Jeff - I read the articles and saw the pics in the Basenji - very interesting indeed. Yes, please keep us posted about their progress.
Jeff, I miss all the photos on B-Pix! Hope Axel is doing well, loved to see him hunting!
Jeff you have no idea how tempting that is. Living in the heart of SD pheasant country, I'd hoped one day to obtain a Basenji for this very purpose, if not one day attempt to do exactly what you're doing- develop a "working" line of Basenjis using dogs that actually hunt. Where I live, a Basenji with its natural instincts intact would have the ideal environment to develop and utilize his abilities as an all-purpose small-game hunting dog. My two- an 11 y/o show-line dog and 5 y/o puppy mill rescue- have become remarkably adept at hunting in the 2 years since their backyard became a 3500 acre private preserve….if poor to mediocre genetics still retain this amount of ability I would love to see what an ability-focused breeding program could do.
Even though I hope to eventually build a professional career around traditional gundog breeds (have been getting my feet wet working for a pro for 2 years now), I will always have to have at least one or two Basenjis. 
And if my career requires me spending every day in the field training traditional sporting breeds....how much extra trouble will it be to bring along my Basenji and see what he'll give me? I just know I'll eventually be in a real position to take on the "hunting Basenji project" as kind of a side-hobby even if my main focus ends up being on a traditional bird-dog breed. My fondness for the Basenji combined with having the resources to produce serious hunting dogs, eventually on a pro-level....I could totally see it happening
Do you plan on making this an ongoing project? Any chance for future litters? I had it in my head that I'd be looking seriously at one of your puppies whenever Jibini passed away. Four dogs in the house is about all I'd prefer to deal with right now; so ideally a new-hire has to wait until somebody retires, lol. He's 11, and God willing that could be several more years down the road.
If this is likely to be a one-time breeding, however.....I would have a hard time passing that up. I could make it work; there's room in bed for one more dog, lol. Could you tell me your thoughts on this, any future plans, etc? Thanks
You can get reprints of all of my articles with the Basenji Magazine:
http://www.thebasenji.com/
You can also stay updated on our B's what they do, and the upcoming litter at their web page:
http://www.gak9.com/basenji-detector-dogs/
Thanks and let me know if you have any questions.
jeff
Sounds like an interesting project. I only have one Basenji as a pet, but I would be curious to read more about your project in developing working skills in Basenjis. Can you offer some citations for where you've written about working Basenjis, either online or in print? Thanks!
Hi Sharon,
check out our web page and all of the links. I have also published two books as well as a lot of articles for the Basenji Magazine.
http://www.gak9.com/basenji-detector-dogs/
I am interested in learning more about you and working with b's.
HI and I am sorry but I did not see your name…it sounds like you have a great situation for hunting B's up there and I envy you. Personally, I think a good hunting B will out work most other typical gun dogs. My B's consistently outwork pointers and labs...they just do not have the endurance. I also think the intelligence and nose of the hunting basenjis is better. I can't see myself working with another hunter. The only drawback is coat...without a hunting vest, they freeze their butts off. My B's hunt well in the snow but they need good waterproof coats.
I plan to keep this going for as long as possible. I just do not know if I will have the time. My business of training dogs keeps me very busy plus we travel each and every month all over the US and in Europe training handlers. I just cannot say for certain if I will be able to do this in the near future. I guess it depends on demand.
Jeff
Thanks, Anne!
Axel is a rock star and was chasing eastern long beards along the Etowah river flat behind our house yesterday during my run.
I always wonder when someone decides they can fill in some niche and that no one else has. I do have to wonder why no other health tests than Fanconi were done on the parents.
We are neighbors, was surprised I wasn't aware of you, but then, I don't look for trainers. However, I do have several K9 officer friends as well as a friend who used to train the police and fire dept up in Cumming area. Oddly no one I talked to knew of you either. I cannot imagine why you would leave Calif and settle in Canton! We cannot wait to move in about 2 yrs!
But I wish you the best of luck building your business here. I was glad to see you are now providing some training at Loving Hands. Having witnessed a few truly awful pop&jerk trainers there in the past, nice they have found another source. JoAnne walks on water for me. We lost Sayblee to lymphoma, but it wasn't because JoAnne didn't do every imaginable thing to try to save her.
