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Yesterday we took Sanji, 15 weeks, to local dog training center for his first swimming lesson. Did great! Jumped off the floating dock, swam to ramp, four times.
We began getting him accustomed to water early with mini showers in our kitchen sink to rinse off mud from walks. A lick pad smeared with a banana helps a LOT!
Took out for play in light rain yesterday. He didn't even notice!
By happy coincidence, Zulu's owners and I met on this site when they contacted me after seeing the same birthday and location of breeder in North Carolina. Small world!
First pic is Sanji, second is Zulu and Teki. Sanji and Zulu are brothers.
Hi all -
Looking forward to hearing of others' experiences with Basenjis. We had a cockapoo who was tragically killed by a car last December. I'm an avid mountain biker and took him often, though he wasn't really the right breed. But he did great. Researched and discovered the Basenji breed and was impressed: the only non-shedding short hair "active" breed very suitable for mountain bike rides. We drove from Michigan to N. Carolina on Feb. 5, when he was 6 weeks. If I'd have known then what I know now, I would have insisted on picking up at 10 weeks. I trained our last dog 9 years ago, but this time began an online course, "30 Days to Puppy Perfection" (DreamDog) with Michelle Lennon and it's been a BIG help.
Sanji is, at 12.5 weeks, largely crate trained and potty trained, and we're doing well with sit, down, stay (for up to 30 seconds), come, and "heel" while short leash walking. But we're working on puppy biting. He's definitely different than a cockapoo. So fast, smart, and agile. It's almost scary. When energized, he's a "devil dog." When he's tired, he's a cuddly cute guy.
Sanji swimming
Took Sanji (8 months) to a friend's little pool. He loved it!
I've posted a link to this article on a Facebook Basenji site. Reposting here with addition info in case you haven't seen it.
The link to the interactive article is at bottom. One can select Basenji and see that only two other breeds have some Basenji dna, the Rat Terrier and the Azawakh. But not much. Out of a 100, the RT is 4.7 and the Azawakh at 1.7.
The data shows that Basenji's are not only the oldest breed, but were relatively isolated for a long time after being bred into existence. They appear to be the only dog in their own "clad" or grouping based on genetic similarity.
Heidi Parker, an author of the article replied to a reader's question in the comment section, "What does it mean if there is only 1 dog in a section [clad], such as the Basenji?" that, "It means that those breeds don't share significant ancestry with any one group on the tree. Sometimes they share with multiple groups and sometimes it may be that we haven't identified their closest relatives, yet. In the case of the Basenji it may be a little of both since they are unique. We can see haplotype sharing (supplemental DF1) with the Azawakh (another African breed) and the rat terrier, probably a recent event." In other words, those latter breeds were bred later and have some Basenji DNA as noted.
I wrote to one of the authors, Elaine Ostrander, to confirm the above and inquire if she knows of scientific research on the Basenji rut. I'm guessing there isn't any.
Based on that landmark genomic study, the Guardian created an interesting interactive.
"Interactive: see how your favourite dog breeds are related to each other"
You can select Basenji and it shows the connection to the Rat Terrier and the Azawakah noted above.
Not sure if I posted this one. Chromosome-length genome assembly and structural variations of the primal Basenji dog (Canis lupus familiaris) genome
Here's the key takeaway in my view for the breed's history.
"Basenjis are an ancient breed that sits at the base of the currently accepted dog phylogeny [10 {above article}]. Basenji-like dogs are depicted in drawings and models dating back to the Twelfth Dynasty of Egypt [11] and they share many unique traits with pariah dog types. Like dingoes and New Guinea Singing dogs (NGSD), Basenjis come into oestrus annually—as compared to most other dog breeds, which have two or more breeding seasons every year. Basenjis, dingoes and NGSDs are prone to howls, yodels, and other vocalizations over the characteristic bark of modern dog breeds. One explanation for the unusual vocalisation of the Basenji is that the larynx is flattened [12]. The shape of the dingo and NGSD larynx is not reported.
Basenjis were originally indigenous to central Africa, wherever there was tropical forest. Primarily, what is now the DRC Congo, Southern Sudan, Central African Republic and the small countries on the central Atlantic coast. Today their territory has shrunk to the more remote parts of central Africa. The Basenji probably made its debut in the western world in around 1843. In a painting of three dogs belonging to Queen Victoria and Prince Albert entitled “Esquimaux, Niger and Neptune”, Niger is clearly a Basenji. In total, 71 Basenjis have been exported from Africa and, to date, ~ 56 have been incorporated into the registered Basenji breeding population."
