Posts made by JENGOSMonkey

@Roux Yeah! Way to go team Taiwan! Nice ribbon haul!

Sparkle Barkle came into heat in April. Logan went nuts! I was traveling so my wife was saddled with the mayhem. Mayhem doesn't begin to describe the situation. Sparkle should be coming in again within days, I hope, and unfortunately, he won't get any love this time either. He's gonna be a massive handful for at least a MONTH. I'm not traveling this time, so it's all on me. Cross your fingers for Tri females. I want three!

I've tried bait and no bait in the ring. I think bait works better for Logan, but not for me. He likes it and responds to it well, but as a new handler it's a pain in the butt. I know what I'm expected to do. Doing it once in the ring is hard. I get caught up in the minute and then forget what I'm supposed to do the next. I once stacked Logan backwards on the table. D'oh! Logan is SUPER food driven and he knows if I have cookies in my pocket. That's all he'll pay attention to. Jumping on the handler is frowned upon.

Yes, I know training and time will cure it. Not there yet. Too many hobbies. Showing, breeding, MGBs, stereos, astronomy, motorcycles, family, friends, travel, house, etc. I need more time.

@eeeefarm Good points. My own experience... When I went to Medfly (Karen's) to look at Basenjis I had my wife and son with me. Karen would bring out a dog and I would size them up. Would they look at me, would the come up to me, acknowledge me, kiss me, etc. I was looking for aggression.

When she brought Jengo out the second time, I loved what I was seeing, so I asked my son (maybe 9 at the time) to run across the yard. I wanted to see if Jengo would run, show aggression... didn't actually know.

Jengo ran with him, but never chased, jumped or nipped. EXACTLY what I was looking for. They ended up at a chain link fence with their backs to me looking at a horse in a pasture. I placed my hand on Jengo's back right up against his tail ready to recoil fast. He glanced back and went back to the horse. That's the second I knew I was screwed. I didn't want a Basenji, but this one was perfect. The rest is history.

Most of the time if I run with mine in the backyard, they just look at me like "What are you doing, Monkey?" They sit there. I've just not had to deal with a chasing issue. Except for squirrels, goats, and dogs. Mostly squirrels.

I miss my Aussie/Border Collie mix.

@Roux Oh thank god! I was worried about you guys! YAY! I'm in California, so quakes are nothing new here. Still... I remember '89. That was destructive. Glad you're showing, breeding, registering and doing all the responsible things. So cool. Thanks SO much for checking in!

@Kembe Yes, I would forward this to BRAT. Even before I finished reading the entire description I knew he’d been raised outside (warehouse in this instance). Very disappointing, but I don’t know all the circumstances. He looks and sounds like he could be nurtured into a being a really good dog. He’s young, full of energy and needs to learn some rules/manners. It sounds like he’s capable of learning per the foster. Hope someone picks him up.

It's been a week! @Roux really hope everything is okay. Please check in when you get a minute...

@Roux Read about a large quake in Taiwan. Hope it didn’t affect or impact you too bad. Let us know you’re ok!

@mickey I was taught to grab the pups bottom jaw. Thumb under the tongue and curled index finger beneath the lower jaw. Do this when the pup starts biting you. Apply a little downward force on the jaw. They will not like it and should stop biting. If the pup continues to bite apply a little more downward force until they stop.

@Vesna I used a harness for Jengo. Used one for Logan and Sparkle for short time too. Then I discovered Hound collars, or wide martingales and they're also called. Love them! They can pull hard if and when I allow it without damaging their throat of esophagus. I HATED a 5/8" martingale cause it always made Jengo choke and gag and make all kinds of horrid noises like he about to die. Didn't know anything about wide martingales back then, so a harness is the way I went.

What I like about the wide martingales is exactly what eeefarm said... You can control the head. My female is triggered by other dogs and pulls hard. I can get instant control of her without chocking her out. I find them really flexible. I can give them some lead or make them heel quickly. So far, we don't have any bald or burn marks on their necks at all. Mine are 1 1/2" wide.

My female has an 11" neck. Measure yours and find something that fits. Something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0743HM3XB

@Vesna Very pretty girl. Look at that face. Just wanna squeeze it and kiss it. Scratch the base of that tail and tickle her with my fingers right at the base of the cute little ears. Does she get to sleep on the bed and climb up on the couch? I kinda put my foot down at climbing on the tables, but I always crack up when I forget to push the chairs in and make it to the top.

Hmmm… seems like we need a 23andMe solution for our pups. How bout we call it K9andme. I can remember most of my pups markings and have 100s of pics to refer to. That said they do change pretty fast. Our pup D’Otto was a split head with a nice dot right in white. It started as a dot and it’s still there! But it’s a bit more of an oval these days.

Yay!

@Alex Damn Alex... I'm so sorry. Kiya looks like a sweet rambunctious spitfire. Losing a dog, which let's face it... after 16 years she's a family member, is soul crushing. I'll have to go back and search for your threads. I've only been here for a couple o years. I wish I had words that would help heal your hearts... but for me I learned that the best remedy was time, two more dogs and six puppies. I really need to learn moderation.

Hoping your hearts heal, and Chance's too. I "Liked" your post because you chose to share this with us. Thank you...

@EmKayLyn Sorry for the late response. Busy couple o weeks. I got to be Best Man at one of my very best friend's wedding over the weekend. Cool part is we got to dress like cowboys!

