4. The Special Intelligence of the Basenji

The intelligence of the Basenji is different to that exhibited by other breeds of dogs. Back in 1996, this received some publicity in the Australian press as a result of the publication of the book The Intelligence of Dogs by Stanley Coren, which placed the Basenji 78th out of a list of 79 breeds on the scale of intelligence.

But in reality, what the book was actually ranking, was the ease with which the various breeds could be trained for tasks such as obedience, etc.

The following extract by Kevin McGrew of Kitchigammi Kennels in the United States, better describes and compares the Basenji's intelligence to that of other dogs:-

"If you take a look at the breeds considered intelligent by most trainers, you will find most of them are dogs bred to work in close contact with humans and take instructions from their trainers. Most are sporting or herding breeds... A look at the breeds further down the list reveals a lot of hounds."

"How does a hound traditionally work? It usually pursues some type of game well out ahead of the hunter and either catches and kills, in the case of a sight hound, or holds the quarry at bay, as in the case of most scent hounds. Now I ask: Are four Basenjis holding a leopard at bay going to wait until the hunter arrives for their next command? Or are they going to do what they have to in order to survive? Hounds need to think independently to survive, especially those not long out of the wilderness, ie the Basenji..."

"I wouldn't take offence at those who say a Basenji isn't as intelligent as a retriever or shepherd. They probably don't understand the breed development or how to rate intelligence. I'd explain that intelligence does not always equal obedience."