Basenji - the second dumbest dog breed

[setidog]

Check out this slideshow on cbs.com - it refers to the "10 smartest and dumbest dog breeds". I noticed that a basenji was pictured so I immediately assumed the basenji would top the list of smartest dogs. Was I wrong!!

http://cbs2.com/slideshows/Dog.Breeds.Smartest.20.700376.html

[BasenjiDiva]

I don't know their method of judging smart vs stupid but I agree with the statement I read somewhere that the basenji didn't survive for thousands of years by being dumb or stupid. Note the "smartest" breeds on the list are those that will not question orders and will do whatever a human tells them to do. Whoever made the list probably didn't really know anything about basenjis and how they differ from other dog breeds.

Pat

[Duke]

I looked at the pictured basenji - That dog has a puppy look to it - It was not the look of the wise that I see in adult Basenjis. But we all know - B's are smart - too smart sometimes.

[tanza]

@BasenjiDiva:

I don't know their method of judging smart vs stupid but I agree with the statement I read somewhere that the basenji didn't survive for thousands of years by being dumb or stupid. Note the "smartest" breeds on the list are those that will not question orders and will do whatever a human tells them to do. Whoever made the list probably didn't really know anything about basenjis and how they differ from other dog breeds.

Pat

Exactly Pat! You will notice that many of the sighthounds are at the bottom

[Ninabeana26]

It is clear that they chose to see obedience as a sign of intelligence when us hound owners know it is quite the opposite. It shows a dogs intelligence when they know what you are asking but CHOOSE not to do it because they just don't want to! IMO a dog who is only good with obedience shows a sign of unintelligence. This whole article was just plain stupid. They didn't even discuss how they came up with these results!

[Vanessa]

First off, we ALL know that B's outsmart us on occasion.
Maybe they just want us to think they are not intelligent so they can outsmart us once again

Alex suggests that Basenji Forums send the writers a not so nice letter letting them know that over 1,106 Basenji owners believe they have the number 1 dumbest writers. :):):)

[LiveWWSD]

That's it Vanessa…..the story must have been written by Basenjis to throw us off. Darn they are smart little ones.

[setidog]

@Vanessa:

Alex suggests that Basenji Forums send the writers a not so nice letter letting them know that over 1,106 Basenji owners believe they have the number 1 dumbest writers. :):):)

I think that's a fantastic idea! Another thing that really bothers me about this article is that it may sway somebody from adopting a particular breed, especially if they're in the "dumbest" category. I think it's irresponsible of CBS to post something like this.

[Chelbell26]

@LiveWWSD:

That's it Vanessa…..the story must have been written by Basenjis to throw us off. Darn they are smart little ones.

Too funny

[ChaseandZahrasmom]

@Vanessa:

Alex suggests that Basenji Forums send the writers a not so nice letter letting them know that over 1,106 Basenji owners believe they have the number 1 dumbest writers. :):):)

Amen to that!

[tanza]

@Vanessa:

First off, we ALL know that B's outsmart us on occasion.
Maybe they just want us to think they are not intelligent so they can outsmart us once again

Alex suggests that Basenji Forums send the writers a not so nice letter letting them know that over 1,106 Basenji owners believe they have the number 1 dumbest writers. :):):)

We are better off not bringing attention to our breed… certainly we don't want them to become the next "must have dog".... and there have been loads of books that grade intellegent ranks for different breeds... B's are always at the bottom.

go to this link: http://petrix.com/dogint/index.html

[Alex]

Pat, you make a good point. We are better off keeping this breed unpopular, lot of people are not as nice and patient with animals when it comes to obedience.

[Ninabeana26]

Yea that does make sense. I know the first day in puppy kindergarten the other people looked at me & him like "wow that dog is crazy!" LOL. Although I must say, he got better & on our final exam had the highest markings with a 97%!!! The closest pup after him was a Golden with an 88%. Yea…my boy is a smarty pants & don't even TRY to tell me otherwise

[etzbseder]

Haha Nina, Medjai went through puppy and beginner training classes at Petsmart, and although he passed both of them, because he only wants to do things on his terms, most the other dogs did much better.

