Thank you everyone, this is all very helpful. I have to say, he has been a lot more like himself in the last two days. He has been playing fetch again and we've been revising his tricks. Haha we have talked about getting another Basenji! They're a fantastic breed, I am learning so much from my pup everyday.

@rebel Hi, I have a male basenji approaching two years old and I have been on this forum lots in the past asking for advice, because the older he has become, the more aggression I have seen. Mostly on-lead towards other dogs, but also off-lead at times and recently towards some people too. However, I have realised that they are a very unique breed - highly sensitive and attuned to their surroundings and other animals. I was close to getting mine castrated but decided against it and I am glad. I have learned that meeting other dogs in very closed spaces is not good; he needs (and loves!) plenty of physical and mental stimulation, so I have upped the amount of games I play with him; consistency with training is vital - any slight drop and he will pick up on it and start regressing; when he gets spoilt (my fault) he gets fiestier because he thinks he is entitled to it. It is very hard work at times with my B but I love him to bits and could not live without him. It has been a learning curve for sure, but the more work I do with him, the more results I get. I also met with his breeder and she gave me some great advice too for helping him. They are essentially teenagers at this age plus I think it is still rutting season?! So god knows what's going through his wee mind. I hope you figure it out soon but it all sounds quite typical to me. Everyone on here knows what they are talking about. Good luck.

It will pass. 11 weeks is still very young. My pup's nibbling was particularly bad with my bf and he was starting to get concerned, but it all stopped! I can't remember what age but I think it was after teething finished around 6 mths. I bought anything and everything that was safe and tasty for my pup to chew and also walked away from him if the biting ever got too much. I do believe it will get better in time - keep the faith!

I don't think there is a day that goes by when my Basenji doesn't stress me out.... But I cannot put into words the love, entertainment and joy he has brought into my life. There is just something about this breed that sets them apart from all the rest - I grew up with herding dogs, extremely obedient and loyal, but nowhere near as fun as the Basenji!

Anyway, the biggest struggle I have with mine is recall and pulling on the lead, which is a shame because I'd love to let him loose. But as for all the other issues that can be common with the breed, I haven't experienced them at all. Mine doesn't jump fences/walls, he has never torn up the house, and he can cope with a bit of separation. I have trained him to do sit, stay, lie down and fetch toys. He is extremely affectionate in the most heart-warming way. I would be totally lost without him.

If you do get a Basenji, you will learn A LOT! And yes, time and patience would be very beneficial. Good luck with your decision!

I love love loveeeee letting my Basenji sleep in bed with me. He's like a real life breathing hot water bottle

@PeteThePig95 thanks for sharing. Your boy sounds a lot like mine except for the resource guarding. It can be very disheartening on walks etc when he gets snappy with other dogs, but I genuinely don't believe it's aggression, more like extreme assertion Anyway I have always found the advice from people on this forum very helpful and reassuring, so you are in the right place.

@elbrant thanks so much for the support. It was definitely a very active holiday and I wondered if perhaps he is still just tired from all the exercise. If I haven't noticed any improvement by next week I will take him to the vet. But yes he is still eating as normal and loves his food thankfully!!

@ScewbyDoo your dog is beautiful! But to me he looks a little bit big for a Basenji? I'm not a professional either, just going by my own Basenji and his parents that I met.

My Basenji is only one and he is my first so I cannot answer your question.. But something kind of similar has happened mine recently. Basically a much bigger dog picked on him for no reason in the field where I walk him, a couple of times within a week or so, and I think he has been a bit scared ever since. However his fear presents as defensive, letting other dogs know now that he is NOT to be messed with. He'll snarl, growl and stand tall. But I wouldn't say he's being aggressive, just sticking up for himself. He still loves to play and other dogs love to play with him. Perhaps your dog is fearful now and maybe you could do some work on that? But I am no expert!

Thanks everyone. He is definitely back to his old self this week thank goodness!!! Playing with me again, trying to steal my dinner haha! His coat is even shinier. It must have been a rough few days for him trying to adjust to his holidays ending. I'm just so happy and thanks for all of the reassurance. We have enrolled in puppy classes, which start in two weeks. Sadly we never got to do them because of the covid lockdown. So that is something to look forward to!

