Dear Dog Lady,
My dog Theo, a wire-haired terrier, is my genius on four legs. Theo is four-years-old and he already knows all of the key canine commands: Stay, Come, Sit. There is no question I have control of my dog. Now, I want him to get a graduate education. I want to teach Theo tricks — such as jumping through a hoop, or fetching specific objects when I say their names, or ride a skateboard, or any of the things that viral video You Tube dogs do. Would a conventional dog trainer be able to help me and Theo?

—Thad

Dear Thad,
If Theo has an aptitude to learn, you can teach him anything, provided you repeat, and repeat and repeat and repeat. With dogs, repetition is the mother of invention -- and reinvention.

Google "dog trainers" and you'll find pages and pages of trainers in your area. You will have to do your own research to find one that teaches "tricks." However, in Theo's case, you are probably the best trainer of all. The terrier is attached to you, loyal to you, attentive to you and because of this unalterable bond, you are the best teacher. Heck, Dog Lady taught her dear dog to catch treats in his mouth while she was sitting in front of the TV watching "Judge Judy."


Dear Dog Lady,
We rescued a tiny little puppy named Newton. He was a six-week-old male who was abandoned with his sister on the side of a busy street. He is now a 110 pound, nine-month-old Lab/retriever/red bone coon hound mix according to the DNA test we got.

Newton is a happy dog, always smiling and always running. He gallops constantly. I cannot wear him out. He will fetch a ball for an hour. He will get into the lake near our home (we recently retired here) and swim laps merrily for an hour as long as I am on the sidelines cheering him on. Here, we have an invisible fence around our five-acre lot and he runs and runs and runs. We also have a pet door so he can go outside and gallop at will. He is not in a crate.

Recently he came running toward me and went right into my knee, hyper-extending my leg backward and rearranging my kneecap. I have been limping and in pain for two months. How do I wear him out? How do I get him to stop way before he hits me? He is so darn happy all the time. I hate to think what life would have been like for him if we were still in our city penthouse.

—Janet

Dear Janet,
Sounds as if Newton's law rules in your home. Set some limits for your galloping pup. Get him a crate, keep him contained and learn about crate training (many good Websites for this). Newton probably has too much freedom and he doesn't yet know how to contain himself. Teach him. Newton and his sister were taken away from their birth mother much too soon. Puppies need eight weeks, optimally ten weeks, before they're mature enough to leave the natal nest. Newton is a wild child. Ask your veterinarian for a referral to a trainer or a behaviorist.

Working with a trainer, you must teach Newton the basics: Sit. Stay. Come. You do this by exerting your control, by keeping him in a crate and monitoring his behavior when he is free. Dogs like rules. Newton needs to know who's in charge and what is expected of him.


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