My 9 1/2 year old is running Iron Hound this weekend along with another 9 1/2 year old. Both are in good condition and having a blast and are definately still competitive against the youngsters.

@chilingoober:

I am getting this response in other forums also. It is certain dogs in the breed that do this. Some are easier to train than others. One said he trained his dog not to climb the fence, and I am waiting for a reply as to how he did that. Does anyone here know how to train them not to climb a fence? One said that hers didn't respond well to corrections, but more treat training. My Dobe just likes to please, and will work for treats, except when we play ball, and then its down to business. The beagle looks at you like, so, what's in it for me. You show him the treat, and he's the brightest student in class. So these are the extremes I'm living with. Where in between does the basenji fit??

The basenji is closer to beagle if not a bit more challenging. My obedience instructor said if she had to try to explain a basenji the best way she could think of was to put them in contrast to her whippet. Her whippet is also a sighthound and has a good prey drive but her whippet needs a maid and knows it, he needs some one to open the door, to feed him, to put his coat on him when he is cold. In contrast, a basenji knows there is no maid and even if there was one, isn't sitting around waiting for them to do what needs to be done. Basenjis are intelligent and persistent. They are not going to wait for someone else to solve their problems and often times people are not really pleased with their solutions.

So basenjis do very well with positive reinforcement training because there is a clear benefit to them in doing it. Basenjis can be reinforced to respect boundaries but if the thing on the other side is more rewarding they will probably go for it. Basenjis like being with their people, they enjoy having a "job" in the family even if the job is couch warmer supreme.

Some examples of what living with a basenji can be like. I had to buy a new refrigerator to keep my male from opening the fridge and helping himself to beef and lamb roasts. He would not open the fridge any other time but would sneak off and help himself everytime we had a roast in the fridge. The first time we didn't catch him until he ingested all 2 pounds of roast. He can also open all of our cabinets and drawers so we had to install child safety locks but he learned how to open some of those so we have to be careful what brand we install. Nicky is also quite capable of jumping up on the counter but does not only because as a youngster he accidently jumped into a cake which resulted in an immediate bath and one other time he jumped into a large bowl that soaking in the sink. He now practices look before you leap but if he can see up there then he will be up there.

My girl Rio will happily be contained by a simple baby gate in the house while I am home but if I leave she will be over it in a heartbeat to be with the other dogs and she has always done this. She also easily leaps out of her x-pen, one person at a lure trial described it as watching me catch popcorn when I opened the lid because she would leap into my arms each time.

Debra, that is not so. I attend many seminars given by well respected geneticists. One that I attended dealt exactly with gene preservation and loss and how much of a contribution a single outcross event would have. The scientific answer is after 5 generations a single outcross event is no longer genetically significant. This of course can be influenced by selection of traits though such as the crossing pointers to dalmations to have non-stoneformers. In 5 generations the dogs are once again dalmations genetically except for the preservation of the selected for trait of non-stone formation. The selective breeding to maintain the non-stone forming trait allows it to be preserved if there is no selection for a trait the genes are likely to be lost over generations.

A really common mistake that people make with Frontline that severely cuts down on its effectiveness is that they bathe the dog just prior to applying the product. In order for Frontline to work properly a dog should not be bathed 72 hours prior to application nor 72 hours after application. Frontline depends on the dog's natural skin and coat oils to disperse properly and since bathing carries these away it will great reduce the effectiveness.

We usually apply it in the evening after they are beginning to wind down so that they have a good 10-12 hours of quiet time for the product to absorb before they begin rough housing again.

The owner of the boy I used for my litter has had dogs of her breeding live to 20 years old. Most of her dogs live between 16-18 years.

Debra, I know the math but I am going to side with the geneticist who has done genetic studies on this issue and shown that after 5 generations the genetic contribution is not significant.

I have both shipped and travelled to get a pup. The suitability of the pups to my household was never an issue with either. I was very honest and very descriptive about my household and expectations and the breeder who knows the pups the best, did a wonderful job of matching the puppy to my household. Even with people who live nearby and visit frequently, it is the breeder who selects the puppy for the person because they know them best and that behavior that seems "cute" in an hour visit may be the completely unlivable in your household on a daily basis.

Young basenji puppies can ride in a sherpa in the plane with you, they do not have to fly cargo. This is exactly how I brought my girl Rally home with me. She did great and had no ill effects from the trip.

Shipping a dog on the other hand requires it to fly cargo. This can be very stressful for some young puppies and others seem to take it in stride.

My preference is for people to pick up their puppies and fly them back in a sherpa with them.

