Considering a Basenji. Thoughts?

[italeigha]

@slents Thanks for this. Did you get him as a puppy?

[italeigha]

@adina Thanks so much for this. The breeders we are looking at seem to have all those boxes checked and we found them through AKC. We are hoping this is surely a trusted source...

[italeigha]

@tanza suppose it is running, on lead of course, with my husband and it sees a squirrel. Will it try to run after it or will it be ok to continue on course? We live on a greenway with plenty of wildlife.

[italeigha]

@pawla I appreciate these questions and while I am sure you asked them for my own benefit to think through, I will go ahead and answer: Our children are 11 and 14. The 11 year old desperately wants a dog and has studied about them endlessly as well as doing a good bit of dog-sitting for neighbors. While we wanted to find a rescue, we need a hypoallergenic and have not been successful finding one thus far. Of course we are all home right now, but I do not work outside the house (I run a non-profit but do that from home and only on part-time hours). My husband plans for the dog to run with him daily, and I and the girls are happy to walk it daily, too. We shouldn't have any trouble exercising it. We have a fenced backyard (8 foot privacy) not huge and it does have a non-enclosed vegetable garden I am worried about but it does back to a greenway (that leads to a dog park) with many walkers, bikers and leashed dogs going by. We don't mind the dog sleeping with any of us (I'd really rather not crate it at night) but I definitely have things in the house I don't want destroyed. We are on the minimalist side and buy little, but what we do purchase are quality brands that take great consideration of the environment, fair trade, etc (ie, our furniture is not cheap and I would not want it chewed on). We have plenty of friends/family who tell us the will pet-sit, but we would hope to be able to take it with us on family visits or week-long vacations to the beach or mountains. I already have two kids that don't listen to me half the time, lol, not sure how I feel about adding a dog that has no intention of listening to me either!

[italeigha]

@basenjimom2 Very helpful and honest; thank you.

[italeigha]

@zande So lovely. We hope to have a large property in Colorado one day. Letting the dog run sounds in a place like that sounds beautiful.

[italeigha]

@eeeefarm That is encouraging. I find myself wondering what is the best way to train when you are a family of four. Should one member of the family take the lead? Or should we all share it equally? I need to look into this. We do intend to do doggie school and just researching that.

[Zande]

@italeigha Well done to the husband if he can run as fast as a Basenji after a squirrel ! Let the dog chase on its own, untethered, and let your husband enjoy the scene !

You're getting a puppy, and the best time to start training re-call is the day after he arrives with you !

[italeigha]

@daureen Beautiful. I have worried about the non-cuddling as far as the kids are concerned. The other dog we were considering is a Portuguese Water Dog which seems to be much more cuddly (and different in many other ways.) I had a a Basset Hound as a young child, then it was a cat for the rest of my childhood through college. She let me (only me) snuggle with her and hold her, and I credit her with getting me through those typical struggles of childhood.

[italeigha]

@jkent Very helpful, thank you.

[italeigha]

@zande I guess what I am asking is if he is running on lead with my husband, will he try to dart after anything he sees thereby disrupting the run, do you think? Or will he be able to maintain a steady course/pace for a 3 mile or so run without trying to dart off in different directions?

[tanza]

@italeigha - Yes, if running and they sight a "critter" they will want to chase after, you just need to "sight" as much as they do. They will settle into a running routine but in the beginning can be a challenge! Need to keep your eyes open like they do.

[Zande]

@italeigha I know what you were asking - I was just imagining any husband keeping up with a Basenji ! It makes a lovely imaginary picture !

To be entirely honest, no. I do not think he will keep up a steady pace alongside your husband. He will feel constrained, but he will follow his natural instincts inspite of the lead. He will dart here, there, cross in front, behind, trip the man up. He will want to be on the left side, and then the right, and suddenly he will STOP. Dead. For no reason that your husband can fathom.

He has seen or sensed something which is beyond the ken of man.

Three miles ? I do three on a good day when my knee isn't playing me up and Mku, my current tri-angel, does at least 8 or even 12. Assessments vary. A dog does 3, 4, even 5 times the distance over a three mile stretch. I would say Mku does a good 3.5 times what I do !

I think, if you want a steady trotting dog, docile, running along at your husband's pace for 3 miles, get another breed. If he is prepared to teach recall and has a sense of humour, or he is prepared to fit in with the Basenji's idea of how to cover those three miles, then by all means, there is no breed more satisfying to have in your life as a Basenji. Or two, or even eight.

