Thai Ridgeback

It takes a lot to make my hair stand on end. O.K., that's not totally true: the hair along my backbone stands forward in the opposite direction of my coat, growing from my hips toward my head. This is a natural characteristic of my breed and has nothing to do with me being irritated or feeling aggressive.

If you are an independent thinker and can appreciate having a loyal dog that likewise prides himself on having a mind of his own, then I may be just the dog for you. When I say "I", I mean my breed, the Thai Ridgeback. I'm actually spoken for and have a wonderful master. He lets me make many of the decisions that determine what we'll be doing each day. Sometimes I just don't feel like getting all brushed up and going out to the park. On those occasions we just stay home. Other times, my master wants to stay home, but I persuade him to get out and have some fun.

All in all, we think alike, but I have had to train him in certain areas. At first he had a pretty 'soft' hand when it came to teaching me obedience. And of course, I took advantage of that and made life around here pretty miserable for him. Wiser, he enrolled us both in obedience classes. He has made real progress and now doesn't let me get away with bad behavior. Although I still like to have my way at certain times, I do enjoy letting him think that he has influenced my actions, so I will acquiesce to his wishes and actually obey his simple commands. I can't help it -- I really love the guy.