:rolleyes:
I was reading on a web site that Basenjis are considered one of the least intelligent dogs, on a list of 80 the Basenji was ranked 79 with the Afghan Hound being number 80. I completely disagree with this because Cali is very intelligent she is just stubborn. Of course she does not always obey me, but I think she has been one of the most intelligent dogs I have owned. I have owned a German Shepherd, Pittbull/Rottweiler mix and a Cocker Spaniel.
It did not take long at all for me to train her to sit, stay or lay down. I also send her to her room(kennel) when she is misbehaving. It only took me one day to train her to do this. Of course she does not always listen to me. I can tell her to eat her food and she will pee or poop on command when I take her outside. I only do this if it is raining outside because neither one of us want to get wet.
We also play fetch the ball or I will tell her to go and get her Kong which she often hides in different places. She will only fetch the ball about 4-5 times because she gets bored with this game quickly.
One really quirky thing that she does is take her bedding out of her kennel and put it in the laundry room after she has slept on it a few times. Maybe this is her way of telling me that she wants clean bedding. She normally sleeps at the bottom of my bed at night, but is in her kennel when I am at work.:)
Maybe the person that evaluated dogs ranked the Basenji one of the least trainable because of their stubborn streak. She can be a handful, but I wouldnt trade her for anything.
tlbuddy:)
The people doing these "analysis" and lists are only listing those dogs that are more eager to please. Notice how Golden Retrievers and Poodles are amongst the highest?
I really don't like how they claim they are more intelligent simply because they will stay or heel…when a Basenji can figure out how to open a crate door, a cabinet and get their favorite treat out of a sealed bag!
You also notice these aren't scientists doing these lists? That ought to tell you something! 
I think that many people agree that the "tests" that were conducted were not really tesing intelligence. Many say that it is more a ranking of "trainability" but I don't think that is even a very good word.
In my experience basenjis catch on pretty quickly but get bored easily if things are repeated over and over. Basenjis are great problem solvers, learning all sorts of things we would prefer them not to, like opening the refrigerator, opening the kitchen cabinets, etc.
I don't remember what issue of The Basenji magazine it was in but I remember several years back an article about reasearchers who studied several breeds of dogs to see how quickly they would learn a maze and be able to reach the finish. The comments about basenjis were something like, The basenjis were the fastest through the maze on the first day but seemed to connect finishing the maze with being returned the crate and seemed to resent the researchers and avoided finishing the maze.
Maybe the people who came up with those figures are the real dummies! My Abbey must have 25 stuffed animals and she can retrieve the exact one you ask her to get if she's in the right mood. One day I told her to go find her hedgehog in the basket and she didn't seem to want to play. I left the room and came back in a few minutes and there was hedgehog in the middle of the floor. If she can't get want she wants by charm or by brute force she waits a while, studies the situation, formulates a plan, and then carries out her plan when she's ready. Sound familiar to the rest of you? We used to have tremendous battles over dirty clothes stolen from the laundry basket until I put it into the bedroom closet which has a sliding door. She spent a little time in the bedroom assessing all possible ways of obtaining some dirty laundry while I was in the other room. In a few minutes here she comes trotting into the living room carrying a bra and a sock. She had after careful study realized that if you push on the part of the door that's behind, you can make the tiniest little passageway to get into the closet. Basenjis as we all know are so intelligent it's scary because there's nothing they can't figure out how to do. The funniest story I've seen on this site is Stormie landing in the mashed potatoes at grandma's house. Doggone it, he wanted some supper and they wouldn't share, so he took a flying leap and got himself some! Those "experts" should keep their opinions to themselves.
My Basenji has the funniest smile. It is an overt smile where she raises her gums, showing her teeth, and it has the goofiest (and cutest) appearence I've ever seen. She only does it when we first arrive home & she's sooooooo happy to see us, or when she has done something wrong and I discover it. She does not smile on command, nor is it easily photographed as she cocks her head downward when doing it. ITS THE FUNNIEST THING I've seen any dog do (& quite affective as Who can stay mad at that!). She also enjoys crawling under the rug, (we see this migrating bump go by) hunting for some underground treasure. My Basenji has alot of personality and odd behavior I've never seen in a dog (& I've had plenty). I was shocked to see that some organization lists Basenjiis as ranking low on intelligence. I emphatically disagree! My dog has a supurb sense when unwanted creatures are outside, and very sensitive-always with her nose to the ground when walking. We call her "Race Puppy" and believe she would beat any dog off-the-line with explosive starting speed. Is this typical?!
jill & carmela
Basenjis are no like no other dog you'll ever meet. It's because they're so funny and clever and unusual that we love them and never get tired of telling our basenji stories. And I never get tired of answering people's questions about them when they want to know what kind of dog mine is.
