@mikesull I posted recently about my finicky eater (at 12 weeks old). I was willing to try anything because she was getting bigger yet losing weight. When ribs start showing on a puppy it's not good, imo. Things have turned around for us. I started feeding raw which she would mostly eat (chicken w/ veggies preferred). She walked away from raw turkey/beef heart.

I was hard core about timing. MY timing. I learned in the last couple weeks - leave the fixed portion down for her to eat when she was ready. It worked. Mixed in kibble slowly. Her eating habit is to eat 10% now, 50% 30 minutes later, the rest in the next hour. Fine. She ate. She gained weight. Now I mix in chicken broth (Petco's Petcoach that looks more like human chicken stew) with Honest Kitchen kibble and we're good! I will start making my own cooked "stew" for cost and convenience and freeze in small portions.

The lesson for me is to let go of hardcore pedantic methods. I will probably never "free feed" but this puppy eats on a different schedule than any other dog/puppy I have ever cared for. This schedule works for us.

@elbrant @NancySS - hilarious! ok, can't wait for the adventure! and keeping my baby safe ...

My yorkie mix (13 pound dog) did this on a regular basis so not just Basenjis. But only soft surfaces like couches and bed. I have to admit I found it amusing and I watched her with fascination. She was so intent on digging to the center of the earth, or so it seemed. That said she did no damage. I kept her nails short and rounded (no sharp edges via dremel tool).

Thanks for all the input and reality checks. I think I will add "desensitize to muzzle" at home to the list of training stuff. I will also opt for a mobile vet that comes to my home - we have lots here in CA. NH? Probably not so much.

A possible factor in CA (the lawsuit capital of the world) is vets simply won't take any risks. No vet that I have been to here in the last 15 years has allowed me to restrain my own dogs. And I was a vet tech long ago! They don't care; most vets here won't take the risk.

@jengosmonkey good info, thanks.

@zande A local breeder helped me via email and determined the female was born in the Ukraine (I've been speaking with the breeder's son who speaks Russian). No record of the male. Neither of the pair has any record of having been tested for anything. It's done for me; I'm not taking the pup and I'd mentally already bonded - my husband rightly told me if I go to this breeder I won't walk away. I'm not going. Thanks for all your feedback. At least I have learned a lot.

@zande yes, true. It's been a long time since a puppy has been in my house but I fostered many litters. Multiple pups easier in some ways ... definitely as far as eating.

@jengosmonkey Thank you! That helps. I did read the ISO stuff but wasn't sure where to go with that. I'll talk to the vet this week.

re: dog-napping ... the now well-known case here in CA was Lady Gaga's dogs stolen from her dog walker. He did his best to prevent the theft and was shot in the chest for his efforts. It was captured on video. He's alive but I believe he lost part of a lung. I believe the dogs were found.

Good info for me too as we will be heading to northern New Hampshire soon where we live a good part of the year. - and if I get my wish we will remain there! Southern California weather is boring!! 🙂

@senjisilly I always tell people to approach from underneath, absolutely! But not everyone listens or gets what you're talking about. Someone explained to me that "underneath" scares people because they, the human, feels more vulnerable.

@eeeefarm Absolutely true about releasing only when pup stops struggling and I'm very careful about that . I hate to think what she learned in those 2 office visits.

I'm really interested in going to a show (in Vermont) this weekend to learn about this type of competition. I know nothing about it. There is a puppy competition and would like to enter my B in it. I don't see any way to register; I have contacted the club but I'm guessing they are very busy at this point. Is this something you can just show up to do and register the same day, typically? I'm guessing people cannot bring in their dogs not being shown; is that correct? This would be a nice start for me to talk to other B owners but not even sure when Basenjis will compete. It's a 4 day show. Any help or advice much appreciated.

@sakuhn62

Good-bye, My Lady, 1956, $2.99 Amazon Prime. Fun and sad and difficult to watch certain scenes (harsh "training" at times by the boy). But overall interesting watch.

I sort of can't believe I have so many questions in my mind but ...

I've fostered many litters of puppies and doled out the advice dozens of times yet I feel clueless now that I'm considering getting a puppy. That said my foster pups went home knowing a crate as I set up an xpen with a crate inside where the puppies slept; their den.

So now, it's my turn. I'm going to assume a breeder does not use a crate though I hope many do. So, the last thing I want to do is freak out a new pup by shutting him up in a crate - but I will have to in the car on the way home, and at night (next to my bed, of course, if not on top of my bed!). But during all other hours? Can a Basenji pup climb up and over an xpen 3 feet high? Should I make a top/cover for it?

How do (did) you handle those first weeks re: crate training / confinement?

@eeeefarm lucky you for not having picky eaters. I certainly have never experienced it before this. It might be trial and error to find right food for her but, in the meantime, I do not want her to lose more weight.

A top it is for the xpen. I'm a strict +R trainer and electric shock of any kind I will avoid. Never needed that, thankfully, with any puppy or cat. I will say it's now been too many years since I've been actively training dogs as my dogs aged out, mellowed out, whatever. It will be fun to be back in the game again with a pup!

it's been relentless here too ...mostly with my husband who is untrainable who does all the wrong things. the "yelp" method has never worked for me and is, like someone said, too much like a squeeky toy amping up the biting. I'm not a big fan of "no" either finding it useless. At this point I simply and calmly pick her up and put her in her xpen with some chew toys. Works like a charm. She calms down and comes out. Repeat as necessary.

I mixed the kibble brand recommended by breeder with wet food breeder recommended (and they gave me plenty to start her off). I never, ever free feed. Not even when I had cats. 🙂 I do make my own chicken treats by slicing chicken breast thin, 200F oven for 2-4 hours to dry. Or shorter bake for more moist treats. I don't have a dehydrator though as an avid backpacker would be great for me and pup!

So tomorrow I'll try 4 smaller, shorter time feeds and see how it goes. FWIW, she walks away from her meal long before 10 minutes; more like 2-3 minutes? Then I pull the food up.

Tonight I've soaked some of her kibble in chicken broth and will try that too.

@tanza said in High calorie food suggestions:

@beth314 - I use kibble (high quality) mixed with a spoon of wet... no one wants to eat dry food all the time.... give pup a certain amount of time to eat (10 minutes) and then take it away till the next feeding. Free feeding will only promote poor eating habits. Make your own treats, get a dehydrator and do chicken, I use tenders and pound thin and then in the dehydrator for 12 to 14 hours. Break into small pieces. You really do not need "high" calorie food per say... I use Fromm's Surf and Turf small bites... and remember baby puppies have puppy teeth that they will start to loose so many will go off their food at times. For treats I give lots of veggies, steamed and raw. Most times at first they will play with it... but they will develop a taste for it. DO NOT BABY them to eat, give the food, take away after 10 min tops.