Does your dog barge past you when you open the door to your yard? Does your dog take your spot on the couch and not give it back? Does he tell you know when it is time to eat and play and go for a walk?

Guess what? Your dog doesn’t just think he’s the leader of your household — he knows he’s the boss, the leader of the pack, because you may be unwittingly sending him messages that he is the leader of your family.

You are not alone. My family’s two dogs were getting away with every behavior listed above and more by being very sweet, naughty and ever so persistent. I am now back to behavior training with my 4-year-old German shorthaired pointer, Otis, to reinforce some of the things he learned in puppy class and re-establish the humans in our household as the leaders.

A long time ago, our dogs actually had jobs to do, such as accompanying the hunt, chasing vermin, herding sheep horses or even reindeer, guiding people and animals through rough terrain, hauling sleds and goods across long distances and guarding monasteries.

With the exception of a few working dogs for medical and police/army purposes, many of these dog jobs are no longer available for them to do in the U.S. These days dogs have a lot more free time to “do things” around the house and sometimes they can get into big time trouble.

These days we spoil our dogs. Many sleep 20 or more hours per day inside the home. Many dogs are not given a consistent schedule for mealtimes, exercise and training. We spoil them with a 24-hour buffet of dog foods, toys and treats, which they receive for doing absolutely nothing

When we give our dogs so much and they have no “work” to do, problems with behavior can begin as small issues and grow into larger issues.

Kata Miller of Cave Canis dog training says, “So many dogs today are spoiled so much that they become the leader of the household. They are being allowed to get up onto beds and furniture, eat out of an overflowing food bowl whenever they like, have lots of unearned possessions to guard and have subordinates fawn over them with constant free petting. They also can demand petting, play, walks or to be left alone and receive it whenever they want.”

The problems may start innocently enough when the dog is allowed on the couch or the bed. Leaders in a dog pack always assume the high central sleeping spots. If your dog is growling at you or a child when they approach the higher ground of the couch or bed, it is exerting dominance or leadership. It is best not to allow your dog on the bed or couch, but if you must, you must make clear to the dog that you have priority in that space if you want it.

In the dog pack, leaders eat first, so problems could start if your dog can demand food and receive it whenever it wants. Ideally you should be able to eat your dinner without a doggie nose under your elbow jostling for a food treat. Your dog should be in a crate or a down stay so you can have a peaceful meal.

After the meal you can make your dog “work” for the food by responding appropriately to one or more sit-stay or down-stay commands. In our home this is a goal we are still working on.

I like to take behavior classes with different trainers because they all have different ways of teaching us humans how to communicate with our dogs.

Each time I learn a new way to communicate with my dogs as a calm leader I help my dogs become more secure with their position in the family unit. Following behavior commands, knowing that they eat and play at a set time during the day actually gives my dogs a sense of security. If I see that my dog is about to bark at people or other dogs, I can give him a good thing to do such as a sit-stay or down-stay. After he does the good behavior he is getting praise and he forgets about the inappropriate behavior.

If you want to have harmonious household and a good relationship with your dog with you as the leader — find a behavior trainer. The classes are fun because you are learning and bonding with your dog and your dog is being socialized with the other dogs in the class.

An excellent book about dog behavior is “The Other End of the Leash,” by Patricia McConnell.

Dr. Elizabeth Bradt is a graduate of Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine. A Salem, Mass., resident, she is the owner of All Creatures Veterinary Hospital in Salem. She welcomes pet questions and stories sent by e-mail to docliz@creaturehealth.com. Please type “Vet Connection” in the subject field.

So Brock Lesnar made some history over the weekend as he became the first person to be the WWE and a UFC Champion. Congratulations to Lesnar on handling his business and TKO'ing the MMA legend Randy Couture.

But, with this said, I have some words of caution for UFC president Dana White and the entire UFC: The Lesnar win hurts the organization's credibility.

Shocking? Not really -- Lesnar made his name as a professional wrestler. The WWE is not competition. The UFC has done a good job of marketing Lesnar, but they have done so off of his professional wrestling pedigree. I hardly saw mention of his NCAA Heavyweight Championship in the leading months of the fight.

There is a significant group of people that feel that MMA is as real as professional wrestling. I am not one of those for the record, but they do exist. This, along with the revelations around Kimbo Slice's loss to Seth Petruzelli, could hurt a growing sport.

My professional wrestling trainer, a decent actual fighter in his own right, took up training MMA fighters after his days in professional wrestling were over. The small promoters actually wanted him to have his fighters use characters in their matches and promotions for fight cards. It is this kind of thing that hurts a legitimate sport and if it were used at higher levels would be a killer blow to MMA.

