Hi There,

Just wondering if there are any basenji owners on here?  I have recently bought my very first basenji and will be getting her out to some shows in the summer if all goes to plan, so would be lovely to chat to some people in the breed who might be there too! :)

Jess

Hi Jess, apart from me none that I'm aware of :)

I already know you lol!  Oh well, guess its just us then!

Do you think you will make it to Southern Counties?  Thats Maya's first show!

No I'm sticking to breed specialists for coming to the mainland.

Hi Jess

Although Dobes are my first breed I also have a Basenji male aged 14 months.  I go to some Open Shows, but haven't any Champ shows booked at the moment.  He isn't the easiest of dogs to show so I'm taking it easy with him.  His name is Cooper and he's a red and white.

Have fun with your little girl.  They are def a breed with their own mind.

Wishing you lots of success x

Im hoping to get Maya out to some open shows (if i can find any with classes, oly one local one so far!!!) so maybe see you at those :)

My little Basenji is (so far) proving to be one of the easiest pups i've had.  She house trained herself in about 2 days.  She doesnt bark, chew or bite and she just seemed to walk on the lead straight away.  And she LOVES being on the table lol  Maybe that is because i have pugs also though, i dont think there is a breed out there more stubborn than a pug!!!

I am really looking forward to getting her out to some shows.  I think she is gorgeous (obviously!!) but she just has so much attitude so i think she will enjoy showing!

I know someone whose bitch should have just had puppies.......
Karen :)

We classify classes for Basenji and had noticed in recent years their numbers seem to be dropping but they now seem to be increasing so let's hope it continues. They are natural show dogs having in the most part an arrogant attitude.

I'm here, though don't post much (time, time!) Cooper's nearly sister (same sire, dams are littermates) and their grandsire live here, as does their cousin and an elderly lady.

> I'm here, though don't post much (time, time!) Cooper's nearly sister (same sire, dams are littermates) and their grandsire live here, as does their cousin and an elderly lady. <IMG class=qButton title="Quote selected text" alt="Quote selected text" src="/images/mi_quote.gif">

Hiya didn't know you were a member here. Just read your post about your lads lead, scary stuff, I have the same problem with my lad and other dogs so know the feeling.

Jenny

Yes, it was horrible and it took me ages to get over it; the very next day I ordered a stout buckle lead to match his collar and I defy him to undo that!

Really, it's quite scary how easy it is to unclip the trigger, it catches on the keeper when the dog twists round and undoes itself. Trust a Basenji to figure out how!

Too intelligent. It happened to me, though luckily it was Cali and not near a road and no other dogs about so she didn't take off but still scary all the same when you start thinking about the what iffs!!

Didn't know you were on the forum Lisa !!!!  Cooper sends hugs to his Grandad and half sisters xxx

Jess you won't find many Open Shows that have Basenj Classes, you usually have to go in AVNSC Hound, but it's all good practice.  Glad your little girl is coming on well, I hope you have alot of success with her.  Wish I could say the same about my boy, he's turned out to be a handsome looking chap, he just doesn't like this showing business, c'est la vie !!!!

Yeah, there does seem to be almost no basenji classes which is a shame.  We have had a schedule through for a local show (like, 10 mins away!!!) that does have basenji classes so we will definately take Maya along to that!  Got to support the local shows when they put on your classes havent you :) 

She had her second ringcraft class last night and was a bit cheekier.  She's turned into a wriggler on the table since last week it seems lol  Had tail wagging madly and kept trying to see what the "judge" was doing, she's far too nosey!  But not too bad considering she's only a baby.  Its hard to tell if they will enjoy showing til you get them out there, but Maya certainly has the attitude for it at the moment, its all "me me me"! lol

With the exception of the Hound Group open shows there are very, very few open shows that put on Basenji classes; the last one in central Southern England has just dropped them due to lack of entries. I admit to being guilty of doing few open shows as an exhibitor; the champ shows plus other doggy commitments (not to mention the work that puts food in the bowls!) don't leave a lot of spare weekends, and the champ shows are getting very expensive too, just as we are all belt-tightening.

Yes got to admit it isn't easy getting classes.  My OH is Secretary of an Canine Club and we just pray we get the entries needed to keep going.  So far so good though.  I support the Open Shows quite alot of the time.  It's easier for me to enter the Basenji and then if he still isn't in the right frame of mind I just withdraw him, at least the clubs still get the entry.  I don't do it for Champ shows though, like Lisa said  they are getting too expensive.

Jess glad the ringcraft is still going well, your little one is just being a puppy, interested in all that is going on around her, just the way it should be !!!!!!!

The AVNSC Hound classes will be fine for us as we usually take a couple of labs and pugs along to the shows anyway so its not like we will be going just for Maya!  But it would be nice to see more basenji classes, its a shame really, but i suppose there just arent the number of dogs around to warrant them very often.

