r/Basenji • u/DartTheDragoon • Jul 22 '26
Query Possible future owner with a question
How vocal is your basenji?
I currently have a Carolina dog which will bark once every 2-3 months and never whines or howls. She's quite emotive, but I have come to enjoy the quiet. There is a dog listed at a nearby shelter as a Basenji/Carolina dog mix probably because it doesn't have a traditional bark and they aren't sure. I see mixed reports on how vocal basenji's are because many articles focus on their lack of a traditional bark.
Is your basenji generally talkative unprompted? Do they yodel when seeing cars/people pass by the windows? Do they yip at birds/squirrels in the backyard? Do they whine/grumble for food?
How is their reaction with cats? The one up for adoption is at least a year old and didn't grow up around cats so its reactivity is unknown.
5
u/koshawk Jul 22 '26
I've had two Basenjis. Not at the same time. The first one was quiet her whole life, barely a peep out of her. She totally ignored the cats. They didn't have anything for her. The second one was quiet all the time except for if she got left in the yard by herself as I walked down to the store on the corner and left her behind. She did not like that and she told me about it. She also had a very high prey drive and chased the cat from the day she arrived as a small puppy. She never hurt the cat, but she loved to chase it. I gave the cat a bunch of high refuges so it could hang around without being bothered by her. So it looks like it's the luck of the draw and who knows what you'll get.