Menzies - Psycho dog: all your dog problems answered in one easy-to-follow guide

Danny Shanahan captures Lassies much-needed visit to the psycho-dog-analyst.

Im sure the human manages to get himself out of the water hes only yards from the edge after all! And I can just imagine what Lassie is saying as he lays on the psychiatrists couch: Well, you see, Im having terrible trouble with my humans. They keep getting themselves into all sorts of mad scrapes and I have to rescue them every time. Its like they cant take any responsibility at all for their own lives. Its just one thing after another mineshafts, rip tides, burglars, evil property developers, runaway horses, train tracks I mean, honestly, Doc, its really doing my head in. The responsibility of it all is just too much for me. You know, by the time I get home, I will be expected to sort the next thing out, and at the end of the day, Im just a dog, Ive only got paws.

So, as you rush to condemn your dog and his behaviour as psycho, its a good idea to take a moment to see the other side of the story. It will also help give you a wider perspective on the whole situation. Yes, you may have a problem with your dog. Dont worry. Its not the end of the world. Its not global warming. Its not dieting. Its not even terrorism though it may feel like it sometimes. There is hope! Everything will be OK in the end.

Please bear this in mind when your dog steals and eats every crumb of the lemon tart that was going to be the highlight of your dinner party. Lyn (FTCh Kelmscott Whizz) did that to me. Or if the dog knows exactly when next door is going to put out the rubbish bags and makes that the precise moment it escapes the house-sitter (thank you, Dutch) try not to get too bothered. Or if the Labrador pulls so hard your daughter trips over the kerb and loses a tooth (not one of my dogs on this occasion), just head for the dentist and then buy this book on the way back. It is all solvable and there will be a time when you look back on all this and laugh about it, even if through a gritted new front tooth.

For an author, having a problem dog is actually better than having a perfect dog, because it gives you a lot more to write about even if its only amusing anecdotes for your readers. For example, writing about my saintly spaniel, Ricky, is fairly predictable: Got up; Ricky wagged tail and grinned; walked dogs; Ricky kept coming back with presents for me; fed dogs; Ricky sat quietly and waited patiently for his turn. Yawn. Whereas there is a lot more to say about Solo: Got up; Solo burst out of his dog bed and nicked Lemons toy before she could stop him, then did three laps of the lawn waving it at her; walked dogs; Solo shot off in hot pursuit of a rabbit; told him off and called him back; Solo grinned and wagged tail, hes obviously planning to do it all again tomorrow. But there is a truth hidden in this, that challenging dogs are often very rewarding dogs. If youve been through some difficult times together, you eventually reach an understanding that has an immense amount of shared experience in it. You become comrades, even if the ride has been rocky.

Ricky demonstrating what a good dog he is.

Ricky bringing me a present.

Problems can be amusing as well as annoying but that doesnt mean we shouldnt bother to solve them. My friends daughters front tooth was expensive to replace, and the incident was totally preventable if the dog had been taught not to pull on the lead in the first place. This book will show you how to get the best out of the dog, at the same time as allowing his wonderful character to shine through. You will find you end up with the best of all friends a dog with the intelligence to have his own identity, and the loving obedience to share it with you in a positive way.

Solo heading out to do naughtiness all over again tomorrow.

The most common issues I come across with dogs or that my readers report to me are minor and easy to cure. Pulling on the lead is the number one dog problem people ask me about. In the greater perspective of all the ghastly things that go wrong in life, often on a daily basis, the dog pulling on the lead is really not up there. Better yet, it is very easy to solve, as this book will show you. Most of what you will be discovering is a simple, basic understanding of how a dogs mind works, how a humans mind works and importantly, how to get them both working in the same direction!