Skip to content
Basenji Forums
  1. Home
  2. Basenji Talk
  3. How do I get my basenji to talk???

How do I get my basenji to talk???

Basenji Talk
  • P

    Hi! I'm new to the forum, my girlfriend and I just got our first Basenji about a month ago. His name is Ziggy and he's 4 1/2 months old.

    The "problem" is I can't get him to make much noise. I understand they're barkless dogs, but he never does any yodeling. Now I shouldn't say never, I'll hear a short medium volumed "bark" maybe once every couple days, but besides that he just whines when he wants anything. He'll make cute yawning noises, but that's about it.

    I'm sure this isn't one of the more normal questions, but how do I get him to speak? I love the sound of his voice!

    Thanks!

    0
  • M

    It took our basenji a little bit of time to talk. He's 2 yrs, now, and "tallks" all the time- especially when we get back home from being gone for several hours. It's hilarious! My daughter is raising a lamb,, and we take him to the ranch a lot. He tries to talk to the lambs- he has his own Baaaaaa- too funny!

    0
  • tanzaT

    Some talk, some never do. My OJ never uttered a yodel in 17+ years….

    Welcome to the forum... who did you get your Basenji from? Many of us are related by our Basenjis.

    Pat Fragassi

    Tanza Basenjis

    www.tanzabasenjis.net

    0
  • P

    @tanza:

    Some talk, some never do. My OJ never uttered a yodel in 17+ years….

    Welcome to the forum... who did you get your Basenji from? Many of us are related by our Basenjis.

    Wow 17 years! That's a long time to keep quiet. My basenji came from harmony hounds, a breeder in Georgia!

    0
  • KipawaK

    Well, I am not sure if it helped to teach Kipawa, but I would 'baroo' at him, and he is quite vocal now.

    Fran Harder, BAB

    With Barney in my heart

    0
  • renaultf1R

    Maybe play some videos of singing/talking basenjis off of YouTube. Those always gets my b-kids going.

    Once you get them to yodel, if you mark the behavior (and treat it), you might be able to get it on command. I have 3 that do it on command for their dinner. My forth only yodels when she wants one of the other basenjis to play with her or yodels at her reflection :D.

    0
  • ShannaniganS

    We tried to teach Paco to "speak" when we were training him, but it was hopeless.

    I now find that he yodels when I let him in the kitchen while I cook, and he wants what I'm cooking. Sometimes he'll wait patiently thinking that he'll get some food if he's sitting quietly the whole time, and then starts yodeling while we're eating and he doesn't get any.

    Also, having a lot of people over, or a new person over, especially someone who doesn't pay much attention to him, gets him going.

    0
  • MayaM

    I think they're either talkative or they're not :) Maya always has been very keen to yodel but other than that, rarely makes any noise.

    She will yodel along with me if I sing (we must sound rather interesting in the car singing along to the radio!!) but I cant really "make" her do it. She has a mind of her own and doesnt she know it :D

    Jess

    http://www.silverbriar.co.uk

    0
  • tanzaT

    @Maya:

    I think they're either talkative or they're not :) Maya always has been very keen to yodel but other than that, rarely makes any noise.

    She will yodel along with me if I sing (we must sound rather interesting in the car singing along to the radio!!) but I cant really "make" her do it. She has a mind of her own and doesnt she know it :D

    But of course, Jess… I mean she is a Tri after all! :D

    Pat Fragassi

    Tanza Basenjis

    www.tanzabasenjis.net

    0
  • P

    Sometimes particular chords in music will set them off yodelling but then again as the others have said mabny never do. After all they manage to communicate with us in many other ways so why bother!!

    0
  • BarklessdogB

    Our red girl would always yodel when my daughter played her violin. Never fails. She chortles when she is happy.

    They all whine a lot!

    Or Tri used to yodel when a pup, but has not done anything in the last 8 years. However he did scream during the night, sounded like a human was getting stabbed to death. The most godawful noise you ever heard, loud and gut wrenching. We think he was having a nightmare, he sleeps in his crate.