Here's a link to that painting, unfortunately, a monochrome reproduction.
@margiem said in 4 months old and difficult potty training:
I do praise her ...where the pee pad is. ...:
Pee pad? Well that's a BIG mistake that explains a lot. A pee pad only teaches her it's OK to go inside. Get rid of it immediately. The above advice is all good: crate train, keep potty visits short not fun so she gets the purpose. Praise when doing it, not when get back inside; only scold inside while doing it, never after. Weather is irrelevant. Here in MI I was taking out 6 week old when it was 8 deg. See this and all of Michelle Lennon's videos.
I get the sense all basenjis like to snuggle!!
Now at 6 months, the earlier pool training is paying off. He likes romping in the creek.
The no-leash training and plentiful socialization pays off already by 4 months. Here's to Michelle Lennon's training program (and sticking to it).
He hung out with a cat before, this was a new one. Funny!
Sanji leading the run/ride. We'll be traversing single or two-track, and then when he hears or sees something, he'll dart off the trail, run somewhat parallel at full speed (which he seems to just love). Sometimes I can see its a squirrel, but sometimes I think he smells or sees deer, because he's gone out of sight. I noticed it was where we saw deer previously. My guess is its a "flush the prey out of the bush" maneuver. But I'm not a hunter, nor very knowledgeable on Basenji behavior. I may not see him for a 30 sec. to a minute. Twice so far he was either in pursuit or couldn't relocate me, as he was gone several minutes. But he always comes back as fast as he left, though I have to whistle and call his name for him to re-locate me. Thinking maybe I should get a GPS collar, but he always seems eager to find me again.
@zande said in Basenjis and their nails...:
huge rump-bones every Friday
Incidentally, I got Sanji a big bone from the butcher (they're not free here, $6 per bone). But due to the fatty grease and oils, I let him chew on it only in the crate, typically while we eat dinner. That turned out to be a serendipitous move. I no longer have to feed him a treat while he's in there, he stays busy chewing, and he looks forward to getting in each night. When he's done, I wash his feet and keep the crate closed.
I know that frustration! Training with high value treats helps. Sanji loves salmon.
Before we got our basenji, "Sanji," I started this online training course with Michelle Lennon. To be sure, with my last dog I went to a local pro, Linda Aloff, but this is more detailed and better organized and you can do it at home.
It takes a month for a person to get through the rich course and all the material that one uses, including a provisional daily schedule. That's the easy part. It's really a lot of work everyday to train as much as ought to be done. Most people won't have the time; it helps if you're retired or working from home. But, I have to say, the pay off is big if you can.
It's called "30 Days to a Dream Dog" but that means thirty days of training you to learn to train your puppy over the course of the following year or so. But really for life because one learns in detail the mechanics and logic of dog training. It's very comprehensive, covering everything. I found this course to be super helpful and worth every penny. There's a DIY course $167 and a "pro level" ($397). The best deal for me was going with the DIY level and buying, pro-level access for one month ($75), rather than pay ahead for it for 3 months. The "pro" level gets one access to three weekly zoom meetings with her and moderator, where they take questions from customers for an hour or so (usually about 10-15 people in the sessions) and one can also get any questions answered 24/7 via their facebook interface, and see what others are dealing with and interact with them. For what one gets, it's a real bargain. I used it for a month and found it very helpful.
https://www.howtotrainadreamdog.com/puppy-training/
She also offers a lot of free content, including many YouTube videos and a free and helpful "puppy starter kit."
Search "How To Train A Dream Dog" on YouTube
To be sure, I don't agree on every detail. For example, I incorporate many no-leash walks in the woods; they don't recommend that. Also, her course is not really designed to train an active "outdoor" dog, but more for an "indoor" dog. I'm training mine for mountain biking. She opposes electric fences and doggy doors. I've had great experiences for 9 years with both and will continue to use them (started electric fence training last week and making good progress). I like the combination because my last dog could go out when he needed, and he liked to watch the squirrels and chase them (never caught one). And of course, he loved to go on mtb rides in the woods and jump in the creek. (I hear basenji's don't like water, but I plan to take him for dock jump training at a local pro training place). Regardless, her course lays out solid foundational work. She trains you to be a puppy trainer and provides all the real-time help you could need. We're so glad we went this route.
