@jengosmonkey FINGERS CROSSED! I'm excited to see more photos if you get any!
There is only one basenji breeder here and due to reasons that really have nothing to do with dogs, I can't work with him, so I've been looking for a mentor with experience with another similar breed. Considering the lack of quality breeders here on my little island and some amount of language barrier, I may have to resort to remote mentorship. You were lucky Stella was only a few hours away!
I'll hopefully start a similar thread in a while documenting Roux's journey one day!
How to Add Sparkle to Your Holiday
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My mom still keeps a Sheltie. When her last one was getting older, Mom got a Sheltie puppy. The older one schooled the puppy and the as the puppy grew, she started to look after the older one. Mom said the puppy was able to learn the rules of the house at warp speed having the older dog to model what was acceptable and what wasn't. Maybe not too late?
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Love her
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@jengosmonkey said in How to Add Sparkle to Your Holiday:
I think his world is much happier with another dog to share it with.
Of course he is ! Basenjis are pack animals. One will form a pack with his/her principal owner (be careful who becomes the Alpha. . . !) but there is nothing like having a Basenji buddy living in.
We got Mku because Hoover was miserable after Keepurr died and they bonded very tightly but he was scarcely 6 months old when she joined her half-brother over the Bridge.
Mku's half brother (same Dad) is 4 weeks old today and will be joining us late January - it will be wonderful to have two dogs again.
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@Zande I am very much looking forward to seeing Mku's little brother in January! That should be very much fun!
We've only had Sparkle home for about 5 days, so everything is still a bit new to her and us. As an adult, I've never had two dogs before, nor a female. I did as a kid, but Mom took care of things. Sparkle isn't fearless, but she's much less hesitant to dive in and for something that peaks her interest. Definitely food driven too, so I have to be disciplined about weighing her weekly to keep her at the correct weight. Stella sent me this picture of Sparkle at 8 weeks. What a cutie...
I've been trying to get Logan to play with toys with me. He will once in a great while, but not a lot. I was absolutely delighted to walk in on the two of them yesterday playing full on Tug-o-War with a stuffed toy they'd gutted leaving a trail of fuzz all over.
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@zande - That is great Zande, I am sure that Mku will be thrilled to have a companion! Happy Holidays!
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@jengosmonkey said in How to Add Sparkle to Your Holiday:
I was absolutely delighted to walk in on the two of them yesterday playing full on Tug-o-War with a stuffed toy they'd gutted leaving a trail of fuzz all over.
Cute, but you need to be careful. When dogs tear toys apart there is always the danger they will ingest parts of their "prey" and that could cause a blockage, as I am sure you know. A better plan is to teach them that destructible toys are off limits for rough play, and restrict their access to them when you can't supervise. Let them play with toys that won't come apart when you aren't present.
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@eeeefarm I agree about toys. Good points. It was unexpected. I'd had that toy out for weeks with Logan and he rarely payed much attention to it. Until they ganged up on it she hadn't paid any attention to it at all. While it was funny to walk in on, I don't want to encourage them to much. Deconstructing things is funny until couches and blockages. I'll get them a rope to tug instead.
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So, this is interesting. Today I've watched them play a new game... It's the "I just saw you see something and I don't know what it was, but I'm sure I'm faster and I know I'm going to want it more than you" game. It's like watching Thing 1 and Thing 2. Now I see how the toy got shredded. They feed off of one another. And, it doesn't seem to take much to for one to spin the other one up. Oh boy. And, I'd already thought they were comfortable. Apparently they feel there's room for improvement...
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@jengosmonkey said in How to Add Sparkle to Your Holiday:
Now I see how the toy got shredded. They feed off of one another.
Yes, with two you will find this, and not just with Basenjis. My sister had two dogs that liked to dig in the dog run. After one had an injury they separated them so she could heal, putting her into a smaller run. Neither dog did any digging during that time, but once reunited the excavations resumed. Two will generally get up to more mischief than one, but two aren't as likely to be deliberately destructive as one with separation anxiety on its own. However, games can escalate into unintentional damage.
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@eeeefarm I love seeing them happy. We’ll have to keep an eye open to keep them safe. I’m pretty sure I’ve graduated from Basenji 101 and maybe 201. 301 will require new skills though. Together they are fast.
Another cool observation is that Sparkle now looks me right in the eye. It took a few days, but I love seeing the change.
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@jengosmonkey said in How to Add Sparkle to Your Holiday:
I'll get them a rope to tug instead.
Don't get them a rope tug - make them a 'rabbit !'
Get hold of several pairs of panty-hose. 2, 3 or 4 depending on thickness. Knot them firmly together in the middle then again at about 2 inch intervals down to the toes. Try to have the last knot close to the end. (It hurts your fingers to get the knots done !)
Then go back to the other end, divide the panty ends into two and tie very firm knots at 2 inch intervals up each so you end up with a nice, springy three-way pull-able 'rabbit' - You will be able to join in the tug-o'-war too !
A neighbor gets me a supply of tights (as we call them over here) and I made one for each puppy in a couple of litters recently. Mku has several and loves fetching them from his toybox for Paul to play with him and for me to trip over. . .
Cheap, harmless and enormous fun for puppies and adults.
