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Tips for New Basenji Owners!

Basenji Training
  • Ninabeana26N

    We actually have a very nice off-leash dog park close to our home & I have planned on taking him there when he gets old enough. I want to try & socialize him as much as possible while he is young so he won't be as aloof when strangers come into our home or protective if other dogs are around. I will be sure to allow him doggy-time but also know when to remove him if I see any dogs that may not be properly socialized. I know some people love the idea of dog parks, others hate it. I think you just need to find the balance, know that not all dogs are going to be socialized & therefore trusted, & know when to leave a bad environment, whether that is the dog park or Petsmart.

    Now another question, I know many of you have your dog sleep in your bed at night (or at least bedroom) but what about when they are still a puppy and not housebroken? Do you put them in their crate at night to sleep until housebroken?

    Nina & my baby boy Dallas

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  • WBLW

    All my guys let me sleep in the king size bed with them, lol. Have since they were pups (well the basenji still is a pup, but he's potty trained now).

    As for at night well, I have honestly never had a problems with potty accidents at night. I am not a really light sleeper but I always seem to know when they move around that its more than just getting comfortable. Also, I put a very light weight lead on them and attach it to a 5lbs weight giving them enough room to move around but not enough to fall off the bed and get caught up. I only do this long enough to get used to their sleeping pattern.

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  • DukeD

    I did. When Duke was a puppy - I got him used to the crate ASAP. I made it a happy comfortable cozy place. Put an old quilted bed spread draped around 3 sides. (he chewed thru and destuffed the spread - I didn't mind.) Crate training can be found on other threads here if you do a search. My dogs are comfortable and happy to go in their crates as trained. He was house trained by 6 mos, but our night-time habits remained the same till he was 10-11 months old when I let Duke sleep on our bed one very tiring Thanksgiving night. BTW - Duke and Daisy are crate trained and stay go in their crates when no one is home. They actually love the peace and comfort in there. Neither one exhibits a wild behavior to get let out when I/we come home. We never make a big deal about seeing them either. We stay calm and they do too.

    Jill

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  • tanzaT

    Because you really need to crate train, I would not let them sleep in bed until crate trained and house broken….

    That said, if you are going to crate your B during the day, then I think it is unfair to then crate all night too.. (AND while I love the Evergreen basenji manuel, this is one section that I totally disagree on)

    Pat Fragassi

    Tanza Basenjis

    www.tanzabasenjis.net

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  • NexaN

    We crated Nexa at night for the first month, the crate was in the bedroom right next to our bed. Her first night in the bed was the best night of sleep we got in a month:) I think it helped to establish that our bed is a special place and we don’t have to give that privlege.

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  • N

    Savannah loves the dog park, she is able to run around like crazy and still have the feeling of security that i am nearby and so is the rest of the pack, caesar, cairo , nikki, topper, eddie , callie , jack and a handfl of other basenjis that come on sundays.

    She has been sleeping with me and she definately loves the bed.

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  • tanzaT

    @Nexa:

    We crated Nexa at night for the first month, the crate was in the bedroom right next to our bed. Her first night in the bed was the best night of sleep we got in a month:) I think it helped to establish that our bed is a special place and we don’t have to give that privlege.

    Exactly, all of mine when they are sleeping in crates are in the bedroom… of course, IMO... if one has a problem and the crate was other then in a place easily heard by the human... again IMO.. defeats the purpose of using the crate to housetrain at night... along with crate train.... doesn't make is a very pleasant place if they have a problem and have no place to relieve themselves other then the crate....

    Pat Fragassi

    Tanza Basenjis

    www.tanzabasenjis.net

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  • MaxBooBooBearM

    If I were limited to 3 tips–I would say training, training, and more training. :D

    It's great that you have done so much research ahead of time and are getting your pup from a good breeder. That will help a lot. I got my first B from a pet store and knew absolutely nothing about the breed......really, the best tip I got at that time was to make sure I took him to training classes.

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  • B

    1. Crate train

    2. Socialize

    3. Never underestimate a Basenji.;)

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  • JazzysMomJ

    @Basenji_Boy:

    1. Crate train

    2. Socialize

    3. Never underestimate a Basenji.;)

    Yes!! And as soon as you feel like you've got them trained and can relax a little DON'T!!! :p

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  • B

    @JazzysMom:

    Yes!! And as soon as you feel like you've got them trained and can relax a little DON'T!!! :p

    Amen to that one JM!:D

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  • R

    My basenjis have a new yard, but won't poop there. Any recommendations?

