OK, wasn't sure where this would fit, but this seemed like a likely place to start.
A friend recently e-mailed me about someone who is interested in doing some research about Basenji vocalizations -I've copied her question here…
I mentioned that my friend is starting a behavior study on vocalizations and would like to focus on the Basenji. She is looking for a behavior that segregates within a breed. Her question is the following - does barkless and yodel segregate? In other words, are there some Bs that do bark and/or don't yodel? Also, are there certain lines of Bs that yodel more than others? I'd appreciate any thoughts you have on this as well as the thoughts of any other B people you know. And of course, Alice needs the info as soon as possible to present as a potential study. Thanks for your help and input
So, thoughts, ideas??? I will let her know what people's ideas are from here.
Terry
Basenjis often do a single bark, different than regular dogs. Not all basenjis yodel (sadly for us with yodel envy). Their range of vocalization though– omg. Tasmanian devil noises. But it seems she sort of is confused. Basenjis have a wide range of noises. It isn't ever if they can yodel they can't bark or vice versa. They just seem to do one or both (and the bark is the boof single bark, not 2 beat bark) depending on lord knows what, but the ability to yodel doesn't mean they can't do the single bark.
She can listen to my dog Arwen being annoyed: http://youtu.be/y0MBNxg7tLw (no picture as dark but the noises, well– basenji) She can go to youtube for so many sounds-- many say "I want some" type noise. This one is pretty great too: http://youtu.be/PXPmEBt5QRg
Added: Sayblee: every basenji noise, including what we called "summoning her demon minions" noises.
Arwen: Double niece, says "RRRRR" and the demon noises. Does not boof or yodel.
I have a pretty vocal family of basenjis. I have not seen segregation of "barking", which is really single boofs sometimes strung together, and yodels. I do have have a few non-yodelers though if she thinks that yodels versus non-yodels would be okay.
Im in Australia, and can speak of my lines only…
I have 5 B's here at the moment... Oldest boy, a Wazazi dog, will quite happily do that single bark that DDS mentions. Visitors, cars in the drive etc, etc, will set him off... No yodels from him at all, ever... Next bitch, (Wazazi again), no barks or yodels... Next bitch, (another Wazazi, 1/2 sister to the previous bitch), no barks or yodels, either. Next 2 boys, both brothers from the first bitch to a very talkative, HUGE yodeller... Nope they are also completely quiet, no barks, yodels, nuffing... All mine are incredibly broken, and I reckon I need a refund :)..
My first male never ever made any sounds (except a growl if I tried to take a bone away).
My second male never ever made any sounds
My female never yodels or barks but does have a low roo-roo-roo (when talking back at me for scolding her) and she does an exdcellent Tasmanian devil imitation when traveling in the vehicle.
My current male yodels and does the roo-roo-roo (when I'm not fast enough with his dinner) but no barks and no Tasmanian devil sounds (yet).
My 4 all yodel, bark, make tasmanian devil noises. Three are related - grandmother, grand daughter, great grand son. My 4th is not related at all (from Finland and adopted as an adult) and he did not make any noise for the 1st year I had him. He found his voice because of my girl Ruby getting praise for her songs. Now he makes all the noises she makes. Two of mine yodel on command for their dinner (or for a cheese snack or to greet us when we come home), one boy will yodel and talk when you ask him "what do you have to tell me" and the 4th one will yodel when she wants to play or when she is extremely happy to see us.
My female never yodels or barks but does have a low roo-roo-roo (when talking back at me for scolding her) and she does an exdcellent Tasmanian devil imitation when traveling in the vehicle.
My current male yodels and does the roo-roo-roo (when I'm not fast enough with his dinner) but no barks and no Tasmanian devil sounds (yet).
LOL please video!
My first never made any sounds except growling when protecting the yard. My second 2 made noises once in a while like Monkey noises. My current one, Buddy makes no noise at home but out in public he's really vocal and I mean really vocal especially when we go to the beach and there's a lot of people and dogs. He catches everybody's attention. I'm going to film it this weekend. If we are walking on the street and it's busy with traffic he'll "rrrrrr" at the traffic or at people passing us on the sidewalk. It's really funny! Sometimes he'll stop on a walk, turn around and do it at me! 
I never knew Basenjis could scream until I picked up Buddy at the rescue in 09 and Karen's Basenji in the house started screaming and I said "what the hell is that!" She said "oh that's so and so and she's upset that we are taking up her yard time".
