Just wanted to introduce myself. My partner (age 23) and I (age 34) live in Denver, CO and after months and months of talking about it we finally adopted our first Basenji, Tiger, on Friday. Tiger is about a year and a half old neutered male brindle patterned Basenji with an abundance of self confidence. Three days into it, a lot of things are going better than expected (he's totally housetrained, has stopped howling when crated in the car, and is a surprisingly mellow fellow when we're at home as long as he gets his exercise.) He's also got a really pleasant personality and is pretty much a joy to be around.
Some things are going EXACTLY as expected - he understands the commands 'sit' and 'come', but will complete neither until he has visual confirmation of a treat. He completely destroyed and destuffed the bed in his crate during his first hour left alone in it - again, no surprise there (I should have just let him chew up a $20 bill)… blankets from now on. He's also demonstrated that there is no counter surface which lies safely out of his reach :p .
Then, there are some things that are not going quite as well as expected. Although he did GREAT in a trial at doggy daycare, whenever we've taken him out for walks and allowed him to greet another dog (an exhaustingly frenetic greeting which apparently begins for him when the other dog is just barely visible to the human eye via the assistance of the military's finest high-powered binoculars), he quickly sniffs noses and then hauls out and willfully punches the other dog on the nose. Chihuahua or Chow makes no difference... he's equally "assertive" with Rottweilers.
Oh, and he has the most OBNOXIOUS case of doggy dandruff which is making my eyes itch and sinuses stuffy (even though I did a test where I spent 2 hours in a house with 4 Basenji's playing on the carpet and rubbing a towel all over them which I then slept with under my head overnight without ANY REACTION WHATSOEVER!!!) Seriously, I thought I had seen some impressive snow here in Denver, but it's nothing compared to Tiger, I'm actually thinking of renting him out to Vail or Winter Park so they can keep the slopes open over the summer - let the bidding begin. Anyhoo... I'll be looking through the forums for suggestions on these issues (and many more to come) and will be making posts in the near future. THANKS FOR BEING HERE!!! Dander or not, Basenji's totally rule!
--jerremie
P.S. - Brevity is not my strong suit - apologies in advance.
Hello and welcome to the forum! I hope you can find the answers you are looking for! (you prob. will :))
We love pics over here, so if you have some spare time.. please post them!
Enjoy the forum and your B!
Sounds like a normal Basenji to me… Did you get him from BRAT rescue? Or from the Colorado Rescue Group? Not sure what you mean by "punching" them in the nose? Do you mean that he smacks them in the nose with his feet? If so, pretty normal....
And what dog food is he eating? That very often is the cause of dander....
And there is another thread on the forum about allergies....
Welcome to the pack….Just so you know we simply must have some pictures of your new baby. 
My little girl brindle thinks she is a boxing champ as well. She has become better with other dogs while on walks since I have started making her sit before she gets to say hello.
I (like Pat) also wonder if it may be the food that you have the little guy on, or the food he was on before coming to you.
Again welcome, so glad you found this site. 
Waiting as patiently for pictures
Oh, and he has the most OBNOXIOUS case of doggy dandruff which is making my eyes itch and sinuses stuffy (even though I did a test where I spent 2 hours in a house with 4 Basenji's playing on the carpet and rubbing a towel all over them which I then slept with under my head overnight without ANY REACTION WHATSOEVER!!!) Seriously, I thought I had seen some impressive snow here in Denver, but it's nothing compared to Tiger, I'm actually thinking of renting him out to Vail or Winter Park so they can keep the slopes open over the summer - let the bidding begin. Anyhoo… I'll be looking through the forums for suggestions on these issues (and many more to come) and will be making posts in the near future. THANKS FOR BEING HERE!!! Dander or not, Basenji's totally rule!
--jerremie
P.S. - Brevity is not my strong suit - apologies in advance.
HAHAHAHA!!!! RENTING HIM TO A SKI PARK!
I am at work right now, and everyone wants to know what I am laughing about.
Welcome! My Jack punches other dogs in the nose when he is playing with them- he gets up on his hind legs and kind of boxes with them. Its kind of funny, but I watch what dogs I let him do that to. Some of them realize he is playing and play back, some think he is just an obnoxious puppy and put him in his place.
Don't know anything about the dander/dandruff, though.
Big forum welcome to Jerremie & Tiger!!!
So glad you found this place…its fantastic. I am in Denver too (and so are a few other members on this board). Can't wait to see pictures of Tiger.
I have a 6-month old Tricolor named Jackpot (who incidently does the punching other dogs in the nose thing too!). Our B goes to Doggy Day Care (Camp Bow Wow)...just curious...what daycare is your B going to (if you don't mind disclosing that)? I picked up our B from Daycare last week and they said they had another B there that day (although I think they said the B was red&white...not Brindle like Tiger.)
About the dandruff...I totally understand your description (Jackpot has the same issue). I was told somewhere it can be caused by the B's allergies, or by stress. When we first brought our B home he had lots of dandruff (stress?) and we used the wetwipes made for dogs and that seems to clean him up pretty well (& its fast).
Welcome to the boards. We can't wait to hear more about Tiger!:D
Oh, and he has the most OBNOXIOUS case of doggy dandruff which is making my eyes itch and sinuses stuffy (even though I did a test where I spent 2 hours in a house with 4 Basenji's playing on the carpet and rubbing a towel all over them which I then slept with under my head overnight without ANY REACTION WHATSOEVER!!!) Seriously, I thought I had seen some impressive snow here in Denver, but it's nothing compared to Tiger, I'm actually thinking of renting him out to Vail or Winter Park so they can keep the slopes open over the summer - let the bidding begin. Anyhoo… I'll be looking through the forums for suggestions on these issues (and many more to come) and will be making posts in the near future. THANKS FOR BEING HERE!!! Dander or not, Basenji's totally rule!