[tanza]

@zande said in Considering a Basenji. Thoughts?:

@italeigha Well done to the husband if he can run as fast as a Basenji after a squirrel ! Let the dog chase on its own, untethered, and let your husband enjoy the scene !

You're getting a puppy, and the best time to start training re-call is the day after he arrives with you !

But make sure you have a safe place to let them run.... no cars.... In the US these days there is not much opportunity to find secure places to let them run loose. At least in my opinion. All depends on where you live...

[tanza]

@italeigha said in Considering a Basenji. Thoughts?:

@daureen Beautiful. I have worried about the non-cuddling as far as the kids are concerned. The other dog we were considering is a Portuguese Water Dog which seems to be much more cuddly (and different in many other ways.) I had a a Basset Hound as a young child, then it was a cat for the rest of my childhood through college. She let me (only me) snuggle with her and hold her, and I credit her with getting me through those typical struggles of childhood.

Remember that Basenjis are a thinking dog, if they want to cuddle with you they will, if they don't want to they will resist. If the kids are respectful of the dog, they will do just fine, but you can't force them to want to be in your lap... only on their terms.

[Zande]

@tanza said in Considering a Basenji. Thoughts?:

only on their terms.

That about sums it up beautifully.

'only on their terms' applies to just about every aspect of life with a Basenji. Life is a compormise (on their terms !) the moment a B steps into the house.

[eeeefarm]

@italeigha said in Considering a Basenji. Thoughts?:

@eeeefarm That is encouraging. I find myself wondering what is the best way to train when you are a family of four. Should one member of the family take the lead? Or should we all share it equally? I need to look into this. We do intend to do doggie school and just researching that.

Dogs usually do better with one person doing the training and making sure once the dog understands that the other family members are familiar with the commands when asking the dog to do something. It's very important not to send mixed messages when the dog is learning something new, and with just one person it's more likely the method will remain consistent, without the potentially confusing variations that might occur with multiple trainers.

As to the many cautions on this thread about Basenjis being difficult, they are all so individual it's hard to generalize. Although there are many common traits, each dog may have quite different reactions to people, other animals, situations, etc. Of my five, my first absolutely adored children while being aloof with adults. My second was good with young kids, but less tolerant as they got older, and she would challenge adults who wanted to move her from a comfy chair. My third was a more "bitchy" bitch, not nasty but definitely wanted her own way, and had "attitude" in abundance. She hated all dogs except for my other Basenji. My fourth was an absolute sweetheart, good with both children and adults and fine with other dogs. My fifth was leery of children but O.K. with most adults until he got older and I couldn't trust him with strangers. Much depends on their early socialization. If you have kids or expect to have them, try to find a breeder that socializes the pups with children if you can. It does make a difference. And temperament, IMO, is extremely important, so if you can meet sire and dam, or at least the dam, and see how they react to you and your children that may be a good indicator of how easily your pup may adjust to your family.

[JKent]

@eeeefarm at what age do you think you can tell the temperament? My female is 6 months and wondering if she's likely to change.

[italeigha]

@zande Gotcha. Thanks for the information. My husband is a marathoner and qualifies for Boston, so quite fast (I can not keep up with him for sure) but yes, a series runner.... not sure he will want to deal with a dog that won't run alongside him eventually. I will be sure to dig some more on this.

[eeeefarm]

@jkent said in Considering a Basenji. Thoughts?:

@eeeefarm at what age do you think you can tell the temperament? Mine female is 6 months and wondering if she's likely to change.

I think you can get an inkling early on, but things can change as they mature. At 18 months to 2 years they are growing up and may go through the "teenage" stage, becoming more willful, independent, and possibly challenging you over obedience. It's also the time they may become dog or same sex aggressive. Sometimes a pup that has been respectful and obedient may decide to "try it on" and test your leadership, and that is the time to be kind but firm. Yes, I am the boss of you! Consistency is key to having a respectful relationship with your Basenji. You cannot change the rules from day to day, and if something is out of bounds, it must continue to be out of bounds when you have company, same as raising kids! I'm wandering a bit from your question, but they do change somewhat as they mature and mostly it is for the better, as they outgrow some of the annoying habits, such as chewing inappropriate items, and generally require less close supervision, but I hasten to add, this is only true if you have made the rules of the house plain to them, and been diligent in enforcing them....