Basenji Dogs

My parents didn't allow pets. When I got married and it was time to select our first dog, I was befuddled. I had no experience. Like a kid in a candy store, I poured over a beautiful book of dog breeds, trying to make a decision.

I kept coming back to the Basenji page, drawn by that face, those eyes! The wrinkled forehead and quizzical expression made me smile. Something kept niggling in the back of my brain, nagging at me.

YES! I finally remembered! "Good-bye My Lady", THAT was it! A movie I'd seen as a small child that was buried in my brain-it made such an impression on me!

It was about a boy in Mississippi who had found a strange, barkless dog in the woods. They couldn't locate her owner and so they kept "Lady". She was an African Basenji. I remember how he carried her across his shoulders like the African tribesmen do. Here's an old photo I saw online.



None of my Basenjis fancied that mode of transportation!

So, ok...now I better understood the attraction. The deep recesses of my mind remembered all that, even if I didn't. But I didn't want to get all swept away and be too emotional and girly in front of my new husband.

So the research began in earnest. I didn't want an Afgan Hound(sorely tempted by the elegant beauty, though) because I didn't want to spend more time grooming my dog than I did grooming me! So the Basenji's short coat appealed to me. Not too big, not too small, groom themselves like cats? Bathe them once or twice a year? No kidding? Sign me up!!

I later found that they even pick the ticks off each other with their teeth. Talk about low maintainance!

AND they don't bark.

What? No way!

Well, this I had to see. So we went to visit a local breeder. You know, just to see...

And came home with the sweetest little girl (you knew that though, didn't you?) She literally stole our hearts!

Thank goodness I'd done my homework and picked an excellent breeder before I went. I hope you do the same because when you get there, you're GOING to go home with a puppy. You just can't help it. They're sooo irresistable! Baroo, Baroo!

That's how the first little thief of hearts came into my life.

Basenji puppies are different from most dogs in that they look like minature basenjs at about 5-6 weeks. Their ears are pricked, muzzle defined, tail almost finished curling, definitely recognizable as basenjis puppies!

Of couse they still have their puppy pudge and they'll continue to refine...get a "waist" and develop a well-sprung chest. But it always amazed me how quickly they transformed into minature Basenjis!

I have two really adorable black and white photos of my 3 year old son w/a passle of pups from 30 years ago. I'll post them as soon as I learn how to scan and make thumbnails out of them (they're 8x10").

Basenji puppies used to come in 3 colors, red and white, tri-color and black and white. Way back when I was breeding, the black and white had recently been approved. Sometime in the past 30 years, the brindles have also been recognized, giving us four flavors of African Basenji.

Everything is a toy to a Basenji and they consider the whole world to be fair game!

Below is a charming video I found of a Basenji puppy named Reyrey learning to play cards. He appears to be in the 3-4 month age range and is a joy to watch!

Reyrey's card-playing technique got me to thinking about this. See how he uses his front legs? This is how basenji's play and use their front legs in general. My husband and I used to call them their "sticks".

The sticks are especially annoying when you attempt to bathe a Basenji. That brings me back to the subtitle above. Like cats, senji's despise getting wet and will avoid it at all costs.

Heaven forfend you have an all day rain going on. They'll come 'purt near to bursting before you can get them outdoors to relieve themselves. It's the quickest potty break you ever saw!

So, anyway, back to the sticks and trying to get your basenji to the tub. As you try to get the dog through the bathroom door, all sticks deploy,
spro-oing-oing!

You get bounced back as all four feet get firmly planted on the door jamb. It's hilarious and most certainly a 2 person job just to get them through the door. More frivolity ensues as basenji boy is wrestled into the tub, with a stick to the stomach, an uppercut to the jaw, sticks flailing about. Ahhh, those were the days!

Other cat-like features are: grooming themselves and each other~an obvious attempt to dissuade us from bathing them.

Independence

Difficult to train. Ah, but it can be done! I'll write about that breakthrough another time.

Endlessly playful. I don't think they ever grow out of it!

They love basking in the sun and quibble over who gets the sunspot in the winter. Mine would jockey for position until they ended all wadded up (like cats) so everyone got the benefit of body heat as well as the sun's warmth.

Although they generally get along with everyone, they choose their own "special person" they're devoted to.

And, drumroll, please...
They don't bark! That is, they're not supposed to. But careless breeding over the years has diluted many breed characteristics.

So there are now barking basenjis, 21" tall basenjis, basenjis with loosely curled tails and ones that have esterus twice a year intead on only in the fall...registered and considered pure-bred.

*sigh*

Of course, because they're registered, people will continue to breed these poorer specimens to get even poorer specimens, because they're registered so it's all right, right?

