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should I get a basenji?

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  • ZandeZ

    @lovedogs said in should I get a basenji?:

    I’ll be out at work for 9 or 10 hours a day so the dog will be home alone with air conditioning and maybe in a crate

    In a Word - NO !

    These are pack animals and to submit one to the life you describe would be cruel in the extreme.

    Sally Wallis

    Zande Basenjis

    www.zandebasenjis.com

    https://pedigrees.zandebasenjis.com

    SKYPE zandeuk

    2
  • DebraDownSouthD

    While adult dogs sleep up to 17 hrs a day, Basenjis want to sleep with someone. My girl will sleep next to my computer or on the sofa where she can watch me. When my daughter is here, if she takes a nap, Cara follows her to bed. She goes with me to bed at night. She just needs a human. So 9 hrs a day work, more work when you get home... the only way you could make it work is to get up an hour early and really take her for a run, training and stimulation, same when you got home, another hour before bedtime. It wouldn't be ideal, but okay. But how can you commit 14 hrs a day to work/afterwork/dog 7 days a week, 365 a year and have any time for yourself?

    If there is a shelter with a geriatric dog that needs a home, maybe. But it needs to be a less social and far less destructive one.

    Debra

    3
  • RugosaR

    I have found that if a basenji is left alone for long periods, it will FIND something to do, many times not what we would call good dog behavior. In a crate, in my experience, that has been screaming (sometimes I\we wish they would just bark!) One can only imagine how it will find something to do if left alone in a home.

    That being said, I think it's FANTASTIC that you are asking this question now. If asked AFTER you got a basenji, it would probably result in an unhappy basenji.

    I would not rule out a B forever, but maybe someday your life will accommodate the quirks of the breed better, and you and the B will spend many many, happy years together.

    Vickie Perrine

    6
  • KembeK

    @njdeb
    Completely AGREE!

    2
  • N

    Basenjis are wonderful dogs....I think they are the best!!!! But you are better to wait until you can give a dog (any dog) the love and attention they crave. When your schedule allows you to really have the time to walk your Basenji, play with him/her, sleep with him/her and just enjoy their antics in general, THAT is the time to get a fabulous Basenji pet. Right now, the Basenji won't be happy so neither will you. But I promise that those of us who love Basenjis will do our best to help you get your dream pet when your schedule permits. Please stay in touch!!!! And I hope your schedule slows a little---it sounds like you need more play time!!!!

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  • L

    Thank you all so much for helping me out☺️ If I get a basenji i will definitely have a day care just when I made the post I was a bit unsure if that was an option. Since you guys don’t think that my schedule will fit for a basenji do you know any other day that doesn’t bark, can stay in realllyyyyyyy hot weather and can fit my schedule

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  • eeeefarmE

    If you are determined to have a dog, I would absolutely rule out a puppy. You simply don't have the time to do it justice. Perhaps an older, settled dog that wouldn't mind sleeping the day away while you are at work. Possibly a retired Greyhound? They are generally quiet, and contrary to what you might think, don't require a lot of exercise. It's also a breed that does well in the heat.

    "In order to get along with a Basenji, you have to be at least half as smart as the dog!"

    3
  • DebraDownSouthD

    Honestly, with your schedule... to just be blunt, it would be selfish to take almost any dog other than a geriatric one. Even that is a bit sad to have them alone most of the time. Many dogs do not enjoy doggy daycare. The idea that dogs are children in dog suits and need lots of playmates isn't real.

    I am glad you are asking, but it seems your WANTING a dog totally outweighs your willingness to hear that your life right now isn't really good for a dog.

    Debra

    1
  • ZandeZ

    @debradownsouth said in should I get a basenji?:

    it would be selfish to take almost any dog other than a geriatric one

    Or a stuffed one ! Why anyone would even contemplate introducing any dog, let alone a Basenji, into a life such as described, is completely beyond me.

    I hope no breeder would consider selling a puppy into this environment - I know I never would. I expect my puppy people to give the pups a good, loving, caring, attentative environment.

    Dogs are NOT toys you can put back in the cupboard when they interfere with your life style - so a stuffed one which could go back into the cupboard would be the best option

    Sally Wallis

    Zande Basenjis

    www.zandebasenjis.com

    https://pedigrees.zandebasenjis.com

    SKYPE zandeuk

    1
  • eeeefarmE

    When I got my first Basenji I was on the rebound from having to put down our family Sheltie. I wanted a dog so badly, and when I saw a Basenji advertised in the paper I just had to have her! Val and I had some good times, but I was in my early twenties, raging hormones and all that, and I came to know that between work and a social life, I wasn't able to provide her with all that she needed. I was still living at home, so she was not being left alone for long periods of time, but once I came to the realization that I couldn't do her justice I started looking for a solution to the problem. Val loved children, and I was fortunate enough to find her a home with 3 kids, whom she adored. I kept in touch, and she was happy to see me when I visited, but she loved those kids and I doubt she would have traded them for a life with me, even though she loved the freedom of going to the barn and accompanying me on rides through the countryside. Her new family had a cottage on an island, where she got the freedom she desired.

