Basenji Intellegence

[AJs Human]

Just because a dog doesn't hang on your every word does not mean it is not intelligent. Basenji just have other things on their minds. I've found AJ to be very trainable and follows both voice and gesture commands. We don't use the typical Sit…Stay... We have our own cadence and I have difference requirements of him.

Some people equate canine intelligence with blind and immediate action to specified instruction. IMO, this is not "intelligence" so much as rote learning. Actual intelligence is the ability to solve a problem. I figure a dog is pretty smart when he teaches himself how to unlatch a wing window and let himself out of the truck through that small opening. I'm glad this truck does not have wing windows.

[Benkura]

This is a great thread. I'm currently doing a home study dog course and for the last unit I have to do a 'special study'. As usual I've left it to the last minute and haven't actually done any study. (Got to be in by this Friday!!) :o
What I had thought I would write about (needs to be approx 1500 words) was 'Why are some dogs labelled as more 'intelligent' than others?'

Would any of you mind if I maybe used some of your stories as examples in my study? And maybe if some of you can help in any other way I'd be VERY grateful.

[Patty]

Benkura - what a great idea.

I had another thought but I don't know whether you can use it?

• A Border Collie is deemed intelligent because they are so obedient hence a Basenji could be called unintelligent for that reason.

However which of these breeds would jump over a cliff if given the right command?!!

Don't anyone take this as a slur on BCs - I love them too.

Tiyaa who was Nakura's great great great (I think!) grandmother learned obedience from watching us train our Border Collies. She never had any training herself. She came to classes to compete in match competitions and did extremely well but for the retrieve. She would take one look when we threw the article and turn to us as if to say "You threw it, you fetch it"

[Benkura]

The Border Collie Vs the Basenji was exactly what I had started to write about but wasn't sure if I could pad it out to 1500 words. A friend has lent me just about EVERY book on BCs. (I'm not a quick reader). I like the idea of a BC (or similar) being bred to follow commands from one leader and therefor may need 'leading' to solve problems etc.

[agilebasenji]

I think in dogs, we usually equate speed of obedience with intelligence. Can you imagine if we did this in humans? Does anyone really think an athletic/able-bodied person is smarter than someone who isn't?

[AJs Human]

Another example of Basenji intelligence and problem-solving is in Member Introductions: Chaos. Any dog who can teach a small human to do something that is advantageous to the dog is pretty smart, in my book.

[nobarkus]

@AJs:

Another example of Basenji intelligence and problem-solving is in Member Introductions: Chaos. Any dog who can teach a small human to do something that is advantageous to the dog is pretty smart, in my book.

And he did it without using candy too.

[Benkura]

I've only just read the Chaos introduction. That's brilliant. I do think they far 'out smart' most other dog breeds. Cunning little creatures!!

[tasha]

My husband and I just laugh at people who say basenjis are dumber than labs. They are the ignorant ones who obviously don't know much at all about the breed. Corky is the smartest dog either of us have ever known let alone owned. He knows exactly how to get away with things and he knows how to charm us when he doesn't. What lab can do that?

[thunderbird8588]

Vicki what course are you doing?it sounds interesting

[Kananga]

Another quality of an intelligent dog (in my opinion) is how easily they can get bored.

This is something that I have seen very similar between Border Collies and Basenjis. You need to keep them stimulated mentally, otherwise they turn destructive. The core difference between the two breeds is independence. Basenjis like to be on their own (leadership wise) and Border Collies look forward to being told what's next.

Having lived with both breeds, I can tell you that both Border Collies and Basenjis pick up on emotion very well. They know when we're upset, happy, anxious, etc, and they react to that emotion. I really think they are much more aware of their surrounding, perhaps why you see anxiety issues with both breeds (I've read more about it with Basenjis though).

[Patty]

Kananga - I totally agree with you about both breeds being similar in their need for mental stimulation. I have seen too many results of Border Collies having to live boring (to them) lives leading to them being not only destructive but aggressive and landing up in Rescue.

Popele see them doing bright intelligent things and think what a lovely dog and are not warned by their breeders that they need stimulating activity.

