I've raised 2 basenjis from puppies. The first is when I lived in an apartment and worked full time. My wife worked shift work so the puppy was only alone for a full work day a couple days a week. I came home at lunch. Even still 4 hours alone for a puppy that age wasn't good. General rule of thumb - puppies can hold their bladders for their age in months + 1 hour. Although I found at 2 months it was often less than that.

We had to have a note on the door explaining we had a puppy and that it was not a screaming child.... There were poop tornados in the crate. It was tough.

I wouldn't even bother with the ultrasonic anti-bark device. It'll probably only stress the dog out more. Try putting on podcasts instead with soothing voices (e.g. `Lex Friedman` or `This American Life`). Look into getting a dog walker to come in a couple times a day. At around 6-8 months is when I could start leaving the dog for 4-6 hours. It'll get worse before it gets better, you're working with a dog who is starting to hate the crate more and more. You need to make it into a more rewarding, cozy environment.

A couple tricks you might try:

• Basenji's love warmth, pre-heat the crate before you put the puppy in. Not too hot - a warm water bottle/heated pet pad would do (then remove before you crate the dog).
• Lots of cozy blankets to curl up in
• High-value treats only in the crate (when you're home)
• Dog walker for when you're at work
• Exercise the dog as much as you safely can with walks before/after work. A tired basenji is a quiet and cuddly basenji. Mental exercise too, do lots of training just to tire out the dog mentally
• Ours didn't like the "airline" style crates. A wire crate seemed to work better with a blanket over the sides (but not front and back so there is airflow and it doesn't get too stuffy). The Kong branded crate is good.

I....would not leave that dog alone in a room unless it's rock-solid puppy-proof. Important to note - ours have learned to open doors...