Basenji

Spitz & primitive

Small

Median 12.1 y

FCI group 5 · Spitz and primitive types · Derived from the adult weight midpoint (10.5 kg)

Median survival across 122 UK dogs (VetCompass, McMillan 2024) · half live 9–14 y

The Basenji is a breed of hunting dog created from stock that originated in Central Africa, including in the Republic of the Congo and other adjacent tropical African countries. The Fédération Cynologique Internationale places it in the Spitz and "primitive types" categories, while the American Kennel Club classifies it as a hound.

Independent

Smart

Poised

Summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA) · reference ranges from the Kintail breed dataset

Adult weight

Reference

Male

10–12 kg

Female

9–11 kg

Breed club figure (the American Kennel Club)

Weight for age

Stock data

Male

Female

Expected range

Expected range from the breed's own adult weight, kilograms. Growth reference: Salt et al. 2017, WALTHAM (9–15 kg band).

Heat cycles · females

Stock data

First heat

8–12 mo

typical

Interval

180 d

typical

Bleeding

~9 d

typical

Proestrus 9d

Estrus 9d

Diestrus 52d

Anestrus 110d

General figures for dogs, not for this breed — individual cycles vary widely.

Questions people ask

Adult males usually weigh 10–12 kg and females 9–11 kg. Most are close to their full size by around 18 months, though the last little bit of filling out takes longer. Growth reference: Salt et al. 2017, WALTHAM (9–15 kg band).

No Basenji cycle figures are published here yet, so this is general guidance rather than a breed number: most females have a first season somewhere between six and fifteen months, and cycles then settle to roughly every 180 days. Smaller breeds tend to start earlier and larger ones later.

The median is 12.1 y. Median survival across 122 UK dogs (VetCompass, McMillan 2024) · half live 9–14 y. How the later years go comes down to weight, teeth, exercise and regular check-ups far more than to the breed.