I take two of my basenjis for country walks off leash with other friends with dogs. All the dogs mostly stay together and all are rewarded frequently for "checking in" with their owners. I am always prepared to leash mine up and probably do leash mine more often than the people with other dogs. So can basenjis be off leash? Yes, but as an owner you will have to make sure the situations are ones that are safe and understand that if you are where there is a lot of wildlife you will probably have to leash them. I would not recommend a basenji to a person who really wants a dog that is going to be good offleash. Their hard wiring is to give chase and though with training you can raise your value so they are more likely to stay near by or if they give chase that they will not go too far, that hard wiring will always be there. They can be good off leash but it is not something that I would expect.

Debra, I am not talking traits, I am talking about total genetic material. After 5 generations from a single outcross event the result is not distinguishable at a GENETIC MATERIAL level from the original population. I am not talking phenotype here, I am speaking genotype. If you want to think that a 1/32 African has some sort of genetic diversity advantage over a full domestic, fine but that isn't what genetic studies support.

@MDSPHOTO:

Not to question your ability, but if you can't afford another $300 to get a puppy from a reputable breeder, do you have the means to give the dog the proper care it will need. If I look at what we have spent on the puppy since we got her from our breeder we have probably paid an additional $400 (Vet bills, shots, crate, food, treats, obedience class, sweaters, toys, collars, etc.). Dogs can be an expensive proposition you should really think about the total yearly costs to care for the dog not just the acquisition price. I see the BRAT rescue as a great alternative if you are cash strapped right now.

@Kipawa:

If told you guys how much we have spent in vet bills for our cats and parrots over the last 26 years, you guys would gasp!! Those $300 ****atoos are now worth a small fortune. If one of our birds becomes ill, an $800 - $1000 vet bill is not uncommon. For the cats, 2 years ago we had an $1100.00 vet bill for radioactive isotope therapy (for the tyroid). So, I concur with MDSPHOTO. I don't think anyone here is being uppity, more likely realistic.

Both of these posts are right on. The initial purchase price is only a small fraction of the cost of an animal.

As for breeder's prices, when you are doing the health testing, providing excellent care for the bitch and her pups, etc, the $700-$1000 price isn't always even covering the costs of the litter. To further reduce the price of puppies would mean either cutting corners or losing even more money which in these economic times many don't have to give.

To summarize the breeder costs given in other threads:

Health testing for 1 parent:

OFA Hip x-rays $75 + $30 OFA fee
OFA Patella Check $10 + $15 OFA fee
OFA Thyroid Panel $81 + $15 OFA fee
Fanconi Marker Test $60
CERF Exam $35 + $8 CERF fee for renewal
Brucellosis Test $65

Total for health testing 1 parent = $394

Travel Expenses to get the Bitch to the Stud

At least $300 either in shipping and boarding expenses or in gas and lodging expenses, often times more if shipping.

Stud Fee $750-$1000 (Usually the cost of puppy)

Prenatal care $125 for either ultrasound or x-ray. Some breeders do both in order to confirm pregnancy and then to have a good count of what to expect during whelping.

Post whelping expenses (Assumes an average sized litter of 4)
Dew Claw removal and wellness check for mom and puppies - $90
First Shots + Microchip - $310
CERF Exams - $140
Second Shots - $115
Registration - $140

Now most breeders will also send home a puppy kit of some sort and these costs don't factor in the food, bedding, clean up supplies, and extra electricity costs. This estimate also does not include any emergency fees which can quickly escalate the cost.

Total is $2364 - $2614. Which would put a low estimate of cost per puppy at $591 - $653.40.

No she is not too old to train. She is still a young dog and young dogs chew. My 10 1/2 month old will chew almost anything if not given good outlets for his energy.

One way to help increase the amount of mental stimulation she gets and give her an outlet for appropriate chewing and extra energy is to stop feeding her from a bowl and start feeding her from Kongs and other food dispensing toys. You can also set some of her daily ration aside to use as rewards for calm behavior. The stark contrast between the more work to get food from the Kongs and toys and the easy to get food from paying attention to you and being calm should help to make her more responsive to your training efforts as there will be more motivation to figure out how to get the easy food.

My old man was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma in September. The primary tumor is on his soft palette and he has a metastasis on his neck. Some days he does not curl his tail much and when he does it is a loose curl, he just doesn't have the muscle tone to curl it any tighter any more. We were given 2 options for treating him, the first would have required him to go in weekly for radiation treatments that might have bought him 3-6 months. He would have had to spend 4-6 hours at the vet and undergone anesthesia at each appointment. He hates vet visits. The second option was treat with piroxicam, an NSAID that has shown some activity against this type of cancer. We have opted for giving him the piroxicam and doing our best to make him comfortable. He still likes to eat but stretching his head all the way to the floor to eat out of a bowl is no longer comfortable so we bought him an elevated feeder. He is losing muscle tone so getting in the bed is hard so we got him his own ottoman to use as a stepping stool or his own bed, whichever he chooses. Right now, though we have good days and bad days, the good days are more often. He still seeks out the best sunny spots to lay, begs for tasty morsels, and comes down stairs eagerly for his breakfast but he moves slower and it seems each day he ages more than I thought possible. I know he will let us know when it is time but it is hard especially on the bad days, when the cold makes his old bones stiff and he doesn't move around so well.