Another subject for another time.

Bookmark me (scroll down the right side to find icon ) and check back soon! To come back to this page after clicking on any photo, just click on the x in upper right corner.

All I have is a profile of Cherry Bomb~beautiful wrinkle! Sorry, this photo doesn't enlarge.

This cracks me up! I thought mine were the only ones that acted this way!! (yeah, right!)

A basenji in motion is a beautiful thing! Long ago and far away, I looked out my window one early morning to see my basenjis frolicking with a horse. 'senjis on one side of the chain link (no escape artists yet), the horse on the other.

It was fascinating to watch them match each other stride for stride! A Basenji's gait is the same as a trotting horse! After a half hour or so, the horse tired of the game and left, never to be seen again.

A delightful and unexpected interlude...we lived in a subdivision!

Anyway, here's a striding Basenji photo. He's a beautiful boy named Radar. The only thing he lacks is wrinkles. I'll post a head shot tomorrow so you can see his handome face!


Don't forget to click the "back" arrow!

Here's Radar's gorgeous head. The only thing this dog lacks is wrinkles. Otherwise he's darn near perfect!

Here are a couple of photos of Radar and his handsome brother, Connor



Basenji tails aren't always tightly curled. When they're relaxed, scared or playing hard, they come undone!

Bobo's having a Mr. Crabby-pants moment...or maybe someone lit a cigarette? Basenjis despise cigarette smoke!

Pup & Parent

What a sweet picture...Just look at that face!

Proud Mom and Pop, see their basenji puppies below...

No rest for the weary!

Be sure to click your back button to come back and view more photos below.

More baroo-tiful basenji photos... Ok, so this one's not pretty.

This is the 'senji silly side. We always called it "kangarooing around". Somebody actually captured this tradmark basenji dog antic on film!

SQUIRREL ALERT...all hands on deck!

Excellent tail set on these brindles!

Now, this is FOCUS! When they sit in this position (endlessly) I call it "the vulture".
When something has a basenji's attention, their entire body is devoted to the project!

Sun dogs of Africa!

Boy, do these babies love their sun! This one's bathing while sunning (sun bathing?) before settling in for a snooze.

The subtitle really ought to read, "Backseat-eating psychotic counch-munchers or comical clown dogs...you decide!"

Because Basenjis can be both...if you let them. And how they turn out is really up to you. I've heard several stories of Basenjis, left in the car for "just 5 minutes", "eating" the back seat!

There's a really simple solution to this problem. DON'T leave your Basenji dog alone in a car. I'm not being a smart alec, really...I'm not.

Think of a Basenji as a delightful 2 year old boy...left on his own, unattended...bored. Get the picture? Nothing to occupy his curious little mind!

Left to their own devices in a confined space both kids and Basenjis will find SOMEthing to do. Kids use their hands, Basenjis use their teeth.

I've even heard of folks going to work, leaving their Basenjis home alone all day! Well, it only happens once...turns out, people are trainable. :)

Here's the deal, if you're considering an African Basenji puppy, think about your personality. Can you be persistent, consistent, loving and patient? Do you love a challenge? Do you like dogs AND cats? A Basenji dog has all the best qualities of both!

An African Basenji dog may just be the dog for you!

This is the AKC's (American Kennel club) breed standard for African Basenji Dogs:

Basenji Breed Standard
Hound Group

General Appearance
The Basenji is a small, short haired hunting dog from Africa. It is short backed and lightly built, appearing high on the leg compared to its length. The wrinkled head is proudly carried on a well arched neck and the tail is set high and curled. Elegant and graceful, the whole demeanor is one of poise and inquiring alertness. The balanced structure and the smooth musculature enables it to move with ease and agility. The Basenji hunts by both sight and scent. Characteristics--The Basenji should not bark but is not mute. The wrinkled forehead, tightly curled tail and swift, effortless gait (resembling a racehorse trotting full out) are typical of the breed. Faults--Any departure from the following points must be considered a fault, and the seriousness with which the fault is regarded is to be in exact proportion to its degree.

Size, Proportion, Substance

Ideal height for dogs is 17 inches and bitches 16 inches. Dogs 17 inches and bitches 16 inches from front of chest to point of buttocks. Approximate weight for dogs, 24 pounds and bitches, 22 pounds. Lightly built within this height to weight ratio.

