@tanza:

I don't think that expanding the gene pool will make a difference in length of live… and now with the Fanconi Linkage test, there is never an excuse to breed a dog that might become affected with Fanconi. And hopefully the word about the linkage test is passed far and wide so that BYB's and PM's are run out of business unless they start testing...

You bring to the fore a valid point. There is no reason to breed any canine with a history of health problems. That does not improve a breed; it's just bad business.

As genetic research advances, it is known that some illnesses are genetic in orgin and others are viral. With a viable genome and meticulous cataloging, a model can be produced to yeild the ideal make-up of a Basenji to extend life. Or maybe just improve quality of life.

The Basenji is still used by hunter/gatherers. It has incredible stamina and is excellent at solving problems.

When I got my first Basenji, she would eat everything and escape when she could. After I took her mnt biking (or hiking in the snow) she mellowed out. She knew every weekend she could go out and run, dig, wallow in dirt, sniff other dog's butts and just be a canine. This gave her an outlet and her destructive and nomadic behavior really slowed.

I trained her to follow me in the summer. I let her know I had water and let her loose (outside the city, of course) she would take off and do whatever it Basenjis do. Eventually she would get thirsty and find me. Everytime she came back I would giver her water. This conditioned her that I have value. The first couple times were harrowing.

Now its no big deal. She trained my other Basenjis how they whole mnt biking/hiking thing works.

Channayn lived to be 15 and was alpha to her dying breath. Moses is 13 he still is very active. He accompainies Tzonga (9), Mahendra (8?) and me in the foothills hiking and mnt biking. Biking he sets his own pace. 13 and 4 plates holding his pelvis together, he's not doing bad.

Then again, how long do people live? Africans tend to have shorter life spans. Some groups of Semites tend have life spans over 100. If I remember correctly, a rural Japanese woman just died at 114 or 116.

It just comes down to genetics. There is an ongoing program to expand the Basenji's gene pool by breeding with more African lines. It would be an interesting to catalogue death rates of Basenjis by genetic disposition.

This is an articled I cut and pasted from BRAT Chat
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I have received some requests to repost my cooling article. So here it
is with a few edits from the last copy. Enjoy, feel free to repost and copy.

Avoiding Heat Related Injuries in Dogs
Nate Baxter DVM

The first thing that needs to be understood is that dogs and people are
different enough that most of the info cannot cross lines. I do not
profess to know what the appropriate procedures for people other than
what I learned in first aid.

Dogs do not lose enough electrolytes thru exercise to make a difference,
but if the dog gets truly into heat stroke the physiology changes will
make them necessary. BUT oral replacement at that point is futile, they
need intravenous fluids and electrolytes and lots of it.

Cooling:

Evaporative cooling is the most efficient means of cooling. However, in
a muggy environment, the moisture will not evaporate so cooling does not
happen well. I cool with the coldest water I can find and will use ice
depending on the situation. The best way is to run water over the dog,
so there is always fresh water in contact with the skin. When you
immerse a dog in a tub, the water trapped in the hair coat will get warm
next to the dog, and act as an insulator against the cool water and
cooling stops. If you can run water over the dog and place it in front
of a fan that is the best. Misting the dog with water will only help if
you are in a dry environment or in front of a fan. Just getting the dog
wet is not the point, you want the water to be cool itself, or to evaporate.

For MOST situations all you will need to do is get the dog in a cooler
environment, ie shade, or in the cab of the truck with the air
conditioning on (driving around so the truck does not overheat and the
AC is more efficient). Up to a couple of years ago, I was very concerned
about my dogs getting too hot in the back of my black pickup with a
black cap. New white truck fixed a lot of that problem. When I had one
dog I just pulled the wire crate out of the car and put it in some shade
and hopefully a breeze. But having 2 dogs and running from one stake to
another, that was not feasible. So I built a platform to put the wire
crates on, this raises the dog up in the truck box where the air flow is
better. Then I placed a 3 speed box fan in front blowing on the dogs
with a foot of space to allow better airflow. I purchased a power
inverter that connects to the battery and allows the 3 speed fan to run
from the truck power. It has an automatic feature that prevents it from
draining the battery. When I turned that fan on medium I would find that
the dogs where asleep, breathing slowly and appeared very relaxed and
comfortable in a matter of 20 minutes or less, even on very hot muggy days.

