Reader seeks repellent for wandering dogs

Dear Dog Talk : I have a problem with neighborhood dogs doing their business in several spots in my yard. Can you suggest a plant or plants that will repel dogs without doing harm to them• Sprays do not seem to work, and I am reluctant to use anything toxic that will harm dogs or other animals.

Dear Repellent : I don't know of any specific plants that would repel dogs without harming them. Check with a veterinarian and your local garden center; they may have a suggestion. I'll also ask my many loyal "Dog Talk" readers to drop me a line if the know of any such plant or product that works well. The wealth of knowledge that my readers possess never fails to amaze me. I seem to learn something new about dogs every week. If my readers do have any good suggestions, I will post them on my Web site www.the-real-dog-talk.com .

Or you can always try my favorite approach: Try to find out who owns these wandering mutts! Give the owners a call and politely but firmly ask them to stop breaking the leash law - and please keep their dogs on their own property.

If you feel that your neighbors are not the type of people who will respond to your request in a civil way, skip calling them first and simply report their dogs to animal control. I've been known to use my Come on Command training expertise to get a leash on a stray dog so that it was ready to go when animal control showed up.

I've always felt kind of bad helping to ship some hapless dog off to the pound. However, I know that they are safer at the shelter than they are wandering loose. Plus, the thought of their negligent owners getting a hefty fine always makes me feel better.

Dear Dog Talk : I have a 10-year-old Brittany spaniel. Salty has been a decent hunter and also a good house dog. She is sweet and always friendly with guests or strangers.

I do not exactly have a problem, but Salty has a strange behavior that has been going on for many years (I can't remember when it began). We feed her dry dog food that is comprised of small bits the size of one's thumbnail. She will not eat until my wife or I have left the room and once we do, she takes one of the bits of dog food from her pen, trots to the middle of the room, drops the bit and returns to her pen to chow down. No matter how hungry she is, she never goes back to her "sacrifice" to finish it. What is going on here?

Dear Puzzled : You got me! I'm seriously thinking of putting together a book of the very strange idiosyncrasies of my "Dog Talk" readers' dogs. Your Brittany will be in chapter one.

Maybe she is sharing her food with the rest of her pack• Maybe she would be thrilled if you guys ate it. Could she be storing it up for a rainy day• I will only know the answer to questions like these when I die and come back as a dog. However, I'm not sure even another dog would know what your Brittany is up to.

Dear Dog Talk : I'm 9 years old. I want to be a veterinarian. I studied about being a vet. I know it's hard. I like your thing in the paper. My dog mouths, but it does not hurt. But I still tell her "No." She stops!

Also, she keeps going doo-doo in the house. My dad yells at her and slaps her on the behind. I had just taken her out, and she did both. Then I threw the ball for her and she sniffed. I was mad. I don't know what to do. I hope you know how to stop her from doing it. Please write back! Thanks.

Dear Future Veterinarian : You are right when you say becoming a veterinarian is not easy. However, if you study real hard in school you can probably succeed in becoming anything that you want. Never give up your dream!

It is good that you tell your dog "No" whenever she mouths. If you tell her "No" or "Nhaa" consistently, using a firm tone, she will soon stop.

Ask your dad not to hit your dog when she has an accident in the house. If he catches her having an accident, a firm "Nhaa" will do the trick. Take her outside often, and she will form a habit of doing her business there. Thanks for writing.