Roguedog Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 Just wondering if we have any basenji breeders here? ive been trying to convince hubby that a smaller dog would be a great household addition, he flat out refused and I had pretty much given up, until yesterday when we were watching dogs101 on animal planet and they were doing a segment on baseji's, he has decided he could 'manage' :rolleyes: having a basenji around, I personally love the look of them so was quite pleased he also liked them... if there are any basenji breeders around just wondering if they could give us a heads up on genetic probs, pricing of limited or reg pups and suitability for a household that has foster dogs coming and going? (not to mention 2 x skin kids)... training is no prob, I already have two stubborn dogs, whats one more? ;) plus im a qualified trainer... also breeder recommendations? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cannibalgoldfish Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 *whispers in your ear... " what about a shiba? " * Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lab_Rat Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 I would love a Senji also .......... :) But having 5 unfenced acres isnt a real good home for one!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizT Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 I lived with a Basenji for a couple of years. It belong to a couple I shared a house with and I can tell you not the easiest of breeds to train. Beautiful natured animal, clean habits but this guy (entire male) was hell bent on racing out the front door EVERY chance he got and running off up the street. His owners were experienced dog owners and had owned gundogs before and since and found this fellow most frustrating in comparison. He was very destructive too. I guess it's because they are a primitive breed akin to the dingo and require a fair bit of patience and not a great expectation of their trainability. Or....it could just have been this particular dog was being a PITA. ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roguedog Posted January 24, 2012 Author Share Posted January 24, 2012 *whispers in your ear... " what about a shiba? " * tried that one already, his comment? "looks too much like a fox" :rolleyes: my reply? "you are a tool!!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roguedog Posted January 24, 2012 Author Share Posted January 24, 2012 I lived with a Basenji for a couple of years. It belong to a couple I shared a house with and I can tell you not the easiest of breeds to train. Beautiful natured animal, clean habits but this guy (entire male) was hell bent on racing out the front door EVERY chance he got and running off up the street. His owners were experienced dog owners and had owned gundogs before and since and found this fellow most frustrating in comparison. He was very destructive too. I guess it's because they are a primitive breed akin to the dingo and require a fair bit of patience and not a great expectation of their trainability. Or....it could just have been this particular dog was being a PITA. ;) yeah I know we would be in for a hard time training wise, not because of unintelligence, just from plain stubborness!!! partner hates what he calls "push button" dogs (i.e. highly trainable dogs) prefers a challenge so I do think a basenji would be right up his alley in that aspect... destructiveness? well wouldnt be much different from what we deal with now! two amstaff girls that love to get into anything they can, one extra set of teeth wont make that much difference! ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smisch Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 Pm Josuki she owns and shows a basenji I have also been lucky enough to show this girl for her! lovely dogs :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pie Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 The member 'Chocolate' is a Basenji breeder here in WA :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullbreedlover Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 My parents owned Basenjis many years ago when I was very young back in the early 70's. They are a breed that is intelligent, clean(they clean themselves like a cat) can be very very vocal(dont forget they yodel not bark) and require the best fencing ever as they are well known for their climbing of fences. When Dad built our dog kennels he also put a mesh roof on them as they would climb to the top with ease. They could scale a 6 foot wooden fence. Also very aloof with strangers. Contact a few breeders and research as much as you can as they are not a breed for everyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crisovar Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 Beautiful, frustrating, agile,surefooted, cunning, affectionate, vocal little demons with a touch of monkey dexterity added in. I think my son carries mental scars from trying to outfox ours when he was young, nothing like watching a Basenji run along the top of a pool fence turn and chortle at you before leaping off and heading west. Such great characters, but not for everyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizT Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 I lived with a Basenji for a couple of years. It belong to a couple I shared a house with and I can tell you not the easiest of breeds to train. Beautiful natured animal, clean habits but this guy (entire male) was hell bent on racing out the front door EVERY chance he got and running off up the street. His owners were experienced dog owners and had owned gundogs before and since and found this fellow most frustrating in comparison. He was very destructive too. I guess it's because they are a