Dogs, Cats, and Other People by Matthew Margolis

Perfect harmony in an aural sense is created through careful selection of the notes to be brought together. Perfect harmony in relationships requires careful consideration of the compatibility, personality and temperament of the people to be brought together. But when it comes to bringing dogs together, careful consideration is not even given casual consideration.

The sentiment that is most erroneously attributed to dogs is that they all like each other. Don't shoot the messenger, but the canine community is no more inherently harmonious than is the Middle East. Take this letter from a reader:

"Gibson, my 9-week-old male Labrador retriever, is doing great. He nips a bit, but is easily redirected with a chew toy. We picked him up from the breeder at 8 weeks, and he has already learned to sit and is now learning stay, come, down, and to calmly walk on a leash. He is home alone about two to three hours a day during the week and has taken to his crate, even going in and sleeping with the door wide open.

"Our problem is with my sister's dog, a 2-year-old female American bulldog. I took Gibson over to meet her, and almost immediately, she had her tail up and rigid, her whole body tense, and would not let Gibson do the obligatory sniffing. I asked my sister to monitor her dog, as she was showing signs of aggression. She did not agree with me. As quick as a snap, the bulldog shoved my puppy with her chest, growled and snapped at him. I scooped Gibson up into my arms — thankfully, he wasn't injured or even too concerned about the whole thing.

"I decided to leave and told my sister I would not be bringing Gibson over again. She did not intervene or discipline her dog at all. I have done the aggression tests you suggest, and Gibson shows no signs of aggression.

He enjoys everyone he meets and plays with an older Lab at my brother's house just fine — running around, tails relaxed and wagging.

"Did I do the right thing? Am I correct in not allowing Gibson to socialize with my sister's dog? Should my sister have corrected her dog? I guess I just need reassurance."

As a rule of thumb, introduce dogs on neutral territory. Think U.S.-North Korea relations: The United States, via Sweden, utilizes diplomatic envoys to lay the groundwork for future discussions, which set the tone for official negotiations. And still there's no guarantee that all parties will play nicely.

The writer is so busy being mad at her sister for not protecting her dog that she neglects to take responsibility for the fact that she brought her puppy onto another dog's turf assuming he'd be welcome. That's like assuming it would be fine to drop by Kim Jong-il's for cocktails uninvited.

As for whether there is any hope of a friendship between Gibson and the bulldog, on the one hand, there's no need to banish the dogs from each other's presence. Put them on a leash, take them to a park, and let them sniff each other out there. Like Switzerland.

On the other hand, there's also no need to force the issue. Dogs aren't friends, they're animals — hierarchical animals at that, meaning all dogs are not created equal.

Personally, I'd be more concerned about repairing the relationship between sisters. It's a dog-eat-dog world, and friends and family should be cherished.

Woof!

Dog trainer Matthew "Uncle Matty" Margolis is co-author of 18 books about dogs, a behaviorist, a popular radio and television guest, and host of the PBS series "WOOF! It's a Dog's Life!" Read all of Uncle Matty's columns at the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com, and visit him at www.unclematty.com. Send your questions to dearuncle.gazette@unclematty.com or by mail to Uncle Matty at P.O. Box 3300, Diamond Springs, CA 95619.

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