The First Week
Let them come to you for attention until you can get to know
and "read" them well, and they get to know you.
Try very hard not to invade their "space" by suddenly
reaching for them or trying to pull them out from under something.
This can make a Basenji nervous--and occasionally defensive.
Lots of verbal praise and high-pitched "Happy talk" are
very good and reassuring to the Basenji.
Feel free to rename your dog, if that would make them feel more
like "yours." It's totally up to you whether you want to
keep their original name.
If you only have the one Basenji, let them drag a 6-foot leash
around for the first week. You can even attach this to your
waist or arm and "umbilical" cord them. Basenjis love
to be where you are, and this allows you to gently pull them off
a bed or chair or stop them from chasing a cat, etc. without
having to resort to suddenly "grabbing" them.
Expect them to be a bit lonesome and to not know where to go
to the bathroom around (or in) your home the first few days.
Make sure that you take them out regularly every 2-4 hours until
they understand where it is appropriate to go. Praise and reward
mightily for going outside. An immediate food treat is very helpful
when they do what you want (Basenjis can be bribed.)
Taking them to too many strange places when they are trying to
adjust to you and your household can overstress them, so it's
probably better to wait until the second or third week to take
them visiting.
Above all, keep the first week very simple, and just try to
get to know them and what they like and don't like.
Training Tips
Use food lures, rewards and lots of praise to make them do
something you want. No negative stuff other than saying
"No" (if they understand this command). Check
out Training Tips and Commands
for additional suggestions.
Do a couple of very short, daily, fun sessions of "Sit"
and "Come," and give them lots of praise and treats
for compliance. This is a very subtle way of letting them know
who gives the commands in the household--and who dispenses
the treats.
The very best way of making sure that they behave is to try
very hard not to set them up to fail in the first place.
Basenji-proof
your house. Don't leave things lying around that will tempt
them to get into trouble.
If they do something bad, try
Distract,Command,Praise
Another option is to keep laundry squirt bottles of water
strategically placed in the house. Basenjis are not fond of
water (they hate going out in the rain!) You can give them
a "squirt" from across the room, if they are doing
something serious that they shouldn't do.
If they have something dangerous in their mouth, get a delicious
bit of food (meat scraps, cheese, etc.) and tell them
"Trade." They will need to spit out the dangerous
thing to be able to eat the food treat. Tell them what marvelous
Basenjis they are if they do the "Trade."
Crate-Trained Basenjis If you need to crate your Basenji for
a short time, throw a delicious treat or dog cookie in the crate
and ask if they "Want a cookie?". If the Basenji needs
to be crate-trained, follow the suggestions in
Gentle Crate Training.
Leaving Them Alone Loose in the House Start working very slowly
with leaving them alone loose in the house by themselves. First
simply go out the door and come right back in. Don't make a big
deal of either coming or going. As soon as they are comfortable
with this and don't raise a fuss when you leave, walk a few steps
outside and then come back in--again not making a fuss over them.
As they become comfortable with each step, increase the distance,
until you can finally get in the car, get out, and come back in.
The final stages are driving the car around the block, and then
gradually increasing the time you are gone. The object is to make
sure that the adopted dog knows that you will ALWAYS come back.
Be sure that they are comfortable with each step before moving
ahead.
Cautions/Leashes/Collars
Most Basenjis are "escape-artists," and you have to make
sure they don't slip out past you when you open the door.
Don't trust them off-leash. Ever. They can dash right in front of
a car when chasing another dog, a cat or a squirrel, and they are
frequently killed by cars. A 6-foot
leash is good for walking them
in city areas, and a 50-foot, heavy duty
Flexi-leash
is useful when you want to walk them in an open field and let them stretch
their legs a bit. (Flexi-leashes go out and retract automatically.)
Recommended collars are:
Martingale-type collars,
"Safety chokes," and
"No-pull" harnesses.
For a serious "puller," you might investigate the
Gentle Leader
head halter.
Remember that it will take nearly a month for an adopted Basenji
to settle in, and for the two of you to learn each others'
likes and dislikes. By four months, your Basenji will probably
feel very much at home in your home.
Copyright © 2001 by Betsy Polglase
All rights reserved.