primitive breed akin to the dingo and require a fair bit of patience and not a great expectation of their trainability. Or....it could just have been this particular dog was being a PITA. ;) yeah I know we would be in for a hard time training wise, not because of unintelligence, just from plain stubborness!!! partner hates what he calls "push button" dogs (i.e. highly trainable dogs) prefers a challenge so I do think a basenji would be right up his alley in that aspect... destructiveness? well wouldnt be much different from what we deal with now! two amstaff girls that love to get into anything they can, one extra set of teeth wont make that much difference! ;) Beautiful, frustrating, agile,surefooted, cunning, affectionate, vocal little demons with a touch of monkey dexterity added in. I think my son carries mental scars from trying to outfox ours when he was young, nothing like watching a Basenji run along the top of a pool fence turn and chortle at you before leaping off and heading west. Such great characters, but not for everyone. Yep, all these 'endearing' descriptions sum up "San". I loved him and he got on well with my dogs but, yeah he was very challenging. But I think as a dog trainer you're going in with your eyes open. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Podengo Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 There was a Basenji breeder at my agility club quite a few years ago, very entertaining to watch those dogs doing agility... So much attitude! In the best way of course! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alyosha Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 Also try Rajacadoo (I hope I've spelled that right!) on here. Basenji breeder and exhibitor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancinbcs Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 I know temperaments have improved greatly over the past 20 years but I remember the old stud master in Sydney years ago who had Cattle Dogs himself, telling me the the only breed he would not manage a mating for were Basenjis because too many had bitten him with absolutely no warning during matings. He was one of the most dog savvy people I have ever met and his ability to get dogs mated successfully was incredible so I took notice when he said Basenjis were the only breed he didn't trust. Over the years since I have not seen any incidents with them at shows so the breeders must be doing a good job with improving the temperament but they are still a primitive breed and not a breed for the average pet owner due to their ability to escape and hunt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rajacadoo Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 (edited) Im a Basenji slave, (no-one owns a B, they own you !!!)... Everything that has been said here, is so true. I was/am involved with Cattle Dogs, and I foolishly believed a B would be a breeze............................WRONG... They can be a massive PITA :) ... They most certainly are not a breed for eveyone, they can be stubborn, pigheaded, aloof, cunning, destructive, difficult to train, (not untrainable just need to be trained with positive training, they wont tolerate training with punishment, ever), loyal, clean, entertaining 24/7, frustrating, escape artists :D ... Someone mentioned above about the B she was living with wanting to fly out the door, at every opportunity they had... Yes this is an hourly attempt at our house, and with 4, you really need eyes in the back of your head... We have 10 foot high fences, and 2 out of my 4 have attempted to climb it, thankfully without success !!! They are incredibly agile, very cat-like. They are constantly looking for things to chew, toilet paper and tissues are a particular favourite, along with mobile phones !!! All toys are destroyed in minutes, and if bored will make anything within their sight their chew toy... In saying that they are difficult to train, there are a handful of B's in Aus who hold obedience titles, ET titles, agility titles etc. Im on an American Basenji Forum, and in America, they are quite a lot of B's with multiple titles. One in particular has 1 dog with over 30 titles, another dog of hers with about 20 odd, and a new youngster with a handful already... They can be trained. They are NOT unintelligent, they just like to do things in their own way, and once you accept this, life is easier for all ;) ... They are a hound, a primitive hound. They are led by their noses, and I believe they are in the top 10 breed that is killed by cars. They hold no fear with any transport, and if they are on a trail, they are selectively deaf, and just follow their noses, often leading them onto roads ... They cannot be let off leash, even the best trained dogs, will forget their recall training when on the nose of a trail... Most have no recall at all. The example above of the lady with her 3 dogs having all those obedience etc, titles, she wont let her dogs off lead, unless the area has very secure fencing... Ok so reading all that paints them as a dreadful dog to own ... I love mine with all my heart, all have their own gorgeousness about them. They can be incredibly affectionate, loyal, easy to live with, lovable imps !!! Wont ever be without one in my life... The major health issues are Fanconi Syndrome, Eye diseases, (PPM, PRA, and Coloboma mostly), Thyroid problems, Hip/Elbow problems, Haemolytic Anaemia, and Umbilical Hernias, (very common in the breed) . Just late last year we now have a DNA test for Fanconi, and with some very careful breeding of tested dogs, hopefully we can get this disease reduced, perhaps even completely erradicated. Haemalytic Anaemia is a disease that has just about been wiped out, after breeders all over the world, revised their breeding programmes