Q: My year old Boxer is a problem. When I open the door for her to go out, she won’t. She runs away. In order for her for to go outside, I have to leave the door wide open and go away; then eventually she’ll use the door. Once outside, she scratches and barks at the door when she’s ready to come in. But she doesn’t come inside, not as long as I’m anywhere near the door. I have to leave the door open and go away, and then in an hour or so she comes into the house. I’ve never had a dog like this. What do I do?  R. C., Las Vegas, NV

A: Who says dogs aren’t creative? Yours has invented quite the game.

Washington D.C.-based dog trainer Victoria Schade, who by the way, happens to have a boxer herself says, begin a program commonly called Nothing In Life Is Free. Your dog should now sit before she gets anything of value. So, before being fed, before being played with, and before you pet her, she must sit. She’ll learn good manners, but the idea is for her to follow what you want. By the way, to enhance the idea of following your lead, you can enroll her in a positive and upbeat training class.

    Have your dog sit at the door before allowing her out. Realizing, when you open the door nothing happens, try to do what Schade calls, “The Hansel and Gretel approach. Sprawl kibble piece by piece, a trail leading outside. Do the same to get your dog indoors. Once inside, Schade who is the host of the DVD “New Puppy Now What” (www.newpuppynowwhat.com, $24.99) suggests offering a special treat or toy. Once she complies and crosses the threshold, praise her, and give the action a command, such as “Go.” In the future all you have to do is open the door and say “Go,” and off she’ll go.

    Of course, you could also purchase a doggy door,

Q: My dog is a Tasmanian devil when the mailman delivers mail at my mom’s house. This is very stressful to my mom. When my mom isn’t home, and the mail comes through the slot, the dog shredded the mail. Mom is afraid that he’ll bite the mailman’s fingers. Now, she’s put up a barrier near the door – but he still goes crazy. Where I live, my dog really likes the mailman. Do you have any advice? C. M., San Diego, CA

A: From the dog’s perspective, the barking really seems to work. He barks and the mail person goes away. But what if he doesn’t go away? Dr. Sophia Yin, a professor at the University of California School of Veterinary Medicine – Davis, and member of the American Society of Veterinary Behavior suggests telling your mom to save the dog’s meal until around an hour after the usual dinner time. Have a friend continually drop envelopes through the door, as you feed kibble to your dog from your hand with a leash on. If your dog barks, no kibble. When he’s quiet, he receives a tasty payment. In either case, the letters keep on coming from your ‘conveyer belt’ friend throughout the exercise. Repeat this exercise until your pup is looking more for the food than the letters.

Of course, you could install a mailbox at the edge of your mom’s driveway, so the dog and mom don’t have to deal with it.

Q: I just found a youngish cat. I want to bring the cat indoors. I don’t currently have any other cats. This cat really seems to like me. And I worry because the weather is getting cold for a little guy. I’ve never brought a cat inside before. Some friends tell me to do it, but others tell me he belongs outside where he’s most comfortable. What do you think? C. C., St. Paul, MN

A: In my view a domestic cat belongs outside roaming around no more than a dog would be encouraged to do the same. You’re right, left on his own, the elements might be this young cat’s undoing. Cats really do get hit by cars; they may impact wild bird populations and get into skirmishes with other cats and get feline infectious diseases which may impact their quality of life. And that’s just for starters. No cat belongs outdoors. However, without human touch, cats typically become feral as adults. If this little guy has had human contact from a very young age, feline specialist Dr. Susan Little of Ottawa, Quebec Canada says, “Bringing him indoors may be very easy; it seems you and this cat have already bonded. If it doesn’t work to just put him indoors and expect him to acclimate overnight, begin a gradual process of bringing him indoors for brief periods of time.”

Your first job is to begin to acclimate him to a cat carrier by feeding him from there.  A handout on familiarizing cats to carriers can be found under the Kitty-K tab on my website: www.stevedalepetworld.com. This way, every time you bring him to the vet clinic, he won’t be freaked out. If he seems healthy, and since you have no other cats for him to infect if he does have an infectious disease, take a few days to do this. If you can, take him on a ‘test run’ to the vet – but without an appointment. Just place him on the cold exam table and ask a vet tech and other staff members to give kitty some treats. The idea is for a trip to the clinic and the visit itself to be a positive experience.

But within a week or so, he should receive a full exam. “It’s easy nowadays for veterinarians to test for the feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and for feline leukemia,” says Little. “You’ll also want to make arrangements for this little boy to be neutered. And, of course, check for parasites.”  Learn more at www.fivtest.org.

Q: What’s your favorite cat toy?  S. P., Atlanta, GA

A: My opinion is unimportant. Your cat’s opinion is what is most important. Some cats can play for hours with a ping pong ball in a bathtub. Other cats may look at that ball and walk away, preferring to chase a bottle cap across the floor. Cats are as individual in their preferences as people. However, all cats should receive some play time with their people using an interactive toy (such as a fishing pole-type toy with feathers or fabric) or using a Cat Dancer.

You can spend a gazillion dollars on cat toys, but nearly all toys become boring after a time. That’s why I recommend people keep maybe four or five toys out, and then rotate them every few days so they don’t become old and boring.