Dear Matthew: A trainer I recently talked to indicated to me that since I have two pups that are litter-mates, I will have behavioral problems with them when they are mature. He would not elaborate unless I hire him for obedience training. What type of problems am I in for, if any? -- Stephen in Pleasant Hill, Calif.Dear Stephen: I don't know about you, but I'd be reluctant to work with a dog trainer who only offers advice when you open your pocketbook. You may want to look around a little more to find someone who isn't going to try to fleece you whenever you need a quick bit of help.
As for your question, there are several things you have to worry about when raising two or more puppies -- whether they're litter-mates or not.
First, you have to take the time and energy to socialize individually with the animals so they bond to you and don't develop a "pack mentality." That means separating the dogs occasionally and playing with them apart.
Next, you should make sure you have your dogs spayed or neutered. They'll be much more likely to interact on a calm, friendly basis if hormones don't get in the way. And, on that note, if possible, you should have a boy-girl combination. Two girls will also work, but two male dogs -- even neutered ones -- are more likely to not get along.
If you handle things carefully and be sure not to provoke conflicts between the dogs over food, toys and your attention, you'll raise happy, well-adjusted pets. I recommend you look around a bit more and choose a trustworthy dog trainer to help you on your journey.
Dear Matthew:How old do cats have to be before they can be neutered? -- RoseAnn in Niles, Ohio
Dear RoseAnn: About the earliest you can have a cat fixed -- either male or female -- is around two months of age, with the average being about six months old. Generally, it's a good idea to fix your cat before it reaches puberty, but a cat is never too old to benefit from the surgery.
For those who don't know, these benefits include: less aggressive or agitated behavior, less noisemaking when around other cats, fewer instances of urine marking, less risk of certain diseases, such as breast cancer, and less of a chance that your cat will run away if given the opportunity.
Fixing your cat is a relatively painless procedure that usually only requires one trip to the veterinarian (on occasion a return trip is required to remove stitches). In only a couple of days, your cat will be up and running again, and after two weeks the little furball will be completely healed.
Dear Matthew:We are desperate!! We just got a new golden retriever puppy two weeks ago. She is 10 weeks old. She is what you would call OUT OF CONTROL! We can't seem to do anything with her.
She bites, and when you tell her no, she bites more. Our veterinarian told us to hold her muzzle and tell her "No Bite!" That just makes it worse. She also won't come when she is called. She runs from us.
It is getting so frustrating to us, we are about ready to get rid of her. That is our last resort. We love her, but we just can't get control of her.
Please help us. -- Jody in Franklin, Ohio
Dear Jody: Puppies are a handful. They require constant training and attention. They aren't going to do anything you want until you show them, step-by-step, what you expect and then repetitively work with them on it. But the good news is, at 10 weeks, your puppy is still young enough for you to develop her personality and ingrain some good habits that will last her entire life.
You definitely need to consult with a dog-trainer one-on-one in order to get headed in the right direction and put together a proper training program. But to offer you one piece of advice, grabbing your dog's muzzle is not a good way to train her not to bite!
First of all, chances are she's going to bite your hand, as you are sticking it right in her face. Second, as you've been noticing, it's probably just going to make her more aggressive.
Matthew Margolis is the host of "Woof! It's a Dog's Life," a dog-instruction series airing every Saturday on your local PBS station. 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.