@jhewell I agree 100%! They are all different but some things remain unchanged. They suffer from horrible separation anxiety because they are Pack Animals and if they are alone and another member of the Pack is not there they get hysterical. Being alone in a Crate while the Person leaves to go to work has a very detrimental effect on them.

It is really sad because people do not do their homework to learn about the Breed before getting a Pup. These are the folks that surrender them to BRAT. These Dogs should never be left in their Crate for hours. Others may disagree with me on that but I have been rescuing Dogs, Cats, Horses and sometimes Wolves dumped at the Dog Pound since I was 15 years old. One must learn to read the body language of the Animal and they will always let you know when something is wrong.
I dislike Behaviorism which is a false science. It is also very dangerous because an animal will only take so much of this manipulation and then will respond with a Bite or a Kick!

You did the right thing for your Pup. Other Pups may not have the same reaction but part of the Breed Profile is Separation Anxiety. This is a huge deal so one must find a way to not let that happen.

:)

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@mike67 My girl was called Mbera because that is the Congolese name for Piano. She was a Tri and her photo is in my profile. She was about 9 months old and she was chewing on a stick! I never used her Congolese Name but did call her Antigone because like her namesake, she refused to negotiate. Since nobody could properly pronounce her name I called her Tiggy. When she passed it felt like I had lost my child.

Enjoy your new little homewrecker!

:

How was she when she did not take the appetite suppressant? I would remove every Med that is not life-threatening if it is removed. Too many Meds can interact badly with one another. Does she like Carrots or Broccoli? They make great snacks and my dog loved them Raw or Cooked. Raw is better because they get to crunch it and part of the appeal of a snack is the Crunch!

I would also get a second opinion before considering a Biopsy. If she starts to seize that is a sign that she has some type of Cancer. No seizures is great! My girl started having Seizures when she was 12 and she had a Carcinoma in her small intestine. I had that removed and she lived until she was 16 and I had to let her go because the Cancer had relapsed.

Good luck with your girl but I do not think the combination of Meds is a good one.

@rgk9ruler Wow! Another 16-year-old Basenji! The Breed Profile says they usually live for 12 years. I had a stainless steel Crate and it was next to my bed. She spent HOURS pushing on the top of the Crate and she managed to slide the top back and got out!

She was sitting there very satisfied with herself and looked at me and said 'See what I did?!' When they go to that much trouble it is clear they will not be contained. She slept with me and was always under the covers at the bottom of the bed between my feet!

They are amazing and the ONLY time she was in the Crate was when we were driving someplace. She was an awesome traveler and a hilarious little spirit!

I miss her every day!!!

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@tanza I agree. My B did not Roo until she was around 3. She did not Yodel until she was 14 years old. It was the most hilarious sound I ever heard in my life! They are the greatest pets for people who can understand them and their behaviors. I miss mine every day!

@khaipan I too am waiting as I have a Senior Cat that is a Killer. I will not be able to bring a new Pup until she passes. I keep her because I refuse to destroy a healthy animal even though she killed my fave cat of all time.

I am glad that B owners share similar separation stories. These Dogs grieve.

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@kembe Gorgeous photo! I am unable to see the coloring, is it Chestnut & White or a Tri? I would definitely submit this for consideration. When my Dog was 1 year old she Modeled a $14,500.00 Queen Anne Dog Bed for Forbes Magazine. She was 'Paid' $150.00 for the 15 minutes it took to get the Photo. Forbes got more calls about my Dog than that ridiculous Dog Bed. Antigone was a Tri with a Bandit Mask...

::)

@kembe I agree and no matter what if you Adopt, Buy or Rescue and Animal of any Species you have the ethical obligation to take care of the Pet for its life. This crossbreeding must be stopped. Now there are Puppy Mills that have allegedly Basenjis.

The Breeders in the US are so protective of their Dogs that they control who is allowed to buy a Puppy. Some awful person somehow came across a Female and crossed it with another type of Dog. I am absolutely horrified to know these Dogs are in Puppy Mills. I wish that I could investigate this myself but there are so many locations of these Mills that they are not only hard to find but this is also a generational thing where the 'Business' stays in the Family. USDA has Four Vets the last time I checked and they have to go and check on the Mills. There are not enough Vets to check all of the Dogs and Cats.

Wherever you find Animals there is always someone there trying to sell you something. I retain Ownership of my Horses and I free lease them and there is no money and I have the right to take a Horse back and if the Lessee cannot take care of the Horse any longer I take it back. This has always worked out well for me and my Horses.

I bet everyone here would love to come back as one of our Basenjis!

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This dog is really cute! I see GERMAN SHEPHERD DOG more than Basenji. His head and face look like German Shepherd dog to me...

It does not matter because you rescued him and just be happy with him!!!

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@mcolombo1220 LOVE the Name! He is very lucky to have found you! Take good care of him and he will take care of you!

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She is gorgeous and a keeper! She looks like she has lots of Basenji in her but I do not know what the rest of her could be!

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@theoriginaldev A very lovely Dog indeed! Enjoy him!!!

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@dagodingo My B was the ONLY Animal I ever paid for. I got her as a Puppy and knew her since she was 3 days old. I did not get two because I come from a family of Animal Rescuers and more than one Pup is a lot to handle. Having said that, I would get a Puppy because if you survive the first year of Puppyhood you will have a loyal companion for many years. They are not that hard to train, packing with older well-trained Dogs of any Breed will train your dog for you. The Bs model their behavior and you get a perfectly trained B! I have always had a 'Weakness' for Hounds of any type, big or small, I adore them all. Bs are my fave!

