Basenji Breeding

[Andrew]

I have been growing increasingly fascinated with breeding… I always thought you just found a boy & a girl that were pretty & made puppies. I didn't realize you had to worry about all of these other things... genetics (obviously you don't want inbreeding, but I didn't know about conformation & temperment, etc). I have always thought it would be a "fun" "business" someday, but now I realize I'm totally naive & stupid & would want to research for atleast a few years before I even attempted to become a breeder (I also realize its not a money making business for those who truly care about the breed & the dog). What are some really good resources to learn about breeding, basenjis in particular? What is a good place to start learning? (Again this is nothing I'm contemplating doing anytime in the next few years!) I just want to learn everything I can about this breed.

[tanza]

@Andrew:

I have been growing increasingly fascinated with breeding… I always thought you just found a boy & a girl that were pretty & made puppies. I didn't realize you had to worry about all of these other things... genetics (obviously you don't want inbreeding, but I didn't know about conformation & temperment, etc). I have always thought it would be a "fun" "business" someday, but now I realize I'm totally naive & stupid & would want to research for atleast a few years before I even attempted to become a breeder (I also realize its not a money making business for those who truly care about the breed & the dog). What are some really good resources to learn about breeding, basenjis in particular? What is a good place to start learning? (Again this is nothing I'm contemplating doing anytime in the next few years!) I just want to learn everything I can about this breed.

Good for you Andrew… you can go to BCOA site (Basenji Club of America) and then to "Is a Basenji for me", there is a link for "how to find a responsible breeder"... read through that list and you will get answer to many questions, also you will have most likely even more questions. On the BCOA site become familar with health concerns in our breed... what we have tests for and what we don't... Find yourself a mentor, a responsible breeder that will teach you... go to shows, go to performance. Before you think about breeding you need to learn about conformation and one question a responsible breeder needs to ask themselves before breeding is "what does the dog/bitch have to offer the breed?"... you have to be honest ... about your dogs. Many breeders while they have finished champions, did not get the right answer to that question and so those dogs were not bred...

[lvoss]

I agree with Pat. I really good place to start learning about breeding is really learning about what qualities make a responsible breeder. Here is a resource that I put together, http://kineticbasenjis.tripod.com/Information/Buying_a_Basenji.html

Once you have done your homework on what makes a good breeder then really do some research on the breed, books like Susan Coe's The Basenji:Out of Africa To You are great as well as back issues of The Basenji magazine, websites the African Stock Project, http://www.basenjis.org/African to really understand the history and function of the breed. Next, would be to find a mentor, someone who has been in the breed for a while and can have a good discussion about all of the things that you have researched and start giving you a good hands on education of the breed.

[sharronhurlbut]

You already have the makings of a good breeder. YOU want to do what is right for the breed as a whole.
Yea for you!

[Andrew]

Thank you…. I think I have officially gone Basenji crazy. My boyfriend teases me because I have taken over "his" dog, "his" username, and "his" love & gone two steps farther. He wanted a basenji because he had a mix growing up, and I was very leary. But now I have fallen head over heels in love with our dog... I plan my day around trips to the park, budget money just to buy him treats & toys, think of silly games to play with him to make him happy, etc.
Thank you for the resources! I'm tired of all the same old reading about Basenjis on the internet (the Basenji is a barkless dog... always alert... blah blah blah). Now I want to REALLY learn about them.

[tanza]

@Andrew:

Thank you…. I think I have officially gone Basenji crazy. My boyfriend teases me because I have taken over "his" dog, "his" username, and "his" love & gone two steps farther. He wanted a basenji because he had a mix growing up, and I was very leary. But now I have fallen head over heels in love with our dog... I plan my day around trips to the park, budget money just to buy him treats & toys, think of silly games to play with him to make him happy, etc.
Thank you for the resources! I'm tired of all the same old reading about Basenjis on the internet (the Basenji is a barkless dog... always alert... blah blah blah). Now I want to REALLY learn about them.

And there are many of us here that will be happy to answer questions for your too!