Alcohol:

I do carry it for emergiencies. It is very effective at cooling due to
the rapid evaporation. It should be used when other methods are not
working. You should be on your way to the veterinarian before you get to
this point. We recommend using rubbing alcohol, which is propylene
alcohol, not ethyl, for those of you not aware. So do not try to drink
it. Alcohol should be used on the pads and lower feet area where there
is little more than skin and blood vessels over the bones. Use a little
bit and let it evaporate, you can use too much as some is absorbed
through the skin. There are concerns about toxicity, but you have to get
the temperature down.

I purchased those cooling pads that you soak in cold water, but found
that the dogs would not lay on them. I would hold them on the back of a
dog that just worked to get a quick cool, but have not use them for
years. I also bought a pair of battery operated fans but found them
pretty useless. Spend your money on the power inverter and get a real fan.

Watching temperature:

If you feel your dog is in danger of heat injury, check its temp and
write it down. Keep checking the temp every 3 minutes. I recommend to
get a "rectal glass thermometer. The digital ones for the drug store I
have found to be very unreliable, Don't forget to shake it down
completely each time, sounds silly, but when you are worried about your
companion, things tend to get mixed up. This is VERY IMPORTANT**once the
temp STARTS to drop, STOP ALL COOLING EFFORTS. The cooling process will
continue even though you have stopped. If the temp starts at 106.5, and
then next time it drops to 105.5, stop cooling the dog, dry it off, and
continue monitoring. You will be amazed how it continues to go down. If
you do not stop until the temp is 102, the temp will drop way too low. I
cannot emphasis this point enough.

When the dog is so heated that it is panting severely, only let it have
a few laps of water. Water in the stomach does not cool the dog, you
just need to keep the mouth wet so the panting is more effective. Do not
worry about hydration until the temp has started down. A dog panting
heavily taking in large amounts of water is a risk of bloat. Due to the
heavy panting they will swallow air, mixed with a large amount of water
they can bloat. Once the temp is going down and panting has slowed to
more normal panting then allow water. The dog will rehydrate itself
after temp is normal. If the dog has a serious problem and even though
you have gotten the temp normal, get the dog to a vet, as it can still
need IV fluids and some medication. Also, a case of heat stroke can
induce a case of hemorrhagic gastroenteritis (not parvo), with a ton of
very bloody diarrhea and a lot of fluid and electrolyte loss. These
cases need aggressive treatment.

The best method of treatment is prevention. Learn to watch your dog, and
see the changes in the size of the tongue, and how quickly it goes down.
Learn your dogs response to the different environments, and be careful
when you head south for an early season hunt test or trial. I have been
to Nashville at the end of May, only 5 hours away, but the difference in
temp and humidity did effect the dogs as they were used to more spring
weather in Ohio. Try different things in training to help the dog cool
and learn what works better. Another very important point=> Do not swim
your hot dog to cool it then put in put in a box/tight crate. Remember,
evaporation can not take place in a tight space, and the box will turn
into a sauna and you will cook your dog. Carry a stake out chain, and
let the dog cool and dry before putting it up. I demonstrated this
lesson this spring with my 10 monthold pup. After doing a 15 minute
session in yard drill on a warm 70+ degree day, she was panting pretty
hard and was pretty hot. She was OK but it was time to stop. Just for
the heck of it I took her temp. She was 103.6, above normal but too bad
for a dog that had just finished working. In my back yard I have a 300
gallon Rubbermaid tub filled with water. I took her to it and she jumped
in and out 3-4 times. She appeared totally improved, tongue was much
smaller, and eyes brighter and her full spring was back into her step.
So I re-took her temp and it was 104.2, so even though she looked better
she was hotter. This is a perfect lesson to show not get a hot dog wet
and then put them in a box. The water on her skin caused the blood
vessels to constrict, decreasing blood flow to the skin. Therefore the
hot blood was shunted back to the dog's core and retained the heat. You
may have felt the same thing, after exercising but still being very
warm, take a shower and get cooled off but as soon as you turn the
shower off you start sweating again.

I know this is s bit long, but hopefully this is easy to understand and
helps provide some useful information. Remember: Prevention, learn your
dog. It is worth the time and effort.

---

Nate Baxter, DVM
Lebanon, OH

My oldest male Basenji, Moses, got nailed by a car about 10 years back. At 11 years old he is feeling it when the weather is cold and rainy. About 6 years back a ladder kicked out from under me. I have 3 plates in my wrist. I know Moses' pain.

I friend of mine is one of those "hippie chicks". She has recommended acupuncture. For both of us.