Let Tayda tell you what she wants. Do the best you can and cherish the time you have. It doesn't sound like she has checked out but she may not be in it for the long fight anymore either.

My old man was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma in September. The primary tumor is on his soft palette and he has a metastasis on his neck. Some days he does not curl his tail much and when he does it is a loose curl, he just doesn't have the muscle tone to curl it any tighter any more. We were given 2 options for treating him, the first would have required him to go in weekly for radiation treatments that might have bought him 3-6 months. He would have had to spend 4-6 hours at the vet and undergone anesthesia at each appointment. He hates vet visits. The second option was treat with piroxicam, an NSAID that has shown some activity against this type of cancer. We have opted for giving him the piroxicam and doing our best to make him comfortable. He still likes to eat but stretching his head all the way to the floor to eat out of a bowl is no longer comfortable so we bought him an elevated feeder. He is losing muscle tone so getting in the bed is hard so we got him his own ottoman to use as a stepping stool or his own bed, whichever he chooses. Right now, though we have good days and bad days, the good days are more often. He still seeks out the best sunny spots to lay, begs for tasty morsels, and comes down stairs eagerly for his breakfast but he moves slower and it seems each day he ages more than I thought possible. I know he will let us know when it is time but it is hard especially on the bad days, when the cold makes his old bones stiff and he doesn't move around so well.

Let Tayda tell you what she wants. Do the best you can and cherish the time you have. It doesn't sound like she has checked out but she may not be in it for the long fight anymore either.

For most dogs any microbes in the food aren't going to be a big issue but if you have one that is immune compromised then it is a while different story. I use lots of whole foods in my feeding program but with one dog with late stage cancer and another recovering from an immune mediated disease, I don't feed raw. Honest Kitchen is the closest they get to raw. I also have two that puke anytime they get uncooked egg whites so many of the pre-made raw foods won't work with them.

3 out 3 of my black and whites have pink in their ears. Rally's are the blackest and Kyo's the pinkest but all have pink in their ears.

As I had said, I have seen dominant blacks with some interesting color variation in their black. It is not brindling but perhaps a sabling that causes and intermix of reddish black in the coat. One owner of such a dog noticed that the each hair actually seemed banded with a black and the red black. Another seemed to have a black over coat and a lighter undercoat. In my own dominant black, she seems to have expressed a single stripe of red in her coat so perhaps there is something in those cells deactivating her black gene. So I agree that there is plenty we don't understand about genetics that can cause variations that we don't know how to explain yet but I do think that we have a pretty good grasp of black, brindle, and red and it is exactly as I and then CongoMama explained.

You are not understanding what I am saying. Wili is a black carrying brindle, he has a black parent and a brindle parent and therefore inherited the black gene from his dam and brindle gene from his sire. When he produces offspring he can only pass on the black gene or the brindle gene to each offspring. If the other parent is red and white then the black offspring do not carry the brindle gene since they inherited his black gene, his brindle offspring did not inherit the black gene they got the brindle gene. This is based on genetic research that identified the location and mutation that causes brindle in dogs, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17483404

Black and brindle are at the same locus so a dog can only pass on either black or brindle to its offspring not both. The fact that Damisi inherited her father's black means she could not have inherited his brindle and therefore had no brindle gene to pass to her offspring.

I will say that my black and white Sophie has a single clear red stripe on her thigh. It is very clearly red, but she is a black and white and produced two lovely black boys bred to a red and white stud dog. I have also seen black and white dogs with red banded hairs so there is variation in black coats that is not brindling.

Arlene, looking at Johnny's pedigree there is no way he could be a black brindle. The only brindle in the pedigree is behind his dam's sire. Since she inherited her sire's black, she could not have inherited his brindle, they are inherited at the same loci, so there is no place for Johnny to have gotten brindle. Why do you think that he is a black brindle?

I would definitely find a different vet. If the techs are not good enough to give a vaccine in one go, I don't think I would trust them with any other procedure they may need perform during the life of my dogs. It is really hard to find good vets. I have 3 vet offices that I use and am lucky to have found some wonderful vets who hire great staff. All the vets I go to listen to me about my dogs' care which is top of the list in finding a good vet. One who dismisses you as a pet owner who doesn't know anything but thinks they do, will not work with you to meet the individual needs of your dog.

Did you administer benadryl prior to Oakley getting the vaccine? We had to do that with a vaccine reactive cat though we rarely had to vaccinate him after his severe vaccine reaction.