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Dear Zelda, Our two dogs, Emerson and Lowell, are good dogs, most of the time. However when friends visit our home the dogs go wild. It's as if one has to "out do" the other by jumping and barking. Do you have any suggestions on how to train my dogs to stay calm when friends come over? Canine Chaos Dear Canine Chaos, Well, this is a doggie dilemma indeed. How are you expected to be the proper host when "dogs gone wild" is playing in the background? As you know, it's only cute for the first two minutes, and after that it's just plain annoying (By the way...I'm not speaking from experience. Zee Zee and Zoe are perfect angels). Often when people get their puppies, they allow them to jump up, bark, chew, chase, and so on without really paying attention to how long and how far they are letting the behavior go. After all, it's cute when we're so little and innocent, but once that behavior passes the point of no return, cute becomes annoying, and annoying becomes intoler-a-bull! Aside from my favorite answer of keeping them busy with their favorite chew toy, I'd say it's time for some behavior modification, and it starts in the form of training. Re-conditioning will take some time, and there's no time like the present. A great place to start is with the simple commands of "sit" or "lay down." Reinforce their good behavior with treats and praise immediately. Make sure they DO NOT get up or move until your command. This is very important, especially with dogs that get excited easily. Your command is the only one they should listen to, and this takes time and patience (and lots of treats). You may also want to halter your dogs for a while and only let them greet people after they have properly obeyed your command. A well behaved dog is a well received dog. If all else fails and budget allows, you can always enroll them in a well respected and highly recommended obedience school in your area. Zee Zee just graduated first in her class! (she was also the only one in it, but heck...go ZEE ZEE!) Zelda Dear Zelda, I'm 16 and just got my driver's license. My problem is my friends who think driving fast and crazy is cool. Do you have any suggestions as to something I could say to them to get them to drive more responsibly? Drivin' Me Crazy Dear Drivin' Me Crazy, Way to go on the driver's license! You are now officially a "responsible driver," at least according to the Department of Motor Vehicles, and although you may not know it, thousands of drivers, every day, depend on you to be just that. We've all grown up viewing cars as the quickest way to get from point A to point B, and because it's all so easy, comfortable, and fun, we forget that a car is the deadliest weapon most of us will ever control (just ask a couple of the dogs in my neighborhood!). Driving is not something to take for granted; it's a privilege, and the fact that you've taken the time to write this letter shows that you understand this privilege and the responsibility that goes with it. As for your friends, I can think of a few things you might say to them to help cool down some of their need for speed. For starters, let them know that in the world of insurance rates, a 16-year-old is the most expensive driver in the nation (in some cases TEN TIMES more expensive than drivers between the ages of 30 - 59). The insurance folks aren't dumb. These high rates mean that 16-year-olds are also the most likely to have a wreck or get killed in a car, precisely because they drive too fast and don't know their limits. Any tickets or accidents that may occur during this time can double and even triple your current rate. You might also let them know that teen drivers have the highest rate of out-of-control, single-car crashes where speeding is the culprit. While we're on that subject, fatal accidents are more likely to occur when you're accompanied with friends. Too much talking (and hormones, and peer pressure) leads to distraction, which can lead to accidents, to severe injury, and ultimately...death. I know it sounds gruesome, but the fact remains that two out of three teens who die in automobile accidents are the PASSENGERS. Tell your friends that even if they want to take risks with their own lives, they should have a little more respect for the lives of their friends, and for everyone else on the road for that matter. Of course, all your sage wisdom may fall on deaf ears; many teenagers, particularly the fast-drivin' kind, have perfected the art of not listening to sound advice. The best thing you can do is try to keep your friends safe, set a good example with your own driving, and when you're a passenger in someone else's car and they are being unsafe, don't be afraid to ask them to stop and let you out. It may not sound very cool, but trust me, getting hurt or killed in an accident, with your whole life ahead of you, is much less cool. Zelda Share this column with a friend! |
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