Sounds like you and Shango got caught in the middle of some serious mother/daughter "issues". Sadly one or both of them is probably like this all of the time to each other over anything one of them likes.

Personally I love basenjis because they are NOT like other dogs. A slobbering, yapping dog with a dirty matted coat just disgusts me. I really appreciate the cleanliness and spirited personality of the glorious B! They're the only dog for me.

Oh, and by the way - royalty is, by definition, never pretentious.

The last couple of months Samantha is getting a bit choosy about the routes we go on for a walk. When she disapproves with the way that I'm heading, she'll just stop and lay down - sometimes in the middle of the road! If I turn and go a different way, she'll follow. Other times she'll continue on with a little nudging. But if she's really got her mind set on not going the way that I intended, she will absolutely not give in!

Does anyone else have this problem? If so, what do you do about it?

I thought today maybe I'd have to start bringing treats with me to get her to go where I want her to when she gets stubborn - but is that just rewarding her for stopping?

@Ninabeana26:

Dallas was like that until I bought him a little bed of his own, which I set on top of my bed. It's one of those small roundish beds. Now he almost always sleeps in that! I just say "Dallas get in your bed" & he will climb right into it & be asleep within minutes.

It's been nice having the whole bed to myself again!!!

Nina that was brilliant!

The trick that I've found works best is to let them in under the comforter, but on top of the sheet - then when you need to move them over, you just hold the sheet and slide over and they slide with you. They don't even growl like if you tried to do the same thing by pushing them over with your hands.

It looks like you've already got a lot of great advice! I can confirm that Basenjis will kill prey. A deer got into my dad's orchard years ago, and my first B, Bell, killed it by chasing it down and jumping up and grabbing onto its throat - repeated three times until she did mortal damage. It's in their genes, and there's plenty of ancient Egyptian art showing just that.

We have a farmer nearby that raises sheep, and feels no remorse in shooting any dog that get's in to chase his sheep around - it's happened several times already. I don't imagine that the farmers in your area are much different - their livestock is their livelihood, so they get a tad defensive!

Nice ride!

When I was a teenager, my first B would pull me around on my skateboard. She loved to run, and I didn't mind being pulled around either!

After looking at the existing hound page on the AKC's website, (http://www.akc.org/breeds/hound_group.cfm), it's easy to see which other breeds the Basenji belongs with. The build of a Basenji is very similar to the Ibizan Hound and the Pharoah Hound - which will probably both end up on the sight hound group. I just can't see them in the scent hound group with the Basset Hound or Beagle!

In the hound description, the AKC says: "Most hounds share the common ancestral trait of being used for hunting. Some use acute scenting powers to follow a trail. Others demonstrate a phenomenal gift of stamina as they relentlessly run down quarry." I can definitely see the Basenji fitting into the first and last of this criteria. Hopefully after getting all of the feedback that they have, they'll keep B's right where they belong - in the sighthound group!

You might want to introduce them one at a time too. Our B Samantha gets a bit edgy when there are two dogs approaching at the same time - kind of feels like she's getting ganged up on and gets defensive.

The AKC is thinking about re-aligning the hound group and splitting sight and scent hounds. In their letter to the BCOA they state:

"We do not believe that the Basenji can be strictly classified as a sighthound or a scenthound, and question whether it belongs in a hound group at all. If the Hound Group is divided should the breed be included as either one of these or should it be included in the new Companion Group?"

If you're a voting member of the BCOA, make sure to take the survey here:

http://www.basenji.org/nationalspecialty/Announ6_24_08_HoundGroupAlign.htm

They bring up an interesting point, though. The Basenji is really both a sight and a scent hound. So if a Basenji were presented with equally significant sight and scent stimulii in opposite directions, which would they go for? Which do you think is their strongest drive?

In any case they are definitely a hound! My guess is that they would go after the sight stimulus. I wonder if we could work out an experiment that would prove the point for good!

Great pictures, Jason! Roo is such a handsome pup. How does he like sailing? Does he enjoy laying up on the bow or does he slide around when tacking?

Kira, you're an amazing person! I really admire you for all that you've accomplished with Jack and for dealing with this situation like you are. God bless you!

Golden

Samantha was the runt of the litter, so she's very slender at the waist, but measures 16" at shoulders, 16" from shoulders to tail and weighs 19-20 lbs.

