Welcome to this forum. You have come to the right place for information. There are other people on this forum who have had basenjis for years and years. They are a wonderful resource.

We were up in the mountains a couple of weeks ago and did a little hiking with the dogs. We spotted deer and wild turkey. Had the dogs not been on leashes, we'd still up there looking for them. IMHO the biggest cause of them taking off is their strong prey instinct and not so much boredom. I just can't imagine having either of our dogs trotting by us on a trail without a leash. And I would never open a door without having both of them grasped firmly by their collars. When Cory looks out the window and spots a squirrel, I think she'd open the door herself if she could find a way to sprout opposable thumbs!

Pat

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

All he needs is a beach towel and some sunglasses and he is all set! Very cute.

Pat
Jayden and Cory

Thank you everyone for your thoughts. Since Robyn has decided to not use Jayden in her breeding program after all, I think we will go ahead and have him neutered tomorrow.
Jayden's disposition is so sweet and he is very affectionate. So I don't think "changing his disposition" is really what I meant. I know that was what I said but just couldn't think of a better word. Jayden just has a very sensitive "on" switch and goes from calm to crazy in a second. If Cory sees a dog walk by the house and gets excited, Jayden feeds off her excitement and pings off the walls, off furniture, etc…..literally! He doesn't even have to see the dog himself. Cory quickly gets over having seen the dog but Jayden is still bouncing off the walls......and then trying to hump her. He never just walks by and decides to start humping her....the activity is almost always a result of his state of hyperexcitement. Then when I hold Cory in my lap to keep him off her, Jayden lies next to me and tries to cajole her into getting down. He whines and nibbles her neck and actually chews (very softly and carefully) on her ears. Oddly enough, he is so gentle with the ear chewing that she actually seems to like it. I just hope the surgery will maybe calm him down just enough that his "on" switch from calm to crazy isn't quite so sensitive and the acceleration isn't so fast. I know the humping isn't sexual and Cory is spayed so that isn't a fear but I can count on a fight between the two of them just about every evening because of it. You know what it sounds like when two basenjis get into it......like two very loud Tom cats having a fight in your house! The rest of the time they adore each other.

So really, I'm not looking for a different Jayden. The one I have now is a delightfully obnoxious basenji. I just hope it makes him just a little bit calmer. If it doesn't, he will still be loved and I will know we gave it a shot. Plus.....his yearly registration tags will be $30 cheaper!:)

Thank you all,
Pat
Cory and Jayden

@BasenjiDiva:

But, I must say that sometimes she seems to lead him on and sends what I as a human perceive to be mixed messages. If she were my daughter, I'd take her aside and tell her "You can NOT tell him "NO!" and then wiggle your butt and wink at him!!!" She raises her hackles, bares her teeth and snarls at him, and then wags her tail and gets into the let's play position.

I was making a bad attempt at being funny when I said the above. I knew I was humanizing something an animal was doing but I didn't communicate it well enough. That's why I'll never get the big bucks as a comedian!

Anyway, I think Jayden's humping is in the category of getting over excited and him using the humping to relieve the stress. The humping doesn't annoy me but it annoys Cory and then it sounds like a cat fight in the living room. Cory is very vocal in her displeasure and goes after him with all teeth bared. I do ultimately separate them until he calms down. Then it is over for the evening. Cory and I do hope that Jayden being neutered will bring it down at least a little. Not expecting miracles…just down a notch. The piddling inside doesn't happen often and may be a case of laziness or missed cues. But, since Cory and none of my other previous female dogs have been house piddlers, I am hoping that if there is any element of male marking involved, it will cease. It has probably been months since he piddled in the house. Except in his pen when I go to run errands. He always does that dispite having been let out to piddle just before being penned up. He is a little more nervous than Cory and if being neutered calms him a little....that would be nice too but I know his personality won't really change. That is okay....he is our big bubba and we love him.