Normally I am skeptical of such treatments. However, I have horrible allergies. The kind that shut down respitory systems with the right antoganists. My friend has recommended a regiment of fenu-thyme and garlic. This actually works. I don't get nasal infections. This "hippie crap" does wonders. Unless I'm around some nasty, invasive agents; then I need the industrial grade medication. What vets give to rhinos for nasal infections.

I am hoping that others have an open mind and have witnessed the benefeits of acupunture. In 10 years I have done the meds, the pain killers, the PT. All we are left with is the acupunture. I can spend my money on known failures or I can spend my money on an unkown and maybe get positive results.

I cannot imagine I am the only one in this predicament. I just want to hear from others who have tried acupuncture.

Thanx

Having multiple Basenjis is always a joy around feeding time. I found out about 10 years back my Basenjis will eat less if they have a large, bottomless bowl. When I had 2 Basenjis, my female would gobble up the male's food and then protect her dish. The dominate one got all the food. I tried an experiment, I filled a 3 gallon bowl up with kibble and never let it empty. The first 3 or 4 days my female gobbled up all the kibble. After that my female lost interest and my male startted gobbling up all the food. He could no longer eat after the 2nd day.

When they became accostomed to the food supply, they just ignored the dish. Three gallons would last 2-3 weeks for both of them.

.Eventually, I would get a new sack of dog food (Science Diet Fat Boy Food) and just toss it on the floor. When they got hungry, they would "evisorate" the sack and eat. My roommate got sick of tracking smashed kibble into his room and suggested I get an auto-feeder.

Moses, my oldest male, studied this new device and wanted to see how it worked. So he folded up his front paw like a ladel and proceeded to fling kibble about the front room. At the appropriate emptiness more food dropped down. As a good scientist, Moses proceeded to empty the second load. And the 3rd…. and the 4th.

Once he was satisfied with the results, he inhaled a mouthful of kibble and ran out to the backyard.

My neighbor was pouring alot of concrete and displaced the mouse population. I tried the sticky traps and the poison. The stickys didn't work so well, the posion always left a surprise around the house. The crude mechanical traps worked the best.

Even better was my youngest male Basenji! Mahendra would hunt the little vermin down and present Daddy with a fresh kill. He was praised vociferously. He got 3 mice that I know of. Now, no more mouse problem. Maybe because my neighbor has finished his concrete work.

I have found the rear triangle of my mnt bike works well. I tried a lead but with squirells running around, I ended up on the street and my Basenjis dragging my bike behind them.

Solution, a 3 foot length of bungee cord. Available at Home Depot. This gives me time to react and most importantly, stay on my bike. This also allows a softer stop for your Basenji.

When I first moved into my present house, I did not have all the escape routes figured out. The enivatable happened. My oldest got nailed by a car. Unlike yours, mine had his pelvis broken in 4 places and got 2 plates. The vet recommended swimming for pysical theropy (PT). This did not work. Running did.

A couple years back a ladder kicked out from under me. I shattered my wrist in 8 places and now have 3 plates. PT was hell. PT was painfull. I now have 98% use of my wrist.

Write vet schools about PT for Tucker. As the vet community is small, you will find a vet school or vet who specializes in PT or nueropysics, how the brain communicates with the rest of the body.

Any PT is hell and painfull. Tucker may not enjoy PT and you might be revolted at the pain he goes through. Just hold his paw. Your bond will be so much stronger!

If the nuts are salted, you should be more concered with vomiting. The emergency animal hospital in SW Idaho has recommended a teaspoon on salt to induce vomiting, when my hooligans had gotten into the groceries. I noticed a tube of toothpaste with teethmarks in it, though the tube wasn't deformed in any way. As a precaution, this is what the vets recommended

I live in Boise, ID. Water and Gun dogs are popular. Sighthounds are not very popular, there is an active Greyhound adoption group though. Most vets in this town have a distaste for Basenjis, if they know what they are.

My present vet, loves Basenjis. My former neighbor had an Afgahn, 2 cats and some ferrets. She had nothing but good things to say about the vet down the street. So I brought my hooligans down for an interview with the staff. This office treats about 6 other Basenjis. They had only seen the red and whites in person. They knew of the other colors, but had never seen them. So when I walked in with my red and white, black and white and tri, they stopped what they were doing to met them. They also knew about the African project.

Those of us who are passionate about Basenjis are few and far between. Vets are the same way. When they are they passionate, their staff is also passionate about the breed.

There might be 50 vet schools between America and Canada. This is a small community. Just start cold calling and asking what they know about Basenjis and who they would recommend.

My first Basenji would have nice bright white eyes. I would take her mnt biking with me and her eyes would be red and watery. My other 2 never experienced this.

