Actully I have a puppy right now out of Carrirer. If you throw out all of the Carriers, we have very few dogs left & will back ourselves into another corner healthwise.
Having worked in the Vertrienary profession for over 20 years & most of that doing purchasing of products (which invloves comparing ingredients effect & cost effect) I have found little difference in generic Thyroid & Solixine. Except PRICE. Soloxine is 2-3 times more expensive than L-thyroid. We have used in on all kinds of problems from aggression to infertility. The only people who claim a real difference are the upper level obedience trainers. Most of whom have Golden Retreives & over 70% of them have thyroid issues. Use generic if you can. The problem is that if the thyroid comes back normal, most Vets won't script out Thyroid for a temperment problem.
Good Luck & Save money where you can.

Becky & the Ninjas

Ok so the Thyroid issue has been covered, yes get it checked. Thyroid supplement will not solve a training problem. You can't just throw a pill at a dog YOU have let take control of YOUR house.
I work for a Vet, I have Basenjis, I title my dogs in many venues.
Besides putting Conformation, Obedience, Rally, Lure Coursing, & Advanced Agility Titles on my Basenjis, I teach Agility & obedience at my local Club. I also advise a 4H group in Obedience & Rally.
I have a couple of questions.
Remember what I ask is out of love for all Basenjis & is not personal. i would ask the sam of any of my students.

#1 Have you contacted the breeder? Didn't Chance come from Kathy Britton? I can't believe she has not offered to help. My advice to any Basenji owner is CALL YOUR BREEDER for help. I am so happy that my puppy buyers respect me enoungh to call me before a problem get out of hand & they go on a public forum.

2 How did Chance do in his obedience classes? Did he ever go to Obedience Classes?

3 Why is he allowed on the furniture? He has NO respect for you & is owning the furniture. This is a basic principle of respect. Your dog has to earn the right to be on the furniture. At this point your dog needs to earn everything he gets.

4 Is he crate trained?

5 Again have you called your breeder? Are there Thyroid issuses with the parents?

6 Have you tried a Gentle Leader? Go to their website I have seen amazing results with a Gentle Leader.

Best of luck. Please find a good trainer who understands Basenjis. Work hard with that trainer & don't make excuses for your or your dog's lack of training.
I wish you the best.

Becky & the Ninjas

I have Basenji owners who live on the East side of Indianapolis. Just off RT 40 near 465.They are very nice people & have 2 females who are a year old. Very friendly & playful.
I could hook you up if you live near them.

The MARS Company has a DNA test called the WISDOM Panel. It does 5 generations, 120 breeds. If you really want to know. My guess would be Brittany X Dalmatian.

Every weekend I don't have a dog show I go to Marmon Valley Farm about an hour from my house. It is a Summer Camp, Weekend Retreat, Public Riding Stable. It is a Faith Base Christian program. They have about 160 horses. My AngloArab has lived there for the past 5 years. Before anyone gets the wrong impression of a "Public Riding Stable" let me say that the owners' children show in 4-H & have won at the State level, last April several of the horses were selected for Clinic Session at Equine Affaire Ohio, & the oldest daughter placed 7th in the Extreme Cowboy Race ( out of 38 ). All with Farm horses!
Anyway I go as often as I can & ride my horse, Whistler. Last weekend he was Best Conditioned horse in the 4-H Competive Trail Ride with the oldest boy.:D
When I am at the farm I let one of Basenjis run loose. Usually Moses is running around while I ride. He hangs out around the arena or lays in the shade by the arena. Moses is very careful around the horses because he has been taught not to chase them & to respect their space. I have yet to take Moses on a trail ride because there is too much wildlife to chase. I have taught Moses to find me & check in every few minutes, if I am out of sight. I don't know if this will hold up when deer, rabbits, & squirrels are added to the mix.
Well the unfortunate happened 2 weeks ago. Moses was hanging out around the stables while I let Whistler graze in the front yard. As I was putting equipment away Moses noticed the peacocks in a pen.:eek: Of course he went into 'Must chase & kill mode'. More unfortunate was the fact that JR ( kinda pet rooster) was hanging out,NOT inside the pen. The good news was that Moses did come when I called but not until he had a mouthful of feathers & lots of blood.:eek: I now know "Who killed JR!"
For now Moses & the other Ninjas are allowed at the farm but Moses is ON LEAD at all time. :( The girls are still ok to run loose.
Moses was given a new title by the kids at Marmon Valley. :D
He is now DC Epic's In Da Nile SC RA NA NAJ PK (poultry killer). I am lucky to have foregiving friends who understand life & death.

