I have had the pleasure of owning both breeds. There is another forum member here who also has a basenji and a Shiba. Lol, they are both very stubborn breeds. Depending on what you want they are very different though. Shibas need a lot of care for grooming, they blow a lot of coat and can get matted fur, on the other hand they make a very good watch dog. Basenjis don't bark but make a multitude of other noises. Their coat is nice and short for less grooming, though they too blow coat, just not as bad as a Shiba. They both maintain puppy characteristics their whole lives and live long lives. I think our Shiba was 16 when we lost her. Both need a lot of socialization, with both people and dogs. This is a must. Good luck with whatever breed you choose. Look at parents for temperament and do your reading on health problems and make sure you adopt from a reputable breeder.
New To Forum
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Hi my name is Sandy and my husband is Mike. Our Basenji is Ike. We recently adopted him, he is 4 yrs 8 mo. This is our 3rd Basenji, 2nd to adopt. Our first was a female and we got her as a puppy. I am so glad to find this forum as we are having some issues with Ike. We got him from BRAT in Dallas Texas area. We knew that he had problems with men/boys when we adopted him, however since we had previous experience with the breed, we were granted the ok from BRAT. Ike is so skittish around Mike and just paces the floor, will not take food or treats from him. However, when we go to bed, Ike goes right to him and lets him pet him, I think this is strange. We hired a trainer to come over and work with us. He suggests that I put Ike on a leash, then hand it over to Mike and then he reels him in. The whole time Mike has him on the leash Ike is stiff and his eyes are bulging, Mike tries to brush him and make him comfortable, to bond with him and walks him in the neighborhood and this does not seem to be working, he is still just going all around and away from Mike. I am the one that is getting frustrated, I'm home with Ike all day and he is great, he does everything I tell him, he even does tricks, roll over, high five, down dog. Like I said we knew that he has issues when we adopted him, its just that we thought by now (1 1/2) months he would warm up to Mike, I've never met a dog that did not like him. We think he has been seriously abused in his early puppyhood.
Please, if anyone has suggestions as to what we should do next, we would appreciate all input.
