Breeder Talk

Try this website for further information maybe it will help you out, I only got the USDA reports but you never know …http://www.petshoppuppies.com/

A long time ago I was at a seminar put on by the Senior Conformation Dog Show Judges. When we were on the structure section, something that was said really resonated with me. The example they gave was 2 dogs 2 different breedings that you are considering for a stud dog. Both have many sterling qualities one has Fair hips and one has Good hips - who do you use. Most everyone said Good hips. However then we got the rest of this information. The Fair dog was the only Fair in a litter of Good. The Good dog was the only Good in a litter of Fair/Poor. With that additional information - the Fair dog is actually the best choice. Too many times we are making breeding decisions based on incomplete information. I reimburse my pet people who get thier dogs OFA'd but they still seldom do. :(

Gibbs likes to explore the shower too..but ONLY if he knows he can exit upon choice. I have found him dancing around in the bathtub trying to rip up the suction cup plastic (need I say more?) bathmat many, many times. He also learned to flip the lever up and turn the water on to get a drink! I was worried about the hot water lever so I have taken to closing the bathroom door. He only gets entry to the bathroom if I am home and can keep an eye on him and what he is up to. If he does leave my side I KNOW I better check and see what his bad-boy-self is investigating….as for grooming: unless he is a muddy mess, no bath. He will allow it but looks insulted. The pet wipes will help sometimes but most of the year he does his own Basenji-self-cleaning-ritual. Gibby adores the glove brushing! He thinks that's pure Momma-love time and I just talk to him as he gets a brushing so he thinks of it as petting. The vet attends to his nails and on occasion if he is tired and sitting on my lap I can use an emery board to smooth them.. We are on our 10th toothbrush--it's not that he so strongly dislikes the teeth cleaning but he flippin' loves finding where I store the toothbrush for him (ugh). He really had some damaged teeth and I just try to clean them as best as I can. He allows you to use the finger-swab brushes easily as he thinks he's getting a treat. It's so funny how particular they can be..

During the summer I bathe my dogs every couple of weeks – more if I feel they need it. I use a protein/lanolin shampoo by biogreen, and we've never had a problem with dry skin; leaves their coats so shiny and soft, and doesn't smell funky like some dog shampoos do.

Mine is the Oster Dremmel that has a very low setting that I use with sand paper NO STONES :)

I had an "oops" litter 4 months ago between an 11 year old male and a 9 year old bitch. This was the bitch's third litter. She had no complications during pregnancy nor in delivery. If the scenario wasn't odd enough to begin with, the bitch has gone through alot of positive changes since delivering. She has slimmed down and is maintaining the best weight she has had in years. She has become active and playful again and her attitude is almost always happy. I'm thoroughly enjoying these changes in her and she is too. I don't know what was in those "puppy hormones" but I wish I could bottle it and sell it LOL! :D

With the last litter Milo, the sire/dog, on occasions was a little rough when playing with them but not meaning to be. He is very good with his front paws - could teach him to tie a knot if I had the patience and loves to shake hands and also likes to give things a bit of a tap at times - like the cat when it is asleep - and he can tap a little harder than he means to at times. He's a year older now so I'm hoping he'll be a little more sensitive this time with the pups. Still, I will need to keep an eye on him.

Yes, Arlene, you do need at some point to take a stand and trust what you see and what you like… Breeding comes down to that in the end.... And with a bitch that is only 1 1/2 yrs looking down from the top is not a very good judge... IMO... reason?... They are not mature yet... and they shouldn't be.... their ribs have not even "sprung" at this age.. again IMO.... I would be hard pushed to say a dog is "wider" in the front then the rear at this age by just looking down on them.... again IMO.... Here is a link to 3 pictures of Kobey, 6wks, 3 months and 5 1/2 months... everything I saw on this pup at 6 wks that I liked (and that is a bit early then the 8 wks usually used for evaluating pups) I still see... but there are differences while growing... Now granted this pup is one of the few that has yet to really fall apart with a growing spurt... And also the faults that I saw at 6wks are still there too..... www.tanzabasenjis.net/kobeygrowing.html

The Basenjis that I have, have Champions and Dual Champions in the first 5 generations both Sire and Dam, plus the dog/bitch itself is a Conformation Champion, Duel Champions (Field and show ring) along with Obedience….. that doesn't mean that I think they should or need to be bred... and that said, were not...

I can just see them in the ring…thinking 'fine don't give me that liver right now...I know if a few hours, you will take that jacket off, and lay it on the bed, and when you go to the bathroom, I will just get it then' envisioning them rubbing their little digits together in a tent like fashion....patience, patience....

