@debradownsouth @lizann @roffutt1 @ChrisF Thanks for all the advice and encouragement! So glad to hear those stories about your pups. We are trying to find a crate, but as you can imagine, Burkina Faso doesn't have much in terms of pet supplies... most dogs in the city are strays and having a pet isn't quite the same in this culture. Nonetheless, we heard that we can order a dog crate through AirFrance that can double as the travel crate when we leave in 2 years... it's $250 or so (wild!).
She's a mix, but maybe just slightly so. Her ears don't stand up and she's a bit taller than other pure Basenji's I've seen in the States. In West Africa, though, she looks like all the other dogs! Sometimes I do a double take with the strays when I'm driving home from work!
We've decided to let her on the couch, but no chairs nor the bed. After ignoring her for a few days, she no longer digs or chews (!!) the door at 2:30 am. Now we are training her to not jump on the bed (which she loves to do in the middle of the night).
My husband and I are doing steady training sessions with her, and now I've started doing walk/jogs in the mornings. Slowly but surely, she's trusting us! And then she comes out of left field with some crazy stuff... like she somehow pulled my wedding ring off the chest of drawers and chewed it up! All is well but... omg!