How do I get my basenji to talk???

Basenji Talk
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  • P

    Hi! I'm new to the forum, my girlfriend and I just got our first Basenji about a month ago. His name is Ziggy and he's 4 1/2 months old.

    The "problem" is I can't get him to make much noise. I understand they're barkless dogs, but he never does any yodeling. Now I shouldn't say never, I'll hear a short medium volumed "bark" maybe once every couple days, but besides that he just whines when he wants anything. He'll make cute yawning noises, but that's about it.

    I'm sure this isn't one of the more normal questions, but how do I get him to speak? I love the sound of his voice!

    Thanks!

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  • M
    First Basenji's

    It took our basenji a little bit of time to talk. He's 2 yrs, now, and "tallks" all the time- especially when we get back home from being gone for several hours. It's hilarious! My daughter is raising a lamb,, and we take him to the ranch a lot. He tries to talk to the lambs- he has his own Baaaaaa- too funny!

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  • tanzaT

    Some talk, some never do. My OJ never uttered a yodel in 17+ years….

    Welcome to the forum... who did you get your Basenji from? Many of us are related by our Basenjis.

    Pat Fragassi

    Tanza Basenjis

    www.tanzabasenjis.net

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  • P

    @tanza:

    Some talk, some never do. My OJ never uttered a yodel in 17+ years….

    Welcome to the forum... who did you get your Basenji from? Many of us are related by our Basenjis.

    Wow 17 years! That's a long time to keep quiet. My basenji came from harmony hounds, a breeder in Georgia!

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  • KipawaK

    Well, I am not sure if it helped to teach Kipawa, but I would 'baroo' at him, and he is quite vocal now.

    Fran Harder, BAB

    With Barney in my heart

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  • renaultf1R

    Maybe play some videos of singing/talking basenjis off of YouTube. Those always gets my b-kids going.

    Once you get them to yodel, if you mark the behavior (and treat it), you might be able to get it on command. I have 3 that do it on command for their dinner. My forth only yodels when she wants one of the other basenjis to play with her or yodels at her reflection :D.

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  • ShannaniganS

    We tried to teach Paco to "speak" when we were training him, but it was hopeless.

    I now find that he yodels when I let him in the kitchen while I cook, and he wants what I'm cooking. Sometimes he'll wait patiently thinking that he'll get some food if he's sitting quietly the whole time, and then starts yodeling while we're eating and he doesn't get any.

    Also, having a lot of people over, or a new person over, especially someone who doesn't pay much attention to him, gets him going.

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  • MayaM

    I think they're either talkative or they're not :) Maya always has been very keen to yodel but other than that, rarely makes any noise.

    She will yodel along with me if I sing (we must sound rather interesting in the car singing along to the radio!!) but I cant really "make" her do it. She has a mind of her own and doesnt she know it :D

    Jess

    http://www.silverbriar.co.uk

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  • tanzaT

    @Maya:

    I think they're either talkative or they're not :) Maya always has been very keen to yodel but other than that, rarely makes any noise.

    She will yodel along with me if I sing (we must sound rather interesting in the car singing along to the radio!!) but I cant really "make" her do it. She has a mind of her own and doesnt she know it :D

    But of course, Jess… I mean she is a Tri after all! :D

    Pat Fragassi

    Tanza Basenjis

    www.tanzabasenjis.net

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  • P

    Sometimes particular chords in music will set them off yodelling but then again as the others have said mabny never do. After all they manage to communicate with us in many other ways so why bother!!

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  • BarklessdogB

    Our red girl would always yodel when my daughter played her violin. Never fails. She chortles when she is happy.

    They all whine a lot!

    Or Tri used to yodel when a pup, but has not done anything in the last 8 years. However he did scream during the night, sounded like a human was getting stabbed to death. The most godawful noise you ever heard, loud and gut wrenching. We think he was having a nightmare, he sleeps in his crate.

    Anyone else have their dog scream like that (not getting hurt)

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  • Rita JeanR

    Both of my B's talk and yodel but maybe this will help. From day we brought Jayden home my daughter get on floor look at Jayden tell him to yodel then she would make this awful sound. Then Jaycee would start in and it could have been Jayden just could not stand all noise but was not long before he was make his voice heard and he is very much a talker. The only thing I am going to say be careful what you wish for when two of them get going I sometimes wish that neither of them talked.

    Rita Jean

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  • DebraDownSouthD

    Cara makes a great many noises (including a rather disturbing donkey one), but no yodel. I am definitely yodel/baroo envious since Arwen also doesn't do them.

    Debra

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  • BARTB

    I have an old harmonica that was my grandfather's, never fails to get a response. My first boy was pretty quiet on the yodeling front, but that would get him going. Current guy is more vocal on his own, but if I want him to go, harmonica always does the trick. Just to start, then he's all about the "singing" with me. Now that the weather is nice and windows are open, I often wonder what the folks walking/ running/ biking by on the street may think of the sounds….:)

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  • Shaye's MomS

    My 2 1/2 year old r/w Shaye hardly ever makes noise - whines and mutters when we leave a dog park, and twice has copied her "sister's" bark - (Gemma is a mix and barks a LOT, also talks and yodels), but it didn't sound the same. One time she baroo'd when we came home from a long afternoon, but never repeated it. Because we keep telling Gemma to be quiet, sometimes Shaye looks at her as if to ask "What's wrong with you?!?" so maybe she has decided making noise is a bad thing. No matter - noise or no noise they can communicate very well.

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  • 2baroos2

    Get a cheap Harmonica and try that or go to youtube and look for Basenji singing-turn up the volume and see what happens.

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  • KipawaK

    @2baroos:

    Get a cheap Harmonica and try that or go to youtube and look for Basenji singing-turn up the volume and see what happens.

    hello 2baroos - welcome to the forum! I see you are from BC - anywhere in the lower mainland?

    Fran Harder, BAB

    With Barney in my heart

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  • 2baroos2

    I used to live in Vancouver and now live in Courtenay

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  • E
    First Basenji's

    i got my boy to "sing " by mistake…..lol. i was going through a web site called singing dogs ( basenji) and turned it up loud and guess what it got my boy singing along with the dog on line.... what a noise but worth it..

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  • wizardW

    The two males I had previously never ever made a sound. My current female never has yodeled but she does "talk" back to me when I scold her and she "cries" like a tasmanian devil when in the car-kennel. My new male yodels every now and then but I haven't figured out what sets him off.

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