Basenji
It does not bark: the larynx is shaped differently and it yodels instead. It grooms itself like a cat and comes into season once a year rather than twice.
Photo by craigallyn, CC BY 2.0
Overview
The Basenji is a central African hunting dog that does not bark. The larynx is shaped differently, and the sound it makes instead is a yodel, sometimes called a baroo. It is one of the oldest domestic dog types, and it hunts using sight and scent together, which most breeds do not.
It also comes into season once a year rather than twice, which is a primitive trait shared with wolves and almost no other domestic breed.
Temperament
Independent, clever and famously catlike. Basenjis groom themselves fastidiously, they are largely odourless, and they do what they want.
They are affectionate with their own people and reserved with strangers, and they are not biddable in any conventional sense. Training a Basenji is a negotiation. They are also escape artists and problem solvers, and a Basenji will open a door, a bin or a crate given time.
Care and grooming
The short fine coat needs a rub down weekly and essentially nothing else. They shed lightly and they clean themselves.
Fanconi syndrome, a kidney disorder, is the breed's serious inherited problem and it has a DNA test that every Basenji breeder should be using. Progressive retinal atrophy and pyruvate kinase deficiency also occur and both are testable.
Living and exercise
An hour a day of real exercise, and a securely fenced space, because recall is unreliable and the prey drive is high.
They are not off lead dogs in open country. They also climb, so a fence that would hold a dog of similar size may not hold this one.
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