Hi there! I'm not sure if my dog is a Basenji mix, but I'm glad there is a forum so I can read more about them and hopefully determine if he is.
We got Harold from a local rescue. They called him a shepherd mix. He is golden/red in color, with short hair. His feet have a tiny bit of white, and there's a tiny bit of white on his chest, too. He has big stand up ears, and a tail that curls into a circle (unless he's nervous, then it goes straight). My boyfriend got him to be his dog, but Harold quickly bonded to me. He is not very friendly or outgoing. He does not like strangers.
I'm on my phone, so I don't know if I can attach a picture but I will try. If not, I will add some when I get home.
I don't really see Basenji, although the tail is somewhat suggestive, but the muzzle is too broad. How tall, how much does he weigh, is he full grown, does he bark? Nice looking boy, whatever he is.
Yeah, he's obviously mixed with something bigger. He's a little over a year now.
He's about 60 lbs. His shoulders are about at my knee. I'll have to measure him. He does bark, but not a lot. He also "talks", kind of like a husky. Whines, mumbles, grumbles.
How reliable are the canine DNA kits? I've had one in my Amazon cart for awhile.
My main reason for wanting to know more about his breed is for his health. He is NOT good at the vet, even with medication. I just want to know more about what he might be predisposed to developing, so I can watch out for it.
@bella74 I know a Doctor who specializes in Genetics. This is a PHD and not an MD. He says the tests are inaccurate 99.999 repetend percent of the time. This is for Humans who use things like 23 and Me etc. I am not aware of a DNA Test for Canines or any species except Horses. The Spanish Norman Horse was brought back to life by a woman in CT. She and her husband spent Millions of dollars researching in Spain and were able to get viable samples of DNA. The Spanish Norman Horses are the Horses the Knights used in Battle. They stand 19hh so they are huge. Maybe someone else knows of a DNA test for Dogs. Good Luck!
He looks a beautiful dog and if you hadn't said, I would think what a friendly one. I can't see Basenji at all except perhaps his tail but there are many breeds with tails like that. Love him and give him lots of caresses. I haven't any experience of DNA kits so can't help there. Hugs to Harold and yourselves.
He’s lovely! The talking does suggest Husky as does the tail. Aloof could be Shiba Inu, Chow Chow, (along with a curled tail, I mean)
Doubtful there is any B. in there, but who knows! Wisdom Panel has a good DNA kit to try also.
Handsome boy! I don't see any basenji, though. If you would like to do a DNA test for health that also tests for breeds, Embark, which is affiliated with Cornell University, is an option.
I hope you have a patient vet and that your boy learns to settle down and be cooperative there. I've had dozens of fosters who started out as real challenges for the vets, yet they all got over it and became good citizens with the vets. They don't necessarily love the visits, but they cooperate calmly.
He looks to be a very handsome dog but I would very much doubt that he has Basenji in him -
Just enjoy his company and have a long life together !
Thank you all so much!
Like the others, I don't see basenji. That doesn't mean he isn't... but behaviors nor looks are basenji like.
Research has shown that DNA testing is a whole heck of a lot better than another poster spouted. Some people focus on what a person tells them, others of us look at scientific research. I have been found by over 20 relatives through DNA, a few adopted a few generations ago looking for family. I have known several adopted people who found out they were Jewish from DNA and tracked down family. So while human DNA for ancestry has a very long way to go, it's still fairly mindblowing.
As for dogs, the better companies have decent accuracy for dogs with few mixes, or predominate couple of breeds. They can validate sires with litters using more than one stud. While human DNA ancestry advances are helped by human records and verification, verifying dog DNA still works with blind studies (test dogs of known origin and see if the tests match). But equally important, the DNA tests also look at health markers. So doing both an ancestry and health panel is helpful as long as you keep in mind that it's useful mostly with dogs who have predominant breeds, not lots.
The top two are the Wisdom 3.0 and Embark. The more people who send in swabs, the more knowledge an accuracy grows. It's far from perfect, but still fairly reliable for 2 or 3 main breeds and very accurate for health issues.
http://news.vet.tufts.edu/2017/04/ancestry-com-for-your-dog/
Looks like a basenji German Shepard mix to me.
Hi there. I would do some DNA testing on him. However, if you go to the Colorado Basenji Rescue website, there is a mix at the bottom of the page. There appears to be some similarities. You could also email Peggy of CBR with your photos and ask her. She has been working with Basenji and Basenji mixes for a long, long time.