Anyway... on to your enquiry... I've never met any breeder who wasn't willing talk about their Basenjis. Basenji people are pretty dang proud of the breed and their dogs. You might consider contacting an officer of the Basenji Club of Southeastern Wisconsin. They may be aware of breeders who are breeding but are not listed on their website.

Also, Google AKC Dog Shows in Wisconsin. I did and there are several that are coming up in August. Dog shows can be a tough place to talk with breeders if you go in with the wrong approach, but it can be a great place to see the dogs and meet breeders if you are careful...

AKC shows, based on my limited experience, are put on by one or two kennel clubs over a weekend. Each club seems to hold a show for two days. So a BIG show, a two-kennel club show goes for four (Thursday through Sunday). Saturday and Sunday are by far the busiest. My Google search turned up at least three shows.

I would consider choosing a day. You usually have to pay for parking, but not admission. First thing is to find the AKC info table and ask what time the Basenjis are showing and then ask for the ring number.

This next part is important... Don't even think about getting close to owners or handlers or starting a conversation an hour before showtime. This is game day. They're focused on settling their dogs down, last minute grooming, managing stress, coaching one another, etc. Stay out of the way! It's not personal.

But!!! If you find out ring time is 2:00pm... hike the show grounds and find the Basenjis. Check all the nooks are crannies. Sometimes strong clubs congregate. Sometimes people keep to themselves. They'll be inside buildings, outside, near RVs, cars, etc. You just have to hunt them down. If you get there early and find them well before ring time... you have a great chance of having meaningful conversations.

Again, just remember this is game day. Breeders who show are committed to the breed. Winning a show is validation that the direction they are taking their line is being validated by judges. It can be and is a big deal.

Another cool thing about going to a show is seeing the different Basenji models. Sorry, I'm a car guy, so that term works for me... Red and whites, Black and whites, Tris, Brindles and variations of those. You'll also be able to observe temperamental differences of males and females in the ring. It's really interesting.

Here's the tough part. The Google search won't tell you how many or if any Basenjis will be there. The only way I've ever been able to tell is when I've registered for a show. I registered for a show earlier this year only to learn that there wasn't any competition. That means no points for us even if we won anything. It was a 400-mile drive, so I just forfeited the entry fee and didn't go. Maybe one of our more knowledgeable members can shed some light on that?

I love shows and definitely want to encourage you. I love ALL the Basenjis! Shows are a great place to see them. Again, with a careful approach and a thoughtful plan... you'll meet some breeders face to face. Chances are you may even meet a potential momma and/or papa too! Hope this helped.

@zande.She was 22 lbs when We got her. She’s at 24 now. She’s been losing about .2 to .3 lbs per week. She had been at 25.

@Tanza & @Zande It was funny... after the puppies had been weened and left soon after, Sparkle slimmed down almost right away. And it was after her heat in April that she packed the pounds back on. She's better now, but I'd like to see her lose another pound, pound and a half or so. Logan is looking lean and svelte again. He's good to go.

@elbrant I love British sports cars! This is my second 70' MGB. It's a much better running car than when we got it. Pulls strong now with rebuilt and re-tuned carburetors. We've been chasing electrical gremlins left and right. We've sorted much of it, but we still have more tackle. The Spitfire is another really cool British sports car. Love Triumphs. I've never had one, but I've always appreciated them!

It's funny... many MGB aficionados loath the 1970. British Leyland had taken over MG in 1968. They finally exerted design influence in model year 1970. That's when they introduced the "Fish Mouth" grille and split rear bumper. It gave the MGB a more Italian sports car aesthetic, which purists hated. I absolutely adore the look. Purists hate it like we hate puppy mills and people who won't test for Fanconi. Pretty devisive topic.

Hi Basenji afficionados, it's a bit since I've posted an update. I've had a busy year so far... travel to care for my folks in Colorado, helped rebuild a house that a friend is trying to flip (timing is everything), bought a 1970 MGB Roadster that I'm smitten with, much work in the back yard, enjoying time with my son who's home from university (helped get him a job with a friend, so he's learning concrete and making money) and on it goes...

Logan and Sparkle got fat... dang it. My fault. Too many snacks. Kill 'em with kindness. Been on a diet for a few weeks. Logan is back to optimal weight. Sparkle is losing it at a slower rate, but we're getting there...

Aside from a few itchy bug bites on Sparkle, dogs are doing great! Hoping to do another litter in fall if the universe cooperates. No shows for me this summer. Too much going on, but I hope to get back to it. I'd really like Logan to get his Gch. Hope your summer is going well...

@tanza yep. I learned that from Stella and had purchased a pair prior to that show...

@Roux Congratulations! I remember my first show last year. I was very nervous, but everyone there, including @tanza (especially @tanza), made me very welcome. Great encouragement and coaching. One funny memory was standing around with all the Basenji people and I asked, "Are any of you trimming tails this weekend?" Jeff, Pat and a few others started talking about it and decided as a group... Nope. I'd purchased special clippers and never took them out of my kit bag. There are competitive people, but I was able to find a great group of friendly people to spend the event with.

Oh, and I'll ALWAYS remember Logan and my first ribbon. It means more to me than the 5-point Major. We'd done it... together. Be proud and savor the win you achieved as a team with your doggie!