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12:59

Philly.com - Mary Remer will be along in a few moments to begin the chat. In the meantime, why not check out the Daily News' Dog Days of Summer package?

12:59

Philly.com - You can also begin submitting your questions. Get them in early and stay tuned for the Mary's advice!

1:15	Mary Remer - Hi it's Mary Remer from What a Good Dog. I apologize, I had trouble connecting. I look forward to your questions.

1:16

[Comment From Guest]
I have a 3 yr old female American Bulldog. She is great with our family and friends, however, she has a fear of children. Since we live in teh city, there are plenty of children who walk by the house which she barks at aggressively. Any tips on how we can get her to overcome this?

1:20

Mary Remer - Hi - If you can set up scenarios where children would be able to toss treats to her from a distance and with the children standing sideways to her or even with their backs to her. It's a non direct approach and not viewed as a frontal by the dog. This can help her begin to develop a different association for children. It's a long process and hard in a city environment. Because of course you are unable to control that environment. If this doesn't help, call my office. There are other steps you can take if this doesn't work.

1:21	[Comment From Abby] Hey Mary-- do you have any tips for keeping my golden retriever cool in the hot weather? She's got so much hair, I feel terrible sticking her outside!

1:24

Mary Remer -

Hi Abby - There are some very nice products out that there to help dogs that are heat intolerant. If you google 'cool coats for dogs' you can find a web site for those products. I have a lot of golden retriever clients that use them. The golden retriever has a double coat and the undercoat serves to help keep them cool and warm during the summer and winter. Many breeders recommend not shaving retrievers because of the double coat. There are pet owners that do have their dogs clipped down in the summer months and believe their dogs really appreciate the benefit. You can consider putting a baby pool outside so your dog can get in the pool water. I would also consider feeding your dog ice cubes. You can make the cubes 1/2 cranberry or apple juice. ;-)

1:25

[Comment From Matthew]
I have an 8 month old Bischon. I have her trained pretty good to go #2 outside our house. But this is the issue.....that is the only place she will go #2. I can get up in the morning, feed her and immediatly go for a walk and she will not go #2 while walking. Bring her back to her spot and tie her on...boom. Thing is I am moving soon so I wanted to get her used to going in other places. I might add this walk can sometimes be for 45mins so I know she has to go.

1:29

Mary Remer - Matthew - Good for you for thinking about the future and trying to make an easy adjustment for your dog. Your post indicates that you tie her onto a line in your yard and then she goes #2 on that line. The first thing I would suggest is moving the line so that it's the same yard, but a different location. And, then I would try moving it yet again. This way she slowly gets used to going in a different location. And, the other thing she can do is to delay putting her on the line when she thinks that she would normally go. So, change her routine. Walk her at a time when you believe she would really have to go. And if she doesn't go, don't bring her back and put her on the line. Bring her back and put her in the house, then take her on another walk. It might talk 24-36 hours, but close off the opportunity if you are wanting her to relieve herself during the walk.

1:30

[Comment From wanda]
Hi Mary I have a 3yr old siberian, very friendly to other dogs. Too friendly sometimes. He has a tendency while on the leash to lunge at other dogs while on our walks. I've tried to distract him before it happens but sometimes we are already pass and he will lunge back to the other dog. He has a wolflike look so it can be very frightening to pet owners besides it being a bad habit. At times our wlks become upsetting and embarrassing. any suggestions would be much apprecited.

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