Mollysmom-gosh I'm so sorry that your breeder just went MIA like that. It's tough when you first get these little furballs you could use all the guidance you can get. And usually they are very helpful. Hang in there & please come back here & post questions or concerns…there's lots of good info in this forum. Check out the health section so you can read up on some of the things basenjis are prone to. Since you (and your friend's B girl) don't have any background you won't have any idea what she me be predisposed to. It will help you out in the future to know the warning signs & symptoms of the various potential health problems. Good luck & I hope you post some pics of your little Molly :)

Would not have know that since I don't have "human" kids… ggg

He's okay, but his foot isn't looking the best. >.<

I'm with you, I just don't like the idea either. I might be missing something but my B's teeth (with minimal cleaning, about once a week or every other week), coat and health seem to be in tip top condition. Even though it might work for some, it doesn't work for all. I've read too many stories of problems with even raw bones for dogs. I'd be all for a raw diet that was a little more domesticated (ground meat and bones) but it just scares me a little to just 'throw a dog a bone'.

My little B is flakey too ;) I'll try the fish oil on his food.

I'm getting my B-mix puppy thru BCOSW. The whole litter was just spayed & neutered. I tried to halt mine from this . . . but rules are rules. I'll just hope for the best. She'll probably be bigger than Duke!!

I would not worry about washing her feet when you come in. I think the stuff on the wipes would probably be worse for her to lick than a little dirt and what not. As Jazzy's mom pointed out they will be sticking their nose into much worse while outside on their walk. If she comes home muddy then I would recommend just a washcloth with some warm water.

I got my first basenji about 8 1/2 years ago. I wanted a dog that I could try lure coursing and maybe agility with. I was not interested in showing but agreed to try a a match or two before making a final decision and getting him neutered. At first Nicky didn't really show much interest in lure coursing and I couldn't find any agility classes near me so I entered Nicky in a match. We had fun and I decided I would give showing a try. When Nicky turned about 20 months old he finally decided the lure looked like a whole lot of fun so we split our time between showing him and coursing him. Nicky finished his AKC and ASFA Field Championships fairly quickly and when he was about 2 1/2 years old we decided we wanted to get him a companion. When his breeder was a planning a litter with black and whites expected I told her that I wanted on the waiting list. Nicky was 3 years old when Rally joined the pack. Rally has always been an enthusiastic courser and had that elusive "show attitude" that Nicky lacked she became my first Champion. During this time I also became active in my local breed club and in rescue. I learned a lot about the history of the breed and about how many people get basenjis because they are attracted to its small size and "barklessness" without understanding about its intelligence, sense of humor, and ability to scream bloody murder when upset. It was a big decision to decide to breed Rally. Being a responsible breeder means being responsible for the pups you bring into this world for the rest of their lives and means breeding with the best interest of the breed at heart. I decided to co-breed a litter out of Rally with her breeder because I felt that Rally had a lot to offer the breed as a whole. She has a healthy pedigree that is not over-represented in the gene pool, she has a fabulous temperament that has charmed many a person, and she is a lovely example of a black and white basenji. It took a year of planning and some bumps in the road but in the end we had a nice litter of 4 pups. I am very proud of all my puppy owners for keeping their puppies active and participating in lure coursing with their dogs. We had really hoped for a black girl in Rally's first litter but she gave us a black boy and only red girls. So we started researching again and after nearly 2 years of planning we bred her to an Avongara. Please take time to read about the emergency c-section that we had to have when one of the pups was mispositioned. It was heartbreaking to lose one of the pups and so scary to think that we could have lost Rally. Breeding is a labor of love. There are so many things that can go wrong and so much screening to make sure the pups end up in homes that will cherish them forever and understand what it is to own a basenji. Basenjis are not for everyone and as much as I love the breed, I have seen many end up in homes that should never have had a basenji and some were homes that would be great for the right breed just not a basenji.

Thanks for the great advice here! We do not keep the Gentle Leader on at all once in the house. They can barely stand to keep it on during our walks ha! :) so we remove the lead immediately at home & we also remove their tags collar in the house too! I did change their food from Eukanuba to Merricks about 2 months ago when we got him. I do see Merricks has olive oil in their wet foods which they get 1/2c a day. Maybe I can add a little more to their food. I'm in NJ so the winter is extremely dry & the house is also pretty dry due to the heat. Can I try a humidifier?? Or vitamin E oils?? I will definitely look into the Hypothyroid… thanks again!!

Yes, Lisa surely did everything right… and having puppies is NOT for the faint of heart or "just" to "I think it would be fun to have puppies".... Another sad story, a very good friend in Ohio, his bitch whelped her second litter on the 21st, three stillborn pups.... like Lisa this was a planned breeding... everything was done as it should be... alas, no pups.... just lots of bills!