BOXER/BASENJI

[mokcrawford]

I have had Kammy since August now. She is a year old and I rescued her from a Humane Society that labeled her a Boxer mix. I have been researching for a month now to try and figure out what she is mixed with and came across this breed. I was wondering if I could get any advice and if others also feel this is what she is mixed with! Her ears stand up like this all the time.
Thanks!!!!

[mokcrawford]

[mokcrawford]

[Nancy Berry]

@mokcrawford I don't know what mix Kammy is, other than boxer & that stands out very well. But she looks like a real sweet-heart!!

[Baba Bamidele]

Basenjis are pretty rare, so they're not a breed that often turns up in mixes. But it's certainly possible. Some telltale signs might be a curly tail, fused paw pads on her two middle toes (see http://basenji-freunde.com/pfoten_goldsch_bas.JPG), and a wrinkled forehead. (The absence of any of these doesn't indicate non-basenji parentage, either, of course!)

Behavioral giveaways would be aversion to water, yodeling instead of (or in addition to) barking, strong chase instinct, aloofness, and cleaning herself like a cat.

And if you're really interested in getting to the bottom of her genealogy, you can get a DNA kit nowadays for fairly cheap. Some of them even test for genetic illnesses, as well. The Wisdom Panel series used to be considered the most accurate, but that may have changed in the last year or so since I checked.

At any rate, she's a cutie no matter what her parentage is!

[DebraDownSouth]

I don't really see basenji... Boxer yes, maybe even some pit but the thing is, with mixes, sometimes the real parents are shockers. Some breeds, like Chows and Basset Hounds generally pass on pretty distinct looks, lol. But a DNA test is about the only way you will get a legit idea. They are still very far from perfect.

Okay so DNA testing of dogs... posted this elsewhere so sharing again:

Typically, the more dogs in their testing, the more accurate. Thus far, Mars Wisdom Panel 3 has the largest group, including basenji and coyote and breeds most the others don't, making it the most affordable and most accurate UNLESS you want to pay out $200. In which case the newer Embark seems truly spectacular. Whatever you use, make sure they have basenji in their data bank. Most don't.

http://www.dogbreedidentifier.com/embark-dog-dna-test-revi…/
http://www.theverge.com/…/embark-dog-dna-startup-disease-ri…
http://fortune.com/2015/06/25/dog-dna-tests/

[wizard]

Be aware if you do decide on the DNA testing (which could be very informative) that it doesn't necessarily tell you the parents just what's in the lineage.