    Anyone else have their dog scream like that (not getting hurt)

    0
  • Rita JeanR

    Both of my B's talk and yodel but maybe this will help. From day we brought Jayden home my daughter get on floor look at Jayden tell him to yodel then she would make this awful sound. Then Jaycee would start in and it could have been Jayden just could not stand all noise but was not long before he was make his voice heard and he is very much a talker. The only thing I am going to say be careful what you wish for when two of them get going I sometimes wish that neither of them talked.

    Rita Jean

    0
  • DebraDownSouthD

    Cara makes a great many noises (including a rather disturbing donkey one), but no yodel. I am definitely yodel/baroo envious since Arwen also doesn't do them.

    Debra

    0
  • BARTB

    I have an old harmonica that was my grandfather's, never fails to get a response. My first boy was pretty quiet on the yodeling front, but that would get him going. Current guy is more vocal on his own, but if I want him to go, harmonica always does the trick. Just to start, then he's all about the "singing" with me. Now that the weather is nice and windows are open, I often wonder what the folks walking/ running/ biking by on the street may think of the sounds….:)

    0
  • Shaye's MomS

    My 2 1/2 year old r/w Shaye hardly ever makes noise - whines and mutters when we leave a dog park, and twice has copied her "sister's" bark - (Gemma is a mix and barks a LOT, also talks and yodels), but it didn't sound the same. One time she baroo'd when we came home from a long afternoon, but never repeated it. Because we keep telling Gemma to be quiet, sometimes Shaye looks at her as if to ask "What's wrong with you?!?" so maybe she has decided making noise is a bad thing. No matter - noise or no noise they can communicate very well.

    0
  • 2baroos2

    Get a cheap Harmonica and try that or go to youtube and look for Basenji singing-turn up the volume and see what happens.

    0
  • KipawaK

    @2baroos:

    Get a cheap Harmonica and try that or go to youtube and look for Basenji singing-turn up the volume and see what happens.

    hello 2baroos - welcome to the forum! I see you are from BC - anywhere in the lower mainland?

    Fran Harder, BAB

    With Barney in my heart

    0
  • 2baroos2

    I used to live in Vancouver and now live in Courtenay

    0
  • E

    i got my boy to "sing " by mistake…..lol. i was going through a web site called singing dogs ( basenji) and turned it up loud and guess what it got my boy singing along with the dog on line.... what a noise but worth it..

    0
  • wizardW

    The two males I had previously never ever made a sound. My current female never has yodeled but she does "talk" back to me when I scold her and she "cries" like a tasmanian devil when in the car-kennel. My new male yodels every now and then but I haven't figured out what sets him off.

    0

Suggested Topics

  • A

    Getting a basenji, but...

    Basenji Talk
    11
    0 Votes
    11 Posts
    2k Views
    M
    on the heat of the sun???? Basenji love the heat. If you had a fireplace, it will be within inches of the hot logs.
  • ?

    When to get another Basenji

    Basenji Talk
    11
    0 Votes
    11 Posts
    13k Views
    ?
    Wow! Somehow, I never got emails letting me know I had responses to this thread and just assumed there weren't any. But now that I'm back in the loop, I did want to thank everyone for their feedback and provide some thoughts of my own. That makes me laugh about the rescue person who wouldn't let young families or lawyers adopt her dogs. :-D I can understand her rationale from both perspectives. It's a compelling argument on her part about lawyers, but not all lawyers are the same, of course. I know a lot of extremely busy lawyers in large firms who struggle to hit their billable hour requirement each month. They're machines instead of people, and I wouldn't even let them dogsit my babies for fear of neglect. That's not my situation, fortunately. The young family part will be, but I've been thinking really carefully on how I'll balance this when the time comes. My dogs are my first children, and I would hire as many trainers as needed and try as many alternatives as I could before I would give them up. Unfortunately, I don't think a lot of people have that mindset about their dogs. :( I would absolutely be open to the idea of having the breeder choose a puppy for us based on their experience and prediction as to personality. All basenjis are gorgeous to me, and as long as the markings aren't completely off-base and I can get a tightly-curled tail (I've seen that the Avongaras can be lacking in this area, and I need a cinnamon bun in my life), personality is the most important thing. I wouldn't nitpick it to death. I'll have to decide on a breeder at some point, and I'd love one who's relatively local so I could visit. The man I got Penny from had great pet Basenjis that he bred… I'd like to go with a more reputable breeder this time around. At the very least, he tested for Fanconi. I can be grateful for that, as all is well so far and I more than likely dodged a bullet when I ended up with such a fantastic dog. My plan would be to decide and get on a waiting list far enough in advance that if there were a couple litters that just didn't produce what my family and I were looking for, we wouldn't be waiting forever. In short, what I'm banking on is that the right pup with the right personality will fit in pretty flawlessly. I know what sets my basenji off in other dogs, and I'm hopeful that I could find one that would suit her and suit our home. Daisy certainly worked out well for her, and I'd love to have that same success again. I've done three puppies in my lifetime, and all of them have grown up to be well-adjusted adults. I know what it takes, and I know it's hard work. I would never go the route of having an infant and a puppy at the same time (isn't THAT actually the definition of insanity?? ;) ), but I am still trying to shoot somewhere in the next 3-4 year range so my two aren't past ten and too old to handle a puppy.
  • A

