[Taran]

Hey joined the forum becuase im an up coming new dog (adopting him mid month. Going to meet him sunday) owner and I dont want to be completely lost when he gets to my house. I grew up with cats and im allergic to dogs. So we decided on our dog because hes a bassenji (hypoallerginic breed) but hes also a bull terrier (not hypoallergenic) so im a litter worried about that but im sure it will work. So I have a few questions about my new pup.

For one are basenjis and bull terriers agressive in any way? I know theyre both super intelligent breeds and theyre not the best with kids cats and other dogs really. Im sure some are but im just wondering in general.

Secondly how often should I bathe him. Considering I probably will have some allergies to him I want to wash him as often as I can but I also dont want his skin to dry out or anything else along those lines.

Thirdly any brands of food shampoos etc that have worked well for your bull terrier/basenji I would like to know because I want the best for my pup.

Also any tips or general dog knowledge is much appreciated.

Thats all. Thanks everyone!

 

[Doggengard]

Hey joined the forum becuase im an up coming new dog (adopting him mid month. Going to meet him sunday) owner and I dont want to be completely lost when he gets to my house. I grew up with cats and im allergic to dogs. So we decided on our dog because hes a bassenji (hypoallerginic breed) but hes also a bull terrier (not hypoallergenic) so im a litter worried about that but im sure it will work. So I have a few questions about my new pup.

For one are basenjis and bull terriers agressive in any way? I know theyre both super intelligent breeds and theyre not the best with kids cats and other dogs really. Im sure some are but im just wondering in general.

Secondly how often should I bathe him. Considering I probably will have some allergies to him I want to wash him as often as I can but I also dont want his skin to dry out or anything else along those lines.

Thirdly any brands of food shampoos etc that have worked well for your bull terrier/basenji I would like to know because I want the best for my pup.

Also any tips or general dog knowledge is much appreciated.

Thats all. Thanks everyone!

Oh dear! Is there any way you can get out of this transaction?! You're allergic to dogs, and you're getting a dog that is mixed with a non-hypoallergenic breed of dogs?

Read my post about the problems of buying mixed breed dogs for more information about what I faced.

Personally speaking, I will never buy another terrier of any kind, after my experiences with a Jack Russell Terrier.

Also, giving dogs a bath can cause them to have skin problems. In all the years I have had a dog, I never gave them a bath. Never. But then I had chihuahuas most of the time and they aren't very active and don't tend to get very dirty anyways.

 

[HollowHeaven]

Doggengard, I hate to break it to you, but both your dogs really really appear to have been chihuahua mixes. Chihuahuas come in a plethora of colors, not just black and tan or brown or white.
And, chihuahuas are pretty much terriers. So.


Terriers tend to be very strong willed and very active. Be sure you can handle the exercise you will have to give this dog. Both of those breeds need a solid 2 hours a day of exercise and the right motivation.
Basenjis are very quietly, very reserved and very thoughtful. They are pretty much the closest to a cat you can get in a dog.
The bull terrier is very outgoing, they are described as being young at heart and a clown.

Neither of these dogs are 'hypoallergenic'. They just have short hair. You may want to see if you can foster this dog for a while to see how your allergies will do unless you're willing to take shots for them and what not.

For foods, go with something grain free (this helps their skin and coat which will mean less grooming), high protein. If you can get it out of the grocery store, don't feed it.

 

[Minka]

Definitely definitely meet him first before you sign any papers and spend a good long amount of time with him so you will know if your allergies act up. Its very possible you will have to take meds or shots to keep this dog.

Dogs are a lot more work than cats. You have to exercise them Every day. They wont be content to just lay around all day with you on the couch.

Washing them wont really help with the allergies tbh, unless you are only allergic to their saliva. And even then, a healthy dog never needs to be bathed. Its really not good for their coat. As long as you are feeding a high quality diet, he wont ever smell bad or have a greasy coat. (Mud and dead animals permitting..)

 

[Doggengard]

Doggengard, I hate to break it to you, but both your dogs really really appear to have been chihuahua mixes. Chihuahuas come in a plethora of colors, not just black and tan or brown or white.
And, chihuahuas are pretty much terriers. So.


Terriers tend to be very strong willed and very active. Be sure you can handle the exercise you will have to give this dog. Both of those breeds need a solid 2 hours a day of exercise and the right motivation.
Basenjis are very quietly, very reserved and very thoughtful. They are pretty much the closest to a cat you can get in a dog.
The bull terrier is very outgoing, they are described as being young at heart and a clown.

Neither of these dogs are 'hypoallergenic'. They just have short hair. You may want to see if you can foster this dog for a while to see how your allergies will do unless you're willing to take shots for them and what not.

For foods, go with something grain free (this helps their skin and coat which will mean less grooming), high protein. If you can get it out of the grocery store, don't feed it.

No, chihuahuas, or at least purebred chihuahuas are from the ancient Mayans in Mexico, and they were not terriers.

Purebred chihuahuas are not terriers. They do not act like terriers.

I should know this, since I have had chihuahuas my entire life so far.

Have you ever owned a chihuahua?

Unfortunately, terriers are now being mixed into the chihuahua bloodline more and more, and I know now how to spot them. If you see a puppy on craigslist or on the Arizona Republic classified ad section and it has the colors of a Jack Russell Terrier-- LOOK OUT! You may not be getting what you think you're getting.

Speaking from experience-- a horrible experience-- if the mixed breed dog has JRT colors it may not end up being the little lap dog you may want it to be. It may end up acting just like a JRT and not a chihuahua.