Also, the WWE taking a shot at the UFC was a grade-school move. If one is to congratulate a fighter on winning a prize, then simply do so.

Taking my own advice, again, congratulations to Brock Lesnar. You truly earned your belts in both companies!

Linn County (Mo.) Leader

For the past four weeks, once a week, someone has dumped meat on the Centre, said Chris Walsh of nearby Vernon Street.

And, it wasn't a small amount of meat, or rotting meat, he said. Rather, it was large hunks of meat that appeared to be recently purchased at a grocery store.

"It seems very odd," said Walsh, a Precinct 7 Town Meeting member. "There are some very big pieces and they are arriving in one particular spot on the town common for four weeks running. All of the neighbors have come across it."

The first three times people discovered the meat, they threw it away, but Walsh decided to call the Board of Health and the Framingham Police when he discovered what appeared to be a shoulder cut of beef on the ground Tuesday.

The Board of Health sent someone who took pictures of the meat, he said, and Walsh spoke to a police dispatcher.

"The dispatcher said maybe someone was trying to lure their pet back," said Walsh. "What kind of pet would you lure back with that? A cougar?"

Board of Health Director Ethan Mascoop said an inspector has been assigned to handle the case of the mysterious meat. The latest piece appeared to weigh 4 to 5 pounds.

"It's unusual there's no doubt about that," said Mascoop. "It's not your typical complaint that comes to the Health Department. We take every complaint and situation seriously."

Mascoop would not say if the meat is being tested.

Walsh said he was concerned because so many people walk their dogs through the common, and he's worried the meat may be poisoned to harm animals.

"I would have loved to have this tested to see if someone was really being nefarious," Walsh said.

Although there is no evidence of that occurring, Mascoop said every possibility is being looked at.

"Anything is possible," he said. "Do we know what's going on? Not at all. That's why we're in contact with the Police Department."

MetroWest Daily News writer Norman Miller can be reached at 508-626-3823 or nmiller@cnc.com.

Some of the poems are serious, and others are simply whimsical. But in either case, I was forced to reconsider my purpose in creating the visual image. I also learned that not only can words enhance the image, but they bring out unrealized facets of the art.

One of my inspirations for this exercise was the work of D.G. Rossetti (1828-1882), the Pre-Raphaelite poet and painter. Rossetti wrote poems about his paintings or, conversely, did paintings about his poems, as was the case with “The Blessed Damozel.” He called this process “the double image.” Here are the two opening stanzas from “The Blessed Damozel”:

"The blessed damozel leaned out
From the gold bar of Heaven;
Her eyes were deeper than the depth
Of waters stilled at even;
She had three lilies in her hand,
And the stars in her hair were seven.
Her robe, ungirt from clasp to hem,
No wrought flowers did adorn,
But a white rose of Mary's gift,
For a service meetly worn;
Her hair that lay along her back
Was yellow like ripe corn."

Many modern poets have explored this dual process in a casual way, but many were or are practicing painters, including e.e. cummings, Eugenio Montale, Derek Walcott and Lawrence Ferlinghetti. I don’t know if they used the method recommended here, but they were serious about their art, and that no doubt influenced their poetry in some important way.

Those who work at it consciously, however, will derive the greatest benefit. When this happens, distinctions blur and you can begin to blend the two forms into a hybrid. Words and art combined together can create a new form of artistic expression.

The most outstanding example of the interconnected relationship of a poetry and painting can be seen in the work of William Blake, who would often put a poem directly into a work of art, thus making his words a prominent part of the visual image.

This is a relatively new approach for me and I have yet to delve into it with any real depth, but it seems the energy for creating a poem or a painting flows from the same source. Why not take advantage of this phenomenon, no matter how mysterious it may be, and harness the energy to bring forth a double helping of my artistic inspiration?

Greater force

The immediate result was I felt a stronger flow of the desire to communicate my feelings, the blood of my passion grew richer — so to speak — and poured out onto paper and canvas with greater force.

How this happens exactly, I don’t know. But I am confident the effect will be similarly incendiary for all of you poets who are willing to explore the potential of “the double image.”

I have recently discovered Picasso wrote surrealistic poetry when he was unable to paint.

So this is another important connection between poetry and painting: when you are suffering from writer’s block or unable to focus or finish a poem, try drawing or painting as a break from wrestling with language.

A. S. Maulucci’s first 35 poetry columns are now available as an e-book titled “On Poetry, The Mysterious Art,” from Lorenzo Press (www.lorenzopress.com) for $9.95. For details and ordering information, e-mail quietcities@gmail.com. Read A.S. Maulucci’s poetry at www.greentigerproductions.com.

Jonathan Valania will never have another word in the Inquirer ever again.