I saved your link because I still frequently get calls about training issues (I do rescue). You might want to check your page, has duplicate paragraph: http://www.gak9.com/obedience-training/
As I am sure you know, we are surrounded by people here who think hitting, choking, pop/jerk etc are the way to train. Glad to see someone to refer real issues to as I no longer volunteer to do in-home training and frankly not pleased with most area "trainers."
Hi Debra,
Good observations! I am sorry you have not heard of us and had to wonder.
To answer your question about a niche and why in the world might we do it!: Our founding fathers were probably asked the same question and even though it is not the same issue, it is based on the same principal. Growth and change require new ideas. probably the most important reason is that my partner, Kelli, is a trainer for Auburn University's Detector dog program and is responsible for the training and testing of K9's destined for Homeland Security, Afghanistan and Iraq. the question has oft arisen, "Is there a small, agile, quiet dog that does not look like a typical police K9 but still has great workability?" I think the reason for the question is obvious. So, to make a long story short…we are trying to see if it is possible. The other part of our working lines is hunting basenjis and that is what the breed is all about...perhaps not much in the US but it should be part of the breed standard, IMO.
I am also sorry that you have not heard of us but there are hundreds of agencies just in Georgia and to have a couple of officers not know us really is not unusual. We train over 150 agencies each year all across the US and now in Germany and Slovakia. If you go to out calander page you will see that we are booked for the next year teaching schools. I have written a lot of articles on Basenji hunting that have been published here in the US, Germany, England, and Australia. I am a contributor for Police K9 and K9 Cops magazines. I have published two books on K9's and K9 training, the most recent having hit Amazon.com just two weeks ago.
I think the big reason why you don't know of us is because our specialty is working dogs and not the basenji show circles that is the norm here. However, you are welcome to visit anytime and check out our B's in action...well, maybe not Phoienix...she is whale like now.
As far as other tests go, we had plans to do it but the "Timing" snuck up on us while we were out of state teaching a dog school for Charlotte NC, Police Dept. No excuse, I know...but we did the best we could. However, our dogs pedigrees are really nice and we offer the same health guarantee for the B's that we do for our government dogs. I think we can survive and happily undergo any scrutiny.
Jeff
"DebraDownSouth
I always wonder when someone decides they can fill in some niche and that no one else has. I do have to wonder why no other health tests than Fanconi were done on the parents.
We are neighbors, was surprised I wasn't aware of you, but then, I don't look for trainers. However, I do have several K9 officer friends as well as a friend who used to train the police and fire dept up in Cumming area. Oddly no one I talked to knew of you either. I cannot imagine why you would leave Calif and settle in Canton! We cannot wait to move in about 2 yrs!
But I wish you the best of luck building your business here. I was glad to see you are now providing some training at Loving Hands. Having witnessed a few truly awful pop&jerk trainers there in the past, nice they have found another source. JoAnne walks on water for me. We lost Sayblee to lymphoma, but it wasn't because JoAnne didn't do every imaginable thing to try to save her.
I saved your link because I still frequently get calls about training issues (I do rescue). You might want to check your page, has duplicate paragraph: http://www.gak9.com/obedience-training/
As I am sure you know, we are surrounded by people here who think hitting, choking, pop/jerk etc are the way to train. Glad to see someone to refer real issues to as I no longer volunteer to do in-"
Jeff, I am so glad your over your health scare. Welcome.
Jeff, since we both live in the same town and I talked to area folks, yeah a bit surprising. Canton isn't that big. And for clarification– Basenjis are my "new" breed, I only got into them for my daughter and fell in love 11 yrs ago. Rottweilers, including dogs we have placed in police work, schutzhund homes as well as show/herding/obedience was my life since 1987. I know far more working dog folks than show people.
Being a stickler for testing, sorry but I'd have held off breeding until the i's were dotted and the t's crossed. If by "survive scrutiny" you mean you don't give a fig about others' opinions... sure. If you mean you did the most responsible thing, you are imho utterly wrong.
If your dogs prove to have hip, eye, heart or thyroid issues, the best pedigree on earth won't ease the pain of their offspring developing issues or their owners pain in watching them. Whether someone is breeding for show, work or even pets-- cutting corners on health testing upsets me. We are lucky we have a pretty healthy breed in basenjis, but I am perplexed to see the folks here who would chow down on a fellow breeder simply giving you a pass, no matter how many articles or books you have written. And now, done with it. I do hope you get the health tests done asap. It really is what responsible breeders do for the benefit of their dogs.