I gave her Vegetarian Food after she had the Carcinoma removed. It was a 'Cleaner' food choice and she ate everything so changing her food did not matter to her. She LOVED vegetables, Broccoli, Carrots, Turnips and even Lettuce. She refused the foods she was not supposed to eat like Raisons, Prunes, Milk Chocolate. She was able to enjoy the occasional York Peppermint Patty because DARK Chocolate does not have the Caffeine in the amount that would make the Dogs' Hearts race.

She was a typical Basenji but since she was raised with a Cat and a Wolf she had zero use for other Dogs. She considered herself to be a Lupine and she would Den in the Bed at the bottom. The Wolf would Den on his big mattress that was under my Grand Piano.

Wish you many more Birthdays. Bs love attention! Congrats!

@izzy-bella That is exactly what they are like! Toddlers! I find this stubborn Breed to be my all time favorite Breed. They are very intelligent despite reports that they are dumb because they are hard to train. I have found that the easiest and most stress-free for the Puppy and their Steward is to have them Pack with older well-trained Dogs of any Breed.

Mine would have been 20 this year, on December 23rd. Still miss her every day but someday I will get another B maybe I will buy one or Rescue one. Having had my Dog for 16 years there is little that I am not prepared for. My Dog was named 'Antigone' after the Protagonist in the Greek Play by the same name. Antigone refused to negotiate and that was what my Dog was like. Because no one could ever pronounce her name correctly I gave her the nickname 'Tiggy'. Her Tags had Antigone on them and she never got lost but she once climbed a Tree at the Horse Farm and it took hours to get her to jump out of the Tree onto a Draft Horse Blanket. She NEVER climbed that particular Tree again but she did climb shorter trees! She was hilarious.

Enjoy your Dog and maybe when your Dog is older she will start vocalizing!

My Dog used a Litter Box until 12 Weeks of Age. After that, I took her to the Horse Farm and let her 'Pack' with older well-trained Dogs. She mimicked their behaviors and she learned how to Sit, Stay, Come when called and lay down. The Dogs did a great job of training mine. I did not have very many problems. these dogs get a bad reputation for being hard to train but they really aren't. They are very stubborn and would rather die than negotiate. Therein lies the importance of understanding the Dog's body language, that tells you all you need to know. They are extremely intelligent and never forget a thing, including people and other animals. Good luck with it!

Some solid info here. Just one thing I would like to point out; Dogs and their Cousins are OMNIVORES. Animal flesh encourages the growth of any type of Cancer Cell. When my B started to seize at the age of 12, I discovered she had Cancer. She was on Phenobarbital for a while even after the Cancer was removed. Her body had to readjust itself and soon she was seizure free. After her Surgery, I fed her Vegetarian food and she loved her Broccoli and also Carrots. She looked fantastic and at the time people thought she was a much younger Dog. I used PetGuard which I got at Vitacost, she ate everything so it was not a problem to change her diet.

She lived 4 more years but then at the age of 16, she started again with the Seizures. The Cancer had returned and the Vet wanted me to have another Surgery. At the time the disease was starting to kick her butt and I knew she would never survive the Surgery. I gave her incredible Palliative Care and because the Mass was somewhere in her throat she could not eat any solid food. My Mom made her Chicken Soup and she also made her Split Pea Soup, I took her to the Vet every few days for IV nutrition. She would become all peppy when at the Vets and I was waiting for me to tell me she was ready to leave me.

On the last day of her life, she did not put up a fight. She sat quietly on my lap as the Vet started the Sedative. She died as soon as the line with the Sedative was inserted. I had to hold my dead little girl so the Vet could give her the overdose, One of the worst days of my life. I had her through my late 20's to my mid 40's and as we all know the longer we have them the harder it is to lose them.

Ketogenic Diets are an extreme diet for Humans and should be avoided (IMO) for Animals of any species. Please try a Vegetarian Diet as these Dogs eat EVERYTHING except things they know are a danger to them. Milk Chocolate, Raisins, Prunes are things they refuse to eat because they know these are toxic foods,

Good luck, you are being a great B Guardian and anyone who has had one for the Dog's entire life know how stubborn they are, That, and their hilarious Yodels and their devotion to their 'Pack' are what makes this Breed the best. I have rescued about 23 dogs in my lifetime of various Breeds but I have a weakness for the Hounds. They are all very intelligent and affectionate. I paid 750.00 for my B in1998 and she was the ONLY animal I ever paid for,

I take Owner Surrenders as far as Horses are concerned, I also take Owner Surrenders for Dogs, but the Cats have always just shown up! The Cats are always Tiny Tigers and you have to study their body language so you can get to know their 'Secrets'!

Good luck! I am sure you will be able to have your B for a good long time, They are definitely worth the House Destruction in Puppyhood.

:)

@kembe You are so lucky to have such a gorgeous dog! I have had many dogs throughout my life and each lived for a long time. Having said that, the Bs are my favorite! Mine did not Yodel until a year before she died, but she did Baroo all the time. They are absolutely fascinating and worth every single second that you have one.

House destruction can be managed and one must understand the concept of Separation Anxiety. That was a small challenge for me because I brought my Puppy everywhere including on the Train into NYC. She was an excellent traveler and fell asleep in her crate when we were driving. She was so well behaved she slept in my Office when I went to Court. :)