I have a 5 year old dingo/blueheeler and he is the best trail dog I have ever hiked with. Not only is he tireless, but he constantly scouts just ahead and finds the best routes through difficult terrain. On more then one occasion he has insisted that I follow him back to camp when he realized that I had wandered off the correct route. In camp or around el rancho, he is my shadow! He does look like a wild animal though, and I've had to tie a bright bandanna around his neck to let others know that he was someone's pet. Something about that dingo in him that makes him a little closer to a wild animal than a domesticated dog. This is not generally a problem as almost all my hiking is in areas where I'm pretty much assured of having no other visitors.