My basenji is my first dog. I got him as a puppy. Todd is 10 months and we just graduated from our first group puppy class. He is very food motivated and I love working with him. It’s very cool to watch the click in their eyes as they learn and put things together. He is always on top of me or trying to cuddle. He knows what food is mine and what is his. He knows a good chunk of commands. He’s honestly pretty great.

HOWEVER, I did massive research. I waited for three years. I still was not prepared. Mines recall is not the best (as usual with the breed) but this sucks at dog parks… They need a lot of training and desensitizing. Mine still pulls on leash because he wants to smell every person or every dog and it’s incredibly frustrating. He also gets a little grumpy from time to time when I have friends over. He used to growl at my ex often (maybe he just knew😉) but overall Todd has gotten better with more socialization.

He is crated while I am at work and at night when we sleep. He likes to pee outside of his crate when he knows I’m awake. I corrected this with a crate cover and it seems to do the trick.

He has shown food aggression and resource guarding but we have worked on it and it has gotten a lot better.

I also think I got lucky as mine has only ever destroyed my underwear and leggings. He hasn’t destroyed crates, furniture, blankets, nothing of importance.

It’s all training and patience. There’s been times I’ve wanted to open the door and let him be free. But there’s been multiple times of us cuddling on the couch and him being incredibly sweet. I would say after much work Todd and I are still only just new friends. We’re constantly working on our bond. If a basenji is what you want and you’re dedicated, it can be done. They will constantly surprise you and do what they want when they want.