressive, esp with same sex. However, many basenji folks prefer raising 2 at once so while a lot for you and your wife, I am sure the companionship is great. Obviously you aren't having any bonding issues with your lap dog. 
Oh, and we love pictures... so please share pics of your other two! And really really welcome to the forums. Loving homes are a joy to share with, especially puppy ones for those of us longing for one.
I am not partial to puppy stores either as I do not trust the information they provide about the dogs lineage, where they came from, or what they are. My family was surprised I even purchased a mix breed from a pet store because I am so picky with what I buy and does not suit my personality. Although, I can say with confidence that this particular store does do a great job of keeping all their pups up to date on shots and vaccinations but I still do not trust where they say the pups came from or what they are, especially with a mix like the shibapoo we bought. That being said, this is why I call him a good mistake because hes a great dog but I had no intentions of bring him in until my wife wouldnt let go. We had him for about 10 days before we brought the Basenji in. Prior to getting the Basenji, we had a full examination, rabies shot, worm test, parvo, and all other shots and vaccines up to date on the Shibapoo.
I have heard some Basenji's can become aggressive but I do not foresee this happening in my situation. All 3 of the dogs get along great. The only one that has shown any aggression was my eskimon during the first week we had the Basenji home. I would not even call it aggrssion though, more or less lip raising and walking away, he just didnt seem to show interest. Now that they have all been in my home for over a month, they are all house trained and playing like best friends now. Though I am going with the consensus warning and crate train when I am not home. I have had good experience crate training with my Eskimo that he uses it just to go take a nap on his own sometimes. The only difference is my Eskimo does not need to be locked up since the age of 2 and he's never been bad when weren't home. Hes now 5. Based on all the warning, I probably will not trust the Basenji until he is about 5, if even then. The Shibapoo could probably be left out right now but I figured I would crate train him as well to keep the Basenji some company when we aren't home. I have 3, 30x19 crates. One for each.
He is from a breeder in southeast Georgia. I do not have a city name but I found him on puppysearch.com and the breeder had wonderful reviews from other Basenji owners.
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For you wife and the puppy... the heart wants what the heart wants. I paid $100 for a chow puppy at a flea market (they wanted $300 so at least they didn't really make anything). I placed her in a home in Philadelphia... but you can see why it was hard to leave her there (she is being held by my friend Sally) :
@Radil.Andrew said:
I have heard some Basenji's can become aggressive but I do not foresee this happening in my situation. ...
Based on all the warning, I probably will not trust the Basenji until he is about 5, if even then.
He is from a breeder in southeast Georgia. I do not have a city name but I found him on puppysearch.com and the breeder had wonderful reviews from other Basenji owners. > .
Sadly, you won't know about dog aggression til they hit maturity. Just be on the watch for it. I lived with Sayblee, my heart dog. She actually let baby Arwen (our 2nd basenji) try to NURSE on her. She was spectacular with puppies. But other than my male Rottie, at 3 she felt it was her job to eliminate every dog here... particularly my Chow. Then when Arwen matured, she turned on her. No matter the breed, you can't know til they are mature. I hope you are right, and many basenjis are not dog aggressive. We now have Cara, a rescue, and while her dog aggression is not as out in orbit as Sayblee's, she's very dog aggressive and even with puppies. My daughter wants another dog, but it will have to be a large breed male to have a prayer with her. Sayblee letting new arrival Arwen try to nurse, and then with rescue Maya (fostered for BRAT)
Btw, Sayblee was fairly reliable as an adult about damage, but because of the aggression, crated. Arwen didn't tear up anything, she'd just come pee on my bed. Crated. Surprisingly the craziest dog I have ever owned (as in fearful, anxious, on Prozac) is safe out now (she just turned 6, but we didn't attempt it until Arwen died). She's only crated if we have workers here that need in the bedroom.
Thank you Debra. Sayblee is a very good looking dog and I love the way adult Basenjis bodies fill out as adults. I like how the brown goes down her legs too giving the appearance of white socks.
I will definitely keep your words in mind should I see any signs of aggression forming as he matures. I can only pray I luck out and he continues to get along well.