Very small brag though, a little bit off topic!  My little Maya went "NFC" to her first show yesterday!  Just a general open show, very busy, lots of dogs and people.  I thought she'd be a little bit nervous as they can be a wary breed of course.  No such thing with Maya!  She was chatting to any dog who came over to her and anyone who walked past had a dancing basenji on its hind legs infront of them as she wanted attention!  She had several cuddles with her new friends at the shows and just thoroughly enjoyed it!  Im just SO pleased with her temperment, i was really expecting it to be good as her parents have such good temperments, but you never know how they will react at a show!

We even took the opportunity to have a practice in a ring when it came empty.  Stood her on the table and did some laps of the ring.  She wasn't phased at all by everything around her and was really well behaved!  Didnt realise how fast i'd be habving to run with her though! lol!!  Faster than i ever have to with the labs!  But, some people who'd been watching her came over when i brought her out of the ring to say how nice she looked, so that was lovely.  Bless her!

Glad to hear she enjoyed her day out.  I know what you mean about the pace at which you move them, nothing small dog about it is there !!!!! mind you I love to see a Basenji moving out properly, they can really move and look really graceful.

It must be because there aren't that many about, I got the same reaction when I started taking Cooper around the shows, quite a few people were attracted to him.  He's a typical male Basenji now only wants to speak to people he knows or the ones that don't invade his air space.  He's not nasty just aloof.  I'm just praying I can get him on that table again.  We'll see, what will be will be.  But they are a fasinating breed, I could watch his antics for ever, don't need a TV for entertainment in my house !!!!!  there isn't a day go past when I don't laugh at something he has done !!!!!  Bit of a wake up call after my Dobes !!!!  THey watch him too, but in a completely different frame of mind me thinks !!!!!!!

They are an amazing breed to watch moving out.  And Maya has such a long stride, she really slings her back legs out lol!  Think i'll have to get myself down the gym or i shall be exhausted trying to keep us with her!  She is so different to a labrador or pug (my other breeds) at the same age.  They are still fairly uncoordinated at 4 months, all legs!  But Maya is just like a minature adult, not like a puppy at all lol  And she even acts very grown up.  They are a very interesting breed.

They do definately seem to be a very fun breed.  Maya does the strangest things sometimes.  And i can never tell her off cos she does it with such an angelic look on her face!  She is a good puppy really though.  I've had a few puppies, but she has been the easiest by far - so far!!!  She is no trouble to have around at all :D

Maybe we will see you and Cooper at a show sometime if you can get him sorted.  That would be good!

It would be lovely to swap notes with you Jess.

I live in Essex and get and about to most of the shows, even if Cooper isn't actively showing he is always with me, to do his meet and greet.  Anything my Dobes do he has to be part of of and usually gets more attendtion than the others all put together !!!!

They are like a mini adult aren't they, although I think the males take a little longer than the females as with most breeds !!! ( including humans !!!!! ).  Can't say he's the easiet puppy I've ever owned though !!!  my Dobes are really easy going in comparision, but I wanted a different breed and certainly got one and wouldn't part with him for the world, he's my Little Man !!!!  He's got his head jammed firmly up against my youngest Dobes' backside at the moment, sound asleep and like a hot water bottle, he's like a heat seeking missile !!!

Hope to catch up with you one of these days x

Im in Gloucestershire, but we probably will be travelling around to try and find any basenji classes.  And will be going to the club shows if you will be taking Cooper to those?? 

Maya had her 3rd Ringcraft class last night (she's getting better each week which is good lol) and this morning she didnt wake me up - BAD PUPPY!!  And i'd forgotten to set my alarm so i didnt wake up til 8am and had to be at work for 8:30 lol.  She is always shattered after ringcraft.  She curled up on the pillow and didnt move til i woke her up this morning, which she wasn't overly impressed about either!!  The pugs especially were the complete opposite, they are always on the go!  Maya is obviously pretty lazy for a basenji!  She just loves sleeping.  As soon as i come home she's trying to get upstairs to go to bed lol!!  Gotta love her.  I have been warned to expect her to turn into an evil devil pup anyday, but so far she is just an angel..  Quite nice really as i'd prepared myself to have a really hard time with her.  Im still waiting for that to happen!

But, major breakthrough last night!  We're working on freestanding.  The breeder had the table work down perfectly for me when Maya came so she's brilliant with that, but she didnt freestand particularly well so thats been our mission!  And last night she free stood, perfectly square AND stayed still while the "judge" walked all around her and had a good look!  Not bad for 4 months! :D  I do expect her to embarrass me horribly in the ring though... lol

As long as she enjoys what she's doing and she's still a baby. 

It's funny Cooper doesn't do mornings either, he's the last one up every morning and the last to have his breakfast, last to have have a pee and then crawls up on his chair by the radiator !!!!!  I thought it was grumpy old man syndrome, mind you I don't do mornings either, need a caffine intake first !!!!

I found free standing Cooper really easy, him took to the stand and wait command with no probs and just stands there four square.  They have such a lovely outline as a breed, I think I was attracted to them because of the outline being like the Dobe, what you see is what you get, nothing to hide !!!!  very smart dog.