Dear Matthew: I have a 1 1/2 -year-old male Lab-husky mix that I adopted from the local shelter in July 1998. He was fixed in August 1998 (at 3 months). He is a very good dog with my 2 1/2year-old daughter, he doesn't chew things to shreds, and he is crate trained and housebroken.

When my mother comes over (only with her he does this), however, he will not leave her alone. He wants to be in her face and wants her to take him out 1,000 times while she is here. When she leaves, he just lays down and goes to sleep.I hope you can help me. By the way, he only weighs 29 pounds, so he's not as big as some would think. He is all muscle, though. Thank you for your time. -- Ronda in Columbus, Ohio

Dear Ronda: Your dog is probably just reflecting the excitement that's in the air whenever your mother comes over (at least, I hope it's excitement).

You've got to remember that dogs are more sensitive to noises and commotion than humans are, so if you're running around the house trying to pick things up before Mom arrives, your dog could be feeding off that. Maybe when your mom shows up at the front door, there's an extended greeting, with a frenzy of activity -- such as hugging, welcoming her in, greeting the dog or talking excitedly about recent happenings. Any of these things could be getting your dog's energy level up, leading to his constant pestering during the visit.

What you need to do -- at least for a while -- is make your mother's visits as quiet and routine as possible. Both of you should pretend the dog isn't there and go about your business in a calm fashion. The key here is to emphasize to your dog that there's nothing going on that he should be working himself up into a tizzy over. If he doesn't get anything out of your mother's visits, chances are he's going to start treating them with a canine shrug.

If, after a few weeks, this doesn't seem to be working, you can always try putting your dog on a leash and training collar when your mother arrives and giving him a corrective jerk and a firm "No!" if he starts jumping around. A spray with a squirt gun or a startling noise with a shake can also could work. Keep up with a combination of these training techniques, and you should see some positive results.

Dear Matthew: You've said time and again, "You don't want to raise a pack of dogs in your house". Why?

I have two dogs who have been together since they were puppies. They are very much a pack, though they have no trouble socializing with other dogs. There is also no problem with authority -- that's me. The only real problem is when they need to be separated; for a visit to the vet, for example. The dog who doesn't go with me will howl, and both seem unhappy until they are reunited.

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They sleep curled up with each other, or with one draped over the other. They take turns barking at strangers in the neighborhood, and when I take them on day hikes they gladly drink from the same small bowl at the same time.

I realize that when one dies, the other will have a very hard time with it. I also know that it's possible I'll lose the remaining one shortly after the first. I've seen that happen before in other animals I've owned which have lived as a pack. But the closeness they share, I think, is worth it. -- Marly in New England

Dear Marly: You said your dogs treat you as the authority, but do they interact well with you, or are they more interested in each other? It sounds like you may have a fine situation, where your two dogs keep each other company and are having happy lives. The reason I argue for trying to avoid having a "pack mentality" with more than one dog is because there can be a fairly significant downside. The dogs are less obedient, they aren't interested in human contact, they may occasionally fight and their personalities don't develop as thoroughly. Believe me when I say I've seen this thousands of times, and poor human socialization at an early age is extremely difficult to overcome even with the best training.

Read all of Matthew Margolis' columns at the Creators Syndicate Web site www.creators.com, and visit him at www.matthewmargolis.com. Write him at 5777 W. Century Blvd., Suite 700, Los Angeles, CA 90045.

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