I was told that the dog I just rescued was a Rat Terrier-Chihuahua mix. My Vet suspects there is a lot of Basenji in him...except he DOES bark. He looks like a Basenji, grooms himself, makes weird vocalizations and is very regal looking. Do you think he can be a Rat Terrier-Basenji mix?

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Rat Terriers do have Basenji in them, way back... And back in the day Basenjis were used in the development of the Decker Terrier

@debradownsouth I don’t see that icon. I’m new here. I wanted to post a photo when I wrote the question but couldn’t see how.

@2baroos

@debradownsouth Found it!

@hgranfield said in Rat Terrier-Basenji mix:

My Vet suspects there is a lot of Basenji in him...except he DOES bark

Basenji mixes almost always lose the barkless trait, but from the melon pips, head shape (forget the ears, they obviously came from elsewhere) I should reckon there is more than just an historical influence of Basenji in your Rescue. He looks like a dog with oodles of character - I'd say you were both very lucky to have found each other !

Sally, the Camp Basenji "low riders"... obvious mix of basenji and a breed with dwarfed legs... barrooo better than most of the others, so I think the mix/no bark is far from "almost always".

I agree with the rest, lucky dog and family.

A DNA test might tell you the main breeds if you are really interested.

Over here, Deb, we have very few mixes at all. I've never come across one - so my comment (in this instance !) was based on heresay not personal experience. I've always heard (in this country) that a 'mix' tends to lose many Basenji characteristics, including the barkless attribute

I do know though, that in all these years of breeding, we've never had unwanted visits from canine neighbours and my boys have never shown the slightest interest, even when next door's bitch was in season.

So I do believe that, in the main, Basenjis are not attractive to, or attracted by, other Breeds. It must be the other half that is the pushy one ! LOL

@hgranfield - Very cute, Rat Terrier for sure. As noted, Basenjis were used years back with this breed as they were with the Decker Terrier

@zande - I agree Zande, many times in trying to collect Basenjis even during breeding season they turn their nose up a dead in heat other breeds... When we collected Trip, he was not interested in a dead in season bitch of another breed... however a Basenji bitch just out of heat did the trick... LOL

@zande said in Rat Terrier-Basenji mix:

So I do believe that, in the main, Basenjis are not attractive to, or attracted by, other Breeds. It must be the other half that is the pushy one ! LOL

ROFLMAO, well, that's possible. I kept my intact basenjis far from all males so I don't know. I do know my Rottweiler bitches would back up the anything when in heat. Totally nondiscriminatory. Even the elderly neutered rescue toy poodle.

Lowrider 1

Reilly, another mix:

LOL Basenji/Whippet

@zande I know that I’m lucky to have found him! I hope he feels that he lucked out, too. Actually, I don’t care very much what “mix” he is. I had just never heard of basenjis before my Vet mentioned it. He doesn’t have a long tail - it seems to have been clipped. The barking is only when he hears someone approach my apartment door or if someone comes in that he doesn’t know. I’m working on desensitizing him to the latter. He DOES make noises like the dog in the videos below make & he grooms himself quite a bit. He DOES NOT play with toys. Don’t know if that’s breed specific or just Jack! He also isn’t too active; he’d be happy to sit on my lap or with his face in my arm pit all day!