History

The Basenji is one of the most ancient dog breeds and belongs to the sighthound family. Although now considered a Congolese breed, his origins are a mystery, the first traces of a dog similar to the Basenji having been found in the Egyptian tombs and wall drawings of five thousand years ago. Basenjis are depicted sitting at the feet of their masters, looking just as they do today, with prick ears and tightly curled tail. The breed survived to the fall of the Egyptian civilization being preserved in Central Africa, where it was highly prized for its intelligence, hunting power and speed and was used as a guide in the forests and to warn against the approach of dangerous animals being. It was brought to Europe around 1934. However most of the dogs died from diseases and it was not until mid 1900’s that breed of the Basenji in Europe was successful. the Basenji has two main characteristics that are tipical of wild canids: theyhave only a breeding cycle a year, generaly in autumn and they do not bark. Instead they chortle, whine, squeal, and make a Basenji-specific noise called a yodel or a baroo, hence its popularity as the "Barkless Dog". Another distinguishing feature is the grooming that it carries out in the manner of cat.

Description

The Basenji is a small, graceful, athletic and short-haired dog, which it is said to have the appearance of a miniature deer. The body is lightly built, balanced with a short back, short coupled and ending in a definite waist, appearing high on the leg compared to its length. The wrinkled head is proudly carried, with a permanent frowning, quizzical expression. The skull is flat and the muzzle is shorter than the skull, neither coarse nor snipy, but with rounded cushions. The almond-shaped eyes, obliquely set, vary from dark hazel to dark brown. The pointed ears are straight and slightly hooded, set well forward on top of head and with short fur to allow for heat loss. Legs are lean and long to allow free movement which looks like horse trotting. The tail is tightly curled and is held closely to the body. The close-fitting coat is short, sleek, the colour ranging from pure black, chestnut red and tricolor (pure black and chestnut red); or brindle (black stripes on a background of chestnut red); the feet, chest and tail tip are always. The amount of white should never predominate over primary color.

Behaviour

The Basenji is highly intelligent, always alert and a quick learner. It has a strong desire to please and therefore it is not difficult to handle if trained from an early age. This breed can be reserved with strangers but is very affectionate towards the famility, making a good pet. They are usually patient with children if raised around them, but do best with older children. They are very energetic and love playing, running and climbing and can easily get over chain wire fences They are also demanding and inquisitive, the curiosity being a real feature of its temperament.

The Basenji can become bored and destructive when left alone if not supervised or trained properly. As they like chewing, they should be given lots of toys to play with.

Health & Care

This breed is prone to progressive retinal atrophy, intestinal, eye problems and Fanconi’s syndrome (kidney problems).

Trivia

The tribes from the northeastern Congo region (the Mangbetus and Azandes) describe Basenjis, in the local Lingala language, as "embwa na bwasenji", which means "dogs from when we were wild" or "dogs from long ago".