@channingsmom sorry, probably not very helpful - but my 8 year old GSD encountered this problem before. I was told the exact same thing by my vet after an ultrasound was done. I think it's a lot more common in GSDs, but I was advised to feed smaller meals more frequently, drastically cut down on any fatty foods, and feed a spoonful of natural yoghurt twice per day. The advice helped a good bit but the vet said the only way to properly remove all the sludge was via surgery which wasn't really necessary as it wasn't life-threatening. Just the joys of senior years! Hope your basenji feels better soon

@rebel Hi, I have a male basenji approaching two years old and I have been on this forum lots in the past asking for advice, because the older he has become, the more aggression I have seen. Mostly on-lead towards other dogs, but also off-lead at times and recently towards some people too. However, I have realised that they are a very unique breed - highly sensitive and attuned to their surroundings and other animals. I was close to getting mine castrated but decided against it and I am glad. I have learned that meeting other dogs in very closed spaces is not good; he needs (and loves!) plenty of physical and mental stimulation, so I have upped the amount of games I play with him; consistency with training is vital - any slight drop and he will pick up on it and start regressing; when he gets spoilt (my fault) he gets fiestier because he thinks he is entitled to it. It is very hard work at times with my B but I love him to bits and could not live without him. It has been a learning curve for sure, but the more work I do with him, the more results I get. I also met with his breeder and she gave me some great advice too for helping him. They are essentially teenagers at this age plus I think it is still rutting season?! So god knows what's going through his wee mind. I hope you figure it out soon but it all sounds quite typical to me. Everyone on here knows what they are talking about. Good luck.

Love this thread. Taco is going through his teenage years and seems to have energy to burn at the minute I'm trying to come up with games for him. I have a puzzle very similar to the one in your picture @JENGOSMonkey and Taco loves it, but the more he plays with it, the better he gets and now only keeps him occupied for a few minues. I haven't tried an empty egg box yet, I like that idea.

I also use a snuffle mat sometimes for kibble and it keeps Taco entertained for 20 mins or so. And any games that involve using his nose really tire him out! So like hiding treats around the house and making him find them. He does it with his toys too.

@PeteThePig95 thanks for sharing. Your boy sounds a lot like mine except for the resource guarding. It can be very disheartening on walks etc when he gets snappy with other dogs, but I genuinely don't believe it's aggression, more like extreme assertion Anyway I have always found the advice from people on this forum very helpful and reassuring, so you are in the right place.

It will pass. 11 weeks is still very young. My pup's nibbling was particularly bad with my bf and he was starting to get concerned, but it all stopped! I can't remember what age but I think it was after teething finished around 6 mths. I bought anything and everything that was safe and tasty for my pup to chew and also walked away from him if the biting ever got too much. I do believe it will get better in time - keep the faith!

Thanks everyone. This was the first time he showed aggression at the dogpark - all previous times he was 100%. Today I think was a bit of bad luck, a few young alpha males in the one area. (Where I live we don't have those kinds of rules re: neutered-only dogs at dogparks, although it makes sense. Generally people know not to bring a female in season but nothing is enforced.) I will definitely follow all of that advice, thank you. I guess I was a bit afraid to just put a lead on him afterwards in case it made him even more frustrated.. Does that make sense? I'm definitely not considering neutering as I know he is still a teen. It just seems to have gotten worse in the last few weeks for no apparent reason! Must be hormones then.

@zande I will look into the gentle leader thanks, I have been meaning to do that!

Hi @kempel just wondering how you are getting on?

Recently my Taco has been displaying more aggression towards other dogs ️ He is 15 months.
I've been trying to work out a pattern and I am now certain it is just towards other males, intact or not. The aggression is definitely worse when he is on the lead, but today I took him to a play park to burn off some energy (usually fine) but he got into quite a scrap with a bulldog and then a collie. And for the remainder of the time he was seeking the collie out to finish what had been started, so I had to bring him to another area. I am starting to wonder if Taco is a dominant dog because he really shows no signs of backing down until he gets what he wants, unfortunately he may get himself killed or seriously injured because many of the dogs that he challenges are larger than him.

I really am not a fan of neutering but it mentioned in that article someone posted, in cases where male-to-male aggression is a problem then it could be helpful. I'm still not ready to go down that route but I am becoming worried about this increase in aggression. 3 owners in the last week have been unhappy with me because of Taco trying to start a fight with their dogs. I think he is trying to let them know in advance "hey, don't mess with me!"

I have been following advice previously posted from @elbrant and @Zande, in that I wait for Taco to stop reacting then give lots of praise and reward. Sometimes it works but many times he just gets himself worked up into even more of a frenzy because he isn't getting what he wants. So then he is left with all this stress and frustration. I genuinely feel at the minute that he is only interested in asserting his dominance and looking for opportunities to do so. I love him with all my heart but I am starting to worry ️

My Basenji doesn't scream but he often cries in the car. Only when he's in the boot behind the dog guard, not when he rides up front with me. I'm not in the car as much now because of lockdown, but I did find that when I was taking him out regularly and putting him in the boot, the crying would reduce the more he got used to it. I would give him lots of praise when he's quiet. Also I think having something fun at the end of the journey helps, so he actually looks forward to getting into the car. He's 15 months old and I think we're getting there slowly. Yours is still quite young so keep the faith. Hope this helps!

Adorable. They are so agile... You'll probably see even weirder positions at some stage

That sounds Basenji-like to me and even her white markings look similar. She sounds like a bundle of joy I'm glad you found her