around the tested stock. There are a few other issues affecting the breed, seperation anxiety, they can get very 'narky' when they are both in season, (yes boys also come in season as well !!!),. Go over to the Dog Breeds 101 here on DOL, and on the last page there is a little about them there. A few other good sites are the Basenji Club of America, they have great info on anything Basenji related. We have some great websites here in Australia, with lots of info as well as some beautiful dogs, BRAT, ( Basenji Rescue and Transport), is an American Rescue site, it also has some wonderful stories of B's rescued, and a great insight to their temperaments. Speaking of temperaments, here in Aus we have definately improved our B's temperaments over the last 10 years, or so. I have been told by a number of judges over the years, how they were very wary of B's, (a few even saying they disliked judging them at all), with some saying that they have been lunged at or bitten. Not just here in Aus, but all over the world. I think that all over the world their temperaments have improved greatly. Some boys can be particularly narky when they are in season, (here in Aus, usually between Feb, March, and April-ish), and a few breeders will leave boys out of the ring during this time. We have some of the best Basenji's in the world here in Australia. Many overseas judges, (usually breed specialists, but not always), mention the quality we have, and quite a few Aussie breeders have exported dogs all over the world, and these dogs are extremely competitive... I think Ive blabbed enough, but if you have any more questions, please post here or feel free to PM me, happy to talk about B's all day :) ... ETA... Roguedog the B usually only comes into season once a year, often around March/April/May, (southern hemisphere times), with pups due May June and July, so if you arent turned off by my ramblings, talk to some breeders, and perhaps get your name on a waiting list... Occasionally they come into season again around October/Nov, (northern hemisphere time), and some will conceive, but often smaller number of pups, probably due to the dog not really being in season at this time, and the bitch not really in season either. Hope that makes some sense ... Edited January 25, 2012 by rajacadoo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rajacadoo Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 Also try Rajacadoo (I hope I've spelled that right!) on here. Basenji breeder and exhibitor. , yep spelled correctly :) ... See above... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr.mister Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 The lady next door to where I used to live owns a Basenji. She took him on when a family down the road, who had purchased him from a pet shop with no prior knowledge of the breed, couldn't handle him. Before she took him on, he roamed around the country side with a pack of other dogs on various hunting missions. She did wonders with him, but he was a very difficult dog to own from what I can remember. Fencing was always an issue until they installed the stuff where you put flags around the perimeter and a special collar on the dog which gives it a small zap if it tries to cross the boundary. And he kind of wasn't really a 'dog' if you know what I mean. :laugh: More like a cat in a dog's body! Incredibly clean, but everything was on his terms. He liked to yodel when he was bored, or when he wasn't getting his way. :laugh: Interacting with him, when he wasn't being aloof, he was incredibly sweet and gentle. His owner operated a creche and he was just amazing with the children (never left alone with them though obviously). He was unwaveringly gentle and patient, and if he did happen to get a bit overwhelmed he would simply wander off elsewhere. He was very good with their 16 year old, tottering blind poodle, but was very aggressive and confrontational with any other dog. I don't know an awful lot about Basenjis but presume this trait was more from his lack of socialisation when he was younger, rather than anything else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roguedog Posted January 25, 2012 Author Share Posted January 25, 2012 Im a Basenji slave, (no-one owns a B, they own you !!!)... Everything that has been said here, is so true. I was/am involved with Cattle Dogs, and I foolishly believed a B would be a breeze............................WRONG... They can be a massive PITA :) ... They most certainly are not a breed for eveyone, they can be stubborn, pigheaded, aloof, cunning, destructive, difficult to train, (not untrainable just need to be trained with positive training, they wont tolerate training with punishment, ever), loyal, clean, entertaining 24/7, frustrating, escape artists :D ... Someone mentioned above about the B she was living with wanting to fly out the door, at every opportunity they had... Yes this is an hourly attempt at our house, and with 4, you really need eyes in the back of your head... We have 10 foot high fences, and 2 out of my 4 have attempted to climb it, thankfully without success !!! They are incredibly agile, very cat-like. They are constantly looking for things to chew, toilet paper and tissues are a particular favourite, along with mobile phones !!! All toys are destroyed in minutes, and if bored will make anything within their sight their chew toy... In saying that they are difficult to train, there are a handful of B's in Aus who hold obedience titles, ET titles, agility titles etc. Im on an American Basenji Forum, and in America, they are quite a lot of B's with multiple titles. One in particular has 1 dog with over 30 titles, another dog of hers with about 20 odd, and a new youngster with a handful already... They can be trained. They are NOT