Need your opinion…

[Lindy1]

I live on a 7 AC farm. Also I have 3 min pins, all are 5 yrs old. We have donkeys & a horse. I've always loved Basenji's. Would LOVE to have one. How would a male get along with 3 female minpins? I would for SURE get a puppy! That way he could grow up with the 3 litle ones. Min Pins are very stubborn, selfish, just plain hard headed & i've trained them all. Just need opinions about having a Basenji on a farm with livestock & minpins. thank You, Lindy1

[Kipawa]

I believe that regardless of where a basenji is going to live (and with other animals) the owner has to spend a fair bit of time researching the breed, visiting quality breeders and understanding that basenjis are not like other dogs. That said, they are incredibly wonderful dogs, but in order for everything to work, a perspective new owner needs to get a good idea of whether or not the mix in the family is going to work and if the energy of a basenji will be appreciated. So good for you for asking these questions. Others here will, I'm sure, give you some excellent advice. For sure you want a breeder who has all of their breeding stock tested for Fanconi, and preferably for hips, patellas, eyes… Please check the Basenji Club of America website. They have lists of approved breeders all over the United States. But remember, a good breeder will interview you and you will need to interview them too!

[sharronhurlbut]

Fran has great advice above. Please let us know what you find out.

[eeeefarm]

I have a Basenji and I have horses. He is no problem around them, but isn't very smart about them either. My horses are very tolerant. If they weren't I would worry more about him because he appears to have no sense that they could be dangerous. I do monitor the situation as best I can but of course with animals you can never be 100% sure there won't be a mishap. Being stepped on would not be a good thing for him! Are your min pins off leash dogs? If so, you should know that Basenjis can be unreliable off leash, although on a farm it is less of a concern, especially if you aren't close to a busy road.

[Voodoo]

My Basenji also runs around horses here and I have the same problem. He just doesn't seem to realise they can really hurt him. He would do nothing against them, but he just walks between their legs, under them, right behind them…
He also runs between cows, sheep, chickens and reindeers without problems. As long as the livestock is used to dogs around them and they don't start to flee, it won't be that much of a problem. And my boy was 6 months old when I got him and had never seen any of them besides chickens,

[eeeefarm]

I should add, you have to be careful with donkeys. It's not for nothing that they are used for livestock protection. They will certainly go after dogs and coyotes. You might have to be careful with the introductions, or keep your dog away from them, depending on how yours react to dogs. Actually, my horses will chase stray dogs and are positively hostile to coyotes! But they seem to understand that my Basenji belongs here.

[lisastewart]

Are you planning to keep the basenjis primarily outside or will they be house dogs? Most breeders I know will not sell to someone who is going to keep the dogs outside. Basenjis need to be well socialized by living with humans, not left to play with canines as their only role models. No one wants to see another Willamenea happen.

[JoT]

I have Basenjis and 2 Min Pins. My MinPins are 11 and 13 years old. My oldest male Basenjis is going to be 5 years old in a few months. He was introduced to the Min Pins when he was ~5-6 months old and lives with them perfectly fine. He is intact and the MinPins are both spayed.

The other Basenjis were adults when they came into the home or are just over 1 year old. The puppies can all interact with the MinPins but we do not let them loose around the seniors because of puppy rough housing that might accidentally hurt the MinPins. The adult female Basenjis were both mature when they came into the home and they are not permitted access to the MinPins. All of the furkids live in the house. We are just extremely vigilent about shifting and keeping everyone safe is our top priority.

[Patty]

My Basenjis live on a farm with sheep but being prey driven Basenjis will chase running sheep (and kill, incidentally). Where the sheep are so used to the dogs and won't run, the Basenjis are ok but will do their level best to get these sheep to move. Mine have all been raised with sheep and have free access to them in their very early months but there usually comes a point when they are no longer reliable. Mind you I've also had previous Basenjis that were completely reliable among sheep so of course they do vary. As to horses I no longer have one but I've found that although as previous posters have said they are seemingly oblivious to the danger of flying hooves they are exceedingly quick to move when necessary. I've never had a Basenji damaged by a horse although a friend of mine had one seemingly killed by one.

[dcmclcm4]

How does your Min-Pins get along with puppies? Some of my older Basenjis are not overly fond of puppies-they like them for awhile but then when the pups keep pestering them to play-it is like get them things away from me!

Jennifer

[sharronhurlbut]

Lindy1
What did you decide re basenjis and ownership for your home?