Head
The head is proudly carried. Eyes--Dark hazel to dark brown, almond shaped, obliquely set and farseeing. Rims dark. Ears--Small, erect and slightly hooded, of fine texture and set well forward on top of head. The skull is flat, well chiseled and of medium width, tapering toward the eyes. The foreface tapers from eye to muzzle with a perceptible stop. Muzzle shorter than skull, neither coarse nor snipy, but with rounded cushions. Wrinkles appear upon the forehead when ears are erect, and are fine and profuse. Side wrinkles are desirable, but should never be exaggerated into dewlap. Wrinkles are most noticeable in puppies, and because of lack of shadowing, less noticeable in blacks, tricolors and brindles. Nose--Black greatly desired. Teeth--Evenly aligned with a scissors bite.

The lighting is pretty poor in the above picture so here's another pretty Basenji. She's a tad long in the back but a beautiful specimen!

Neck, Topline, Body
Neck of good length, well crested and slightly full at base of throat. Well set into shoulders. Topline--Back level. Body--Balanced with a short back, short coupled and ending in a definite waist. Ribs moderately sprung, deep to elbows and oval. Slight forechest in front of point of shoulder. Chest of medium width. Tail is set high on topline, bends acutely forward and lies well curled over to either side.

Forequarters
Shoulders moderately laid back. Shoulder blade and upper arm of approximately equal length. Elbows tucked firmly against brisket. Legs straight with clean fine bone, long forearm and well defined sinews. Pasterns of good length, strong and flexible. Feet--Small, oval and compact with thick pads and well arched toes. Dewclaws are usually removed.

Hindquarters
Medium width, strong and muscular, hocks well let down and turned neither in nor out, with long second thighs and moderately bent stifles. Feet--Same as in "Forequarters."

Coat and Color
Coat short and fine. Skin very pliant.
Color--Chestnut red; pure black; tricolor (pure black and chestnut red); or brindle (black stripes on a background of chestnut red); all with white feet, chest and tail tip. White legs, blaze and collar optional. The amount of white should never predominate over primary color. Color and markings should be rich, clear and well-defined, with a distinct line of demarcation between the black and red of tricolors and the stripes of brindles.

Gait
Swift, tireless trot. Stride is long, smooth, effortless and the topline remains level. Coming and going, the straight column of bones from shoulder joint to foot and from hip joint to pad remains unbroken, converging toward the centerline under the body. The faster the trot, the greater the convergence.

Temperament
An intelligent, independent, but affectionate and alert breed. Can be aloof with strangers.

Approved May 8, 1990
Effective June 28, 1990

I so have NO idea how they do this but it's cute and fun. Especially if it's going to be 100 degrees or more where you are today, too. Stay inside and play w/your doggie!

Just type in a command like sit, fetch, down, make something up and watch what happens :) At the very end, tell her to kiss you.

Such a good obedient doggie...have fun!

Dog Tricks

With all the hubbub and worry going on about poisoned pet food and the dog food recall, I thought you might want to see how your dog's food rates.

So grab the label, list the first 5 ingredients and then enter them into the dog food calculator.

GOOD LUCK!

Remember how I referred to Basenji dogs as clown dogs? They can be very comical! As I said in an earlier article they can be difficult to train but it can be done...even for the show ring.

With one exception...T-Toes! He was beautiful and darn near perfect. The AKC Standard says of African Basenji dogs, "Elegant and graceful, his whole demeanor is one of poise and inquiring alertness."
That was Tally! (his full name had something to do w/Tallyrand...I forget now. We just called him Tally or T-Toes).

Everything else about the standard described him to a T...he was square, high on the leg, well chisled head, far-seeing, almond-shaped eyes, well pricked ears, well sprung chest, beautifully muscled and gorgeous wrinkle, superb coat. He was also 17" high at the shoulder. That was the big issue. He conformed to the standard where everyone else was showing 18" and bigger. Sometimes he looked almost like a minature Basenji compared to the rest. Some were 19-20"!

But Tally was really our own worst enemy in the ring.
He performed wonderfully well and showed beautifully.
UNTIL it came time for individual inspection.

T-Toes saw this as an occasion for hilarity as well as an invitation to play. He would stand on his head! That's what we came to call it, anyway.

It never failed that when the judge ran her hands over his topline then checked the family jewels, he'd go into play stance, rump and tail in the air, head on the ground, running his paws over his ears down to his muzzle. When that didn't engage her in frolicking, he's frequently baroo her (something Basenjis do instead of barking).

As you can imagine, this was very entertaining to all, except me, his handler. Everyone in the crowd always got a good laugh, even the judge! Poor confused Tally never did understand why these silly women seemed to want to play and then wouldn't!

Ha! I can still picture his wrinkled brow quizzically turned up to me as we got back in line, wondering, "what the?"

I never got mad at him (he was so delightful) but it sure was frustrating. I never was able to break him of it (maybe he was ticklish?) and gave up after 5 shows. I'm nothing, if not persistent!

We bred him anyway and he threw some really gorgeous pups that we were able to show successfully.

