The truth is that yes, basenjis do shed but not as much as most other dogs. Due to their fine coat most hair that a basenji sheds are no longer than a human eyelash. If you have dog allergies and are looking for a hypoallergenic companion a basenji probably isn’t for you. If you are looking for a clean and dog that won’t clog your vacuum please read on.
Hair length
Baenjis have a mostly uniform short coat that measures no longer than a few centimeters in length. As a visual, imagine a white eyelash hair. This short coat makes grooming a basenji almost unnecessary and the breed is well known for being naturally clean.
When I take my basenji to the dog park she gets muddy, dusty and covered in dog slobber, but thanks to her short hair most of the dirt and mud falls away when it dries. A quick wipe with a baby wipe before we get in the car removes the rest of the dust from her face, body and paws. Sometimes I think she even enjoys her post-park wipe down. Once we get home she usually takes some time to clean herself as well. This natural desire for cleanliness is part of the reason many people describe basenjis as “cat-like.”
Want to see what my basenji is up to today?
Longer hairs on a basenji tail
You may have noticed that I said their coats are mostly uniform. There is one place on a basenji where their hair grows a little longer. A basenji’s tail naturally has longer hair than the rest of the body, measuring up to 1 inch long at the very tip. Thankfully basenjis’ tails are short, so it is rare to come across one of these longer hairs.
Basenji hair also tends to thin out around their belly. So much so that a basenji is practically hairless on their stomach. This is an enormous help when keeping the dog clean, because mud and dirt has nothing to cling to.
Above is a normal body hair. Below is a tail hair.
Seasonal shedding
Like all dogs basenjis periodically blow their coat, usually in the spring. The increase in shedding depends on the dog. Some basenjis have a heavier undercoat that sheds just as much as any other dog and requires brushing until the coat is blown. This has not been my experience.
My basenji does shed more for a few weeks in early spring. The extra hair is noticeable, especially if she has been laying in one place for hours. My best guess is that she sheds about twice as much for three or four weeks and during that time her coat looked a little uneven. That said, a few extra hairs on the couch is nowhere near as much as the vacuum-clogging cotton candy horror show you see with some dogs.
Pet Hair VS Dander
There is a common misconception about the relationship between pet allergies and their hair. According to the American Lung Association there is no such thing as a non-allergic dog or cat. This because allergies can be caused by more than just loose hair. Proteins in a dog’s saliva are one of the known causes of allergies. After a dog cleans itself, dried saliva can flake off the dog’s skin and become airborne. Pet dander, or flecks of skin, is also a known allergen.
The good news is that basenjis seem to have a weaker effect on those with dog allergies. If you have minor dog allergies and are considering a basenji for a pet contact a basenji breeder in your area and ask if you can meet their dogs.
I had allergic reactions around dogs as a child, so the first step for me was to go and sit in a home where the dogs had been living. After an hour of talking to the breeder and being exposed to the dogs I was confident that I would have no problems owning a basenji. Do this twice. A strange thing about allergies is that the second exposure is when you will show symptoms of allergic reaction.
If this goes well but you want to make absolutely sure ask if you can borrow one of the basenji’s blankets to take home with you. Leave the blanket where you would keep the dog and shake it a bit to get some of the basenji’s dander airborne. Try and keep this experiment isolated to a single room just in case you do have a reaction.
My sister is slightly allergic to dogs, but she can stand to be in the same room with our dog for several hours at a time, whereas dogs like our neighbors’ Australian shepherd send her into a sneezing fit after a few minutes of exposure.
Hey, at least they don’t stink!