Do not get a BASENJI!!!!!!!!

[Barklessdog]

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.

[uwe]

I'm asking the question very, very gently  : Why does a dog need to have its claws cut and its teeth brushed? It's beyond me, I grew up with German Shepherds and poodles, none of them ever needed that, their claws did not grow into their paws and they did not die of caries either. No one does that to basenjis before Central African huts I dare guess.

I'm not saying, it's just an animal, get rid of it if it doesn't "work". I've taken animals to vets to have them saved and cured which were economically speaking "not worth it". That's not my agenda at all, if you love an animal then care for it. But I think the dog's - may I say: natural and understandable - behaviour should tell you something. He doesn't want his teeth cleaned and he doesn't want his claws cut, they are his only means of defense and attack!

If you take him for walks outside and let him run, let him hone his claws digging holes or clawing tree bark, that must surely be sufficient to wear his claws down, he's no cat which retracts them! And dogs have long tongues and saliva which take care of their teeth, yes they wear'em down with age (like we all do) and they turn brown and once in a while they even have a cavity, their farts start to smell bad ... dogs get old too. Let them. 

Or is ist that I'm just so far removed to how dogs are kept state of the art today? Do I sound like my grandfather?

Uwe

[Barklessdog]

The claws, start to curl under and twist their toes, which would not happen in the wild as they were not meant to live on hard surfaces like wood & concrete. As far as the teeth, they get bad teeth and need dental care like humans do. If he has a bad tooth why let him suffer?

Also as far as his defensive aggression goes, I agree he's not doing it unprovoked, but just trying to defend himself. Most dogs don't do it to the degree basenjis do though. Thats why we have kept him. I can't blame him.

Also I believe that getting a dog or cat is a commitment like having a child, that they are family members for better or worse, not something to be disposed of. Yes, there are limits, like for me, house trained (our dogs are great at that). I wont tolerate an animal the urinates in your house. My wife's sister had a cat that urinated everywhere in their house. When you went over the ammonia odor burned your eyes & nose it was so strong.

[uwe]

"If he has a bad tooth why let him suffer?"

No issue with taking him to the vet then, but does he need his teeth cleaned regularly to not get caries?

[Barklessdog]

Yes just like people. If they get a bad tooth they can't tell you.

[Dave W]

A man who rented a home in my neighborhood last year had a Basenji. He would walk it and a smaller toy-sized dog, and I'd occasionally run into him while walking my dog. It was interesting. The little dog wanted to be friendly to both of us; Jackson the Basenji would let me pet him but he was definitely very tense and on high alert because of Jody. I got the feeling he would have loved to be unleashed so he could chase her away. At the same time, he always seemed to be focused on whatever was far ahead of him. Very intense dog.

[Barklessdog]

At the same time, he always seemed to be focused on whatever was far ahead of him. Very intense dog.

Thats a good description, intense. They are considered sight hounds so are farsighted, so that makes sense.

They are also very "pack order" oriented, where they need to find out who is boss, when they meet other dogs. If another dog is unruly or "wild" they will not hesitate to put the dog in its place. Our neighbor has a part australian shepherd and the dog just bolted loose at my dog ij their front yard. The shepherd is probably at least three times his size. He instantly grabbed the dog by the throat and flipped her over, holding her down till she submitted. She never saw it coming. She does not do that anymore.

Once we met a Burmese Mountain dog, which was the size of a ST Bernard. My dog (always on a leash) just jumped on the poor dogs back started trying to grab her by the neck. The other owners give you this look. I don't let them meet other dogs anymore.



Our female is of  close African descent and she kills animal instantly. She has caught & killed adult birds, rabbits squirrels , etc. The prey drive in them is unstoppable. They are true hunting dogs, but only for themselves. Again not the best for a pet, but at least they can't kill a person, like a Rot or pit bull can.

This is why you do not take a basenji to a dog park-

They wont stop and some dogs my not like their constant harassment.

Here is a video of them lure coarsing- a form of racing, but done by pet owners.The dogs barking are other breeds like whippets
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTjahfA8zgU&feature=related

[felig]

Reminds me of a Medium Sulfer-crested Cockatoo, Sydney, that I used to own--very sweet bird, but she never had her wings clipped nor did she like to have her toenails trimmed.  Her vet recommended that we leave her wings unclipped, but of course we did need to trim the old talons.  After a couple of really traumatic (for all parties) toe trimming session--we were pleased to see a bird and tropical fish shop open nearby & offer reasonably-priced nail & wing clipping services for parrots. 

So, I took Sydney in to the shop & one guy took her into the backroom to work on her.  Very shortly, he asked for his partner to help him out.  I watched through the door to the backroom & watched as one guy tried to pin Sydney down with a towel over her head as she was screaming & beating him with her wings while the other guy tried to unclench her feet.  Sydney managed to free her head and bit a finger on the guy holding her down.  When I say "bit" his finger, I mean she laid about half of his finger open and there was blood (his) all over the place. 

Sydney ended up not getting her toenails trimmed that day & within the month, the shop was only doing tropical fish.

[OldManC]

Sydney ended up not getting her toenails trimmed that day & within the month, the shop was only doing tropical fish.

That just cracked me up! Sounds like a bird I'd get along well with. 

[Dave W]

Jody was a perfect lady when she recently had her nails trimmed. But that's only because she was under light sedation for tooth extractions at the time. Otherwise she might have been as feisty as Fred's cockatoo.

[Barklessdog]

Jody was a perfect lady when she recently had her nails trimmed. But that's only because she was under light sedation for tooth extractions at the time. Otherwise she might have been as feisty as Fred's cockatoo.

They had us double dose our dog and did little in affecting him.

[godofthunder]

 We have had dogs all our life. Right now we have a rescue Collie. Smart...............when he feels like it. Stuborn................all the time. His only saving grace is that he is a sweetheat and devoted to our daughter. After this one is gone no more dogs, I want my life back. John your posts made me laugh so hard ! We almost bought a Basenji about 20 years ago, Glad we didn't. Should I feel bad about laughing at your suffering ? I kind of do but your dog stories are funny.

[Barklessdog]

The saga continues-everyone loves a good saga right?

Jules bought a rare LP, but the buyer would not ship overseas from Ebay. I volunteered to be a go between. I put it on the dinning room table, where there is bunch of other stuff. I even put it on top of a bowl,on the inner table out of reach right?

WRONG!

He was being a pest, wanting attention from me, Im ignored him, a minute later we hear this big ripping noise in the dinning room!

Of corse out of all the thing on the table he picked the worst possible thing to damage. My wife was able to get the LP away from him, but he tore the sleeve and pulled off a little corner. Amazing the LP itself seems to be fine, the sleeve can be repaired. I already told Jules the bad news, he seems to be not too infuriated. I offered to reimburse him for it.

Because of a basenji's long legs they can reach up to kitchen counters & tables.


They also use their paws like a cat.


Having a dog is a ball & chain, like a kid who never grows up. Cats are so much easier.

[godofthunder]

  John man you could write a book on dog stories. Laughing once again. What LP ( I thought it was a bass at first) did he get a hold of ? We hardly travel at all because of the dog. In March we are going to Colonial  Williamsburg. Dumbassses acomadations are almost as much $ as ours !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can afford the vacation I just can't afford the dogs vacation.

[Barklessdog]

It was a rare promo gibson vinyl bass demo disc- I think the whole neighborhood heard me scream-

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooooooo!"

The dog was there when I received it, he knew how special it was to me, how it was not mine. He did it on propose to get back at me!

There was a bunch of other papers & stuff he could have got. The LP he had to really try to get.


Like kids they know how to push your buttons.