Welcome to Week Thirty-Seven!

Nice to meet you! Teach your dog how to shake your hand and she'll be able to greet your friends with proper manners! Learn these instructions in this week's Kids & Pets, "Teach Your Dog to Shake Hands."

Do you know where most unwanted dog behaviors start? They start with an experiment; your dog wants to achieve something, like getting food from the table, making intruders leave your property, or finding a way to engage your attention. So she tries something, anything to see if it will work. When it does work, she tries it again the next time. When successful, she uses it again and again, until one day it becomes a habit. Good news, though, habits can be changed! Learn more about this in this week's Understanding Your Pet, "How an Experiment Becomes a Habit."

Chewing gum can be an accident waiting to happen, if your dog gets into it. Whether one piece or an entire pack; chewing gum can be deadly if it contains xylitol. Xylitol is also found in candies, breath mints, toothpaste and both regular and sugar-free gum. Read this week's Perfect Pet column, "Xylitol is Toxic to Your Dog" to learn why xylitol is highly toxic and tips on keeping your dog safe.

You've been there, you know what I mean, your dog shows up in the room with your shoe (shirt, leash, cell phone, plastic wrapper, blahblahblah) and you tell her no and walk toward her. Which causes her to bolt down the hall, on the bed, under the bed, fast escape by your feet down the stairway into the family room! Does this sound familiar? Read this week's Training For Success column, "When Your Dog Plays Keep Away."

MyPetTrainer.com and LostMyPet.com want you to have a happy relationship with your dog! We hope you enjoy your Week Thirty-Seven issue of MyPetTrainer.com.

Together in success,
The staff of MyPetTrainer.com