Becky & the Ninjas

Beautiful wrinkles & coat, great red color. Love the shoes!

Becky & the Ninjas

I am sorry to jump in late & reply.
I have been way to busy to spend time on the internet & am indulging myself the week. It may be months before I visit the Forum again.
Regarding breeding your boy. Most breeders will not breed to a male they do not know. They pick a Stud dog for his Health Testing, Pedigree, Show record, conformation & the owners connected. Sometimes location plays a major part. Conformation plays a big part of picking a Stud dog i.e. will he improve on my bitches movement? Topline? Earset?
No dog is perfect & we are breeding to improve the Breed not to make money or just have puppies.
Not questioning your information, but I would reccomend doing some research & getting all the information you can about you boy. Next regardless of breeding him or not, do ALL the health testing. This will be helpful for your Basenji's future health & maintance.
Not all dogs or bitches are 'worthy' of being bred. Find out if you's is worthy & be picky about the bitch he is bred to. It is much easier to buy a Show quality puppy than to breed your next Show prospect.
I work for a Veterinarian & many Dog owners want to 'Stud Out' their male. This never happens! As a bitch owner I will find the best dog out there that will mesh with my bitch to produce better puppies.
Lastly I have had a dog die very suddenly from prostate problems. He died before I could get him to the Vet. This was years ago when the risk of anestetic was not worth it to me. He was a mix breed & a wonderful dog. Gumby taught he so much in life & his death taught me even more. Don't make the same mistake I made, it isn't worth it.
NOT all Finished Champions are of true breeding quality. And "Sperm is Cheap"!!
Best of luck & hugs to the pups.

Becky & the Ninjas

I love the Basenji & the Elk is very intriging. Very nice ye for detail. Art Therapy is a very fulfilling field. Best of luck to your daughter.

Becky & the Ninjas

When I stack on the ground I will sometimes put a treat on the ground about 18" to 24" in front of my dog. This will make them arch their neck & it will tightend the back muscles & maybe bring the tail up.
I would reccomend looking into the reason she does not hold her tail up. A lowset tail is structual.
A drooping tail can be a physical problem. When my dogs start relaxing & dropping their tails I have an adjustment done. Voile! Tail is where it should be. An Orthipedic Adjustment can work wonders. A dog can be "out of Aliegnment & we don't realize it until they are realiegned! Find a Chiropractor or someone who does V.O.M..

Best of luck

Becky & the Ninjas

Yours is a common problem, as Pat said if he is food motivated you are in luck.
Besides the watch commands, I start by teaching all my puppies to TARGET TO MY HAND. Very easy & fast to teach. I would start by making sure every bite of food he gets is from your hand (include your oldest son in this training to overcome this fear.)
Step #1 Put a treat in your hand, open palm, let him eat it (simple) repeat this several times.
Step #2 Treat in open palm, move hand to left or right. When he follows it let him get the treat. Repeat both directions, up, & down. When he is following the treated palm consistantly procede to step 3
Step # 3 Put treat in palm, close your hand, if he looks at your hand, open your hand & give him the treat.
Step #4 (Closed hand with treat) Move hand to left, he follows he gets treat, move hand to right, he follows he gets treat. Simple!
Step # 5 Time to start moving. (Don't put the leash on since you could get tangled & you don't want to remind him of a learned behavior like dropping his head when the leash is attached.) Start with the treat in open palm & have him follow it as you move around, give treat. Work up to treat in closed hand as you move around. Be sure to hold your palm down because this is how it will look when you have a leash in your hand.
After you have praticed this until he will follow you with head up put the leash on.
Step #6 Attach leash, if you are good with the leash roll it up in your left hand, put the treat between your thumb & forefinger. Show him the treat & start moving, reward when he gos for the treat. DON'T let him jump at the treat, keep it right above his raised nose. Now put the treat in your closed left hand, fingers down, just above his head. Start moving, when he follows open your fingers & there is the treat! Work up to moving fast, changing direction, make him catch you for the treat (you should do this off lead too.)
If you have problems with the leash, work them out beforehand. You can also start by dropping the leash & letting it drag behind. You can also hold it in your right hand until you both get the hang of it.
I don't use a verbal command other than to say the dogs name & "GOOD DOG". In the Show ring nerves can kick in & having commands to remember as well as everything else can cause a meltdown. Keep It Simple Stupid (KISS) is my motto!
Until he has this new behavior imprinted in his mind I would give every bite of food from you hand. Remove the dog bowl! All food comes from hands not inanimate object on floor!
Best of luck, but remember that good conformation is only part of Showing in Conformation. Attitude plays a big role. I have seen many beautiful dogs who never finished because they hated showing. I have seen not so great dogs with lots of attitude finish quickley.
Have fun, this excercise helps with Agility, Rally, & Obedience too. Will improve your WALKIES too. Attending an Agility or Rally class will help build his confidence.

