Khao Hom

Khao Hom is up around 6am, greets staff, then has a walk, run or play session. Afterwards he drinks, naps, and has another play session later in the day. After dinner he often joins Baan Maa's paralysed dogs for a play in the field. About an hour of exercise, or several shorter sessions, works well for him.

Khao Hom can be briefly nervous with men he doesn't know, and confident with women straight away. He's good with teenagers and children, briefly nervous with strangers before warming up, and will often introduce himself to visitors. He loves cuddles.

Khao Hom is very good with other dogs, both large and small. He's patient with younger, boisterous dogs, and may growl to correct one who's overstepping, which is communication rather than aggression. He's fine with both males and females, shows little concern around livestock, and may join a chase without much genuine prey drive. He's untested with cats. He sometimes finishes a weaker dog's bowl after his own, but shows no resource guarding of his own food.

Khao Hom responds well to his name and appears toilet trained based on his kennel habits. His lead training currently needs work as he's fearful of the lead itself, though he's treat motivated and generally polite around food and at 'wait'. He settles and lies down for car journeys. Recall is generally good unless he's swept up in a pack chase. He can escape fencing, so secure boundaries are important.

Dogs moving into a new home often regress a little at first, even on things they'd already learned. That's normal, not a step backwards - a bit of patience and the same consistent routine soon has them back on track.

Khao Hom is healthy, neutered, vaccinated and currently on no medication. He was found in the rice fields around Thayang with a badly fractured hind leg that became infected, and needed treatment for blood parasites before he was well enough for the amputation itself. His wound was cleaned and managed daily for around three weeks afterwards, and he's now been with Baan Maa for more than a year. He currently runs, plays, jumps and swims with no apparent mobility limitation. Because he's managing on one hind leg, keeping him at a healthy weight and keeping an eye on his mobility as he gets older is sensible, though there's no reason to expect problems, and no way to promise there won't be any either.

Khao Hom would suit an apartment with good outdoor access, or a house; a garden is a bonus rather than a requirement. He'd suit a first-time owner, and doesn't need a particularly confident dog as a companion if he lives with one. He's good with children and would suit families, retired owners, active households or someone working from home.