All our litters are brought up in the house with us. The first few weeks they are in a warm and quiet environment to insure the mums are relaxed and comfortable without any stress or disturbances.
The day the puppies are 3 weeks old (21 days) we start the socialising and imprinting phase. That phase lasts up until they are 12 weeks old. Since they will normally leave us at 8 weeks old, there's still a few weeks for the new owners to get some good imprints for them too.
Here they will have experienced different types of environments, like outdoors, car rides and exploring the whole house. They have been handled by a lot of different people of all ages and have interacted with different dogs that doesn't live with us. They will be exposed to different noises, like fireworks, thunder sounds and dogs barking loudly (on recordings because Basenjis doesn't bark).
We also have a cat that is meeting the puppies regularly the last month.
I invite a lot of family, friends and neighbours to come over for "puppy parties" or as we jokingly call it "puppy sniffing" - because admit it- puppies smell sooo good!
All of this is very important when working with an ancient breed like the Basenji. What they haven't been imprinted with in those early weeks might very well create situations of fear or even aggression in the dog later. If they haven't got a solid imprint of a situation they will act on instinct- and their instinct is to survive at all costs..
It's important to me that I make sure I do everything in my power to give every puppy the best start possible. This will help the new owner get a good start and a puppy that's much easier to live and work with. The puppies will be calm, curious and confident in most situations. In new scary situations they can react but quickly become confident and relaxed again.
* All puppies are ready to leave for their new homes at 8 weeks old. Except exports to countries that require Rabies vaccine. In that case they can leave at 15 weeks old.
* Puppies are registered in the Norwegian Kennel Club (NKK)
* All puppies are insured with Agria pet insurance until delivery ( maximum 12 weeks old).
* Puppy gets a "supply bag" when they move out of here. It contains some of their food, toys, collar, lead, treats, blanket, bone and usually a small sweater or jacket (mostly for the winter litters). It can also contain other items such as food bowl and thermometer.
* All puppies will have been treated regularly for worms. (Dewormed)
* At 8 weeks old, right before delivery they will be checked by Veterinarian and get their first vaccination. There they get a health book that follows them through life. If requested by new owners they can get a passport instead.
* New owners get invited into our Kardohill's Family group on Facebook, where all our puppy buyers are welcome. It's a great place to get tips and advice or support and understanding from like minded folks.
Bringing up a Basenji puppy is a job for "the whole village" and having me and the family group to talk to is very helpful in the first few months especially.
* I offer personal support for as long as you have the dog.
• I offer help in finding a new home for the dog if something unexpected happens and you can't keep it anymore.