Ok…thank you and it is really nice to meet you. Again, the offer still stands and you are welcome to visit anytime.
Jeff
Jeff. Please, do the health testing. I know you have have "issues' now its time to focus on your dogs. IMO.
Hi Jeff,
Wasn't Kaden in a CNN article a few years back? Nice to see one of Conan's pups doing such cool things. Good luck.
HI Nemo,
Yes, he was and perhaps National Geographic in January 2012, too. Conan is an awesome dog and we were very lucky to be part of that breeding. I've not met him but if Kaden is an example, I would like to!
Jeff
HI and I am sorry but I did not see your name…it sounds like you have a great situation for hunting B's up there and I envy you. Personally, I think a good hunting B will out work most other typical gun dogs. My B's consistently outwork pointers and labs...they just do not have the endurance. I also think the intelligence and nose of the hunting basenjis is better. I can't see myself working with another hunter. The only drawback is coat...without a hunting vest, they freeze their butts off. My B's hunt well in the snow but they need good waterproof coats.
I plan to keep this going for as long as possible. I just do not know if I will have the time. My business of training dogs keeps me very busy plus we travel each and every month all over the US and in Europe training handlers. I just cannot say for certain if I will be able to do this in the near future. I guess it depends on demand.
Jeff
I'm Danielle by the way, sorry. I believe you and my boss had a phone conversation a couple years ago when I first started apprenticing with him, if that might ring a bell?
One thing I've wondered about is working a Basenji in tall or thick cover, like the prairie & brome grasses we have up here? My "real" hunting dog is an Epagneul Breton (aka French Brittany) and while they are absolute little sticks of dynamite with twice the stamina of a bigger dog…..they are a compact 30-40 lb dog and they can completely disappear in tall cover if they get 15 feet away from you. Especially the more common red & white dogs, they blend in with the grass.....mine is black roan (French standard has always allowed black; AKC standard was changed when breed was first imported here)....but it can still be tough to keep track of where she is.
On the other hand, her shorter stature makes it easier for her to burrow under dense cover like brome, whereas I've seen long legged Pointers get tangled up and worn out from trying to go over it. And there's always beeper collars & GPS collars that'll help you keep track of the dog....so I would imagine as long as the Basenji had the passion & energy to push through tough cover they would do fine.
So your dogs hunt in the snow with just a vest on? No boots? LOL mine absolutely turn into whiny babies if it's too cold & snowy out....under 15 degrees or so they won't walk in the snow except to potty.
You've got me thinking about this....do you think there will be any available pups out of this litter or are they spoken for already?
Hi Danielle and I do remember! Nice to hear from you!
You are correct about the tall grass. I lost the B's constantly in CA during fall hunts. I used the astro GPS system by Garmin for that reason alone. Frankly, I think the B's use it to their advantage to get in close and then with a sudden burst of speed, close the gap for a kill if possible. I know Axel used this tactic to kill turkey during fall hunts.
The snow is not a big deal as long as it is not too cold and they are running. The hunt seems to make them pretty oblivious until they get really tired.
We have Phoenix and Kaden scheduled for the rest of their tests on Tuseday and Phoenix will also get an X-ray of her babies. We should no how many than. We only have a couple spoken for and that is if they test well for detection work. For hunting, most of the litter should do well.
I am going to have a Flicker page link for parents and upcoming pup photos very soon.
Jeff
Health tests especially hip x-rays and thyroid testing are not accurate on pregnant bitches due to the physiological changes of pregnancy.
We are are counting pups with the X-ray not hips. Did not know about the thyroid test though.
Wow, son of a gun. I am an idiot. I never thought about a GSP tracking on a dog and it's so logical of a use makes me feel faint. I have very very few hunter friends, okay maybe none. And none that use dogs. What a great idea. The joy of message boards– you find out things others probably have known for years and you might never have learned.
Ivoss-- I wasn't suggesting he do it now, just so you know. In fact, some research on xrays of dogs indicate they are dangerous for pregnant dogs-- just like humans-- early in pregnancy and that because of the unknown factors, probably best left til last week if you need one.