It's probably allergies. The older I get, the worse my allergies get. I have also developed new allergies. Things like Russian Olive never bothered me, now my eyes start flowing and my sinuses become highly irratated. If the concentration is high, I have trouble breathing.

Talk your vet about OTC allergy medications and dosage.

If your Basenji shows the same symptoms indoors and they do not improve, consider having your ducts cleaned and an electronic air cleaner installed.

My first Basenji, Channayn, would bury things. Once she started digging, she found underground tunnels. I gues this was more interesting. She stopped buring things and just started digging. Everywhere she dug there would be a tunnel.

My youngest male, Mahendra, doesn't bury things, but he hides them. I got some rawhide bones. Not the solid rawhide but the kind that are thin and built up like plywood. All 3 of my Basenjis love this type. To the extent that Mahendra has hidden them so the other 2 cannot find them. I don't know where he hides them, but I should find out and show the other 2. Then see if Mahendra finds another hiding spot.

You have the wrong breed. Sighthounds and herd dogs should not be around kids. Kids run around like crotch goblins. Sighthounds, like the Basenji, will chase and trip up your kid and friends. This is how Basenjis hunt. Herd dogs have a genetic disposition to round up and confine moving things, like cows, sheep or kids.

I can only forsee disaster for you and your Basenji. As you have a new kid, your attention will be devoted there. Your Basenji will pick up on these cues and start hanging around your kid and probably become aggressive towards you. Please contact BRAT. They will find a good home for your Basenji.

Basenjis are alot of work. They require alot of exercise and attention. You are already in a losing battle. And now a kid? You should reevaluate your situation. My recommendation would be a gun dog. They are trainable and behave more like a dog. This is what you seem to want. Don't buy a water dog. They have more oil in their body than most breeds. This oil insulates them from cold weather. Unless you are an avid water fowl hunter the oil is not a problem. If you don't hunt the oil will be all over your house along with a rancid doggie oder.

Bruce Fogel, DVM has published an encyclopedia of dog breeds. He devotes a page per breed. This includes a photo of the breed along with icons denoting items such as trainability, grooming, exercise requirements and socialbility. Do your research.

Narrow your feild to 4 or 5 breeds. Then talk to breeders. They will inform you if the breed is good for your situation. If they don't think the breed is good for your situation they will recommend a bred that is.

You probably got a Basenji based on size and grooming requirments. Should this be the case, look towards gun dogs. They typically average 20-30 inches at the shoulder and 40 to 60#. A little bigger than you want, but the personality is more akin to what you want.

Talk to a BRAT Rep. They are better equipt to analyse your situation and provide you with a resolution.

When I moved to Boise in '93, I was living in an apartment that had a weight requirement for pets. I was at the animal shelter and found this skinny, shivering and aloof Basenji.
Her paperwork said she was anti-social and prone to escape. I just figured she came from an abusive background. She fit the weight requirements for my apartment, so I adopted her.

The first week was fine. She behaved like a dog should. After a while she began behaving like a Basenji. I didn't know what her problem was. As this was the early 90's, before Al Gore invented the Internet, I went to the library. I read all I could on Basenjis, canine behaviour and psychology. I have the Rubik Complex- I need to solve the problem. Channayn fit right into my life.

From that point we were inseperable, I knew no other breed could satiate my Rubix Complex. I started mnt biking just so she could be a Basenji and we both got exercise. She was so happy to be out in the wilderness and running free. She was very competative. She needed to prove to Daddy she was the better hunter, or the one in front.

Eventually I got married. Channayn and my friend (now x-wife) got along. That's a whole other story. I moved in with my friend and got another Basenji out of the paper. Then we bought a house. I wanted another Basenji. She wanted a tri puppy named Tzonga. Channayn had her pack and ruled until the day she died.

Channayn died almost a year ago. I came home from work and she was lying on my bedroom floor, feces all around her. She had enough energy to roll her eyes towards me, gurgle and piss.

I gathered her up and went to the vet down the street for confirmation of her death. Even a year after her death I still get a lump in my throat and start to cry. I presented her body to my other Basenjis. Moses nudged her and then walked off to mourn. Tzonga licked her muzzle….......for whatever reason........

I dug a deep grave, removed her collar and placed her in. That little bitch killed my my rosemarry by laying on top of it. Now she lays below it...........

I take my Basenjis into the foothills to run off lead. This is outside city limits and most trails don't allow motorised vehicles, so no worries about cars, the occasional motorcycle, but they are courteous and slow down around people and pets. I worry more about hungry coyotes and cougars.

