Saw this on CBS's Morning Show today. They tested it against other music and the dogs did calm down with this. They say it helps with anxiety, separation, etc. Might be worth a try. And how can it not be with the world best breed on the cover!

through a dogs ear

Ramsey
(aka Gebeep's Klassic Jim)

November 1994 - December 2007

Hope you understand we gave you peace so you'd stop getting hurt
and before you accidently hurt someone else. We know you'd never mean to.
Your late day anxious nature was also what make you so sweet
when you were with us. You were always by our side and kept our laps warm.
We had a great 13 years buddy.
Hope you're playing with Brie now and all your fears are gone.

We're planning a trip this fall and considering boarding the Bs in a kennel. They're 1 1/2 and, since I work from home, aren't use to being crated all day. We found a couple college students who could stay at our house, but my concern is they will be in and out a lot and there is there are WAY too many rules and routines right now – going outside (especially when wet or just tired), routine when leaving, keeping the house Basenji-proof, keeping the front door CLOSED at all times, etc. The kennel seems like the safest option -- the critters will be safe and the house as we left it. I called our vet to get some recommendations, but wondering if anyone has others (not sure if there are any SW Ohio people on here). I plan to visit a couple. Thanks

We're going through the same issue – we're planning a trip this fall for over a week. We found some college kids to stay at our house, but the more I think about it, the more a kennel seems like a better option. 2 of ours are also 1 1/2 and there is way too much to explain when being watched by someone who doesn't know them -- cover the leather couch, keep the bathroom doors closed, always make sure they go if it's wet out (which then requires: here's the best way to clean up accidents on the carpet), here's the routine when leaving, never never ever open the front door with the dogs loose.... With a kennel there are gates, gates and more gates -- no chance of bolting out the door when the pizza guy shows up! No worries about what did the destroy or mess on. Also all the other dogs may be a good distraction with you being gone.

The way I figure it, kennel owners love pets -- why else would they do it? They'll take good care of the critters and they'll be safe. I got a pretty good sense of a few kennels while making calls. Several even said, "oh, we have a few Basenji regulars here and they love it." One lady talked to me for 45 minutes about "this dog does this, and this one that, and...." talk about someone who loves dogs! We plan to try 1 or 2 out before hand, but I think I'd have more peace of mind knowing the house would be as we left it and they would be completely safe.

Since my other post is getting long, and things aren't going well in the crate department, I thought I'd start another. Call it _"The Smitty Crate Saga Part 2"
_
Is it possible some Basenjis just can't be crated and at what age do most get to roam free?

We are going on 9 months now and still Smitty HATES his crate. HATES it. He totally freaks out. Any time I put something in his crate and latch the door, he freaks out! We've tried an Xpen and found out he can climb! And today he pooped in the crate again. Its all over him all over the crate and the house smells. Here's the quick saga:

We got Smitty at 9 mos. He was in the breeder's kennel. It was a large indoor kennel with wire cages. There were 12 or so other Basenjis and 2 to a cage. The facility was quite nice with outdoor runs, etc. Smitty was the one who screamed when we put him back in his cage (ah, a sign of what was to come). He screamed a good part of the 3 hour drive in his Petmate. We kept him in that crate the first night then moved him to a 30" wire create the next day. He screamed at night. I tried a 36" version to put him and Bonnie (same age female) in together. She started to play and he attacked her (only time ever). So back in the smaller 30". Then he started to cut his nose chewing on the wire, so I switched to the Petmate. He REALLY HATES those, but he's safe. He crewed through a cheap one in only 2 days so I had to get the Mac Daddy version. Still he screamed and paced ALL night. After a couple months we let the puppies sleep in our room (he was a total different dog after that – he had energy during the day since he could now sleep at night!) After few months, with a good nose, I thought I'd try the mesh type again during the day. Guess what -- he pulled a couple bars off! So he's back in the Petmate and won't be using the wire one again.

He's nutso in the crate. I always crate him with a treat and ignore him taking him out. Anything you put in his crate he will shred (we are now using paper towels because we ran out of towels, blankets and rags). I've tried using ComfortZone with DAP – defuser AND the spray for months. Its been almost 9 months. A couple weeks ago he pooped in his crate again (he often pees but stopped pooping months ago)... then he did it again today! So I'm starting to think there may not be any hope for the crate. I don't mind making him deal with it. He can chew and scratch all he wants and if needed I'll replace his crate every 6 months, but the pooping is NOT working. Plus that just tells me he is SO anxious that he is losing control of his functions.

