How do I describe a Basenji's personality?  How do I describe a creature that seems  part canine, part feline and part 2-year old precocious child?!  They are definitely a mixture of dignity and deviltry, carrying themselves with pride one moment and willingly assuming the role of clown the next.  They are intelligent, curious, alert, playful, hard-headed, independent and affectionate.  Yes...a dog can be independent AND affectionate.  Basenjis like their own space and will let you know when they want to be left alone. This doesn't mean that they get nasty.  My boy, Hamlet, will just move to the other side of the couch or leave the room all together if he has decided he has had enough of my overwhelming adoration.  However, when a Basenji decides it's time for some affection and he chooses YOU as the recipient, nothing in the world can make you feel more special!!

Basenjis sound pretty wonderful, don't they?  Well, I'm a bit biased so naturally I would agree!  But I guess it's time to balance the scales a little.  Sometimes the traits that make a Basenji so fascinating are the same traits that can make the Basenji a little terror in the home.  Their extreme intelligence can lead to boredom. Boredom can lead to destruction.  And boy, can a Basenji destroy!  Basenjis love to chew and when the mood hits, nothing is sacred...not your furniture, not your bedspread, pillows, blinds, children's toys and especially not your underwear!  Chewing and destructive tendencies vary from Basenji to Basenji.  Some Basenjis have been known to completely redecorate the home while the family is away while others are content to just sneak the occasional tissue out of the bathroom garbage, shred it and scatter it on the floor.  I don't think there have been any scientific studies done on the relationship between Basenjis and toilet paper but I bet, if one was conducted, the results would be something like this:  If you put a piece of raw steak on the floor and a roll of toilet paper right next to it, 9 times out of 10 the Basenji will choose the toilet paper.

A Basenji's speed and agility can also create challenges as it allows them to jump up onto table tops and counters with grace and ease.  Basenjis have also been known to climb trees, scale fences and escape most areas that seem safe for other dogs.  They are hunters.  Chasing prey is one of a basenji's favorite activities and most Basenjis cannot be trusted off-leash in an unenclosed area.  If they see something worth chasing, they will be off and running without a backwards glance in your direction.  If you haven't learned already, this is when you will discover the wonderful world of Basenjis Vs the "Come" command.  Basenjis are highly intelligent, yes, but just because a dog is intelligent does not mean a dog is obedient.  The Basenji has his own mind.  He uses it.  His choices are not always the choices you would have him make.  He doesn't care. He's a Basenji.  He has survived for thousands of years by using his resourcefulness and  making his own decisions.  Dinner--in the form of a furry little bunny--is streaking across the neighbor's yard and you want him to come?!  Ha!  Of course, ten minutes later when the bunny is out of sight and you're back home with your beloved Basenji, you call out once, "Come!" and lo, who is suddenly at your feet, gazing up at you with a soulful expression?  He has always known what the word "come" means.  It's not that the Basenji doesn't know HOW to obey, it's just that he chooses WHEN to obey.

Some like it hot.  And for the Basenji...the hotter the better.  They love the warmest places in the house and will seek these out on an hourly basis.  My basenjis, Hamlet and Rhumba, spend the large part of most mornings moving from the bed to the floor to the chair in constant pursuit of the Sacred Shaft of Sunlight.  If you're sitting on the couch watching TV and you get up to answer the phone, you can bet you won't have a seat when you return.  They know where the warm spots are.  Hamlet and Rhumba have different heating vents that they each seek out during the winter months.  When they hear the heat click on, they are off and running to their respective corners to sit on their vents and get warm.  One winter Hamlet rigged up an electric blanket by dragging a pillow off of the bed and positioning it on top of his vent.  Every time the heat kicked on, he curled up on his heated pillow and would snooze away.  Oh, and if you let a Basenji sleep in your bed, he will most likely sleep under the covers.  He may even wait politely on your pillow at an hour he deems appropriate for everyone's bedtime and expect you to pull back the covers so he can take his rightful place among the blankets.

Knowing how much Basenjis love heat, I'm sure it's no surprise to learn how much they hate the cold and perhaps one of their worst enemies is The Rain!  Basenjis and rain simply do not mix.  How horrible if a drop should land on the head, in the ear or...yikes, what if they actually get a precious paw wet??!  Hamlet and Rhumba are not fond of cold, snowy days but I can coax them outside none the less.  If it's raining, or if they even sense moisture in the air, it's a whole new ballgame.  I have to throw off the comforter, physically drag them out of bed and push them outside.  You would think I was inflicting the greatest form of torture on them if you could see the evil glances they shoot my way as they scurry back inside after doing their business.

Not only do Basenjis clean themselves like cats, they have the curiosity of cats as well.  Basenjis hate to be left out.  They hate no knowing what's going on.  They must investigate everything and make everything their business.  It's their duty...or so it would seem.  Every new item brought into the house must be inspected by the resident Basenji(s).  Little, wrinkled heads must be thrust deep into every grocery bag that crosses the threshold, wet black noses must poke into every human's eye, touch every human's lips and graze every human's clothing upon their return from an outing, tiny white paws must scale the edges of every table top and counter in an attempt to bring the item in question down for a closer examination.  In the end, things usually pass the Basenji's inspection and life in the household can resume as usual.

Basenjis are a challenge.  They are not a breed of dog that will constantly be at your beck and call.  They won't follow you around with worship shining in their eyes (OK...if you have something they want then they will worship you with a vengeance!).  They will test you and frustrate you and bewilder you...but they will also fascinate you, captivate you and amuse you.  They are fun and funny and wild and goofy and mysterious and all it takes is one paw placed gently on your arm and one soulful gaze from those dark eyes and suddenly all past transgressions are forgotten and you know, without a doubt, why you love this breed so much.

© Claudia Nix *1998~2004* All rights reserved. No part of this website--photos, text or personal gifs--may be copied or used without written consent.