Someone have me committed, please. I decided it might be nice for Deedle to have a canine companion, since her separation anxiety has been a little severe lately. I also decided she should have a basenji companion, since, well, I like basenjis. I certainly wavered and went back and forth, but then the perfect dog sort of appeared and fell into our laps. May I introduce Barkley*:
He’s a 2-year-old brindle boy (everyone told us that having two basenji bitches was tantamount to suicide, or would that be homicide?), and he’s really a good dog. His owners decided to rehome him because they are out of town a lot, and the dog was forced to spend a lot of time by himself. He and Deedle got along fine (we met at a dog park), and they were great on the drive home (2.5 hours), but once we got inside the house (i.e., Deedle’s turf), she decided she hated him and has been horribly snarky ever since. So much for easing any sense of loneliness or anxiety! I’m hoping this situation resolves itself quickly, though, because I have places to go and people to see, and I don’t want to come home to basenji hair and blood! How could she hate this little guy?
*Yeah, the name’s gotta go. I think we are going to call him Berkeley, since it’s pretty close to Barkley (unfortunately, Peter would not agree to Sparky).
he’s a sweetie – dogs are amazing at figuring out each other’s feelings…they’ll be cuddling before you know it and best buds.
Oh! What an adorable pair they will be when they work out the right dynamics. Dogs are pretty amazing and most of the time they do work through these things. Once Deedle figures out having someone to wrestle with is alot of fun, I bet a nice friendship will develop.
I just love the brindling – what a sweet little guy. And I would totally vote for Sparky. My friend thinks that I should have named Ellie, Sparky, because she acts like she’s wired all of the time! He is so darn cute.
Oh. My. Goodness. He’s adorable!!! I just love Basenjis and he’s beautiful.
Dogs scare me, actually, but he and Deedle are cute. Probably because I’ve never seen them in real life. But it’s too bad you couldn’t name him Sparky!!
Dogs scare me, actually, but he and Deedle are cute. Probably because I’ve never seen them in real life. But it’s too bad you couldn’t name him Sparky!!
deedle is just asserting her right to be Queen Bee. she’ll be OK once he bows to her awesomeness and lets her boss him around. 🙂
p.s. yea! my name pick won!
Hi Miriko! Here are some suggestions for easy double dog transition, *if* you’re interested.
Deedle is just defending her territory (and her parens!) – common and understandable. He should be confined to a smaller area in the house (a bathroom with a baby gate up so they can “visit”) until she’s ok with him being there (a few days at least, or only let him out while you’re supervising).
Pick up all her toys so there are no arguments – let them only play with NEW toys, supervised, for the first couple of weeks (and I mean playing WITH you, with YOU controlling toy tossing, then taking them away.) And feed separately! And get an extra water bowl.
Keep him away from her bed, moving him away if necessary and making sure he knows it is totally off-limits. If she sleeps with you, don’t let him on the bed, too, or there’ll could be a big squabble in the dark!
Expect a few “accidents” but don’t lose it at either of them – it’s a stressful time for them both as well.
Any growling or snapping should be met with a very sharp “NO!” from you, so they both know YOU are the alpha, and so they aren’t trying to assert alpha-ness over one another (if they don’t feel you are in charge, they will constantly be trying to determine which of them is.)
Give Deedle some extra attention so that she is not jealous of him from the get-go. Cuddle and praise her in front of him when she is doing GOOD things (being quiet, allowing him some space, not growling or making faces at him, playing with him nicely, etc.) Think POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT for all good behavior!
Please e-mail me if you need any other behavioral tips! Good luck with him – he’s adorable!
*MARIKO*. I can spell, I jsut can’t type!
oh, he’s gorgeous! I think Basenjis are really beautiful dogs.
So beautiful! Now as for the adjustment period, I’ve heard that it is best if the new dog is the submissive one, so feed D first and B second. Pet D first and B second, etc. The Dog Whisper has great suggestions for this! But oh such beauty your dogs have! Fun!
Congrats on your newest family member! He is a sweet looking pup, no doubt about it!
Congratulations! I’m sure it’s hard going from being the top dog to sharing the spotlight. I hope they have an easy adjustment.
Congratulations, he’s really beautiful!
I’m sure Deedle will warm up to him. *Keeping fingers (& knitting needles) crossed that it’s sooner, rather than later.*
hoping that they get along. And that they dont terrorize when they do 🙂
Congratulations on the adoption of your son! He is lovely–more than cute!