[Max]

couple of sites you guys might be interested in

www.leerburg.com has a forum and the site owner sell training DVDs for obedience, sport and working dog owners.

www.workingdogforum.com is also a forum for sport and protection k9s as well as therapy dogs

[agilebasenji]

I have to admit I'm really impressed with Leerburg for posting this:
http://leerburg.com/markers.htm

[Benkura]

@thunderbird8588:

Vicki what course are you doing?it sounds interesting

Hi Shelley

The course is called Think Dog. It was originally written by John Fisher but Sarah Whitehead has rewritten it. It's a distance learning course which should only take 6 months or so to complete. I started it 8 YEARS AGO!!! I finished 5 out of the 7 modules within 4 months but one thing after another (moving house, adding Bs to our life etc etc) meant I never got it finished.
I finally decided this year to dig it out of the cupboard again and complete it.
It has changed a hell of a lot since I started it (not sure for the better). It's been an OK course to do but I'm sure there are better ones.

[Verbalobe]

I was thinking about Zelda's vocabulary this morning, and decided to make an update here for the record. Note I do not think any of this is extraordinary, it's just what it is, and Listeme and I have a tremendous and growing interest in training and we're having a blast with Zelda.

Age: just over 12 weeks.

Techniques:

• Clicker marker; tiny treats cut from: store treats, cheese, hot dog, pizza (for extra-special); verbal praise ("good girl", "yay!"); pets and caresses
• Verbal marker for correction: "uh uh uh", "no", "quit", "off", "leave it", and imitation of a puppy scream (to deter biting), imitation of pack leader growl (to deter face biting, face jumping). We're concentrating on "leave it", since it seems like an important one for a puppy's safety.

Words she knows and (almost) always responds appropriately (if used in context):

• Zelda
• No
• Place (her bed or any dog mat/dog towel in any room)
• Touch (outstretched hand tapped with her nose, no teeth)
• Outside? Go outside? Outside!
• Dinner, hungry
• Nite-nite, bedtime

Words she is learning:

• Leave it, quit, uh uh uh
• Wanna…?
• Where's your...?

Words we're starting to work on:

• Come
• Say hello (paw wave)

She has a really great temperament and personality! She entertains herself now for up to an hour at a time without getting in trouble. She begs to go out for poop, but will occasionally (very rarely really) sneak a pee in a corner. If we're watching carefully enough we recognize the behavior in time.

We don't have a fenced-in yard and it's winter, so getting her out for enough exercise has been a challenge. Last night she went to bed (crate) before she was really tired, so we got her back out again and let her run the Basenji 500 for half an hour. At a certain point she just turned and walked toward the crate very softly.

The biggest deterrence problem right now is her interest in mauling the cat. It's just play, but the cat has been hurt once. So we are reintroducing them gradually, concentrating on gentle treatment. I think she'll transition naturally as she outgrows the puppy phase (cross fingers).

More later!

Edited to add: another command we're working on is "Trade." We use this to offer a preferred toy in exchange for an item she has purloined such as yarn, masking tape, a plastic fork, food packaging, etc., etc., etc. Or I should say, we hope the exchange is preferred.

[thunderbird8588]

Sounds like Zelda is doing realy well

[nkjvcjs]

I see this ranking quoted so often, that I finally decided I needed to go to the source.
Stanly Coren's The Intelligence of Dogs. I found it in a used Book Store, and just started reading it this Tuesday.
I'm not far into it, but I see that he discusses multiple intelligences in dogs, and the rankings are only for Working/Obedience Intelligence.
We all know our B's need to be very motivated to be obedient, so it does not surprise me at all that they rank low on this type of Intelligence.
I will know more about his methods when I have read further.

[BasenjiByTheBay]

Love the link to the bomb-sniffing basenji article. I'd say we're safe until terrorists start tucking squirrels alongside the bombs.

[Lenora]

People who don't actually HAVE basenjis can say what they want but we all know the truth about their intelligence. My Abbey tries to sneak or snatch what she wants but if she can't get whatever it is she wants she carefully studies the situation, formulates a plan, and in due time she carries out her plan. Now that's real intelligence.