09 Jan Interesting Facts about the Basenji Dog Breed

Basenjis are beautiful, fast and sharp dogs that are used for hunting, but at the same time, they adapt to living in apartments. This breed is known in Africa as a dog that doesn’t bark. On the other hand, he loves to play. If you want to play with him. the best game is tossing the tennis ball; because they are very sharp and love to chase. They are clean dogs with almost cat-like grooming habits. If you keep the house perfectly clean, you have made their work much more manageable. They are also excellent watchdogs and will defend your people and property. Stay tuned to the end of this article to learn more about the Basenji dog breed.

Basenji Dog Breed Knowledge

• Basenji’s skin colour is usually brown or orange with white paint, but black is also seen in them.
• Basenjis are fast dogs and can run away from you and get lost, so it’s better to keep them in an environment with a fence.
• Bathing a Basenji is easy; because they have short hair.
• The Basenji is known for being a low-barking dog, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t make any noise. As a dog, he howls like others.
• The relationship between Basenji and other pets is cold. If he grows up with another cat from a young age, he can get used to him, but if you keep rodents such as pigs and hamsters, Basenjis are troublesome.
• Remember that this breed isn’t suitable for keeping in a small yard containing water and food. He needs more of your attention.

Basenji Dog Breed Character

Basenji dog breed is intelligent and independent. This dog is a scout hunter, meaning that with his strong vision, he can simultaneously find and follow any moving animal and his owner’s commands.

Health and disease of Basenji dog breed

Basenjis are healthy, but like all breeds, they are prone to some diseases. Not all dogs of this breed get sick, but if you deal with this breed, it’s necessary to pay attention to it and be aware.

Fanconi syndrome

It’s a type of kidney disease in which the dog excretes protein and urine. Fortunately, a solution has been found for this disease, but it’s costly and time-consuming.

Bowel Disease

This condition, similar to irritable bowel disease in humans, is commonly known as malabsorption. The dog appears to have a permanent allergic reaction to the food. These dogs have chronic diarrhoea and difficulty gaining weight. Treatment includes reducing stress, changing diet, and using medications to reduce the histamine response. This situation has been seen much less in Basenji compared to the past.

Anaemia

This is a genetic disease in which the balance is affected by two defective genes for the production of pyruvate kinase. The enzyme needed to maintain red blood cells is reduced. Basenji, with this disease, usually doesn’t live more than two years after birth.

Hypothyroidism

Hypothyroidism is a disorder of the thyroid gland. It’s thought to cause conditions such as epilepsy, alopecia (hair loss), obesity, lethargy, hyperpigmentation, and other skin diseases that are treated with medicine and diet.

Progressive Retinal Atrophy ( PRA )

This degenerative eye disorder eventually causes blindness or loss of photoreceptors in the back of the eye. PRA can be diagnosed several years before a dog shows signs of blindness. Fortunately, dogs can compensate for their other senses in the event of blindness, and a blind dog can live a whole and happy life. So please don’t get him used to moving around the furniture. Accredited breeders take their dogs to an ophthalmologist annually and receive a veterinary certificate showing that they don’t have this breed disease.

Umbilical hernia

At the time of birth, a part of fat or internal tissue is placed outside the basenji’s body in the lower position of the navel (this may happen before dawn during the fetal period or a few weeks after the delivery of the puppy). Some small umbilical hernias may disappear at six months, but others require surgery.

Hip Dysplasia

It’s a type of hereditary disease among dogs in which the femur doesn’t connect to the hip joint. In some cases, surgery is required.

Nutrition

Giving him 1 to 3 cups of high-quality dog food in two meals daily is better. The amount of food you give your dog varies depending on age, size and activity. If you feel your dog is overweight, give him the same two meals, but slowly reduce the amount over time.

Basenji dog breed grooming 

Taking a bath

Basenjis keep themselves clean like cats and only need to bathe once a month. These dogs shed like any other dog, but their hair is tiny so that it isn’t visible at all, and they can be trimmed easily.

Nail trimming

Nail trimming is necessary once or twice a month. If you hear them dragging on the floor, they are too loud. Keeping the toenails trimmed regularly in good condition will help you avoid scratching your hands and body when the dog jumps enthusiastically to greet you. There are blood vessels in a dog’s toenails, and if you over-bite the nail, it will bleed, and your dog may not cooperate the next time he sees a nail clipper. So, if you are new to dog nail trimming, ask a vet.

Checking mouth and ears

Start the habit of examining your dog when he is a puppy. Groom his paws often – he’s a picky dog about his feet – and look inside his mouth and ears. Make grooming a positive experience with praise and rewards and ease the way for veterinary exams. Look inside his mouth as you groom him for signs of sores, itching, or infection, such as redness, tenderness, or inflammation of the skin in his nose, mouth, eyes, and feet. The look should be free of any redness or discharge. A detailed weekly check-up will help you find potential health problems in the early stages. 

Check your dog’s ears regularly to prevent ear infections (ears often turn red during infection. Cleaning them with a cotton ball moistened with a mild, pH-balanced ear cleaner is necessary to help prevent disease. If it gets dry along the edge of the ear, lubricate them with baby oil or coconut oil. Don’t insert anything into the ear canal; cleaning the outer ear is enough.

Compatibility

With other dogs

Basenjis generally have cold behaviour with other dogs if they are given excellent and sufficient training when they are puppies. They are well-socialized and accept cats as their playmates. Of course, when they want to meet another dog for the first time, it’s better to control everything well so that the situation is calm and supervised. When you want to adopt this breed, you should know that they should be your only pet because they can’t live with another dog or cat and enjoy all the attention for themselves.

With children

Basenjis are excellent and beautiful pets; since these dogs are friendly, they have a good relationships and adaptability with children. Of course, they may be worried about small children. When the dog is with your child, someone should supervise them; children play with a lot of fuss and noise. So the dog thinks that the child is in danger and may react, which unintentionally hurts the child.

Training 

It can be safely said that the Basenji is one of the intelligent dog breeds. They have a lot of energy and are also a bit stubborn in learning, and sometimes they get nervous about learning. So, it would be best if you created variety in their training. You must be very patient in training them and repeat the movement continuously. A good feature of these dogs is that they tend to form a strong bond with a person, which makes it very easy to train them.

Keep in mind that these dogs are susceptible, so violence or cruel behaviour shouldn’t be used in training them. If violence is used for them, they don’t learn the training and become very withdrawn and depressed. Basenjis respond to treats and can learn house rules and behaviour with patience. 

The destructive behaviour 

Basenji dogs are known for not barking, but that doesn’t mean they are always quiet and inactive. In this regard, we must say that these dogs have very high energy, which they must release through exercise and activity during the day. If they don’t release their power, they will sabotage and corrupt. The best way to do this when you aren’t at home and don’t want your dog to cause havoc is to train him to stay in the crate when he isn’t under your supervision.

To wrap up

The Basenji, the African “dog without barking”, is a compact and intelligent hunter with a sweet face. They are unique and tempting pets and are the best choice for owners who can meet their dog’s exercise needs and training challenges. To have a healthy and lively dog, you need to pay attention to nutrition, activity, health, grooming, etc. You can prevent the disease and have a healthy dog in this case. In all these steps, you can count on the specialized team of MishkaGrooming. Our experienced and precise groomers have carefully and accurately groomed your dogs, so they count the moments before the next session.