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Basenji Personality traits and Temperament
These are very clever, mischievous, and playful breed of dogs. They independent thinkers and have an ego the size of a football field. They are excellent climbers, and have an inherent curious nature. They are likely to climb over fences, rummage through your garbage or invade your neighbour’s yard just to pursue anything that catches their fancy. Their owners need to be constantly on guard as these dogs can chew and bite on anything that they can get their paws on. They often stand on their hind legs if they see something curious.
They are known for not barking. But do not mistake them for a silent breed. They have a variety of vocalisations in their repertoire. These include yodelling, growling, screaming, whimpering and whining. They never shy away from a good yodel if they can help it. They are excellent guard dogs and do not welcome strangers into the house. They will defend their people and property when challenged and despite their size, they can put up a good fight.
These breeds are not good for houses with children. They do not take too kindly to the attention given by the kids and do not like to be petted often. This dog should never be left unsupervised with a child. They also are not very sociable to other pets in the house. They love to play and chase rodents, rabbits and cats, so do not trust this breed around other pets. They need a moderate amount of exercise. But if proper outlets for their energy are not provided they can get destructive and irritable.
This is not a breed for everyone. Basenji owners need to be very patient and have a good sense of humour.
Grooming, Haircuts and Shedding
They have short fine coat that does not shed much. They are very clean dogs and are almost cat like in their grooming habits. A soft bristle brush or a rubber brush can be used for grooming. They seldom require a bath, and it can be given once in 3 months. Mild shampoos should be used. Nails must be trimmed monthly. During grooming, check for sores, rashes, or signs of infection such as redness, tenderness, or inflammation on the skin, in the ears, nose, mouth, and eyes, and on the feet.
Size and Characteristics
Price Range: this dog for sale may cost between $800 – $1200
Life expectancy: the life span is generally of about 12 -16 YEARS
Weight: 22-24 pounds
Height: 15-17 inches
Colors: Black, Tan, Brindle, Red, Black & White, Tri-colour
How to Train this dog
These are very stubborn dogs and they have a tendency to mull over the commands given and follow suit only if they are willing. They need early socialization and training. Unlike other breeds, they have no desire to please the owner. They need to be trained with patience and kindness. Any harshness on the part of the trainer will lead to a more stubborn dog. Inviting people to your house and taking the dog on long walks at crowded places will help the dog get acclimatised to different people. They are very mouthy and can shred anything in their path if bored. So they need to be provided with adequate chew toys. These breeds need owners that are calm, but firm, confident and consistent. The owners must be authoritative; any meekness on the part of the owner will be met with stubbornness and contempt from the dogs.
Health Issues and Food
Diet: These breeds have delicate bone structure and therefore must not be overfed. Avoid feeding them small bones as these can cause obstruction and intestinal puncture. They do well with raw diet rather than dry food.
Allergies: Hypoallergenic
Health problems: This breed is generally healthy but certain diseases occur quite frequently like Fanconi Syndrome, immuno-proliferative systemic intestinal disease, haemolytic anaemia, hypothyroidism, umbilical hernia, hip dysplasia, etc.
Mixed breeds
Baseagle is a Beagle Basenji mix. These are dogs with the feistiness of a Basengi and playfulness of a Beagle.
Corsengi It is a designer breed obtained by crossing Cardigan Welsh Corgi and Basenji. It is a very active and energetic dog.
Eskenji is cross between an American Eskimo Dog and Basenji. These make good guard dogs.
Best female and male dog names
You can name your Basenji as Bruno or Toby if he is a male and Kiki or Sugar if she is a female.
How to adopt this dog
You can also browse a specific site to adopt a Basenji
Pictures and Videos
Photo Credits: Bronco, Frei sein