At 13 weeks, Sanji is crate trained. Last night he went in voluntarily! We follow the recommendation to pick up the water at 7 pm, when we feed him, and he sleeps until 5:30-6:30 when we wines to go out for a pee and poo. He rarely has a pee accident in the house, rings the bell to go out, and I can't remember the last time he did #2 in the house. He fetches for 5-10 minutes, is biting less every day (due to distraction training), can do "stay" for 30 seconds, is doing great on "heel" walking with short leash, etc. In another 3 months, he'll be a dream dog.
Happy training!
@zande said in Sanji hunting @ MTB speed:
@sanjibasenji Mine are out of sight much of the time. But they always seem to know where I am (and I make sure I know in which direction they headed off, even though they often appear from the opposite side !) Main thing is the solid recall - which is absolute gold dust. I whistle to get them back. My son, when he has them out, calls them by name. They come back to either - and at speed !
I only call them back if I feel they have been away too long or I am changing direction and what them to be aware of the new path. I don't feel it is necessary to recall them just because they are out of sight -
This just like my experience. Only call back if I think he doesn't know where I am, since otherwise, he's following me at a distance. But if he's a bit away, it takes up to a minute or more of whistling and calling out his name for him to find me. I'm getting more comfortable with it.
Sanji, now 5.5 months, did shiver like yours, and occasionally he still gets short bouts of hiccups. The shivering seems to have stopped and the hiccups are dwindling. As eeefarm suggested, and Zande (Sally Wallis) also mentioned in PM to me, it appears to be developmental, the exact cause hard to pin down, but associated with excitment or settling down for the night (opposites, I know). I'd not worry about it too much. If it persists at 6 months to the same extent and the incidents are not declining, that might be another story. I'm finding my Basenji to be a quirky breed compared to my past dogs (Bassets, Lab, Pointer, and Cockapoo). And he's constantly changing, but for the better. Increasingly more settled, but always curious/mischievous (stealing away something, and not destroying it, just leaving it.)
Sorry for your loss. Went through that last Dec. I balled. Hang in there.
Along a single track by a creek he saw water fowl and to my surprise dove in after them, chased, returned, and went again. It's fun to watch.
@eeeefarm said in Adolescent howl and behavior changes:
Calling them back when it is not necessary is, to my way of thinking, like crying 'wolf' - and as for having a different call when there is no need for them to return to you. . . that would confuse the heck out of me, let alone the dogs. Just let them be unless instant recall is needed and then use just the tried and trusted call, whistle or shout.
Got to agree to disagree on this one. We live in very different places, and perhaps in the U.K. there are less hazards to be wary of, but I don't like my dog out of my sight or hearing and I don't think it's safe. A "different call" to me would be a "reminder" word that they are ranging further than you like, not hard to teach or apply.
Asking a dog to stay relatively close is not unreasonable and is something that is done with bird dogs all the time. They need to cover the field within reasonable distance or they are useless. Major Bruan explains this quite nicely in his article in training Basenjis for the field. "If he takes off out of gun range give the hand and whistle commands for come, and when he returns , praise him and send him off again with the verbal command "go on". It won't take him long to learn you want him to course back and forth in front of you, and the limit of the distance he may go."
I think both of you are right and both accord with my experience. I did not know or plan this in advance, but I have ended up using several related commands for different situations, and he knows them well now.
Whistle
When I want him in my vicinity, not at my feet, and he's free to roam nearby.
Use a lot when mountain biking, and sometimes when in our nearby dog park (a fairly large wooded area)
If I can't see him, I call his name or whistle, and he invariably returns. But as noted, it's taken longer for him to return because I've let him go further without reigning him in. I've whistled and called for up to 3-4 minutes. I don't like that, so I'm glad to be encouraged to keep him in eyesight. (Learning the ropes folks!)
This way
When he's close but I'm going a different direction and I want him to follow me.
Use when mountain biking mostly, sometimes when walking wooded area.
Come
When I want him at my feet no matter what he's doing, but I use it when I can see him.
If he doesn't respond to come, I apply the e-collar. That works invariably, but I may have to crank it up if he's distracted by other dogs.
Use it mostly when in the dog park, or other park.
Eh-eh
A danger indicator or "don't go there" indicator.
Use when I want him to stop going in the direction he's going (cars, other dogs, people), or stop doing something he's doing that could harm him, like chewing on an electric cord.
As I mentioned, he seems to understand and respond to these commands consistently. It's really the "come" command (instant recall) that's the hardest. But I think, as has been observed, he's at that age when he's challenging the boundaries and, at that time of the year when he's seeking females.
Learning a lot about this breed. Thanks to everyone for their insights! Really lucky you folks take the time to respond. Grateful.