I've hunted deer with my basenji in emergency situations during archery season. She has helped me find several wounded deer in the woods after dark. Basenjis are easily distracted by other trails and other deer scents so you need to make them associate the smell of deer blood with getting a raw venison treat. My basenji found a deer for me the first time I tried it with her. Most dogs need extensive training for this but she picked it up in 10 minutes. She has helped me a great deal. If there is no blood on the ground however it'd be tough depending on the wind direction, and they usually get distracted by diverging deer trails if there is no blood to follow.
Re:basenji mix?
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Hi, I’ve been following for sometime and I love all your stories. We adopted Penny 2 years ago she is 3 now. We were told she was Basenji and whippet I’ve had 2 other Basenji mixes but they did not bark much. Penny barks at every dog and person she sees. She has so many basenji behaviors though. So I thought I’d ask all you experts if you think she looks like she has basenji in her. I love her to pieces but she is a handful. Thank you! 
.Thanks for your responses.
She weighs about 20 lbs. she stares directly in my eyes. She is very smart, but stubborn. She learns things quickly. She make cute noises sounds like baroooo. Loves to snuggle and Plays very actively She doesn’t have cloven hooves. -
Do you have pictures of her stood up and sitting?
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Her face looks like a basenji. I'd also like to see a photo of her standing up. Curious to know some of her behaviors that might indicate if she might be part basenji. Regardless - she's beautiful!
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@kembe The ears look right and so does the tail, but the nose is too square at the tip instead of tapering. For sure could be a mix though.
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Definately basenji in there. You can have a DNA test done now for around $100 if you really want to know. Just make sure that they have basenji DNA in their data base. My Bolt, who is 3/4 African, has a square blocky head just like yours, although, I have to say he does have a slightly 'different' look than our others, but he is 100% basenji, he's just got a big blocky head!
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@dagodingo
I agree - snout doesn't look like a basenji.
