Basenjis........inputs please....

[Pam]

My sister-in-law had two, a male and a female, both bought from reputable breeders. The male had a rather unpleasant personality and bit her husband at one point. She still has the female, though the male has gone to RB. She is quite different from the male although, as Twisterdog said, a bit aloof. She adopted a pittie/sharpei mix from a shelter shortly after her male died and, though she won't admit to it, she seems to love her shelter baby more because she is so affectionate and her basenji isn't so much.

I was sitting in the waiting room at the vet's next to a woman with two basenjis. We got talking, as I always do when I am at the vet's, and she said she wouldn't recommend this breed to just everyone. She found hers very hard to train.

[IRescue452]

I worked with a few at the kennel. They're quite common around here. I consider what they do to be a bark, an odd bark, but close enough. I don't get why people call them barkless. The majority I've met were quiet, but some of them love the sounds of their own voice. They can be as noisy as a pack of huskies, and they can make a screaming sound like a toller.

They are quite difficult to work with. Affectionate if you can get their attention, but that is rare. Usually they are off like a shot exploring on their own. I don't even think they notice the humans with them at all. All the other dogs would at least show some sign that they knew I was there when I opened the door to slip the leash on or feed them, the basenjis didn't. They are independent to an extreme. I know some hound breeds are called independent, but they've got nothing on the basenji.

As for shedding, they do shed, much less than huskies though. This is a breed to avoid topical flea treatments or harsh shampoos on because of their grooming.

[Kater]

Definitely aloof. That is what stands out most to me...probably since I'm a border collie owner. I would also second what Spiritwind has said.

Also, you have a son, right? I'm not sure how old he is...but Basenjis (in general) are not a breed that I would recommend around children. However, I know there are exceptions, so just make sure your son meets the dog before you agree to anything.

[Husky_mom]

thank you!!... yes I do have a son he´s 4.5 yrs .... I´m still not "officially sold up on the idea"... I mean I love the looks... wanted to know more about them... being aloof...well... it´s not much of a concern to me... if that´s how they are then fine... I still have other pooches to hug....even if they are a bit independent too LOL....

basically if it were for me.... i would already be making an intro thread... but the hubby issue is what´s holding me down on this.... I´ve read they can be "chewy" which i don´t mind but hubby would flip out of his mind :rollseyes:

the dog is a 3mo. puppy .... and I´m between rock and sword here...

thank you sooo much... my mind is hurting right now...

[IRescue452]

All puppies chew if unsupervised.

[Emeraldgreen]

Our Finnigan is half Basenji. He is such an interesting dog and has many of the Basenji traits. He has the funniest sounding bark you've ever heard and can jump straight up in the air from a stand still position to over 4 feet and does it over and over. Basenji's are great escape artists and can climb just about anything and jump alot. They are also chewers! Finnie chewed just about everything for his first two years, including his bedding so we bought him a Kuranda Bed which is 'chew-proof'. He doesn't chew anymore which is wonderful but he sucks on his bedding until it gets all soggy. From what I understand though, Basenjis tend to chew stuff, often into and through adulthood so kong toys and other chewy things have to be available so your stuff doesn't get ruined.
I was reading in the other posts about Basenjis being aloof. Finnigan is all about being with us and getting attention and he's overly attached to our other dog Muddy but he is the most stubborn dog I've ever had. When training him he often didn't want to do what I wanted but ultimately he did do it (i.e. learning to sit, stay etc..) even if it took twice as long as it did with our other dog. I've read that Basenji's are a dominant breed and can be stubborn. This is definitely the case with him! LOL
Another Basenji trait is that they love the sun. Finnie can always be found in the brighest patch of the yard just sunning himself, while our other dog prefers the shade. It's as if he can't get enough sunshine!
I couldn't tell you what it's like to have a 100% Basenji but our 50% Basenji is a pretty neat guy. This is Finnie below: (he has the white blaze up the nose and his tail is super curly).

[IMG]