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How do I get my basenji to talk???

Basenji Talk
  • Our red girl would always yodel when my daughter played her violin. Never fails. She chortles when she is happy.

    They all whine a lot!

    Or Tri used to yodel when a pup, but has not done anything in the last 8 years. However he did scream during the night, sounded like a human was getting stabbed to death. The most godawful noise you ever heard, loud and gut wrenching. We think he was having a nightmare, he sleeps in his crate.

    Anyone else have their dog scream like that (not getting hurt)

  • Both of my B's talk and yodel but maybe this will help. From day we brought Jayden home my daughter get on floor look at Jayden tell him to yodel then she would make this awful sound. Then Jaycee would start in and it could have been Jayden just could not stand all noise but was not long before he was make his voice heard and he is very much a talker. The only thing I am going to say be careful what you wish for when two of them get going I sometimes wish that neither of them talked.

    Rita Jean

  • Cara makes a great many noises (including a rather disturbing donkey one), but no yodel. I am definitely yodel/baroo envious since Arwen also doesn't do them.

  • I have an old harmonica that was my grandfather's, never fails to get a response. My first boy was pretty quiet on the yodeling front, but that would get him going. Current guy is more vocal on his own, but if I want him to go, harmonica always does the trick. Just to start, then he's all about the "singing" with me. Now that the weather is nice and windows are open, I often wonder what the folks walking/ running/ biking by on the street may think of the sounds….:)

  • My 2 1/2 year old r/w Shaye hardly ever makes noise - whines and mutters when we leave a dog park, and twice has copied her "sister's" bark - (Gemma is a mix and barks a LOT, also talks and yodels), but it didn't sound the same. One time she baroo'd when we came home from a long afternoon, but never repeated it. Because we keep telling Gemma to be quiet, sometimes Shaye looks at her as if to ask "What's wrong with you?!?" so maybe she has decided making noise is a bad thing. No matter - noise or no noise they can communicate very well.

  • Get a cheap Harmonica and try that or go to youtube and look for Basenji singing-turn up the volume and see what happens.

  • @2baroos:

    Get a cheap Harmonica and try that or go to youtube and look for Basenji singing-turn up the volume and see what happens.

    hello 2baroos - welcome to the forum! I see you are from BC - anywhere in the lower mainland?

  • I used to live in Vancouver and now live in Courtenay

  • i got my boy to "sing " by mistake…..lol. i was going through a web site called singing dogs ( basenji) and turned it up loud and guess what it got my boy singing along with the dog on line.... what a noise but worth it..

  • The two males I had previously never ever made a sound. My current female never has yodeled but she does "talk" back to me when I scold her and she "cries" like a tasmanian devil when in the car-kennel. My new male yodels every now and then but I haven't figured out what sets him off.

  • LOL, so I am on the way to the vet for Arwen's 3 mo teeth cleaning. First, understand she is very silent most the time, none of the usual basenji noises other than screams and demon noised. So suddenly she is talking a LOT (not normal basenji noises but something I had never heard her do). I am SOOOO excited, I am praising, reaching back patting her. She gets louder, longer and more excited.

    I get more excited. I am all but exploding happy. I am mad my phone doesn't have a video.

    Finally, she quits and I suddenly get it. She wasn't talking. She was screaming "HEY PULL THE HELL OVER I GOTTA POOP NOW!" So deciding i hadn't a clue, she did. Thank goodness I had a sheet on the back seat and a huge shopping bag in the trunk. I pulled over, let her out, pulled out the poopy sheet and put it in the bag, tied it up (and threw out when I got home). So much for Arwen talking.

  • oh how lucky you are… would love to hear her...

  • haaaaha i just re read your letter and realised what you meant !!!!!

  • My boy yodels when I say "I loooooovveee yooooooouuuuuuu" :D

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  • When to get another Basenji

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    Wow! Somehow, I never got emails letting me know I had responses to this thread and just assumed there weren't any. But now that I'm back in the loop, I did want to thank everyone for their feedback and provide some thoughts of my own. That makes me laugh about the rescue person who wouldn't let young families or lawyers adopt her dogs. :-D I can understand her rationale from both perspectives. It's a compelling argument on her part about lawyers, but not all lawyers are the same, of course. I know a lot of extremely busy lawyers in large firms who struggle to hit their billable hour requirement each month. They're machines instead of people, and I wouldn't even let them dogsit my babies for fear of neglect. That's not my situation, fortunately. The young family part will be, but I've been thinking really carefully on how I'll balance this when the time comes. My dogs are my first children, and I would hire as many trainers as needed and try as many alternatives as I could before I would give them up. Unfortunately, I don't think a lot of people have that mindset about their dogs. :( I would absolutely be open to the idea of having the breeder choose a puppy for us based on their experience and prediction as to personality. All basenjis are gorgeous to me, and as long as the markings aren't completely off-base and I can get a tightly-curled tail (I've seen that the Avongaras can be lacking in this area, and I need a cinnamon bun in my life), personality is the most important thing. I wouldn't nitpick it to death. I'll have to decide on a breeder at some point, and I'd love one who's relatively local so I could visit. The man I got Penny from had great pet Basenjis that he bred… I'd like to go with a more reputable breeder this time around. At the very least, he tested for Fanconi. I can be grateful for that, as all is well so far and I more than likely dodged a bullet when I ended up with such a fantastic dog. My plan would be to decide and get on a waiting list far enough in advance that if there were a couple litters that just didn't produce what my family and I were looking for, we wouldn't be waiting forever. In short, what I'm banking on is that the right pup with the right personality will fit in pretty flawlessly. I know what sets my basenji off in other dogs, and I'm hopeful that I could find one that would suit her and suit our home. Daisy certainly worked out well for her, and I'd love to have that same success again. I've done three puppies in my lifetime, and all of them have grown up to be well-adjusted adults. I know what it takes, and I know it's hard work. I would never go the route of having an infant and a puppy at the same time (isn't THAT actually the definition of insanity?? ;) ), but I am still trying to shoot somewhere in the next 3-4 year range so my two aren't past ten and too old to handle a puppy.
  • Any advice on getting another Basenji?

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  • Interested in getting a Basenji… maybe

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    There are some breeders out your end of the Country that could probably help you out. Cheryl Myers Eggerton is a Judge and also a breeder, she is in Minto NB and has Connamore B's, Simone Guadet (Beaubri) is on PEI, Valerie Rodger (Miloki) is in Beaver Bank NS. I have two that I can leave out without issues, and two go in the crate when I am not home. It is all dependant on the dog. But, like Anne states, puppies are a lot of work and sometimes the older dogs, young adults and retired show dogs are the better ones to start with. You can find all of the above on the Basenji Club of Canada website under breeders. At least with Val, you could probably visit her since she is in NS directly. Let us know how it goes,
  • Mistake getting a Basenji?

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    Hello! I wish to comment on my dog Pearl. She is Very quiet, hardly a sound. I try to encourage her to speak. She does a lot of nonverbal communication. About the child issue. Pearl came to us as a puppy. My kids (12 & 13 at the time) spent time with her, the neighbor kids played with her, and she loves kids. No problems socializing with young people. I guess the point is, your pup will love anyone who treats it well and cares for it. At 5 , I'm sure your child understands the importance of being gentle with dogs. Pearl has done her fair share of chewing. Interesting what she likes. She will be 2 in October, and is better, but she has lots of bones! I love Pearl, however, I am easy going, and enjoy taking her on walks, playing with her, and having her as a family member. Its up to you what you want from a dog. Pearl is pretty free, and thats what I like!
  • Considering getting a Basenji

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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.