Have to vent after yesterday...
I repeat do not get a basenji
Sure they sound great on paper, great looking, don't bark, do not really shed, self cleaning like cats, no oil glands-so no doggy smell.
Really it is more like owning this-
I took my dog to the vet to have his teeth cleaned yesterday, we brush his teeth, but he's 7 and it was time to knock him out to do a real check up.
He hates having his nails trimmed and goes psycho, so we take him to the vet to have it done. At first they were able to muzzle him, but Basenji's are smart, so the mere sight of a muzzle now and he starts barring his teeth. Then we had to trick him, but he learned these tricks (doesn't get fooled again), so now the vet made a nylon slip noose to try to get around his muzzle, like the crocodile hunter uses. Now he has learned to stick his head between his front legs they can't slip it around him. It take three people to hold him down to get it on him, with him snarling and snapping. If he bites you, he draws blood or will leave a huge nasty bruise because - their jaws are able to crush bone. Once he got loose and actually chased the vet assistant. She said a dog never went after her like that!
He is a dog without fear and is solid muscle
Back to the teeth cleaning. The funny thing is he fought them to the very end. We also drugged him before he came with a double dose of tranquilizers and he still fought like a hellcat. He would not let them pick him up, they had to use his leash and hold his head against the crate bars to inject him.
The really funny part was once they sedated him with an injection, he refused to breath the gas when they but the mask on him on the table. He was holding his breath still fighting!
I'm surprised they will even treat him, but money is money, $500 for teeth cleaning & blood work.
In his recovery crate after that he whined & howled for over two hours and drove them crazy. They can't bark but are far from mute!
When my wife picked him up he was horse from whining
What people dont realize is Basenji's really are more like a semi tame wild animal.
They are not like regular dogs in that they respect their owners. No means nothing to them. They are more like cats, in that they do as they want, but will do most things for treats & foods. They do not respond to negative training or punishment. So if you try to intimidate one, they wont back down and things can get ugly. Any kind of punishment can turn a basenji into a dangerous non trusting animal. That's why you don't see them in pet shops. Crate training is essential.
To train a basenji we had to be trained, by the dogs and our dog's breeder. Funny part is he is well trained when rewarded. He knows all kinds of tricks that he will perform, but when he wants!
The things that make him a perfect hunter-dog, make for a bad pet, high intelligence (that means they trick you), is both a scent hound and sight hound, can run 35 miles per hour, so you can't catch him if he gets something or runs away.
Because they are fearless the number one killer of basenji's are cars. In the wild if you run from something, it means death-leopards are said to love to eat basenjis. They stand their ground and will fight to the death vs retreating. So if they run in front of a car they stop and stand their ground or are so prey driven they don't see it coming.
The real irony is we love him and he is a part of our family. He normally is a gentle loving dog, but when it comes to nail trimming or muzzles, he gives every ounce of himself to fight you. Funny too is that most people that meet him, really like him because he is such a proud & gentle dog, he commands respect. But after yesterday everyone has been traumatized, the dog, the vet and our family!
The dog from hell, the devil himself.
Get a stupid lazy dog, not a basenji.
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