Drudge:  Democrats prepare to move forward with investigations of Bush administration…

Republicans look to register a URL named moveon.org, only to find that it has been taken for years.

KSDK:  Palin urges GOP governors to keep Democrats honest

In order to be “kept honest,” they have to be honest to begin with.

WBBM-CBS-2 Chicago:  Mayor Daley: Prepare For Mass Layoffs

“The only way around this is if we had a President from Chicago, errr…,” Daley was overheard saying.

AP:  Prince Charles turns 60 waiting for throne

Yeah, he’s really suffering.

NPR:  Gov. Pawlenty: GOP Needs ‘Sam’s Club Voters’

In other words, the GOP needs a group of ten voters wrapped up in tight cellophane and sold for a 50% discount.

NFN:  Cisco Unveils ‘Zettabyte-Era’ Router for Online Video

Microsoft announces that Windows 8.0 will require 2 Zettabytes of RAM.

AP:  County treasurer defeated by ‘teenybopper’ student

Except that the winner is 20; the last time I spelled out the number, I didn’t recall “teen” anywhere in the orthography.

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Klain accepts job as Biden chief of staff

Ronald A. Klain, former chief of staff and counselor to Vice President Al Gore, has accepted an offer to be chief of staff to Vice President-elect Joe Biden, Democratic officials said.

Since he was Gore’s COS, I’m sure Biden hopes that he brings The Lockbox to the job.  Since this guy’s only ambition in life seems to be the COS for Democrat VPs, one might think that he served the same role for Walter Mondale.  Mondale, Gore and Biden…I kinda feel sorry for him.

At first glance, I read “Klain” missing the “i.”  I thought to myself, Klan and Biden?  No way.  Except when Ole Joe the Senator had a “macaca moment” and made a crack and Indians (India) and 7-11s.  Though that’s probably not enough.

Resort plans nude “anything goes” party

CANBERRA (Reuters) – An Australian holiday resort will hold a month-long, nude “anything goes” party to combat an expected economic downturn, media reports said on Thursday.

“Tough economic times call for stiff measures,” Tony Fox, the owner of the White Cockatoo resort in Mossman, in tropical Queensland state, told the Courier-Mail newspaper.

(snip)

Australia’s tourism in industry is being hit hard by global economic turmoil with official figures showing a 7.6 percent decline in overseas visitors in September.

Sure, because any industry that is being “hit hard” in a climate of “downturn” does require “stiff” measures, so that a place called “Cock”atoo can survive.

The Catholic Connection to Barack Obama

Do you wonder why 2008 election data show that the majority of Catholics voted for Barack Obama even though his record as Illinois State Senator proves him the most pro-abortion candidate who ever ran for President?

No, I don’t wonder, because I know the answer:

Hispanics.

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(Springfield, MO) — The economy may be sinking, but gun sales are up significantly.  Part of that has to do with deer hunting season beginning in a few days.

But there’s another group of consumers buying up guns in droves.  Gun stores have seen their sales spike since the election.

A lot of those consumers say they’re worried about a Democratically-controlled government taking away their right to buy and carry guns.  So they’re jumping the gun, before the next administration takes office.

That’s a common canard in the media.  While I think it’s partly true, I tend to avoid monocasual explanations for sociocultural phenomenon.  I think a better, but more taboo, explanation (though it does not automatically mean that the fear of new Federal legislation is not a cause) is that whites are fearing a gradual increase in arrogance-driven black-on-white hate crimes and wildings, based on the “we’z takin’ over honkey” mentality, with one of their own about to become President.

Some say they’re also worried Governor-Elect Jay Nixon may try to repeal Missouri’s conceal and carry legislation. That law allows people above a certain age to carry a concealed weapon for protection, if they’ve gone through certification training.

Don’t worry about that.  Even if for nothing else, Nixon wants a second term as Governor, which hasn’t happened in this state for awhile, and knows that that 58.4% of the vote he received would plummet to dangerously low levels if he tried.  Though he opposed CCW at the time, then-AG Jay Nixon vowed to enforce the CCW law that passed in 2003, both in letter and in spirit, and, AFAIK, he did just that.

However, the Senate is now 23-to-11 Republicans, meaning a vetoproof majority, and the House is in Republican hands again, though three seats flipped from R to D.  There’s no chance in hell that the General Assembly would take up a repeal or dimunition of CCW.  What I think they would do (and should do) is go in the other direction — vote to eliminate certain restrictions on CCW, perhaps reducing the permit fee, eliminating the “One Term” Bob Holden’s executive order prohibiting CCW in state-owned buildings, or any number of things.  If Nixon vetoes them, the Senate can overturn the veto, just as the Senate did in 2003 to get CCW in the first place.

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