When a dog walks with you on the street, he will meet people and other dogs. You want to keep him from taking too much interest in them, but friend and stranger alike will have other ideas. They'll call him "nice doggy," they'll pat him and smile.

Your dog has already learned not to jump up on people even so he may greet the stranger by pawing, licking or just acting silly. If he is the reserved, offish type, he may frighten the stranger by growling or bristling. This is not ugliness; your dog is only trying to say "Won't you please leave me alone?" You know that your dog is kindness itself, certainly not a biter. But what you may not have learned is that a dog can be goaded beyond endurance into anger, even as you or I.

In a case like this we cannot very well correct the dog; he's doing all right. What a pity people do not treat dogs with the same dignity shown each other. Strangers do not rush up to one another and act as if they had been friends all their lives Yet this is what they sometimes do to the dog, and the dog has every right to resent it. Pat a strange dog on the head and what happens? He may snap because he cannot keep your hand in sight. Hold your hand down perfectly still, giving him time to get your scent. When he makes up his mind he may show friendliness or he will ignore you. Do not try to make friends with a strange dog. Wait for him to make friends with you.

When passing a dog on the street, your dog will react according to his previous association with other dogs. If he is used to their company, he'll probably give them a welcoming wiggle and continue on. But if he has never, met other dogs he may be shy or fearful, or he may kick up quite a fuss, snarling and tugging on the leash, or he may be awfully anxious to make friends.

The fearful and the over-friendly dog is not corrected at a time like this. He needs a carefully chosen doggy friend to play with occasionally. The snarling one, however, is yanked sharply by the leash as you order "No!" Then make him Sit until the other dog has gone by. Next time, when you see another dog approaching, make your dog Sit immediately. If the dogs are friendly you and the other owner may let them play together a while.

The Stay is an elaboration of Sit, and a most useful exercise, too. Your dog will be ready to learn it as soon as he has learned to Sit. The new exercise will take longer to teach because it demands more of the pupil.

Tell your dog to sit, holding the leash in your left hand, with you at his right. Bring your right hand up to his face, palm flat, and say in a firm tone of voice, "Stay!". If he moves, give a short jerk back on the leash, and make him sit, repeating the command. Do it for only a few seconds at a time at first, then for longer, and move away from him,Letting the leash go slack. If he gets up to follow you, go back to the same spot, and make him sit and, stay again. This training should also be followed when the dog is lying down or standing, so that you can walk around him or away while he stays.