This is a dominance issue. You must establish that he is the ‘low dog’ on the totem pole. The dog should follow commands from even the youngest child in your family. (Don’t feel bad about it–dogs don’t have self esteem issues like people do!) Taking him for daily walks also helps establish you as his leader. There are plenty of great articles about proper dog-walking techniques that you can read up on. Also, daily 10 minute training sessions in sit/stay/come/down commands (with treats for incremental achievements) helps cement your leader-follower relationship (maybe 3 per day). A trained dog is much happier than an untrained one because he has a place in the system and knows what to expect.

You have to decide what works best in your house and for your dog–all situations/dogs are different so what works for one family may not work for yours. Our dog never gets to go on the beds, which are the thrones of the hierarchy, but he gets to go on the couches since it is social time with his pack (us) there.

Best of luck!!

Chris Hedges’ post, “Buying Brand Obama”, has much of what I’ve been thinking, not in the sense of “great” minds thinking alike, but of minds “thinking, period” variety. He has a BA in English Literature (Colgate University), and a master’s of Divinity (Harvard Divinity School).

Before March, 2003, I was against attacking Iraq, but quietly so as not to be trampled as the administration beat the warring drums and the masses rushed to embrace each other over our “getting this bastard.” Hedges was not quiet:

May 17, 2003, 2 weeks after Bush’s “Mission Accomplished” speech, Hedges delivered the Rockford College (Rockford, Illinois) commencement speech where he denounced the path Bush was leading us down. The reaction of the audience was so threatening that Hedges had to cut his address short and was escorted by security officials off the campus.

His employers, the New York Times,criticized his statements and reprimanded him.

Hedges left the Times to become a senior fellow at The Nation Institute, write books, and teach. His book, “Empire of Illusion: The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle” is due out in July.

But you were great for and with them.

But thy have all gone to good, loving homes – oh – I saw Leo, the light brown with white at the vet yesterday when I was dropping off my chow/lab mix, Sweetie for more x-rays (they think she has problems with her cervical vertebrae). He remembered me! And he is SOOOOO cute. His owners said it’s hard to take him walking because everyone stops them to see him!

And Lucas’ people send us photos, too, so there will probably be more of the pups!

New Jordan pics soon, I promises!

No more pictures — sniff.

And Stray, you know you have a home here with us, right?

I was just thinking yesterday… good thing I don’t rescue piglets. I’d have to quarantine them! YIKES!