Basenji Twin Finder: 145 in the Pool

To find your Basenji's twin, upload one clear photo to PetMatch and the model compares your dog's face against the 145 Basenjis already in the pool, returning the real dog whose face sits closest to yours. The tightly curled tail is what people notice first, but the match leans on the flat skull, the fine forehead wrinkles, the short muzzle, and the small hooded ears.

A wrinkled forehead on a short coat

The AKC standard, approved May 8, 1990 and effective June 28, 1990, calls the Basenji a small, short haired hunting dog from Africa. It is short backed and lightly built, appearing high on the leg compared to its length. The wrinkled head is proudly carried on a well arched neck, and the tail is set high and curled. It should not bark, but it is not mute. The wrinkled forehead, the tightly curled tail, and a swift, effortless gait resembling a racehorse trotting full out are typical of the breed.

Ideal height is 17 inches for dogs and 16 inches for bitches. Length from the front of the chest to the point of the buttocks matches those figures. Approximate weight is 24 pounds for dogs and 22 for bitches, lightly built within that ratio.

The skull is flat, well chiseled, and of medium width, tapering toward the eyes. The foreface tapers from the eye to the muzzle with a perceptible stop. The muzzle is shorter than the skull, neither coarse nor snipy, with rounded cushions. Wrinkles appear on the forehead when the ears are erect, and they are fine and profuse. Side wrinkles are desirable, but they should never be exaggerated into dewlap. They are most noticeable in puppies, and, because of a lack of shadowing, less noticeable in blacks, tricolors, and brindles. The eyes are dark hazel to dark brown, almond shaped, obliquely set, and farseeing, with dark rims. The ears are small, erect, and slightly hooded, of fine texture, and set well forward on top of the head. A black nose is greatly desired. The teeth are evenly aligned with a scissors bite.

Four colors, and a tail a headshot misses

The coat is short and fine, and the skin is very pliant. The standard names four colors: chestnut red; pure black; tricolor (pure black and chestnut red); or brindle (black stripes on a background of chestnut red). All have white feet, a white chest, and a white tail tip. White legs, a blaze, and a collar are optional. White should never predominate over the primary color, and the line between the black and red of a tricolor, or between the stripes of a brindle, should stay distinct.

The tail is set high on the topline, bends acutely forward, and lies well curled over to either side. A head-on photo does not show that curl, and no photo records that the breed should not bark. A white blaze can still sit in the frame. On blacks, tricolors, and brindles, the standard says those wrinkles are less noticeable for lack of shadowing.

Basenji, Whippet, or Min Pin?

A short coat and a light frame put a Basenji next to a Whippet in a tight crop. The Whippet twin finder covers that face, and the Whippet pool holds 108 dogs, separate from these 145. The AKC calls the Whippet a medium size sighthound. Ideal height is 19 to 22 inches for dogs and 18 to 21 inches for bitches. The skull is long and lean, with a scarcely perceptible stop and a long muzzle. The ears are small rose ears, thrown back and folded along the neck, and that fold should stay when the dog is at attention. Erect ears are severely penalized. A Basenji ear stands, slightly hooded, on a flat skull with a perceptible stop, and the muzzle is shorter than the skull.

Another short-coated dog with erect ears in the pool is the Miniature Pinscher. PetMatch lists 291 dogs in the Miniature Pinscher pool. The AKC standard calls the Min Pin a sturdy, compact, smooth-coated dog. Allowed height is 10 to 12½ inches at the highest point of the shoulder blades, and under 10 or over 12½ is a disqualification. The skull appears flat and tapers toward the muzzle, with only a slight drop. The ears stand erect from base to tip, cropped or uncropped. A Basenji is ideally 16 or 17 inches, the stop is perceptible, and fine wrinkles cross the forehead when the ears come up.

When the twin is a mix

Mixed-breed dogs are the largest group on PetMatch, at 10,185. A mix that kept the flat skull, the fine forehead wrinkles, the short muzzle, and the small erect ears can place ahead of the Basenjis. The model is matching the face in the photo, not guessing at a pedigree.

A photo that shows the wrinkles

Shoot head-on at eye level in open shade, ears up and mouth closed, so both eyes, the perceptible stop, and the rounded cushions of the muzzle stay in the frame. The standard says the wrinkles appear when the ears are erect, so a photo with the ears folded back hides that forehead. Open shade keeps a chestnut coat from blowing out, and it keeps a black or brindle forehead dark enough that the fine wrinkles still read.