Training

Life with any dog has its moments of agony and ecstasy. The ecstasy happens when our dogs' behaviors are top notch, and all systems seem to run smoothly. The agony happens when our dogs have an oops" moment

It's very disconcerting when your well-housetrained dog suddenly starts having accidents in the house. It may be human nature to think he's doing it to spite you, but that's not the case – a well-trained dog doesn't just start soiling indoors on a whim. There's a legitimate reason it's happening, and you owe it to your dog to find out why. Here's what you need to do:

she probably shouldn't be in public until she's had some remedial "downtown hound" lessons.üTeach your dog "leave it

but most will send an officer right away if the dog is contained."

Use good equipment that is appropriate for your dog (for example, if not well trained, giant dogs probably need more than a flat collar – and retractable leashes are not considered safe, ever). Inspect the fit and condition of all your equipment frequently. Ensure that your dog wears a tag with current information.

What do you want, you crazy dog? Jennifer Wade said with a smile to her diabetic alert dog

Not to be outdone by the veterinary profession (See Alphabet Soup

My friend has super fast dogs, and they compete in agility. I always imagined that the magnets on the back of her vehicle indicated just how fast they could run: MACH speeds! And C-ATCH: Catch me if you can! Obviously my Border Collie, Duncan, and I didn't get far enough in our brief agility career to earn any titles (he preferred to make up his own courses). But when my curiosity got the better of me and I looked into what, exactly, those letters on my friend's car actually meant, I quickly learned that there are countless titles and certifications that can be bestowed upon our canine companions.

It's very frustrating when you're sure your dog knows the cue for a behavior but he doesn't do it when you ask him to. Imagine how frustrating it is for him when you cue a behavior and he just doesn't understand the cue that you were so sure he knew! Here are five things to do to avoid this impasse.

a 3-year-old Labrador-mix

Okay, I'll confess: I'm a lousy housekeeper. So when I first saw the YouTube videos starring Jessie the Jack Russell Terrier, who has been trained to do countless household chores, I found the idea of training my dogs to help me with the housework quite appealing.

Clever Hans was a German horse in the early 1900s who was supposedly able to solve math problems and perform other amazing tasks. His owner, math teacher, amateur horse trainer, and mystic Wilhelm von Osten, said Hans could add, subtract, multiply, divide, work with fractions, tell time, keep track of the calendar, differentiate musical tones, and read, spell, and understand German. When given a math problem either orally or in writing, Hans would answer by tapping his hoof.