Where's Perry Mason when you need him! I bet he could trick a confession out of your neighbor and get it recorded on tape, especially after he sent Paul over to the neighbors garbage to retrieve the leash that he probably pocketed to get rid of the evidence!

If your computer is close to a window overlooking your yard you might be able to just put a webcam on it and have it recording continually or at least when Jack is out in the yard - that might be less expensive option.

I wonder if the police would be willing to talk to your neighbor and explain to him the consequences of getting caught on tape releasing Jack. Even though you don't have any evidence this time, they might be able to scare him off of doing it again.

I hope you get Jack back quickly!

Get a load of this classified ad I found today:

"AKC Barkless Hypoallergenic Basenji Puppies For Sale"

"My Beautiful AKC registered male and female basenjis just had eight tri-color puppies. Basenjis are a barkless breed of dog that are indiginous to the African Congo. They are completely odorless and they groom themselves like cats. Basenjis can't bark due to a difference in their vocal chords and are completely silent 99% of the time. They are the easiest dog to take care of, are fully grown at around 20lbs, and make ideal indoor companions. They are sixteen weeks old and are ready to find new homes."

While my current B, Samantha, has probably been the lowest maintenance B I've ever had (of course, I've been far more diligent in getting her, and me, the exercise she needs than I was with the other two!), I don't think I could ever bring myself to make a statement like "They are the easiest dog to take care of", let alone some of the other misleading statements they are making!

I love the pictures! Roo looks very handsome in the life vest!

We got a life jacket for Samantha after she showed interest in being on the boat. We had her out on a sunfish in a light breeze and stayed close to shore. After that we've had her out in a canoe a couple of times. One time I was in the canoe and my daughters were on a paddle boat. Samantha wanted to go to them, so she jumped out of the boat (with life jacket on) but on the way out she went in head first! Even though she was paddling furiously, (Basenji feet don't seem like the optimum swimming feet!) she turned around and I pulled her up in the canoe. Now that it's warmer I'm looking forward to taking her out in the Lido.

The MC looks like a fun boat! Where do you sail?

We adopted our B Samantha almost two years ago. That first weekend that we had her my daughter wanted to go sailing with her friends, so I took Samantha with us because I know there would always be someone on the shore to watch her. But as my daughter and friends started taking off, Samantha started wading out into the water after them. This first picture is also kind of funny if you notice what's going on in the boat - they forgot to put the center board down before turning leeward and it's now stuck with the sail pushing it to the side!

So we took Samantha out for a little ride on the boat - I didn't want to get too far from shore because we hadn't bought a life vest for her yet. So here is proof that Basenjis can sail! Have you taken your B out on a boat? Please share your pictures!

Oh - those pictures are soooo great! I wish I had puppy pictures of Samantha, but we adopted her when she was 4-1/2 years old.

Way to go Jason! Keep up the great work. Samantha and I usually get out for two to four miles a day and sometimes we take longer walks in the forest. This is my third B (not at the same time) and I got her to help me get exercise too. I've had Samantha out on my friends Sunfish sailing before, and this last Winter we bought a Lido 14. I've been out three times already this Spring, but wanted to get comfortable with handling two sails instead of one before I take Samatha out sailing with me. What kind of a boat do you sail?

We have one of those spray heads on our shower that you can take off and use by hand. I get the water nice and warm, and even though Samantha isn't excited to jump in the tub, she's so good to just stand there and relax while I lather her up with doggie shampoo and rinse her off. I used to have to wrestle with my other B's to get them clean! I guess the old German saying: "All good things come in threes" is really true!

Almost two years ago I found Samantha on this very website! There was a family that was having problems with her and their new baby. So the owner posted a message on this forum just days after I had began searching for one. Having had two B's before I knew I was late in the season to find a puppy, and my wife wasn't crazy about the puppy idea anyway.

After some arranging, I found a flight for her and fortunately the temperatures cooperated so that she could fly from Dallas, TX to Salt Lake City, UT. When we first got her the sweet girl had a rough coat, was a little under weight (due to poor quality canned dog food), had long untrimmed nails, and after our first trip to the vet we found that she had 6 broken teeth. After $600 worth of vet dentistry (including the "friend of the vet" discount) and another $150 or so to get her spayed, we had a sweetheart of a dog! She is the best B I've ever had!