I have two dogs, both adopted as adults at different tims, and they get along beautifully. The are literally best friends; they hang out together, share the same crate, sleep on top of each other. It is unlikely to be like this forever.
Good luck to all!
oh, i hope the deedle and the new boy get along better than mine do! my little girl has spent the past 6 months being snarky to her new brother. of course, the packing up of the two houses and moving to a new city last tuesday probably had something to do with that!
good luck and enjoy them both!
Oh, I am sure they will learn to get along better… my mom brought another dog home to her dog about two years ago and at first it was HORRIBLE. But now they get along just fine, and they are company for one another. And hey, even a good healthy dose of hate is a distraction from loneliness, for the time being! Good luck…
congratulations on the new dog!
How could Deedle not like Berkeley? He’s adorable! I’m sure they’ll work things out.
Mazel tov on the new addition. Poor Deedle! She doesn’t know it’s supposed to be a good thing. Make her a new outfit–that always made me feel better when I was a kid. xox Kay
I agree with Stasia. a couple of other tips – feed Deedle first, and give her treats first; and give her treats when she is nice to the new dog. It will probably take about 7-10 days for her to get used to the new dog. If you are still having problems in 2 weeks you may want to contact a dog behaviorist or dog trainer for tips.
Congrats on the new addition! It took some time for the pack order to sort itself out when we brought Sadie home a few years back. They’ll work it out in time.
When I was a kid we had a retired show basenji named Chaka Khan. She was the awesomest dog I’ve ever had the pleasure of living in the same house with. But, I hardly ever see them. Dog parks, all that…never hear about them.
And Barkley? Funny name for a barkless dog…is that why you’re changing it?
what a beautiful boy! good luck with the transition.
you could probably change his name completely and he would not mind. i changed the name of a cat i have and she responded quickly and beautifully.
Congratulations! I have been thinking of getting a sister or brother for my little Napoleon. I have been wondering if he would get jealous of a new pup in the house. Perhaps, Napoleon might react the same way as Deedle, friendly outside, but territorial in the house.
What a pretty dog! I have two Basenjis at home, an older aloof tri-color female, and a younger brindle male. It certainly took a while for our alpha female to get used to having a little brother, and she still snaps at him from time to time, but they are truly best friends forever now. Good luck with them! Basenjis rock!
Oh he’s so cute! Berkeley is a great name and a wonderful tribute to our alma mater. You can call him Cal for short.
Hello from a long time lurker and fellow Basenji adopter. Our dog took many weeks to settle in until we got used to each other. Maybe you can crate one dog when you go out–probably the new dog. Crates are not punishment. Our dogs go in them willingly at bedtime.
On another note, you have got me experimenting with Kiki’s Fair Isle pattern, too. I am not as ambitious as you. I’m only doing a hat. Lots of fun!
Did I tell you that I keep following this guy around at the gym saying, “Go Cal Bears!” because he is from the evil Stanford U?
Psychotic break indeed! But it’s a good psychosis, right? First you start a fair isle project and then, because that isn’t enough challenge for the eggplant (because you’re not just any old garden-variety eggplant), you adopt a 2nd basenji. I too had a female basenji and I too thought a younger male companion just the thing for her. [insert hysterical laughter] That was 7 years ago. Hmmm… maybe it’s time to look into fair isle now. Seriously, best of luck. He looks like a very sweet boy. No one will be able to say he’s neglected now–Deedle will see to that!
They’ll be in love with each other in no time. It’s Valentine’s Day — they’ll be in love by dinnertime! 🙂
What a handsome fellow! Give it about a week — we have one Shiba Inu and just got a little sister for him about 4 weeks ago. first week was awful, but they seem to have settled in. The trick we found was maintaining some separate space in the house for each of them, so that when they are fed up with each other they can chill…
He is beautiful and having two at once is, I believe, way easier… you get double the poo, but also double the joy! They will be little companions before you know it!
Compromise and name him Sparkly!
Ha. Ha. Ahem. Oh my, I delurked for that.
Good luck with the dogs, I’m sure it will all work out.
Ohmygosh, he’s so cute! I don’t check super eggplant for a week, and there is a new Basenji! Two Basenjis! I hope Deedle is being nicer and has accepted the little fellow on her turf. Also, why not Sparky? An homage to Charles Schulz, no? Ah well, Berkeley is alright, I suppose!