    Long story short, what we want passionately may not be what we should have. Fortunately I recognized that and was able to rectify my mistake to the benefit of both myself and my dog. Had no appropriate family been available, of course I would have kept Val and done right by her, but I doubt either of us would have been as happy with the result. Word to the wise: wait until the time is right, even if you really, really want a dog now. It may save you both a lot of grief.

    "In order to get along with a Basenji, you have to be at least half as smart as the dog!"

    4
  • elbrantE

    @lovedogs
    @eeeefarm said in should I get a basenji?:

    wait until the time is right, even if you really, really want a dog now

    I agree... with everyone. Sometimes you just need to accept that (no matter how much you want a dog/car/kid/house) you aren't quite ready for it. I waited 5 years before I brought my Basenji home and it was probably the most adult thing I've ever done. I was still in recovery from a spinal injury and knew that I wouldn't be able to provide (her) the exercise she would want and require. Waiting made all the difference in the world. Whan I was finally ready, the most perfect little girl was ready for me.

    Don't fret about it. You can read, research, consider all of your options, and really prepare yourself. (Don't look at puppy pictures online! You'll fall in love without even meeting the pup(s) and it will pull at your heartstrings.) Remind yourself that "one day you will have a Basenji", just not today.

    elbrant.net

    3

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    How did you get your basenji to walk off leash?

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    @eeeefarm said in How did you get your basenji to walk off leash?: What I find interesting is the change in attitude to dogs on leashes. At that time, many people walked their dogs off leash, and many left them loose on their properties all day long. First, and probably foremost, you're a excellent owner. We disagree on a lot of training things (like e-collars) but you are uber responsible. On the "in the old days"... I see parents talk about not how they roved the neighborhood or all over small towns and how safe. But I also worked with women over the age of 70 who had been sexually assaulted as children and never reported it. I am not sure kids were massively safer in the good old days except for the fact that back then, your neighbors DID look after your kids... they'd scold them or call you without being fearful of being called meddling... because it was about caring. We've lost that. As for dogs, yep... we're similar aged and I remember my grandmother's farm and the fairly steady stream of new farm dogs because they got killed by wild life/snakes etc or roving dogs. It was business as usual. Dog disappeared or dead-- get another one. I know many still feel that way. Rather have to dogs run free and happy and dead young than "cooped up." Our value for dogs as companions has dramatically changed, and our view of our responsibility for them. We always had cats and dogs who were allowed out, and like you, most stayed on the property. But I remember 3 dogs who didn't (one small, probably stolen) and cats didn't live long. We just took that as the norm. Obviously I have look back at that and am horrified. (Though there was an Irish setter who would NOT stay on his property and if the owners weren't there, he followed me about a mile to my house when I walked home from school. His owners laughed, would come get him when they got home if he didn't go back. I thought that was kewl back then but not so much then.) But my experience, and I lived in a very small town then, and a smallish one now, is very different. Then and now, dead dogs and cats on the road are incredibly common. The litmus test is research statistics. Cats who are even allowed out a few hours a day loose have dramatically decreased life spans. I haven't bothered to look about dogs, though a look at shelters should be enough to prove that dogs loose are often dogs lost. The number with electric fence collars demonstrates how ineffective even that is if prey drive kicks in. (for the record, your dog your choice. Loose cats however have an almost unimaginable impact on wildlife, so it IS my business if your cat runs loose.) Yep, times have definitely changed.
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    Thinking about getting a Basenji

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  • C

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    I have a general question. Does anybody elses Basenji not like to be picked up. Ours sometimes loves it, and sometimes not. Also sometimes she runs up to dogs as quiet as can be and plays, and than other times she makes a squeeling noise, and people are afraid she is picking a fight with their dog. But I think shes just talking. She squeels at our new Whippet puppy, and loves to play with her and is as gentle as can be, considering the Whippet puppy is really rough on my poor Basenji baby girl. does anyone know what the squeeling means. The baroo I get she does that all the time. The squeeling is confusing.
  • eoyE

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    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.
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