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Questions from potential new owner

Basenji Talk
  • KanangaK

    I think it greatly depends on the dog. I've read many differences here of Basenjis. I expected my B to be destructive, noisy, not wanting to go outside while raining/snowing, etc. But I found the exact opposite.

    He only makes noises briefly at times. Usually when he wants attention or when he's nervous (in the car). It's a yawn with a quick howl/baroo at the end. Hard to explain but it's the cutest thing. Other than that he's 100% silent. Not all B's are alike from how i've gathered things. I found my B to have 0 destructive habits. The breeder actually gave me a heads up on this before I picked him up originally, and it was true. I can leave him at home while i'm gone during the day and he doesn't move a single thing. Of course we know not all B's are like that.

    Just do your research and understand that it all depends on the dog, but use the information about the breed as a base.

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  • snorky998S

    My 2 are polar opposites in the house. Ty is a laid back couch potato that lives to be petted. Katie is a gung-ho, pester you to the end of the earth, come play with me or I'll destroy something, kind of gal.

    They both shed. And by shed I mean as soon as the Vernal Equinox hits they blow coat. I vacuum up what seems to be the equivalent of a 5 dog household worth of hair on a daily basis (and yes, I do brush on a daily basis–that's just what's left on the floor and furniture in between brushings)

    Guard dogs? Not in the typical sense. I don't have the bark differentiation that you might get with other breeds; friendly bark for a welcomed guest, alert bark for a stranger, notifying bark for the postman, etc.. I get a "get off my front porch" scream with the back burred up, or the "back off my fence a$$'ole" snarl with teeth bared and back burred up, or perhaps the quiet grumbling tail wagging with the back burred up "welcome friend" signal followed by the big baroo!! (The "back up" on this breed (IMHO) signals to strangers as aggression. I found my 2 use it to signal excitement–they even burr up when chasing small critters in the back yard!!)

    From dog to dog, my 'sengis are VERY individual in personalities.

    The discussion between nature vs nurture should never be discussed when it comes to this breed. It would be a moot point. Even Darwin would be confused and probably throw his note books in the air in frustration and sail away to Key West to spend some 'normal' with Hemingway:D

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  • wizardW

    And don't be fooled when someone says "oh he's a little angel". EL D came to me with a reputation as being very destructive but never did any damage once I got him home and my current Luny had a reputation for being very nice in the house and turns out he has a severe anxiety problem and will destroy anything by the door if I leave with him loose.

    So be sure to watch the pup/dog for awhile to see how s/he acts on its own and with other dogs and also pay attention to how a dog reacts to you, a stranger.

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  • C

    Advice for potential basenji owner

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    eeeefarmE
    @EMurata said in Advice for potential basenji owner: The "weather permitting" part of your statement wont work with a Basenji. My dog doesnt care if its 100 degrees out or 10, she needs constant exercise. If outside exercise isn't available for whatever reason, mental exercise is a good substitute. Basenjis are very clever and if you keep their minds busy it often serves to minimize or avoid destructive behaviour. You are not going to wear a fit Basenji out by walking him or her a couple of hours a day, but I have seen them perfectly content to kick back and relax after half an hour of demanding mental exercise! Clicker training can be useful here.....
  • Q

    A couple of questions

    Basenji Talk
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    ShannaniganS
    My boyfriend and I got our Basenji in February, and he's 9 months now. We did our research, used positive reinforcement training, crated him at night until he was potty trained and then let him sleep in the bed with us, and we had extensive play sessions with him in the mornings and walked him until he (or we!) got tired in the afternoon/evening. He's crated for a few hours during the day when both of us are at work; we live in a small apartment with no room for an x-pen, and are considering doing some test runs with leaving him free in the apartment, because he hasn't been destructive the few times that he has escaped his crate. Result: he sticks to us like glue. Though we rarely get to let him off-leash anywhere, he likes to keep us in sight and keeps a watchful eye on strangers who come near us both in and out of the house. We still have playtime with him in the morning (anywhere between 30 mins and 1 and a half hours of fetch, tug-o-war, chasing, and the Basenji500), and we try our hardest to give him a good long walk before we go to bed. He's okay with the crate, though he doesn't hang out in it of his own free will, but he tolerates it for when we're gone. His most destructive times are in the morning when he wakes up before us and decides to see if we were silly enough to leave any clothing or paper in his reach to shred up (we've lost money, a deck of cards, shoes, underwear, shirts, bookbags, etc.), and in the afternoon when one or both of us happens to be home but not paying attention to him, so he starts tugging on drapes, bedding, even the carpet - but more to get our attention than actually ruin anything. It's work, but Paco makes it worth it in the end with cuddles, doggy-smiles, and never-ending enthusiasm!
  • Katrina02K

    Questions for Breeder

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    S
    @Maya: When i was first in touch with Maya's breeder i asked lots of questions about health testing. I knew the temperment of Maya's mum (which is fantastic!!) as i had met her several times, so i asked all about Dad. Having witnessed some horrific temperments around the ring over here, health and temperment were a priority for me… I also would have been concerned if the breeder hadn't asked LOTS of questions of me. She wanted to know if i'd researched the breed, if i knew they weren't necessarily easy to live with (and explained!) and just lots of questions about me to make sure she knew if i would be a responsible basenji owner. I think with such a unique breed you need a responsible breeder who is looking for a permenant home who has done their research :) This was totally my experience as well. I was very aware that it wasn't just us interviewing a breeder, but the breeder getting to know us. I was really grateful to see that our amazing breeder took the time to make sure that we knew what we were getting into. It would make me exceptionally leery if a breeder handed over a Basenji, no questions asked.
  • Chelbell26C

    Ear Question

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    Ninabeana26N
    @Robin_n_Jack: Ha! And all this time, I thought that jack's mom had thought the first ear was so good she decided to taste the other one! HAHAHAHAHAHA! OH my gosh that's hilarious!
  • J

    Question…

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    nomrbddgsN
    @Jylly18: THanks everyone for the advice, she ended up being fine, I fed her this morning and no throw-up when we got home :) I was just worried cause she has never done it more than once before. Its funny about how you said you put her over the toilet, my husband managed to hold her over the garbage when she threw up, so she looked ridiculous but at least it made no mess! HaHaHa! That conjures up a picture!
  • GoobyG

    A question

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    jys1011J
    HOW CUTE!!! I love the one ear up & one down…I wish mine could do that!! Definitely something senji about this little guy but rest assured he's 100% CUTE