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    ZandeZ
    @erica-ruth said in My basenjis have a new yard, but won't poop there. Any recommendations?: I can set my watch by second poop My first ever Basenji, Donner, back in the very early 1980s learned from very young that as soon as he'd emptied, we'd turn and head back home. Lady, who arrived in the household just four days after Donner and long before we totally dog-proofed the garden, so walks were necessary, did her business as and when she needed to. But Himself no - to prolong the walk he'd hang on for (sometimes) miles ! When the first litter came along, we did totally fence the entire garden so as to keep the pack safe. It was only later, after several litters developed a penchant for fresh vegetables straight off the plant, Brussel Sprouts, sweet corn, cucumbers, raspberries etc, that we had to fence off the vegetable garden to protect it from the marauding hordes. The herb garden had to be isolated too, or we'd have even sweeter smelling puppies than normal.
  • B

    Our new Basenji doesn't mind soiling her crate?

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    MplsGirlM
    I had a similar problem when my last dog was a puppy. She was a rescue, and barely 5 weeks old when I got her, so her ability to hold her urine or bowels was not a very long length of time. As puppies get older they can go longer periods of time between eliminating, but it's important to research (google puppy housetraining) lengths of time for your puppy's age, and work out a schedule for her accordingly. My puppy needed to be brought to the puppy pad and fed every few hours around the clock, and she was initially more work than a newborn baby. As far as the crating goes… puppies are more likely to soil a crate that is too large for them. That doesn't mean you need to run out and get a new one, but rather you can make the used area in her crate smaller. When my puppy was little, I had a soft bag carrier that was small that I placed inside the crate and closed both so she got used to the big crate, but was also just in the smaller carrier bag. You could also use boxes to reduce the size but I would worry about the puppy getting wedged in between the box and the crate, so if you use a box or wood or whatever, make sure it is secure and your puppy can NOT wiggle between it and the crate. Also, accidents will happen with puppies once in a while. They are like human toddlers who have very little control and are learning and gaining strength every day to become more and more house trained, so patience is key. Hope these tips help!
  • crystalncodyC

    New problem

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    wizardW
    I'm not sure, in your situation, I would leave the dog outside until he made the decision to come in. It almost sounds as if the dog had bad experiences inside at the previous home and outside was the only place he could stay or maybe was forced to stay; anyway you now have to counteract all that. All the good points have been made by others, now you have to put them all together. Do not let the dog outside without a long lead (long closthesline or whatever); when you say come reel in the lead and treat and praise. You have to be consistent too; use the same word, treat immediately, etc. Also I don't think I would leave the dog loose outside until this is overcome. If possible I would also take the time to be outside with your dog (still on the lead) and play with him and praising and treating for any good interaction he does. Also you might want to have a special treat just for the come command and for entering the house. He does not get this treat until he comes and/or he enters the house - but make it something really special that is not given except for this purpose.
  • E

    New Basenji and Potty Training

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    S
    Yes, my girl was well socialized. It's not that my voice is so startling to her. It's more that she doesn't like to be scolded and will find a way in the not too distant future to repay me with her opinion. Since I learned a while ago to not do this, I haven't suffered her wrath in some time but when I did it could be anything from finding she had peed or pooped just out of my sight to finding something I value that had just been totally shredded. I found that I could scold her reasonably for what she had done but then I needed to immediately reinforce my love for her so that she knew she didn't need to rebel against me. This has worked well for me. Shouting at her would always reap me a grim reward in the end.
  • JannekeJ

    New activities

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    SchouiffyS
    how can you weave such stories and have no pictures!! ?? ;) we need pictures….
  • SweetpeaelfS

    Housebreaking Tip

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    M
    I use bells with my B. He learned to use them in like 2 days. Since then, I've only had "accidents" when I ignore him b/c I'm busy. Sometimes he rings them just to go out to play, but other times he rings them when he REALLY has to pee. The best thing is, they are portable so when I go visiting with him he always knows how to tell me he has to pee.