Hi and welcome! Great choise of dog. As everyone that owns a basenji knows,they are quite special. Mine too doesn't get along with other dogs that he doesn't know. Absolutely normal for a B
About the dandruff, try to give him a spoon of olive oil or something in his food. That might help…
Welcome and congrats on your new family member…the punching definitely sounds like normal basenji behaviour to me. My girl, Ruby always punches Brando and she has a mean roundhouse...I've seen her actually flip Brando with that move (she weighs 19lbs and he is 23) :D. In fact, before Brando moved in, I went to work a couple of times with a black eye from some boxing matches with the kid :eek:.
Regarding the dandruff...anytime my b-kids get dry skin, I squirt salmon oil on every other meal and within a few days the skin is fine.
Welcome!
As stated we look forward to seeing pictures of the little (snowy-skinned :D) guy!
He sounds wonderful, welcome to the basenji community.
Welcome aboard Jerremie and Tiger!!!!
Congrats on the latest addition!!
Where did you rescue Tiger from?
Peggy (Hi Country Basenji Rescue)??
Can't wait to see pictures!!
Where in Denver do you live???
I have a shredder and de-gutter myself.
Chip degut all toys within 5 mins I brought it home.
I can't crate him alone or he shreds his bedding in no time.
So I know the feeling….
As far as the dandruff goes, good diet makes a great difference.
I switched to Blue Buffalo fish/sweet potato formula a few months
ago and love the shinny coat and I even notice their coat is redder.
I also supplement with 2 fish old pills, flaxseed, kelp and a lot of
other good stuff.
Give Blue buff a try! You can find it at all petsmart.
What food are you feeding now??
Welcome to the forums! As for the dandruff, if it's not food related…have him checked for a bacterial infection of the skin. Senji had a skin infection and it was driving him nuts! He was running around the house like a "wild animal".
Welcome welcome! the B's are amazing, and it's hard not to love them for their little qwarks.. be them boxing ones.
I also give Lycia a little olive oil when her coat it is dry, seems to clean everything up in a few days.
WOW! Thanks to Janneke, Pat, Daniel, Chellie, Robin, Humanoid, Renault, Andrew, Steffie, Elena & Schouiffy (and anyone I missed) for your heartwarming welcomes! For some reason I couldn’t get the forum site to load yesterday afternoon or evening, but I was shocked to see all the kind responses this morning.
Holy cow, I haven’t had so many requests for pics since I posted that personals profile claiming to be a 6’4” blonde, blue-eyed weightlifter who enjoys moonlit strolls on the beach with a special someone. At least this time I won’t have to fake the photos! I’m hoping to get my digital camera batteries charged for the weekend so I can get some shots of Tiger… he really is a beautiful dog. You’ve just got to love those expressive Basenji faces.
As someone who has some significant food allergies of his own… that was the first thing to come to mind when I saw how bad Tiger’s dandruff was. I don’t know what food he was on before the Longmont Shelter picked him up and sent him to Colorado Basenji Rescue (By the way, Peggy is AWESOME… and extremely rigorous in her match making). Peggy had him on Canidae for the past couple weeks, but with all the sudden changes in his life, it’s hard to know whether Canidae, or Longmont Shelter food, previous owner food, or just plain stress is the culprit. However, in order to make a smooth transition, I picked up a bag of Canidae and a bag of Timberwolf Ocean (a more or less single source protein/grain-free food) and am feeding him a mix… slowly switching him from the former to the latter. I also put a squirt of salmon oil on there - having heard that that can help. I’ll check out the allergy threads later today or tonight to see what other recommendations there are.
Upon your suggestions I’ll probably try alternating the salmon oil with olive or flax for variety’s sake (not that Tiger will care… he doesn’t seem to have met ANYTHING that doesn’t merit being eaten.) I’m actually a vegan and eat a lot of sweet potatoes, so I may mash a little sweet potato up next time I bake one and see how he likes that (Steffie, I’ve also got Kombu [seaweed] on hand and may try and sneak some of that into his diet too from time to time.) Oh, and Elena, I’ll definitely ask about any possibility of a skin infection when I find a good vet in my area – any suggestions from the Denverites?
A note for the Denver locals: We’re in Northeast Denver kind of near York and E. 36th (sort of a rough neighborhood). Tiger goes to Mile High Mutts doggy daycare and definitely has a good time there (although, I sometimes worry for the other dogs).
Oh yeah, and it’s nice to know that I’m not the only dog owner whose canine companion views him or herself as a serious contender for the welterweight division championship. I just feel a little sheepish when I’m in the park and someone else’s dog tentatively comes up to Tiger (who is frothing at the mouth as he flails about to get nose to nose) only to be brusquely smacked upside the head.
Thanks again for the warm welcome. It’s nice to find such a friendly place for myself and my furry little friend.
Take care,
–jerremie
I predict Tiger will love sweet potatoes, all of mine sure do! Welcome, I hope Tiger's dandruff goes away soon. I have seen my black basenji go from glossy coat to dull flaky coat in about 6 hours, just from stress…then back to glossy again overnight. good luck, and welcome to the wonderful world of basenjis.
Anne in Tampa
Welcome to the pack.
My previous beastie had a dandruff problem that was brought on by stress – but it wasn't nearly as bad as you describe. The oil supplement has been suggested before and may solve your problem too. Make one change at a time though so you'll find out what really works.
And definitely post pictures when you can - we are just addicted to them (you will be too).
To the forum:)