My friend said what she said because she had a Basset Hound that was neutered at age 2 and she felt his temperment changed for the worse afterwards. I don't know in what manner it changed. It may not have had anything to do with the surgery but how he was treated. We had a dog years ago who would not let a male vet or kennel attendent touch him after a bad boarding experience.

Since I hadn't had the surgery done yet, I just wanted some reassurance before hand. Hearing that there could be at least a little improvement and there will be no negative effects is what I wanted and I do thank you all for that!:)

Pat
Cory and Jayden

I would say that Cory is the more dominant of the two….except after supper when he takes revenge on her. He eats and then gets feisty. It is most evenings and at the same time. Never the morning and never the afternoon. They start playing and then he gets over excited. Then he tries to get her. But, I must say that sometimes she seems to lead him on and sends what I as a human perceive to be mixed messages. If she were my daughter, I'd take her aside and tell her "You can NOT tell him "NO!" and then wiggle your butt and wink at him!!!" She raises her hackles, bares her teeth and snarls at him, and then wags her tail and gets into the let's play position.

Pat
Cory and Jayden

Cory is spayed and so her coming into season isn't a problem. However, every evening Jayden lhinks he should - eat, go out to piddle and poop, and then come in and drive Cory nuts by trying to mount her. Needess to say, Cory is not amused and has made it pretty clear that she is willing to neuter him herself. Fingers are crossed that he stops doing that. And it would be really nice if it made him a little less nervous around strangers. But I don't want to create a behavior problem by having this done either. So I was taken aback by my friend's comment. I've already made arrangements to have it done early so I can take him home rather that leaving him at the Vets overnight. I do know he would go nuts without Cory there for support.

Pat
Cory and Jayden

Jayden is 4 1/2 years old and we are having him neutered on tuesday (poor baby!). We are hoping that it will make him a little less edgy/nervous, make him stop trying to mount poor Cory every evening after supper, and make him less likely to sneak down the hall to pee. (Though he has been much, much better about that lately.) We have usually had female dogs in the past and this is the first time we've had a male dog neutered. I spoke to a friend today (another long time dog owner but different breed) and she said that having him neutered now won't help any of those issues and might even make his disposition a little less pleasant. She said the experience might create its more problems with his disposition and trust. Now I'm feeling a little panicky! Thoughts and comments please!

Pat
Cory and Jayden

I can't begin to tell you how happy I am that this is going so well! This is such great news!

Pat
(and Jozie's kin, Jayden and Cory)

Jayden isn't very vocal either and was very quiet when we first got him. However, he will now occasionally baroo when he thinks we are serving his dinner too slowly. And, he can do a wonderful imitation of a tornado warning siren!! I crate them when I shower and Jayden will do his siren imitation about 50% of the time. Jayden also likes to embarrass me: A stranger will ask me about basenjis and I'll comment that they are known as the barkless dog. As if on cue, Jayden will then give a single bark to make me look stupid!

Pat

That is terrific. Robyn is a wonderful person and a wonderful breeder. I just wish she lived closer! We have two of her dogs, including Jozie's brother, Jayden. We got Cory (from a different litter) from her and then went back for Jayden. The first two weeks were horrific and they just want to fight. The only place they would get along was outside. (Thank goodness it was warm!) Inside, we had to keep the dogs leashed so they wouldn't try to kill each other. We decided to return Jayden after two awful weeks but my husband's work schedule wouldn't allow the trip back to Atlanta for another week. That was a blessing because the dogs drew up a truce during that 3rd week. We looked out the window one day and Cory had her head resting on Jayden's rump. It got smoother and smoother from that point on! Now they can't bear to be apart. So be patient and give it a good chance. You will love knowing Robyn!!

Pat

We have two of Robyn's dogs and they are fantastic. (And so is Robyn!) Robyn's Jozie is the sister of our male, Jayden. We got our two from her when they were each almost a year old and it was great. They were crate trained, house broken, and socialized. Both love cats. (as long as they don't run…which a cat usually does when it discovers that it has strayed into a yard with two basenjis. They just want it to stay and play.)
We love Robyn and her crew!

Pat
Cory and Jayden