Debra that's damn scary sounding!:eek:
Yes, Basenji's screaming is pretty scary. One of my favorite stories about that is (and this is a true story)
1. Male in-tact Basenji in one part of the house, in the other part of the house 2 bitches in season. Owner comes home from work (she is a Vet Tech) and there comes a knock at the door. Opens to two policemen wanting to know where her children are and who was screaming. Well, she says, I don't have any children, must have been my male Basenji screaming for the bitches in season, please come in and look for yourself. As the officers look at her like she needs to be confined to a little white coat, they go in and see the 3 Basenjis in crates all quiet and cozy. She says, lets take a walk outside and you can hear for yourself. She locks the boy on one side of the house and the girls on the other. They don't even get to the end of the driveway before the male starts screaming! The two officers look at each other, turn and say "Well OK then, have a nice day"!
Becca – boofs, yodels, screams, devlish dog sounds, wolf howls
Tucker -- used to talk a lot when he was a baby. The breeder would give him a talking to wave the finger and he would sit there and talk back. Now he has the devil dog sound down to a fine science. He also yodels but not very much. I have never heard him scream or howl like a wolf and every once in a while if you catch him off-guard with something will make a short sharp bark noise
1. Kipawa will do the 'once only' bark, which is more like an *ark. This only happens when someone comes to our front door.
2. He does a HUGE baroo when I say 'mommy, mommy, mommy' over a few times. I have no idea why this started, but it's a 100% foolproof way to get him to baroo.
3. The end of every baroo has yodels.
Pat, that's way too funny!
We once had 5 who howled, yodeled, 'roo'd' and of course growled. It was glorious, every day my greeting was a 5-basenji howl-fest. It was a mother and 3 of her sons and unrelated female. It was a very vocal family unit.
Current dogs: Nicky, silent except for the occasional growl
Eddie, crowing rooster sounds on greeting, very occasionally.
Chipley, occasional barroo as a greeting, which we applaud and make a fuss over. Otherwise nothing. We do know he can scream, he did when he was attacked a few weeks ago!
All mine are rescues so lineage is unknown. I love noisy basenjis, but it can be rough on the neighbors.
1. Kipawa will do the 'once only' bark, which is more like an *ark. This only happens when someone comes to our front door.
Kananga will do that too, and only when I'm leaving. He gets all excited and will have his tailing waging, every once and awhile letting out a similar noise, a strange bark.
That and the usual yawn noises.
All of mine would baroo, but they were pretty stingy about it. I find Basenjis tend to vocalize when they are impatient or frustrated about something. One of my girls would vocalize if I "threatened" her by holding my hands over her head. My first boy would sometimes baroo, but was a wonderful howler. I got him started by making noises through an empty paper towel roll cardboard. He started howling and once he began he would keep it up for awhile. This became a behavior that was "on cue". He would howl if I sang his "baroo" song to him, and his other cue to howl was saying "You're nothing but a dog, and that's all you'll ever be". That would get him going, and I could even hold him upside down while he continued to howl. Too funny!
My current boy usually vocalizes if we are late with his meal or if we delay going out after loading his roller ball. He gets impatient waiting for us to leave, so he can have his treat. He will also join in if I start howling like a wolf.
Three of mine would give a fox bark, usually if startled. My current boy will give a bark at a stranger. My old girl would only put her fur up and "huff". All have had an impressive "snark" if disturbed when comfortable.
Ohhh I am going to have to try the paper towel roll thingy. I want them to baroo more maybe that is the trick? I will probably just get ****ed heads and the 'WTF are you doing Mom?' look.
When we had the rotties, Arwen would join them in howling but it was a truly freaky sound. Now, no matter how much we humans howl or how shrill, no response. 
And yes, Cara does the musical yawns.
Hope just does the musical yawns, yodels for when we come home and baroo's for every other thing. She also "talks back" when shes in trouble with a grumbly sound (i find it hilarous - i try not to show this though haha).
I have heard her scream and i have heard other basenjis argue scream when i take her back for visits to her breeder and the other dogs get impatient with one another and scream the place down.
I havent ever heard a sound that D.D.S. displays in her youtube vids come out of Hope.
LOL, when we got Sayblee and she made those noises, we said she was summoning her minions. I am just glad their actions don't match their noises!
Mister Puppy yodels a bit now and then, but not much. He's a very silent boy, but when he's very happy we can hear him say "RAFF!".
