@tanza I don't generally buy bottled water, but I can see the benefit of using bottled water when traveling (or in areas where the water may present an issue). Great idea! Thank you!

@autumnhunter said in Debark:

all the Basenji’s I was around were debarked

I think you may have misunderstood. Basenji's do not "bark" the way a typical dog does. While they are not mute, they do make noise.

Basenji's have been used to hunt and track Lions (yes, Lions) for generations. Now... a 20 (or so) pound dog is not going to last very long if it approaches a Lion and starts barking at it. They gradually lost the ability to bark through evolution -- barking was (simply) unnecessary. And eventually, the Basenji breed developed a different throat structure. So, the dogs you saw at the dog show were not "debarked", the Basenji breed (as a whole) just doesn't bark.

If your dogs are becoming a nuisance and your neighbors are complaining, your best course of action may be to simply tell them to "stop". When they bark, step outside or turn to them, and let them know that they are "ok". They've done their job and alerted you to the potential threat, now they should settle down. If you have ignored their barking for a lengthy period of time, you shouldn't expect retraining them to happen overnight. But consistancy usually wins in the end.

Could this simply be a "stomach virus"? Has she had any changes to her diet (new treats or anything like that)? It's just a guess, but I don't think that your beloved did this out of vengence. I suspect she either ate something that didn't agree with her, or she just doesn't feel well. Give it some thought. I don't think that, at 14 years old, this is a new behavior.

I'm going to suggest a possible Basenji/Jack mix. There is much that reminds me of a Basenji (head, ears, wrinkled brow) and much that reminds me of a Jack (leg structure). Basenji's are "square", in that they stand as tall as they are long. If you measure at the withers (base of the neck on her back), you should get the same measurment from the floor to there as from the tip of her tail to there. Her back looks like it may be typical for a Basenji, but the legs are far too short for the equation. Here are 2 links from the ACK that descirbe how a Basenji and Russell "should" look like. You might enjoy comparing the two to your girl...
Basenji Breed Info
Russell Terrier Breed Info

Of course, if you really want to know, there are Doggie DNA companies that could tell you (for sure). Either way, it sounds like she's lucky that you came along! Enjoy her!

@marta5 said in Spam:

I have not realized the truth. Where have you noticed?

I'm not sure what you mean... can you rephrase this?

@pepper said in Spam:

I place all BasenjiForums email notifications in my "spam" folder

You can turn off the email (notifications) if you:

1. Click on your profile picture in the upper right of the page,
2. Click on the "settings" option (near the bottom of the drop down menu).
3. Scroll down your settings page to the "Email" section,
4. Click on the option under "Subscribe to Digest", select "off".

The best option, of course, would be if there was a way for us to boot these spammers off. sigh

1. Click on the three dots in the upper right corner of the post, click on "flag this post for moderation" (at the bottom of the drop down menu), select "spam" and hit the "submit report" button.

2. Click on the sender's screen name to pull up their portal page, click on the three dots on the bottom right of their banner image, select "flag profile" from the drop down menu, click on "spam" and hit the "submit report" button.

3. On the post page, in the upper right corner, give them a "down vote".

4. On the post page, under the original post and on the right hand side, select the "not watching" drop down list and choose "ignoring".

You might see other spam posts from the same sender, but hopefully the site owner/moderators will do something and boot these people off. shrug I don't know of any other options...

I am copying a recipe that I recieved from my Vet. It indicates that you should maintain this diet while providing distilled water. Then gradually expose the dog to foods one at a time (beginning with tap water) to discover what the dog can eat (without a reaction). I found it interesting that tap water could be the culprit, but water does vary from one location to another. Anyway, this may be worth a try...

Canine Hypoallergenic Diet (from Hill's Pet Products):
1/4# (.11kg) lamb, diced
1C (150g) rice, cooked
1tsp (5ml) Oil (it lists vegetable, but others should work as well)
1 1/2tsp (7grams) dicalcium phosphate (aka one Tums)

Trim fat from lamb, cook thoroughly without seasoning. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Keep covered in the refridgerator. Makes 2/3# (.30kg). plus a canine multivitamin/supplement

Analysis
Protien ... 7%
Fat ... 10%
Carbohydrate ... 14%
Moisture ... 66%
Metabolizable Energy ... 795kcal/#

(I am not a scientist... but, it is my understanding that the average 20# dog requires ~400kcal/day, so I would think one recipe per day(?).)

Feeding Guide
10# ... 1/2# (.23kg)
20# ... 1# (.45kg)
40# ... 1 1/2# (.69kg)

additional notes:
I would recomend that you get a little notebook and begin making daily notes on what your dog eats and how it affects their activity level, alertness, etc. Any observations you can make. Also, don't expect to see instant changes in your dogs coat. It may take a little while before you see the situation improve. Keep that in mind, nothing you do is going to mean your dog will wake up tomorrow with a beautiful coat. it takes time.

We discussed this issue a couple of months ago... based on your comments, it seems to have gotten worse. But back at the end of August, you had multiple cats. Are they still in the picture? How is the interaction with the other animals going?

@zande said in Male neutering:

I'd better bow out of this thread, Elbrant

No need to do that. I respect your opinion and experience as a breeder. I was merely trying to offer some contrast between a breeder owner and a pet owner. Pet owners can be extremly knowledgable and still not know anything about breeding. That doesn't make them bad Basenji parents. No ill will. I'm old enough to know that we can be different and still value each others input.