I said it was an oops, but not really my oops. Charlie (God love him) was taking care of Ola while I was at a show. Ola was in a "silent heat" which we did not realize at the time. :o This happened 2 days before the cut off date in December for sending in for testing.
Fortunately I had sent in over 30 samples & pedigrees several years ago for the research project. So Jon Curby got the results for me ASAP, so I did not have to abort the litter. Both parents are probably Clear. Jon told me many of the samples we sent in were used in test developement. Made it worth the hours of time it took to compile all that information
I had considered this old Man for my bitch, but figured he was too old. This is line breeding on Data, with True, Target, & many nice bitches thrown in. There were 4 puppies, a tri male in a show home, the tri bitch, my red bitch, & a red bitch in a pet home (very well loved).
If Merlin is still fertile this year I am breeding Ola's sister to him.

Becky & the Ninjas

This past weekend I entered my 6 month old puppies in their first show, Clermont Kennel Club near Cincinnati OH. As we all know, puppies at show can be unpredictible at best.
The red bitch I kept is Tapas (Epic's Tasty Little Dish) & the tri bitch, Skye, ( Epic's Accidental Magic) is in a show home in Indianapolis.
This is the oops litter sired by Can Ch DC Select-Gana Incantation MC FCH III )who is 14 years old & out of my tri bitch CH Epic's Tri My Best JC.
I showed Tapas in BBE, Skye in 6-9 puppy, & Peepers (still needs a major) in open. Both puppies behaved themselves & show nicely.
Skye was winners bitch for a 3 point major under Ellen Fetter! I have to give credit to Skye's owner. She had Skye in excellent condition & she showed beautifully. The nails were trimmed & she was bathed, all I had to do was trim her tail a little & go in the ring.
Congrats to all the other exhibitors & winners this past weekend!

Becky & the Ninjas

sent pics of puppies to photo gallery

Becky

We only got about 10" in Dayton. Very pretty, roads suck, dogs having great time chasing around.

Becky

Puppy pics will be coming.
Did the Hunter thing years (years) ago. Had an amazing Appy & showed Quarter horses. Did the race track, breeding farm (love foaling mares), & the Class A Arab Circuit. Love the intelegence & beauty of Arabs. Moses likes to run around in the arena while I ride. He is leary of the horses since one pushed him aside with a big hoof. I don't trust him on trail rides yet.

Hello, my name is Becky Blansett. My kennel name is Epic. I have been by Basenjis for 20 years now.
My first Basenji was a small red & white bitch named Sheba ( Bella Sheba Wa Umbawa FCH, CD, SC, CGC). Currently I have 4 adult Basenjis in my home, all decendents of Sheba.
Over the years the Ninjas and I have have competed in Conformation, Lure Coursing, Obedience, Rally, and Agility. Sometimes I am the teacher, sometimes my dog is the teacher. Moses ( DC Epic's In Da Nile SC,RA,NA,NAJ)and I are currently having fun training and competing in Agility.
On Feb. 21, 2008 my tri bitch, Ola (CH Epic Tri My Best SC), delivered by c-section 4 puppies by Charlie Denslow's dog Merlin ( CAN CH DC Select_Gana Incantation LCM ). There are two red girls, one tri girl, & one tri boy. Merlin is 14 years old. Ola and puppies are doing great.
Besides doing the dog thing I also enjoy riding and training horses. I have a 9 year old Anglo Arab gelding that I train for Dressage.
Wish me luck with the puppies!