Ask The Pro...

I love my dog to death. She is my baby, but she frustrates me to tears when she completely ignores me. I am afraid she might get away from me and get hit by a car or get lost. What can I do?

You are right. You may love your dog to death when she gets hit by a car. She also has too many legs and is way too fast to be your baby. Stop treating her like a baby and give her a little direction and guidance just as you, hopefully, would a child. Come to our training classes. Kris, our instructor, has a degree in Psychology from the University of Arkansas, and she can help. I have trained dogs and trainers since 1970. All dogs are very social creatures and they expect somebody to be the leader. Without leadership and organization you have anarchy and chaos, and runaway dogs. Do not leave food down and put her toys in a toy box. Put the retractable leash away and get a six foot training leash until she learns to listen to you and stops pulling. Do not let her jump on your furniture and your lap without invitation and make her wait for permission to go out the door. Reward her for behavior you want. She will start listening. When pets have access to everything they want, and no controls over their food, they have no reason to listen to you. In that last sentence, try substituting the words "politician" for /pets/ and "corporate America" for /their food/.