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@zande I like that idea. Pretty sure I know where my wife keeps hers. I’ll post a picture when I’ve made it.
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@jengosmonkey The knots need to be quite close together so there is enough fabric between them to stretch but not enough to unravel.
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@jengosmonkey said in How to Add Sparkle to Your Holiday:
Pretty sure I know where my wife keeps hers.
ooooooo.... you're gonna get in trouble! :smiling_face_with_open_mouth_closed_eyes:
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@elbrant said in How to Add Sparkle to Your Holiday:
ooooooo.... you're gonna get in trouble! :smiling_face_with_open_mouth_closed_eyes:
Can't help it. Do you suppose I got a Basenji because they best reflect my true nature, or have they trained me to be one of them?
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@jengosmonkey
Whatta "bute" !
And a rare non-tri from Stella, haha. CONGRATS! -
@helle-devi Thank you! She really is a beautiful girl. We get compliments every time we walk them both. It's been fun getting to know her. Very different than both Logan and Jengo. I'd describe her as leather with lace trimmings. She can be sweet and affectionate while she firmly inserts herself between Logan and I while I'm petting him. She takes what she wants when she wants it and will demonstrate great patience if that's what's needed. I gave both Logan and Sparkle an elk antler to chew on. She wanted his instead. He chewed his for what seemed like 15 - 20 minutes. She watched the whole time. The second he got up, so did she. She slinked over and took it while he had his back turned. Then returned to where she was. Now she sat contently with a pile of two antlers.
Logan loves her...
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@jengosmonkey
So wonderful they are getting along.
Our girl just turned 8 and we should be making plans soon to add a younger pal to keep her on her toes! -
Thought I'd give a Sparkle update. More observations and thoughts than an update...
So... Sparkle's been with us since December '20. She Joined Logan, who we'd gotten in September '20.
Again, observations and thoughts. I met both Sparkle and Logan on the same day. Given a choice I would have chosen Sparkle. Circumstances allowed us to bring Logan home and he and I bonded immediately. Maybe even on the way home. I would posit that he and I bonded faster than ANY dog I've ever had as an adult. I've loved all my dogs and always will, but Logan filled a break in my heart so big that only a dog's love could have filled the Grand Canyon sized wound. And, he did so with so much love. He just gave it to me. So, a few months later it was Sparkles turn. Never had a female dog of my own. What would that be like? Never had two dogs at one time. Would I be able to truly bond with more than one?
Sparkle is a gentle princess. A sweet petite Basenji who's shown me, once again, that size doesn't matter. She's fearless, assertive without being overly aggressive, observant, self reliant, and affectionate yet not overly needy. She's insanely curious, cautious when it matters, and she has manners. Never snaps for a snack. She is the Duchess of Morgan.
I think that because she's not needy and has confidence... maybe it took us a bit longer to bond. My breeder, @Astarte, told me that it really takes about three months for a dog to realize and accept their new home. She took to my wife immediately, so I wasn't concerned, but I still wanted... her and I to bond. You can't force these things though. I don't. You have to look for opportunities.
Logan and Sparkle were born 10 days apart, but were raised together. Essentially litter mates. They're two now, so mature and still possessing o so much focus and energy. Logan's focus is food. Sparkle's focus is the outdoors and all that it has to offer. So, recall has proved challenging.
Our town has one the largest fenced dog parks in the county. If we get there early there are no other dogs there and we can turn them loose. Logan will come if I yell "Logan, come!", whistle, or use the clicker. Every single time. He lives for the treat on my end. Sparkle doesn't care. It's all about being free. I get it. I wouldn't come back either. But, if I ever want to be able to turn her loose I have to be able to trust that she'll come back. Check this out. I hooked them both up to a brace similar to this, I call Sparkle ("Sparkle, come!"), and Logan drags her back to me because he's so food driven. I always treat her first because I called her, then him. Now she's finally starting to come on her own without him when I walk her separately, or when we're in the dog park. We're still a ways off from freedom without a fence, but we're getting closer.
She loves diving a shoulder into me, rolling over and begging for pets and scratches now, which I absolutely adore. I adore her attention. While Logan is vocal about how he demands attention, her left paw cannot be ignored. She really is a force of nature. Very much the most Basenji basenji I've ever had and I love it. She's taught Logan to drink from gutters and puddles, which I always stop! YUCK! Fertilizer and mosquitos. She taught me to carry a dog water bottle during our walks. I should write a book... Stupid Human Tricks, written by Logan, Sparkle and Jengo.
I love Princess Sparkle. She's our sweetheart. I believe she's found her home in that she dominates every couch back in the entire house. She owns them. They're hers. It's her kingdom. It's her birthright. To her... how could it be any other way?
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@jengosmonkey said in How to Add Sparkle to Your Holiday:
. I hooked them both up to a brace
A very long time ago, before I had Basenjis, I used to walk and train dogs for people. My constant companion was a small GSD crossbred, and she helped me teach many dogs recall in a similar fashion. I would attach them together by the collars, and she would bring the dog with her when I called. One time, her head was down and the other dog pulled away, and she slipped her collar. Tippy understood what had happened. From then on, when she had to stop and turn the other dog, she sat back on her hindquarters like a roping horse, held her head high to retain the collar, then brought the dog back to me! Dogs are smart!
