• @innociv:

    My Basenji mix died and I'm going to get another soon.. I was wondering: Can you tell when they're only a few months old if they're going to be waggers when they're adults?

    My mix wagged his tail pretty much non stop whenever he was standing. He was always really happy. Whether playing, if I had a toy, when I said anything to him, when I got home, when he was following me around, anything. Only time he didn't wag was when he was relaxing, pointing, or eating.

    It would be very very weird for me to have a dog that didn't wag their tail. If they wag as a puppy will they wag when grown up? I worry that their tail will change or something and it stops wagging.

    My 5mo b-pup, Liyah has been a serious wagger since before I took her home at 11 weeks. She still is a big wagger (maybe even bigger)…I don't anticipate that changing as her personality is super happy, outgoing, playful and wiggly. Everyone she meets always comments about how happy she is and practically wiggles out of her skin :D:D. Her personality reminds me so much of another Eldorado bitch I know (Liyah is also from Eldorado, but only distantly related to that girl) that is 2 years old. I anticipate Liyah behaving very similar to this other girl when she is older (the other girl was just like Liyah as a pup).


  • Well I wondered because I don't think not wagging their tail doesn't mean they aren't happy. But I like lots of tail wagging showing their happiness..

    Thanks though!


  • Out of all my B's I only have had a couple that were real tail waggers… baby puppies at about 5 or 6 wks will begin to wag their tails if they are going to be big tail waggers (at least in my litters)... and I agree wiht innociv, not wagging doesn't mean they are not happy puppies/adults...


  • @tanza:

    and I agree wiht innociv, not wagging doesn't mean they are not happy puppies/adults…

    Oh, I completely agree…dogs have many different ways of showing happiness...tail wagging isn't everything.


  • I have had, over the years a variety of tail 'expressions' - I had one that her tail would just slightly undulate, several waggers, a couple of tip waggers, and the previously mentioned - helecopter rotar tail. Sometimes it is VERY subtle.


  • There's a B who goes to the same dog park I do - his little tail is so curled it nearly curls around twice - when he's happy or wants to play that little tail opens up a little and wags like a spring - it's adorable!


  • Aww that's cute.

    That's why I wondered. I've kind of noticed it seems it's harder for them to wag when it's tightly curled. The ones with less curl more often seem to be waggers. But sometimes they still try either way, or they'll uncurl it some when they wag to wag it easier.

    Thanks for the responses!


  • My Ty has a tightly curled tail, not even to one side or another, straight over the back and curled within it's self. He wags for greetings (hula like gyrations from the hips down with the tail going 90 miles an hour). Katie has a loose curl and NEVER wags unless she's done something wrong and thinks it's funny.


  • Jaycee wag's her little bun and her butt very cute and she is so happy when she is doing this.

    Rita Jean


  • My Duna Never wags her tail at us, but howls with happiness and her ears are straight backwards…I wish i could see her little tail wag like other dogs do!!! 😞

  • First Basenji's

    Hee hee I just read all the posts about tail wagging…....made me smile. We call it "wobbling" in our house. When we come home Haley's tail "wobbles"........just adorable.


  • @Basenji_Boy:

    I find the tails very interesting. Some of ours wag tails, some don't. Our domestics have tails you couldn't uncurl if you wanted to….unless you broke their tail. The African's tails are very loose and go limp when they relax or sleep. When the AF female eats, its completely limp, hangs straight down.

    Just an observation based on what I see with mine.:)

    Hmmm…
    Are we risking introducing hemivertebrae by breeding for tighter and tighter curl in the tail in domestics?

    -Nicole


  • @Kalima62:

    My Duna Never wags her tail at us, but howls with happiness and her ears are straight backwards…I wish i could see her little tail wag like other dogs do!!! 😞

    Kananga doesn't wag his tail much really either. He will, however, do his "happy spins" and then take off running with a B-500. It's almost like he's winding himself up. I laugh every time. 😃


  • @nkjvcjs:

    Hmmm…
    Are we risking introducing hemivertebrae by breeding for tighter and tighter curl in the tail in domestics?

    -Nicole

    Is it common in the states for a B to have a fairly tight curl?


  • Gossy only "wags" her tail when extremely excited (as when I come home from work) or if she's stalking a squirrel. She has a tight cinnamon bun curl so it just wags at the base - like she's trying to knock it off her butt.

  • Houston

    Wizard,
    Otis' tail looks like that too..we call it the "cinnamon bun wag"

    so cute..


  • Does anyone's Basenji uncurl their tail upwards when they are pulling on a leash or while maneuvering during a B-500?

    It's hard to explain, but my B's tail will extend up at times when he's running around on his leash, usually trying to pull in a certain direction. He has a loose curl and always uncurls his tail when he sleeps. I always laugh when his tail extends upwards when he's running around.


  • Shaye's tail is wound tightly, but she wiggles it from side to side when we get home after being a way a while - Gemma's is much looser and she wags like crazy!


  • @nkjvcjs:

    Hmmm…
    Are we risking introducing hemivertebrae by breeding for tighter and tighter curl in the tail in domestics?

    -Nicole

    Don't know about the hemivertebrae issue, but it's interesting to see what type of tail develops. Neither of Zoni's parents have a tight tail curl, Pow's is a larger loop but Zoni and the rest of her litter have a much tighter curl in their tail. I'm curious how predictable that is up front if you have never bred one of the dogs before. And it seems like good tail set/rear assembly would be more of what is breed for versus how tight the curl is. Zoni's is nice and curly but I'd rather that she wasn't so high in the rear versus having a tightly curled tail. I like them a little more loose personally so that they can drape a little over the side.


  • @Kananga:

    Does anyone's Basenji uncurl their tail upwards when they are pulling on a leash or while maneuvering during a B-500?

    It's hard to explain, but my B's tail will extend up at times when he's running around on his leash, usually trying to pull in a certain direction. He has a loose curl and always uncurls his tail when he sleeps. I always laugh when his tail extends upwards when he's running around.

    You will see that on the lure field… either extended upwards or straight out behind, it depends on the "set" of the tail and the curl....

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