One dog, two opposite answers
The Basenji splits the question in two. As a coat, it is one of the lowest-maintenance in the dog world: self-cleaning, nearly odourless and incapable of barking. As a dog to train, contain and keep entertained, it is one of the more demanding small breeds in existence. People who choose a Basenji for the easy grooming and meet the personality unprepared are the ones who struggle; people who choose it for the personality find the grooming a pleasant bonus.
The catlike package
Basenjis groom themselves with a paw-licking fastidiousness that owners compare to cats, and the short fine coat needs little more than an occasional brush and bath on demand. The famous barklessness is real — the breed's unusual larynx produces instead a yodelling sound often called a barroo, along with a repertoire of grumbles and screams when thwarted. Shedding is light, there is little doggy smell, and the whole animal is compact and elegant. On grooming workload alone, almost nothing in the dog world asks less of you.
The independent mind
This is a primitive, self-reliant breed that was never developed to take instructions from people, and training one is an exercise in negotiation. Recall is unreliable where there is anything more interesting than you — which is most places — so Basenjis are managed as on-lead or secure-area dogs for life. They are intelligent escape artists that climb, dig and test fences, and a bored Basenji dismantles things with creativity: bedding, remote controls, the contents of handbags. Expect to provide substantial daily exercise and mental work, and to puppy-proof like you mean it for roughly the first two years and arguably forever.
Living with one
Basenjis bond selectively and deeply, often favouring their own people while regarding strangers with polite indifference. Early socialisation matters enormously, and interactions with small pets need care, since the hunting instinct is fully operational. They are hardy dogs that commonly live into their mid-teens, and their cleanliness makes them pleasant housemates once the management systems are in place. Cold, wet weather offends them deeply, and a Basenji asked to walk in rain will communicate its review of your decision clearly.
The honest fit
Choose a Basenji if you are an experienced, patient owner who wants a clean, quiet, fascinating dog and is happy to manage life with leads, locks and secure fences as permanent arrangements. Do not choose one as a low-effort first dog on the strength of the grooming column. The breed's one catastrophic failure mode is escape, and it deserves planning rather than hope. If a Basenji does slip a gate, raise his alert in KinsLe: the Lost Pet Alert System puts him on KinsLe's map at no cost in his profile, and whoever spots him can send you a message straight away.