Hi Hoot,
Welcome to the forum. I wanted to introduce myself to you because I too adopted a dog for the same reasons. I wanted a companion for my Golden Retriever who is also my service dog. He had gained a lot of weight during a period where I was sick with my MS. I decided to go to our local shelter and found my baby Taz. He had a great personality and got along well with my Golden "Levi" . I too did not know what kind of dog he was until my BF figured it out. All we knew was that he was hound/terrier mixed. Little did I know he was Basenji or even what a Basenji was. I learned quickly. lol.. He too likes to chew a lot and we have to put everything out of his reach, especially cell phones (from experience) He won't mess with the remote control though. He does like to table surf and will take anything from gloves to mail to cellphones off the tables. He is a very loveable dog though. He loves to be in my lap and is a leaner. You will probably find she is very cat like as it is a trait of basenji's. My Taz likes to lean up against me when i am getting ready in the bathroom or when I am standing around. He is very partial to me though he loves my BF (not sure why) but he doesn't sit with him unless I am out of the room. I have to put baby gates up to keep him from going into the kitchen or from going upstairs to table surf in the bathroom or bedrooms or keep the doors shut. You will find baby gates very helpful. Also you will find that keeping lots and lots of chew toys around will be very helpful to keep her attention off of things she shouldn't chew. We use Nylabones for powerful chewers and they love pigs ears and will take them a while to chew them. Kongs are great as well because they can chew them and not destroy them as they tend to do to other softer plastic toys. I have also found he loves tennis balls and won't destroy them as well. He is fully crate trained but will sleep in the bed with me when my BF is not here. They are very playful as well. Females do tend to try to be more dominant but being a dominant person can offset that problem. Here are some pics of my Taz and you can see they look very much alike. Taz's tail is curled but not nearly as much as a full Basenji. His ears also tip more like a terrier as well. He sheds very little though when I brought him home he was shedding very bad and I don't know if it was stress related to him being at the shelter or if it was just his diet. I feed him purina pro plan sensitve stomach and skin formula which consist of salmon, brewers rice and oatmeal which are very healty for them and keeps their fur shiney and their skin healthy as well as their stomachs. You will find though the longer you have her you will fall in love with Basenjis. I hope you enjoy her and have lots of fun.
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Meet Gracie! Basenji Australian Cattle Dog Mix
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Gracie is very cute! How much does she weigh? Hard to see from the pictures. FYI Basenjis will let out a bark once in a while, mostly when someone unknown shows up.
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Gracie is adorable!
Just waiting for someone to rub her belly! -
She is so cute! Love those eyes in this first picture.
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Gracie is adorable.
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Cute ! and the 'gimme tummy rubs' expression is pure Basenji.
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@graciedoggie
Gracie - is BEAUTIFUL! Thanks for sharing - she’s a real cutie. ️ -
@graciedoggie said in Meet Gracie! Basenji Australian Cattle Dog Mix:
we assume that she is a basenji x american cattle dog mix
Just out of curiousity... why do you think she's part Cattle dog?
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Oops! I meant to type Australian cattle dog. We think so because her tail doesn’t curl, she barks quite a lot, her “forehead” isn’t as wrinkled, and her snout is on the longer side.
But honestly, we aren’t completely certain. When we rescued her, the shelter went with the loose assumption that she was part american fox hound. However, we see more Australian cattle dog, and ACD x Basenji is more of a common mix than AFH x Basenji.
I’d love to hear what you think insight is appreciated.
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@graciedoggie I see a lot of Basenji characteristics, but I can't figure out the Cattle Dog part. I suppose that's why I asked. I just can't "see" any influence from a Cattle Dog. We've seen a few dogs that look like Basenji's and DNA results tell a different story.
A Basenji's forehead wrinkles will come and go based on expression and they way they hold their head at the time. Her face doesn't seem out of proportion (based on your photos). The barking is the real bell-ringer for me, that might be the most "un-Basenji" trait you listed. When I take "doodle" for a walk, there are certain neighborhood dogs that will bark at her (or me?) as we pass. Doodle will look at them and tilt her head a little bit, as if to say, "What's your problem?", before we continue on.
If you are referring to that kind of barking, then I would guess (whatever her mix is) that would have been passed down from a non-Basenji parent. If her barks are just random one syllable "woof's", then she might not be as much of a mix as you are assuming. ( shrug ) The only way to really know is through a DNA test, but it's only important if you think it is.
The important thing is the love and attention you lavish on her. I'm glad you've built a good family with her in it. Congrats.
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@elbrant Our Stella is ½ Aussie Cattle Dog (her mother was rescued from a kill shelter while she was pregnant, so we got to meet her!) and we’ve always wondered what her other ½ is … she could be Gracie’s doppelgänger! I’m going to do a DNA test anyway (happy birthday present to me!) so I’ll keep y’all posted.
Here’s Stella with her mama!
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That Mama/puppy relationship is beautiful ! I love the puppy ! Welcome to the forum and we look forward to hearing the results of the DNA test.