Originally posted by shiner Cool! So you were in Australia? do people ever domesticate these animals? Don't they eat lots of babies?
I gather from a quick search that;
1) they can be kept as pets in some areas of Australia with a a permit;
2) other areas (Tasmania is one) forbid keeping them as pets;
3) generally the puppies must be hand raised starting at no more than six weeks of age;
4) even with such early and continuous training by humans, they are generally difficult because they are naturally "rangy," they like to run and roam and consequently do very poorly if kept inside or even in a large fenced area.
The best companion dogs are breeds that have been bred to be companions.
The best herding dogs are breeds selected for that job.
The best guard dogs have been bred to that task.
Dingos have been subject only to natural selection = to be wild dogs.