Hello. I hope that someone can give me some advice on what to do. About a year ago, I offered a friend of the family (Bob) the option of staying in a spare bedroom when he landed a new job in the area. It was supposed to be a short term solution until he could get settled. Shortly after moving in, he asked if he could get a dog -- I already have a male mini dachshund (Riley) and a cat. I told him that as long as he got a female dog and Riley met her first and they got along, it would be okay.

Well, found a rescued male Pomeranian (Ursoc) right away and decided to adopt him before consulting with me. In general, Ursoc is a sweet dog -- as long as he is the center of attention. I work from home and am at my computer the majority of the day so I don't have a lot of time to train or work with Ursoc.

At first, Ursoc would lay down next to my legs just like Riley. However, as time went by, Ursoc began to get more comfortable in the house and started roaming around more and marking or pooping in the house. I tried confining him to just the room I was in, but he continued getting into trouble -- chewing up items, marking, constantly wanting to go outside.

I finally told Bob that in the morning, when he left he would need to pen up Ursoc in the kitchen (put a barrier up that would keep him in the kitchen area) where he would have access to the doggie door and water. Then the incessant barking started (it will go on constantly for hours), but only when Bob was not physically around. If I put Riley downstairs in the fenced area with Ursoc, then the barking stops. I feel that it's not fair to make Riley stay downstairs with Ursoc just to shut him up. I've asked Bob to figure out what to do, but his comment is that Ursoc doesn't bark when he's around so how is he supposed to do anything.

I've tried to be calm assertive, but I must fail at it. Any suggestions, besides the obvious one of having Bob and Ursoc move out?

I have a one year old Yorkie/ShiTzu and she barks at the TV. She barks when other dogs are on the TV as well as anything that has 4 legs. It could be a real animal or a cartoon. It could be a person doing a push up. I can't get her to stop from barking at the TV. It has even gone as far as her remembering the music on certain commercials (especially the Telus commercials with the jumping goats or the rhinno) with animals in it and she will come tearing around the corner to stand in front of the TV jsut to bark at it. I don't know what to do with her and her issues with the TV.

Our 1 year old puggle, Vinny not only barks at other things/people/dogs from in the house or in the fenced in yard, he comes undone! It's more than a bark or a howl, he sounds like he's in agony; like we're tearing him limb from limb. Truth be told, he's very timid and actually skidish. This behavior is completely embarrassing. I do try to stop it by getting him away from the door or window and directing his attention towards me, and that works sometimes. But from the outside, it sounds like we're completely torchuring him. We don't want people to be affraid of him or us or our house. (if you heard him, you would be afraid of something!) I've been redirecting his attention for months now and I really so no change. Cesar, I KNOW you know the solution! :) Thanks!

Hi Cesar,
My kids and I are huge fans of your show. I was writing because we have an old, really old dog. He's 16 years old, a german shepard/norwegian elkhound mix, we think, which we got at the pound when he was 4 months old. He's been a wonderful member of our family, loving, gentle, and noble. He started having trouble with his arthritis a couple of years ago, but it's gotten much worse in the last 3 months or so. Right now, he cannot get up without our help, and most days, can't move around without a little support from a hand on his hip. He's a little incontinent as well, so we've put diapers on him. We still take him out, but he hasn't been able to physically go on a walk (except around the backyard with our help) for a few weeks now. We can't afford a wheelchair for him, or we would have gotten one for him by now. At home, he'll often go on a barking binge, not at anything, he won't want water or food, or even help up or a change, he just barks and barks, often all night long. I've tried keeping him up all day, making sure he didn't nap at all, thinking maybe he was just off schedule. But he continued to bark all night. And now he often barks all day too. I don't know how he can't sleep at all.

He's never had a barking problem before. And am at a loss of what to do. SOmetimes some acupressue and massage helps, but not often.

Hi Cesar! I love your shows and your books!
I'm having a little bit of a problem with my dog. Actually, she's not my dog, she's my grandma's dog. Her name is Annie, a Jack Russell terrier about 5 years old? My grandma got her from an old friend who passed away a few years ago. Her friend lived in an apartment and so Annie was always locked up. When he got sick, my grandma took the dog in and she's stayed ever since. She's a nice dog but she has a problem with barking at other pets. She gets along great with other people but whenever a dog or a cat walks by our yard, she starts barking like crazy. She runs around the house, and won't stop barking until it's gone. She has shown signs of aggression too. One time, my uncle brought his little dog over and they got along fine for an hour or two then she bit him on the neck! Luckily, the other dog wasn't hurt too bad but my uncle will never bring his dog over again for good reason. What can I do to stop this aggressive behavior? I want to get another pet, maybe a cat, but I don't know that I can with Annie around. Please HELP!!

I am 17 years old, 3 weeks ago i found a puppy that was not supposed to be away from her mum but she was homeless so i took her in. She settled in well and straight away got on with my boyfriends Rottweiler. She is very hyperactive energy, however i think half of this is due to the fact she is still not allowed outside due to not having her injections. She understands a few commands and most of the time is calm however, she sometimes turns into a completely different dog. She will start biting, growling,barking, she destroys things and she will urinate and excrete anywhere she pleases despite removing her scent time and time again. Her barking stops if i look at her for long enough but sometimes it can increase heavily to the point where she is biting and she is only 8 weeks old!!! I would really love if you could give me advice on what to do! She has also started eating her own waste..which i heard is normal with female dogs?? But worries me as it can't be good for her and i don't want it do increase into a routine. I hope that when i can start walking her all her excess energy will decrease but i'm afraid of her turning into a human or dog aggressive animal. PLEASE HELP CESAR!! Your biggest fan! Tiffany x