I was watching Animal Planet yesterday and on the show Good Dog University they had a segment about dogs that bark a lot and how to train them. They also had a small part on dogs that don't or rarely bark and a Basenji was one of the dogs. Also a Whippet and Borzoi. They explained about the B's vocal chords being different from other dogs. Also they mentioned that they make a whining sound or yodel.
What does your B do when someone rings the door bell or knocks on the door. Do they let out a woof, woof or just run to the door? Cali being a Basenji mix will bark or woof, woof.
Abbey never barks. When someone rings the doorbell she runs in circles until I tell her Crate, so I can open the door. She saw the mailman one day and said something that sounded like Erp. I guess that was a bark! If she sees the neighbor's golden retriever Charlie (she hates him) she goes Wa Wa Wa Wa.
Our boy will pretty much run into the door with hair standing up, and our girl will follow with just as much gusto, but minus the whole slamming into the door bit. Both have been known to let out little puny "woofs" when they are really excited, but not much of a bark.
I sometimes think Joey is hard of hearing. He doesn't move until he sees someone enter. Then he sniffs and may put his paws on the person's thighs to check out their breath, them determines they are ok and goes on his merry way…silent.
My mixed breed Missy does all the barking but Abby doesn't bark, if someone new comes in the house of if we are in the basement and come upstairs she will baroooooo at us, no barking though.
The folds in the Basenji's voicebox are too shallow to produce a bark. However they can give a good imitation of a bark. My youngest male proves this, its more like a "woof" produced at the diaphram to aid in projection. I notice his abs move when he produces this sound.
My female has a rolling growl, she doen't yodel. My oldest male has "pack summing bay". This is an eerie howl that will carry for some distance.
All 3 are adept at growling and snarling. Mahendra, the middle Basenji and the alpha, will hoard all the rawhides and not let the other 2 have any. He has actually buried some and recovered them later.
mine DEFINATLY yodels!! lol. and in several vocal tones!! i love it, but i have heard him let out a normal bark before, and a kind of "snuff" if you know what im trying to say, lol…
