@nomrbddgs:

Oh, and about the reptile thing-my daughter has had a spider (tarantuala-rose-haired mexican) for at least 10 years-she's 22 now and has always taken care of it. It's a thing for some people and for others it's not.

Exactly my point.

Same goes with dog breeds… You couldn't see Gen. George Patton having a Toy Poodle, could ya!? You couldn't see Paris Hilton with a Mastiff or a Rottie!

I'm just not a Basenji guy. Pits, on the other hand, I think are more what I'm looking for. Obedient, loving, great companions, and a whole lot of fun at dog sporting events like weight pulling and obedience courses... I might just have to get into this!

Anyone have any information about dog sports organizations?

• CK

No offense taken. Like I said, it's the same in the reptile world… People think snakes are such cool pets, then after they feed it, it's suddenly not so cool.

I was thinking I'd get a pit bull maybe. I'm one of those people who stand behind the breed. I know a few people who have pits, and they are the lovingest dogs I've ever seen! My friend's pit loves me, even though it's seen me a total of twice in its year or so that it has been alive. Also, the dog lives with a cat and a chihuahua, and they have no problems together.

Pits are outstanding companions.

I did some research on the Pharaoh Hound, and it is very similar in nature to the Basenji, without the wildness... Yet, most places I looked said that they should not be housed with cats, as they are sight/scent hounds and hunting dogs as well, same with the Basenji. Also, they "should not be trusted off the leash in an unconfined area," according to www.dogbreedinfo.com.

I haven't really looked into the Viszla much, but I think I will.

Again, I thank you guys for telling me what's up. Like I said, I'd rather come here and gain some knowledge than go to a pet store and waste 300+ bucks on a dog that I'd end up giving away in the end.

• CK

To bring the fun back into this post a bit… Who else agrees that cropped ears (especially super-cropped or fighting-crop) are lame? :p

K, so the basenji is not for me.

Thanks guys. I wish more people would ask questions like I have about future pets… Every so often, I'll hear of some 15 year-old girl that wants a pet snake, and then a week later after feeding it once, she decides that it's "too disgusting" (as she cleans the mouse blood off the tank walls) and gets rid of it.

People like that irk me, which is why I came here asking questions. I'd rather come here and have people tell me flat-out that this breed isn't what I'm looking for than to spend $300+ on trial and error.

Certain breeds are for certain people, and the Basenji isn't for me.

I still like their attitude, though. :p

• CK

I'd like to find a dog that is similar to a wild canid…

-A hunting-driven dog, not afraid to take something down if need be.
-A protective dog, something that is loyal and will attack only if need be.
-An intimidating dog, because I'd like people to know that the dog is the security force of the household, and will keep you from harming someone or stealing something.
-An intelligent dog, one that knows who is doing what, and knows enough to not attack the UPS guy, just because he's not a regular visitor to the house.
-A loyal dog, one that is a friend or brother, not a servant or slave. They realize that they are on the same level of authority as I am.
-A trusted dog, one that won't go dashing out the door just because it's open.

This would make the Siberian Husky, Rottweiller, Neapolitan Mastiff, and others similar good candidates...

However, I don't want a dog so large. I don't have the lawn space for their massive poos.

A friend of mine had a Rottweiller a number of years back that is the prime example of what I'm looking for in a dog. A brick s**thouse of a dog, willing and able to snap someone's neck at the proper command... But only at the proper command... The dog wasn't just smart, he was wise and intelligent... You could almost say he was literate... He knew what you were talking about when you were talking... Not just, "come, Thor! Get toy! Sit! Stay!"

When it comes to "blind obedience..." That's not it at all. Blind obedience and respect are two totally different things. Blind obedience is knowing only that Master is king, and he is never wrong. Respect is knowing that you and the Master are one in the same, at the same level of authority.

@Mantis:

If you are looking for a dog to stay by your side which portrays a natural "ole faithful" feeling, then something in the retrieving or herding family may be more what you are looking for.

No, that's not it either. I don't want a blind-obedient dog. I don't want "ole faithful." I want a dog that will test me as the basenji are said to do… But the running off and never coming back concerns me. It's one thing to have a blind-obedient dog... It's another to have one that shares your personality and knows you as "one of the pack, a brother, a father, a mentor, etc. etc. etc."

The basenji's "test the limits of the owner" thing with its intelligence really intrigues me, as I'm the same way with my friends and family, and even with people I don't know. I test limits myself, beit laws of physics, laws of science, laws of the city/state/country, etc. etc. Also, I'm a clown... I'll goof off and I'll pull pranks and make jokes.

It's not the obedience that worries me, it's the running off and hurting someone/something/themselves without me being able to stop them. I want my dog to be obedient, but not to the points of being either wild and untrusted off the leash, or being always at my ankles waiting for me to tell them what to do...

If I wanted a sheep, I'd get a sheep. If I wanted a wolf, I'd get a wolf and feed it the sheep. :p

I'm looking for a dog, not a sheep or wolf... I'm looking for a friend, a son, an apprentice, etc. etc. etc... I want a dog I can pick on, and that said dog will pick on me back! I want a dog that is cuddly and gentle, but will tear the throat out of something it doesn't like if I let it. On the same subject, I want a dog that isn't just gonna go ass-wild and chase someone down and hurt them (training aside, if a little kid runs from a basenji, it'll give chase, or at least that's the impression I'm getting)...

Plus, I have two cats... I don't want the dog getting that hunting urge on one of my cats while they are both in the back yard together.

Again, it's not the training that bothers me, it's the hunting urge and the chase urge I keep reading about...

• CK

Yeah, there's really not much here unless you really really like cows… :p

There's around 600,000 people in this state. Wyoming is the least-populated state, closely followed by North Dakota. The only difference is that Wyoming has those cool "tree" things and "hill" things...

Anyway, I've been looking at getting a dog again, and I think a Basenji is for me...

I already made a thread elsewhere going into fuller detail... Now I gotta find someone with a pup for sale/giveaway...

• CK

K, so we all know that Wikipedia isn't the all-knowing internet source of all knowledge known to the universe… So, I have some questions...

Are Basenjis really like the "temperament" section located here?

Are they really so intelligent that they "[are] not above testing the limits of its environment and owner just for sport?" and "[find] few creatures a Basenji is likely to encounter (including its owner!) that it does not believe it can outwit or outrun?" (Kinda sums myself up… :p)

That's kinda the reason I've been looking into getting one of these pups... I want a pup that is just like me... And I want a really smart pup... One that takes to training easily and has enough common sense not to chase a bird off a steep cliff or something (seeing as how North Dakota has no terrain differences, I figure I'm pretty safe from this aspect. :p)

I also wonder... What are their personalities like when it comes to obedience? Can they be trained/raised into one that observes the "golden rule" so to speak? I've always wanted a dog that would be obedient not out of fear or out of food motivation, but out of respect for its owners... I have only seen a handful of dogs actually behave this way... Is it possible with a Basenji?

I've only had one dog in my life that behaved this way. The pup was more of a friend or a brother to me than it was a pet. I've found that if one raises the pup from the time it is old enough to leave its mother, that the pup will learn this kind of behavior. However, it's not guaranteed, and only one or two out of a litter will have this personality...

Also, are there any breeders or anyone in North Dakota with a small Basenji pup that needs a good home in a suburb of Bismarck, free of large tractor tires, free of traffic, and with plenty of running/roaming territory?

Thanks,

• CK