[agilebasenji]

I think it's best to keep our breed a secret. Lots of people want the "-est" (smallest, smartest, cutest, etc) in dogdom. Let 'em. I'll stick with my basenjis.

When people ask me if basenjis are smart, I always reply with "They're clever." That seems to explain it. My Zpuppy loves a good challenge. Other dogs in the house respect boundries, but to her they are just puzzles. And yes sirree bob, that's exactly what I wanted in my next agility dog. Smart? Oh yea, just not much bid-ability.

And, not that anyone has, but if anyone were to give me a hard time about my "dumb" dog, well, my dogs can stand on their own merits. I can sweetly (or smuggly) smile, point to Digital and say, "Well, he has over 20 titles to his name. How many does your dog have?"

[tanza]

@agilebasenji:

I think it's best to keep our breed a secret. Lots of people want the "-est" (smallest, smartest, cutest, etc) in dogdom. Let 'em. I'll stick with my basenjis.

When people ask me if basenjis are smart, I always reply with "They're clever." That seems to explain it. My Zpuppy loves a good challenge. Other dogs in the house respect boundries, but to her they are just puzzles. And yes sirree bob, that's exactly what I wanted in my next agility dog. Smart? Oh yea, just not much bid-ability.

And, not that anyone has, but if anyone were to give me a hard time about my "dumb" dog, well, my dogs can stand on their own merits. I can sweetly (or smuggly) smile, point to Digital and say, "Well, he has over 20 titles to his name. How many does your dog have?"

Amen… as they say.... Titles at both end of the name!!!!

[RockysWoman]

The Chicago Tribune did an article once about the most (and least) trainable dogs. Smartest article heading ever… IMO. And yes, Basenji's topped the least as one of the least trainable. But it is the only article where Basenji's were stated as often being too smart for their owners.

Oh how true. Let's keep this breed an unknown. At least then we know we have responsible breeders who are here to promote a healthy breed... and not in it for the fashionable money making aspects of this mis-understood dog.

[basenji3]

Agree with all. We have seen many of these surveys over the years and have really just laughed. My husband has said the same as many have said, they didn't get to be one of the oldest breeds by being stupid. Also we have always said don't let disney ever make a movie about them because everyone will then want one and that could be disaster to our beloved breed.
Our breed is just smarter than the the surveyors.

[elena86]

I know that I'm very protective of our breed. Maybe I'm just being an elitist, but I don't want "just anybody" getting a basenji. I'm often stopped on the street while walking Senji by people who comment how good looking he is. They ask me what kind of dog he is and if he's friendly. I immediately tell them that he's not friendly with strangers…I can see that these people are ready to reach over and pet him before I answer. Even if someone knows that they're a "barkless dog", I tell them that they are a lot of work and need frequent exercise, or else they become destructive. I also tell them that this isn't the type of dog you can leave tied out in the back yard all day.
It's really a shame that people don't research a dog breed before they go out and get one. They spend more time researching info on a new cell phone!

[agilebasenji]

@RockysWoman:

The Chicago Tribune did an article once about the most (and least) trainable dogs. Smartest article heading ever… IMO. And yes, Basenji's topped the least as one of the least trainable. But it is the only article where Basenji's were stated as often being too smart for their owners.

yes, that is what this list really boils down to - trainablity. But honestly, and I don't tell people this very often, I don't find my basenjis harder to train than my malinois. The basenjis are more distractable, but that's not really their fault, I view that as a challange for me. And I've found it harder to motivate the basenjis. The mal and our lab (RIP) were willing to work for lower value items (ball!!! or kibble or even just praise) but the basenjis need something more (meatballs, chicken, liverwurst). The other thing to take into account is that the Coren list was based on a survey he sent to trainers (and maybe others, I don't remember). And honestly, depending on the training methods used, it's no wonder the basenjis and Afghans ended up at the bottom of the list. I'd venture basenjis would be almost totally untrainable if the trainer were using harsher methods (old school methods) of training.