Roy Jones and Jack Onofrio's dog shows offer an online list of current dog shows that you might like to attend.

With the increasing popularity of dog shows across the country there are many different promoters such as Roy Jones dog shows that are offering services for people who want their dogs to start participating in dog shows.

For people new to showing their dogs, The American Kennel Club website offers comprehensive information and advice to make the whole process a lot easier and ensure that you get more enjoyment out of your participation. AKC Guide

Roy Jones dog shows and Jack Onofrio Dog Shows are regarded as some of the best in the business and you certainly can't go wrong by using either's dog show advice and information.

Roy Jones dog shows and Jack Onofrio Dog Shows have websites on the Internet where you can find current show information and other resources that you need to enter your dog in a show.

But if I were you, I'd make the AKC (American Kennel Club) my first stop to get aquainted with the whole scene, jargon, etc. AKC Guide

With such a large variety of dog crates to choose from it can be difficult sometimes to determine which one will be best for your African Basenji dog.

When buying your Basenji dog a crate you need to consider not only the size of your pup now, but also the size that it'll grow to. Most folks don't want the additional expense of purchasing another dog kennel as their 'senji grows bigger. You'll be fine with a medium-size as Basenji's are supposed to be 16-17" at the shoulder and 25 pounds.

There are dog kennels to suit almost any style house and often this is a major factor to be taken into account when purchasing Basenji crates. Other things to consider are the comfort of your dog now and in the future, and where the kennel will be situated in your home.

African Basenji dogs LOVE their crates! They feel safe and secure in their own little den. Since we left the doors open, I'd frequently find a 'senji "at home", gnawing away at a chew toy or napping. Of course, you have to "crate train" your Basenji puppy and I'll talk a little more about that another time.

Basenji dog crates should last for the life of your pet. So make an investment in a good kennel that'll go the distance. It's cheaper to buy a good crate and pay more money initially than to have to replace a cheaper quality one later!.

=====================================================
Did you check to see how your dog food rates?

NO?

Well, go back up and Do It NOW. It'll only take a sec. and you need to know! Maybe your dog will be one of the lucky ones, eating just the right food!
=====================================================

I found several sites with pet emergency care tips but this one by the Red Cross seems the best!

Pet First Aid

I also like this one because it's in video format and gives some good non emergency health tips as well. Let me know what you think or tell me of other dog health care sites you really like...Thanks!

Dog-emergency-care

Open Directory - URL Web

Dog Magazine

Pedigreeddogs Dog Directory

Pet charities - The free pet charity search engine

Animal Pets and Friends Articles Pet and animal articles on pet health, animal training, photography, breeding, bird watching and more. Our Animal Pets and Friends Website Directory has the best animal articles and websites.

PetsFriends.com - The best site in the world for singles who are pet lovers.

Pet Insurance- quotes and Cover online. Cat and Dog Pet Insurance to buy on-line from the UK's largest independent pet healthcare insurance company- Healthy Pets

SearchMotron.com

1. I will not eat the cats' food before they eat it or after they throw it up.

2. I will not roll on dead seagulls, fish, crabs, etc., just because I like the way they smell.

3. The Litter Box is not a cookie jar.

4. The sofa is not a 'face towel'.

5. The garbage collector is not stealing our stuff.

6. I will not play tug-of-war with Dad's underwear when he's on the toilet.

7. Sticking my nose into someone's crotch is an unacceptable way of saying "hello".

8. I don't need to suddenly stand straight up when I'm under the coffee table.

9. I must shake the rainwater out of my fur before entering the house - not after.

10. I will not come in from outside and immediately drag my butt on the carpet.

11. I will not sit in the middle of the living room and lick my crotch.

12. The cat is not a "squeaky toy" so when I play with him and he makes that noise, it's usually not a good thing.

If you're tempted to learn more about African Basenji Dogs and whether this is just what your family needs, here are a few resources...

"Second Hand Basenji Handbook" by Cotter and Cotter

"The Basenji: Out of africa to you: a new look" by susan Coe

"The Power of positive dog training" by Pat Miller

"Don't shoot the dog" by Karen Pryor

"Childproofing your dog" by Brian Kilcommons

"Pitcairn's complete guide to natural health for dogs and cats" by Pitcairn

Another resource is The Basenji Magazine, although a little more focused on breeding and competitions.

Finally, you might want to check out www.basenjirescue.org. A lot of states have their own rescue organizations but this is a good place to start.

Just keep in mind that if you don't like cats, you may not appreciate the finer points of this new family member!

Remember that they're very affectionate but can be aloof, extremely playful but independent (you have to make it their idea) and, always remember, a tired Basenji is a happy Basenji!