The hair does not fill in on it's own - it just may be less visible as the hair gets longer - your dog will ALWAYS have a naked tail tip.
From what you are saying, it sounds like it would be visible in pictures. We have pics of him from when he was tiny and I can't see anything like that. How obvious is it? Is there anything else it can be?
Oh, never mind - I looked again at his 8-week picture when he was stacked and I think I can see that his tail is less pointy …
This is the best that I could do. This was well before the tail curled so you may not see it at the naked tip after eight weeks. My daughter destroyed all of my pictures by mistake, but Johnny has a naked tip. You can't see it now because his hair has grown, but it was naked as well-it still is, the hair just covers it. And it is a s Pat says. I didn't start with the cream early enough with that litter and their tail ends didn't fall off, they just didn't grow anymore-nor grew any hair but if you part the hair, it's still naked and small.
Good picture of it Arlene…. and in the litter that I had with "Tail Crud", I had one pup that the tip did fall off and one pup that was like the picture you posted.
Again, long way from their "heart" so to speak, nothing physically wrong with them. The one of mine that lost the tip is now 15+ a Dual Conformation/Field Champion, sire of a litter that produced 2 Champions, so didn't make a difference with him. He was/is the one that after that happened had very little of a "white" tip tail....
And, strangely enough, it's not surprising that his sister doesn't have it. Some get it, some don't - we had one pup with it in a litter of 5 and none of the others had it! And, it is not always super noticeable, it's very possible the breeder could have missed it. With the one in our most recent litter we were watching for it and still missed the start on the little guy. We've had it in one other litter, again, only one pup had it. He is now a veteran and became a Grand Champion, so it certainly didn't affect his looks and caused no long lasting physical harm.
Terry
Yes, it is a stange thing…. which is why I just use A&D on all from birth. Since getting that tip from the Jones Girls, I never had it again (Knock on Wood)....
Funny how times change, the first time I had it with a litter was in 1994.... way before "social media" time. Was at a total loss on what it was and what to do. Now days you just pop on a couple of lists, put the question out there and you are bound to get great suggestions/results!
Wow - this is great information. Yes, I am absolutely positive that the breeder would have said something had she noticed. She told me about his ticking early on (he has some C-Quest in his line, which I am told is heavy with ticking). At first I was wishing he didn't have it, but he is gorgeous and I do think it adds character (even though I know it doesn't do him any favors in the ring). My daughter also loves to kiss every "freckle," so that makes it extra cute. His sister's white is completely clear.
Glad to know that the little bald tail tip doesn't affect their chances in the ring. Don't know if we are headed that way, but I have a show contract on him. I really want to concentrate on obedience and therapy dog work with these two. I am thrilled with their temperaments - you can't look at them without them wanting a snuggle. Also, we are clicker training and after 3 days, have them sitting, shaking and laying down (admittedly, sometimes more reliably than others).
Okay, that got off-topic! Anyway, all this is to say thank you for your information and reassurance.
If you are thinking about showing, don't forget to teach "Stand" otherwise you will have a devil of a time with them wanting to sit…..
And ticking? Funny, I have never heard that called a fault and even something to mention... many, many Basenjis have ticking, way more then just the C-Quest lines
You need a "stand" command for more advanced obedience. Also, it is good to teach sit from standing and from down. Many (most?) dogs understand "sit" as an action, not a position, so they may know it from standing but don't have a clue when they are lying down. 