And yes, they were chihuahua mixes-- chihuahua mixed with JRT and Rat Terrier, and unfortunately, from my point of view, the terrier genes overwhelmed the chihuahua genes, so much that I had to get rid of them.

I was much more careful the next time around and I made sure that the color of the next puppy matched the typical chihuahua breed. And guess what? That's right. I now have a great little lap dog again. A purebred chihuahua this time around.

So, yes, the color does matter. Chihuahuas now come in many different colors, but that's because there has been so much mixing and corrupting of their blood line.

 

[Doggengard]

Just some fun trivia about my favorite dog, the chihuahua:

"The Chihuahua’s history is puzzling and there are many theories surrounding the origin of the breed. Both folklore and archeological finds show that the breed originated in Mexico. The most common and most likely theory is that Chihuahuas are descended from the Techichi, a companion dog favored by the Toltec civilization in Mexico.[2] No records of the Techichi are available prior to the 9th century, although dog pots from Colima, Mexico, buried as part of the western Mexico shaft tomb tradition which date back to 300 BC are thought to depict Techichis.[3] It is probable that earlier ancestors were present prior to the Mayans as dogs approximating the Chihuahua are found in materials from the Great Pyramid of Cholula, predating 1530 and in the ruins of Chichen Itza on the Yucatán Peninsula.[2]
In fact, wheeled dog toys representing both the "deer head" and "apple head" varieties of Chihuahua have been unearthed across Mesoamerica from Mexico to El Salvador. The earliest of these were found at Tres Zapotes in Veracruz, Mexico, which date to 100 AD.[4] Dog effigy pots dating to around 1325 AD discovered in Georgia and Tennessee also appear to represent the Chihuahua[5] It has been argued that these pots arrived with survivors from the Casas Grandes site in Chihuahua, Mexico, after it was attacked and destroyed around 1340 AD. Pots unearthed at Casas Grandes include representations of the "deer head" variety of Chihuahua.[4] Hernan Cortés wrote, in a 1520 letter, that the Aztecs raised and sold the little dogs as food.[6] Colonial records refer to small, nearly hairless dogs at the beginning of the 19th century, one of which claims 16th-century Conquistadores found them plentiful in the region later known as Chihuahua.[7]
A progenitor of the breed was reputedly found in 1850 in old ruins near Casas Grandes in the Mexican state of Chihuahua from which the breed gets its name,[8] although most artifacts relating to its existence are found around Mexico City."

 

[Chichan]

No, chihuahuas, or at least purebred chihuahuas are from the ancient Mayans in Mexico, and they were not terriers.

Purebred chihuahuas are not terriers. They do not act like terriers.

I don't know if the colour really matters, but I agree that Chihuahuas are not terrier like. My chihuahua breeder said most of their chihuahuas were very laid back and didn't enjoy going for walks. "They'd walk to the end of the driveway and then be tired and wanted to go back to cuddling on the couch." Is your Chi an apple-head or a deer-head? Apple-heads are suppose to be purer.
A not so funfact: When Cortes overthrew the Aztec Empire, apparently he and his crew ate over 300lbs of Chi meat.

 

[HollowHeaven]

They are derived from that group. They possess many terrier-like qualities, in appearance and behavior.

A healthy, active chihuahua, should not get tired walking to the mailbox and back. Mine will be 10 next month and he never stops. Always jumping, going for walks, playing fetch. A chihuahua should be confident and active.

You seem to be making up facts that you believe to be true based on one experience, one very unfair experience.

So yeah, I have owned a chihuahua before. I'm surrounded by them, I met well over 100, and the ones that were lazy were that way because the owners were.

If you're content with a dog that is too lazy to get off the couch, that's fine, but they are not supposed to be that way.

 

[Doggengard]

I don't know if the colour really matters, but I agree that Chihuahuas are not terrier like. My chihuahua breeder said most of their chihuahuas were very laid back and didn't enjoy going for walks. "They'd walk to the end of the driveway and then be tired and wanted to go back to cuddling on the couch." Is your Chi an apple-head or a deer-head? Apple-heads are suppose to be purer.
A not so funfact: When Cortes overthrew the Aztec Empire, apparently he and his crew ate over 300lbs of Chi meat.

Yes! I agree! This is what I mean.

They're great little lap dogs.

Oh, my new purebred chihuahua is an applehead chihuahua.



Jack Russell Terriers on the other hand, do not make good lap dogs.

 

[Doggengard]

Here's an article about why Jack Russell Terriers do not make good lap dogs...

http://terriermandotcom.blogspot.com/2005/12/bad-dog-article-for-prospective.html

 

[LittleFr0g]

Lets keep the debate regarding your chihuahuas on your own thread, Doggenard, and leave this thread alone so the OP can get some answers to their question. Any further off topic posts will be deleted.

 

[Kyllobernese]

I have Shih Tzu x Maltese which are "supposed" to be hypoallergenic but you can still be allergic to them. A friend wanted to get one as she had been told they would be good for her allergies. She visited me and everywhere the dogs licked (and they love to lick) she came up in bumps from the saliva.

I used to have a Basenji but I never heard that they were hypoallergenic and since she is supposed to be crossed with a Bull Terrier I would certainly not count on it.-

 

[tofutofu]

Hello! My husband and I are new dog owners as well. I grew up around dogs but my parents typically took care of all the training and everything! So I just knew dogs as friendly additions to the family! But being a dog owner and having all those responsibilities is a bit hard! So I came here to get some advice on things that may come up during our time with our pup. ^^ We have a white/cream Jindo (very stubborn, but loyal breed) who is just 6 months old!

We hope to learn along with you! ^_^