unintelligent, they just like to do things in their own way, and once you accept this, life is easier for all ;) ... They are a hound, a primitive hound. They are led by their noses, and I believe they are in the top 10 breed that is killed by cars. They hold no fear with any transport, and if they are on a trail, they are selectively deaf, and just follow their noses, often leading them onto roads ... They cannot be let off leash, even the best trained dogs, will forget their recall training when on the nose of a trail... Most have no recall at all. The example above of the lady with her 3 dogs having all those obedience etc, titles, she wont let her dogs off lead, unless the area has very secure fencing... Ok so reading all that paints them as a dreadful dog to own ... I love mine with all my heart, all have their own gorgeousness about them. They can be incredibly affectionate, loyal, easy to live with, lovable imps !!! Wont ever be without one in my life... The major health issues are Fanconi Syndrome, Eye diseases, (PPM, PRA, and Coloboma mostly), Thyroid problems, Hip/Elbow problems, Haemolytic Anaemia, and Umbilical Hernias, (very common in the breed) . Just late last year we now have a DNA test for Fanconi, and with some very careful breeding of tested dogs, hopefully we can get this disease reduced, perhaps even completely erradicated. Haemalytic Anaemia is a disease that has just about been wiped out, after breeders all over the world, revised their breeding programmes around the tested stock. There are a few other issues affecting the breed, seperation anxiety, they can get very 'narky' when they are both in season, (yes boys also come in season as well !!!),. Go over to the Dog Breeds 101 here on DOL, and on the last page there is a little about them there. A few other good sites are the Basenji Club of America, they have great info on anything Basenji related. We have some great websites here in Australia, with lots of info as well as some beautiful dogs, BRAT, ( Basenji Rescue and Transport), is an American Rescue site, it also has some wonderful stories of B's rescued, and a great insight to their temperaments. Speaking of temperaments, here in Aus we have definately improved our B's temperaments over the last 10 years, or so. I have been told by a number of judges over the years, how they were very wary of B's, (a few even saying they disliked judging them at all), with some saying that they have been lunged at or bitten. Not just here in Aus, but all over the world. I think that all over the world their temperaments have improved greatly. Some boys can be particularly narky when they are in season, (here in Aus, usually between Feb, March, and April-ish), and a few breeders will leave boys out of the ring during this time. We have some of the best Basenji's in the world here in Australia. Many overseas judges, (usually breed specialists, but not always), mention the quality we have, and quite a few Aussie breeders have exported dogs all over the world, and these dogs are extremely competitive... I think Ive blabbed enough, but if you have any more questions, please post here or feel free to PM me, happy to talk about B's all day :) ... ETA... Roguedog the B usually only comes into season once a year, often around March/April/May, (southern hemisphere times), with pups due May June and July, so if you arent turned off by my ramblings, talk to some breeders, and perhaps get your name on a waiting list... Occasionally they come into season again around October/Nov, (northern hemisphere time), and some will conceive, but often smaller number of pups, probably due to the dog not really being in season at this time, and the bitch not really in season either. Hope that makes some sense ... fantastic! just the sort of info I was after... hasnt turned me off at all, i have 8ft colourbond fencing all the way around, very large yard with no gardens, just lots of grass and dog toys everywhere, no dogs have managed to escape out of my yard yet (this includes fosters) plus a fully enclosed dog run so if any dogs did manage it they can go in there when not home, im a secretary for a local dog training club plus a vet nurse so dog would get plenty of socialisation, we are an active family with regular weekend beach trips and dog meet ups - partner is a fitness fanatic so dogs all get run on a regular basis (thats why we need an active dog), partner likes a dog that challenges him - prefers more independant stubborn dogs compared to clingy easy to train dogs, must have a short coat and prefer no doggy smell if we can manage it, love the fact they only come into season once a year! would probably be looking for a bitch, not for breeding (would like to try my hand at showing though!), just we prefer bitches, need a tougher type dog as parner dislikes nervy sensitive dogs (doesnt hate them persay just would prefer not to own one)... as a breeder and person who knows the breed well, do you think we would suit a Basenji? be honest... 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Roguedog Posted January 25, 2012 Author Share Posted January 25, 2012 forgot to add, our fencing has a thick plank of wood which goes from the bottom of the colourbond into the ground to prevent dogs from digging out... are basenji's fond of digging? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizT Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 forgot to add, our fencing has a thick plank of wood which goes from the bottom of the colourbond into the ground to prevent dogs from digging out... are basenji's fond of digging? Not that they don't but the first attempt would be to scale over the fence. :laugh: They LOVE to climb! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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