Jake is the first dog I've ever owned so I can't really compare his intelligence to other breads but I've come to be quite impressed with how smart he is. There are two specific areas that come to mind.
1. Pattern recognition.
He is very good at recognizing patterns. If I bring him into the garage with the overhead door closed he knows he's going in the crate and he resists moving forward. If the door is open, he knows we're going into the car and he walks just fine. Another example is that 2-3 blocks before we get to the dog park he starts to realize where we're going and he gets excited. If he sees me put on a jacket he'll go stand by the door.
2. Sound filtering.
It's interesting to see which sounds he'll pay attention to and which ones he ignores. One day I had a friend who was trying to get Jake's attention by clapping, shouting, and generally making a fool of himself. Nothing worked. Alternatively, I barely have to whisper his name and his head shoots up. In general, he's very good at figuring out which sounds are "important".
Are there any other forms of intelligence your basenjis seem to excel at?
They are very intelligent dogs, regardless of what "rankings" are out there.
I think what's most unique with this breed is their natural instincts. Spend enough time with the breed and you can understand why they are one of the oldest breeds around. They have survived through many years of natural selection. 
For example, I notice my B will refuse to be walking out in the open in certain areas. If we're walking through a parking lot, he will want to stick close to the parked cars, rather than walk in the middle of the lot. My theory is that it's just an instinct to not make yourself open to any possible prey and to always be on the outskirts of an environment for a stealth approach.
We encountered much the same type of thing with Maxx. On one occasion, a hot air balloon was flying low and Maxx hid under a tree until it was gone (could have been a huge bird trying to get him, ya' know). He also liked to do his pottying in tall grass whenever possible and always walked a yard or more off any path we were on to do his business.
Blaze also goes off a path to do his business and, while we haven't encountered any low-flying hot air balloons yet, he does watch planes going over or large birds flying.
Anubis is the same way…he will do his business on walks in taller grass or something. Its like he thinks he'll be vulnerable if he's pottying out in the open. He'll try to hide if a low flying plane or a helicopter goes over (I live near Ft. Sill so large low planes and other military aircrafts are a daily thing).
Just a side note for LindaH...Wonderful Memorial blog for Maxx. I just looked. He had a very wonderful life!
Are those all of your dogs? Cute set! Yes, B's do stand out in a crowd! That is why we love 'em:)
Lol no those aren't my dogs…I wish!! I found the pic online And just added my own caption. My Basenji is black and white. And I have a lab puppy.