    Interested in getting a Basenji… maybe

    Basenji Talk
    3
    0 Votes
    3 Posts
    1k Views
    nomrbddgsN
    There are some breeders out your end of the Country that could probably help you out. Cheryl Myers Eggerton is a Judge and also a breeder, she is in Minto NB and has Connamore B's, Simone Guadet (Beaubri) is on PEI, Valerie Rodger (Miloki) is in Beaver Bank NS. I have two that I can leave out without issues, and two go in the crate when I am not home. It is all dependant on the dog. But, like Anne states, puppies are a lot of work and sometimes the older dogs, young adults and retired show dogs are the better ones to start with. You can find all of the above on the Basenji Club of Canada website under breeders. At least with Val, you could probably visit her since she is in NS directly. Let us know how it goes,
  • ElscodobermannE

    Basenji Talk in Scotland?

    Basenji Talk
    7
    0 Votes
    7 Posts
    3k Views
    basiB
    @Elscodobermann: Best date we have for this talk is either 20th or 27th March. Will post more info when its available. cheers Have made a note Scott:D
  • R

    Mistake getting a Basenji?

    Basenji Talk
    35
    0 Votes
    35 Posts
    13k Views
    PearlsMomP
    Hello! I wish to comment on my dog Pearl. She is Very quiet, hardly a sound. I try to encourage her to speak. She does a lot of nonverbal communication. About the child issue. Pearl came to us as a puppy. My kids (12 & 13 at the time) spent time with her, the neighbor kids played with her, and she loves kids. No problems socializing with young people. I guess the point is, your pup will love anyone who treats it well and cares for it. At 5 , I'm sure your child understands the importance of being gentle with dogs. Pearl has done her fair share of chewing. Interesting what she likes. She will be 2 in October, and is better, but she has lots of bones! I love Pearl, however, I am easy going, and enjoy taking her on walks, playing with her, and having her as a family member. Its up to you what you want from a dog. Pearl is pretty free, and thats what I like!
  • eoyE

    Considering getting a Basenji

    Basenji Talk
    4
    0 Votes
    4 Posts
    1k Views
    lvossL
    Yes, early socialization and positive experiences is the best way to go. I think the most important thing about puppy kindergarten is that it is positive based and focuses on socialization with both people and dogs. Some basenji don't necessarily do well with the small dogs and other love them. Sophie was always the best with the new pups of any size in her puppy class, she just had phenomenal dog language and would make herself as small as possible and go at their speed. What you want to be careful about is people who have already formed a preconceived notion of basenji behavior. My mom's first puppy class instructor always expected her boy to be aggressive even though he never showed any aggression and was always very appropriate in his interactions. I crate puppies next to the bed while housebreaking and it works fine. I have always used a large stuffed toy in the crate and this year used SnugglePuppies, they were wonderful. The pup snuggled right up to warmth and fell asleep, provided we did a good job of tiring him out for the night. I got my first basenji while I was in Grad school and lived in an apartment. It is doable as long as you are willing to make sure they get enough exercise and mental stimulation.