Years ago we had a 1 1/2 yr old female who HATED here crate too. She would poop in her crate and started to hit herself. At the age of 2 we gave up and confined her to a bedroom. It worked. So I'm wondering about leaving him shut in a room soon. I figure he's not going to be in his crate forever. Maybe leave him loose in a bedroom but crate Bonnie in the same room (just in case)? To complicate matters, we have a 13 yr old male who picks fights with him. The old guy has free roaming (except the crate room) so we'd need to address that -- obviously the old guy needs to stay away from the room Smitty would be in.

At what age do most get to roam free? Are there just some who are wired to NOT be crate pets?

I TOTALLY understand. Smitty STILL today peed in his crate and just last week he pooped (first time in months but he's 1 1/2!). In fact, just last week I bought the spray in addition to the defuser. Dog.com has it for $28 with free shipping over $50. I called the manufacture and they said you can use both at the same time. Just squirt 6-10 pumps on the inside of the crate…. as much as the stuff calms Bonnie down, being near by is going to knock her out! I've tried it for a couple days and so far it doesn't seem to do much for him. I'll set up the video camera again and see. I think maybe it just works on some and not others. To me it was worth a try. With Bonnie we sprayed it on a bandana and that's all it took.

Thanks for sharing. I'm so sorry to hear of your loss. But take comfort in knowing you did the right thing. Ringo needed the peace that only you could give. What you did was the most unselfish act. You are now taking the pain and I'm sure Ringo is up there jumping around on the beach stealing cookies.

Just last year I had to do the same. My path is similar to yours. We saw an ad in the paper as well: "1 yr old red/white Basenji". We had great times hiking and playing on the beach. Brie was just over 14 last year. A year prior she lost her hearing then her bladder control then most cognitive abilities. I started working from home and was able to spend more time with her. But towards the end, she didn't seem to recognize me. She started to walk into things and was rapidly loosing weight. I saw her fall down a flight of stairs and it was tearing me up inside. I talked to several vets who all came to the same conclusion. It was time to let go. It was the only way I could give her her dignity back and it was the hardest decision I've ever had to make. Ever.

It took several weeks to start to move on and several months to not think about it ALL the time. I still think about her a lot, but now I think about the good times with her. Just take some peace in knowing you did the right thing. You had some great times with Ringo. Most dogs never get to go the beach or share experiences that you did. You gave Ringo a great life and I'm sure he's up there driving Brie nuts about now. God has a special place for animals and I truly believe you'll see him again.

Bonnie responded very well to ComfortZone spray with DAP when she was puppy. It calmed her right down and eased the transition to our house. It doesn't seem to be the case with Smitty. I've used the plug in defuser for 4 months now… of course now I'm affraid to stop using it of fear of how make it worse! Maybe I need to squirt the stuff up his nose

When ever we start to leave he runs upstairs and plops on his dog bed in the office as if to say "see, I'll be good right here and you guys can leave... really"

Smitty will go in his crate if there if food in there, but if he sees you coming up from behind, he'll high tail it out of there! Shut the door on him and he'll freak out. He won't eat if closed in and there will be food everywhere if you try. We have a complex feeding system – the old guy eats in the kitchen with us, Smitty eats in the dinning room (with his bowl in his crate, but door open) and Bonnie in her crate with the door closed (she on the other hand prefers the door closed so the other dogs don't steal her food).

Today was a typical crating morning -- put Bonnie and Smitty in their crates with a treat, gated the doorway (so the old guy couldn't get in), Bonnie laid down and Smitty whined a bit, came home 30 minutes later to him SCREAMING, could smell that he peed in his crate (even though he went out just before), I plug my ears and make him sit, then he bolts out with his uneaten treat... and now they are all asleep in my office.

I agree with the others, I don't think getting a second is a good idea to fix the problem because it may not. HOWEVER on the topic of multiples, my experience is pairs are usually a good thing. We had 1 and she had way more energy that us. She also had major SA. When she was 2 we got a second, a male. They were buds. She'd play and run with him, but at time be a bit snippy with him. He however loved her. That was 12 years ago. When we lost her last year her mate seemed to miss her. We got puppy soon after, but again the puppy had WAY more energy than us or our old male. 6 months later with much discussion, and the help from this forum, we got her a playmate. My advice, is (and aside from your issues) IF you think you'll want a second some day soon, its best to do it sooner than later. I just feel Basenjis need another dog to hang out with. You should see our 2 play chase in the yard – you'd think they were litter mates. And now our 12 yr old has more couch time.