Does anyone else's basenji, when they sit, their butt doesn't hardly ever touch the ground, she is always on her haunches looking like in case she needs to take off, I think it's funny to see
yes..they almost all do that..basenji sit..too cold, too wet, too this too that to sit on ..:)
Mine sit fine in the house, particularly if told to sit. If it is just playing, not an issue, but if your dog truly never really sits, you might want to have vet check to make sure she's okay. Some dogs with hip issues do not like to sit.
Mine only sit right on their butt when they are in the house. Anywhere else and, yes, it does look like they want to take off.
I have 5 from two different lines, so I don't think it's genetic, but just a comfort/flight or fight response.
Here is Gambit practicing her sit stays at Tads house this weekend, I was giving him a demo on a few of her rally routines. She hovered a few times when I first started training her. I worked on leading her head backwards with a treat till she sat all the way down. Now she does it naturally, but yes they do go for comfort first. I failed to qualify last yr one time with Xander, because I thought he was in a perfect sit stay, walked all the way around him fine, then we moved forward only to have the judge tell me that there was a half inch between his butt and the concrete floor on his sit on each of the 3 sit stations grrr. Looking down on him at my side it looked like he was sitting, but he was obviously not going to put his buttt down all the way on the cold floor, first and last time he's done that as I bend over and check now.
ROFLMAO, sorry you didn't qualify but omg that's funny.
I have a friend whose Rottie used to do terrible things to her in obedience. She did things like:
leave the ring and go to the hotdog stand
go sit next to the judge
leave the ring and jump in the lap of a friend
I think performance competitions are designed to provide the owner with strong opportunities to learn humility.
Shaye only sits right down on the carpet. Even on the tile kitchen floor she keeps her butt resting on (I think) her heels. The ground is definitely too icky for her butt, and she isn't much better on the porch. She does, however, sit completely down on our laps - God forbid we don't have the thrill of her butt on us!!!
Kipawa sits in the house, and outside as well, providing the ground is dry. If damp or wet, he prefers to 'perch'.
It depends on the situation…Scarlett will sit when she wants something (go out, attention or that nice smelling thing your eating). Outside she doesn't really sit...there is always something to stare at our check out!
all 3 of our Basenjis do this funny sit. My theory is because Basenjis originated in countries where the ground is hot they have evolved to sit like this to protect their delicate rear ends 
. Now that they live in different climates i believe they do it to avoid, heat, cold, mud. I also think there is something in the fight/flight theory.
Lisa your description of Xander made me laugh. Malaika hovers about an inch from the ground when doing her down stays in class, in cold weather she is allowed to do it on a rug, however she still likes to hover if we don't insist she goes down completely.
