1. Buddy, Buddy, Buddy, stop Buddy, come Buddy, Buddy, come Buddy...Buuuuudddddddddyyyyyy!  And of course Buddy has crossed two streets and ran up to a vicious dog.  Never use your dog's name casually or more than two times in trying to get your dog to come!  If you really want your dog to come to you, called your dog once DEFINITIVELY and with authority.  If your dog ignores you, walk over to your dog and grab his/her collar as you call their name one more time and MAKE them come over to where you were standing when you called him/her the first time.  Then say "Sit" once and push their butt down if they don't comply.   That way they will learn that when you call them, they have to come to you, no if's and butts about it!  After doing this a few hundred times, they will come to you.  No kidding, training a dog is a life-long commitment.

2. Accept that your dog is a DOG!!!! Dogs act based on instincts, they DO NOT think like humans!  They are incapable of going through a series of complicated thoughts. If your dog is obsessed about chasing squirrels, they will not stop to think, hum...there may be cars coming from the street so I should not run across without looking both ways.  Or if your dog sees his best friend across the street all he thinks about is...Ivy, my love!!!!!!!!! must smell Ivy's butt now!  He is not going to think, hum...my mom wouldn't want me to cross that street to see Ivy, she will yell at me and not give me any treats tonight if I run across the street to sniff Ivy's butt. During times when you know your dog will likely give in to his urges, accept that and put him on the leash. No if's and butts about it!

3. NEVER bring treats to a dog park or dog gathering area.  That's, NEVER!  When you take your dog out to socialize with other dogs, notice that all they want to do is play.  They will run and wrestle with other dogs.  If you present treats to your dog, ALL the dogs will go crazy!  They will even become aggressive in order to secure the "food".  This goes back to the instincts thing.  Dogs are not as evolved as human beings.  In order to survive in the wild, they have to eat whenever they encounter anything edible.  They don't have the luxury of thinking, well, this donunt is not that yummy, i'm going to go to the fridge and get the other yummier cake.  In the wild, they're lucky if they catch a prey to eat weeks on end.  So they can not afford to be picky about what taste good or not.  So their survival instincts make them look like they're starving all the time when presented with any food.  Now Fido doesn't have to worry about when his next meal will come from, you will fill his doggie bowl the second it turns 6pm...EVERYDAY!  But Fido still has his survival instincts in him because he is still a DOG.  So even if they don't need food, they will fight for it when presented with treats.  So caos will ensue at the dog park the instant someone brings out the doggie treats.  And why really??? The whole concept of bringing your dog to the dog park is so they can enjoy the company of other dogs, not turn into some treat-obsessed monster that will bite other dogs!   Ah, but you bring treats out so you can train your dog at the dog park...uh, NO!  Please refer back to pointer #2...your dog is focused on playing with the other dogs.  This is NOT the time to train your dog.  So leave the doggie treats at home...no if's and butts about it!

4. Reprimand your dog immediately after the act...running across the street, aggressive behavior towards other dogs, jumping on people...etc.  Otherwise, let it go.  Your dog can only remember what just happened!  She can not think, oh, what I did an hour ago must have made mommy angry.  I will never do that again!  If you yell at your dog about something she did two miles ago, she will not understand why you are angry with her (in some cases, this can be applied to a man...heh).  If you want to correct a bad behavior, do it immediately!! No if's and butts about it!

5. When you are at a dog park, don't attempt to call other people's dogs for them.  If the dog is in threat of running away/out to the street, quickly inform its owner and let the owner call their dog.  The dog will usually not repond to other people and you don't want you dog to respond to other people anyway.  Often times, too many people are calling a runaway dog washing out the dog owner's commands.

6. Be your dog's alpha dog.  If your dog is exhibiting aggressive behavior, it's because in your household, your dog thinks he's the alpha dog.  All dogs live in packs in the wild.  And like any packs, they have a leader...not two, not three, but just ONE leader, the alpha.  So ask yourself, are you the alpha, or is Fido the alpha? Of course, in an orderly household, you need to be the alpha.  How do you attain apha status?  Well, you never let Fido growl at you, you never let Fido be aggressive towards other dogs, you can take food/toys/treats away from Fido whenever you want to.  If Fido protests...flip him over (do it on the couch or the bed so it's soft and you don't actually hurt Fido) and yell in his face NO, DO NOT EVER DO THAT AGAIN!  Now if someone else does that to you, you'd be scared wouldn't you?!  That's the whole idea.  But never use actual force on Fido, if he screeches (the worst sound a dog can make) you're abusing him!  If after flipping him over and yelling into his face you don't see fear in Fido's eyes, then he still doesn't think of you as alpha.  Now you don't want your dog to fear you all the time.  So you only reprimand him when he's being aggressive.  The rest of the time, cuddle away!  No if's and butts about it!

7. Like people, dogs have many different personalities.  Sometimes there are dogs that just don't get along.  If they are to co-exist with others at the playground, the owners need to watch them closely and keep them away from each other.  And like kids at a playground, dogs will sometimes get into a fight.  When a fight breaks out, EVERYONE must stay CALM.  If your dog is not involved in the fight, secure your dog away from the fighting dogs so that you don't contribute to the commotion.  The owners of the fighting dogs must remain calm and immediately grab their dog by the collar.  During a fight, the dog is only focused on the other dog, they CAN NOT process verbal commands.  So screaming at your dog or calling their name will not be useful.  If you can not control your dog with force at that point, then perhaps you should not own such a powerful dog.  Once the dogs are separated, check for any injuries to people and dogs.

8. And last but not least, let dogs be dogs.  Remember, first know their species, second know their breed, and third know their personality...then you will understand their behavior.  No amount of training will make your dog automatically behave like good little boys and girls, shake your hand when the greet you, walk out of the house with manners, and stand in line to get treats.  You want your dogs to understand certain life-saving commands, but most of all, be a loyal, loving, cuddly ball of fur.  So love them the way they love you.  Hey, they don't expect you to sniff their butts!

9. Lastly, pick up after your dog, it's disgusting otherwise!  No if's and butts about it!

(For all other K-9 mental problems, call Cesar Millan, The Dog Whisperer.)
If you know a dog who has something to say, please email Patty.
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