I was walking down the trail with Channayn (RIP 1991-2006) and Moses, still among the living (10 now), and there were some picnicers. They had a whole spread laid out. Channayn and Moses caught sent of it and stopped. I swear they were plotting on how to get a free lunch. They were sniffing and looking at each other and sniffing some more. They gave each other one final glance and took off.

I just kept walking. I just pretending I was a lone hiker and I had no affilation with the 2 rogues. I disappered into the forest and a few seconds later I heard where the f***? what happened to the f*****?

I finally caught up with Channayn and Moses in a clearing and they were dividing up the spoils. There were meats, cheeses and crackers all over the clearing. They looked at me proud of themselves for such a hijacking.

After they had their fill, we went on with our hike.

There is a drive through coffee kiosk across the street from my house. Before our weekend constitutional I stop for coffee,for me, and doggie treats for the hooligans. Prior to the arrival of "lunch box" AKA Mahendra- he's pushing 40# and about 16" at the shoulder; my other 2 were not interested in doggie treats.

The first time Mahendra went to the kiosk he was just excited to be in the car. Then he got a doggie bone. He didn't want to leave this magical place. The second day we went he was so excited! He was running around the front seat bouncing off the windows and honking the horn. When we got to the window, he started jumping up and down and smashing all the wrong parts of me so I rolled down the car window in hopes he would stop jumping. He made one final jump. Into the kiosk.

He was running around the kiosk's counter trying to find his beloved bones. This is Idaho so most people don't really care how close dogs are to their coffee. The kiosk operater handed Mahendra back to me through the window along with my coffee and bones for the Basenjis.

I mnt bike with my Basenjis- off leash. This is couple of hours per day on the weekends and on National Holidays, a Monday. I found that water is a very good training aid. In the heat of summer, when water is scarce carry a small water dish and a Camel's Back. When they get thirsty, they will come back. It is important for pack cohesion to let them out and be Basenjis.

The rest of the time they should be fenced in. My 3 have about 10 meters by 8 meters. They spend most of the time sunning themselves by the rosemary. This is beneficial because rosemary, like Basenjis, loves full sun. So throughout the rosemary season thats what my Basenjis smell like.

Having a balance of freedom and confinment makes a happy Basenji. The only things I have to concern myself with is keeping the rubbish up and the toilet paper off the roll.

I don't know what your situation is. If you live away from major roads, carve up some mnt bike trails and take your Basenjis with you. Rocky Mountain, Canadian grown, makes a killer mnt bike. And your B's will love chasing you all over God's Acre

In the wild canines will vy for dominance at an early age. They will play dominance games with lip licking, circling and hackles raised waiting for someone to end it. I won't. I let them fight until one screams. This usually ends the fight. If it doesn't, I will grab the victor by the nape, pin and place a firm grib over their throat. This gives them feeling of powerlessness they displyed over the other. That usually establishes dominance. Most importantly it tells the pack you are in charge and will have order. Fights from then on typically end when the first one cries.

My first Basenji was stubborn and thought she was dominate over me. The first 2 or 3 times I did this didn't work. Finally I squeezed her throat just hard enough and long enough to see the fear in her eyes. After that fights were few and far between. When they brawled after that and she always pinned the subordinates, they yelped and she would run to me for approval. Wanting to reinforce this behaviour, I praised her and gave her whatever started the fight. She would prance about and showboat to the other 2. Eventually she got bored, would drop the prize next to me and go sun herself in the backyard.

Basenjis, more so than other breeds, are extremely primal. They need to know you are in charge. The responsibility of being in charge is to respect the pack heiarchy.

A really good book on canine behaviour is the "Mind of the Dog" by Bruce Fogel. He is a British vet and Canadian schooled. I belive he graduated from vet school in Gelph, Canada. This first part of the book deals with the canine brain and is pretty boring unless you like nuerophysics. The rest is full of gems on how canines think.

If you want multiple Basenjis, you really need to understand how canines think and how pack mentality works.

The folds in the Basenji's voicebox are too shallow to produce a bark. However they can give a good imitation of a bark. My youngest male proves this, its more like a "woof" produced at the diaphram to aid in projection. I notice his abs move when he produces this sound.

My female has a rolling growl, she doen't yodel. My oldest male has "pack summing bay". This is an eerie howl that will carry for some distance.

All 3 are adept at growling and snarling. Mahendra, the middle Basenji and the alpha, will hoard all the rawhides and not let the other 2 have any. He has actually buried some and recovered them later.