'Dogs in the City' Star Justin Silver Answers Canine Questions

I love sleeping with my dog in bed, but my husband says it can be unhealthy for us. Is he right?

Justin Silver says: "Unhealthy for the dog or unhealthy for you and your husband? I never have steadfast rules where it’s like, if your dog sleeps in bed with you, that means it’s more behaved in other areas. A lot of people think that A+B=C, in this instance. I don’t think that’s necessarily true. My dogs are incredibly well balanced. They can lay in bed with me and when I say, 'Hey, guys, get up, get out,' they get up and they get out. So if the problem is when you ask the dog to leave and your husband wants the dog to leave and he doesn’t, that’s when it becomes an [issue]."

I'm thinking about subscribing to DOGTV, but my friends think I'd be silly for doing it. Do you think it'll be beneficial to my dog?

Justin Silver Says: "I don’t know if it’s beneficial or not beneficial. It might be similar to a dog looking out the window or something. If you’re doing that so that you don’t have to take the dog to a park for exercise, then I don’t think it’s beneficial. But if it’s just for the sake of giving him a little entertainment like leaving the radio on when you’re gone, then why not? As long as the dog doesn’t start ordering Pay Per View."

I want to take my dog to work, but he doesn't get along with the other dogs in the office. How can I help him work on his social skills?

Justin Silver Says: "I would say that in instances with socialization skills in dogs that may have aggression, you should just call your vet and find a trainer that your vet recommends in order to work on the dogs' socialization skills before you bring it to work. You have to respect the dog owners if there are other dogs. Safety really [comes] first."

I'm seven months pregnant and I'm really worried about my dog. Is it true that she'll hate my baby because dogs are such territorial creatures?

Justin Silver Says: "I always talk about the hierarchy and the pyramid, and I say that the way we want to look at things like that is if you have a really good sense of control and your dog respects you and you have a balanced relationship with it, then there wouldn’t be a problem introducing a new member into your household. I think that as long as you have the proper relationship with your dog and it respects you and it obeys your command, then you are not going to have a problem introducing something new to it. I would just work on creating a healthy distance if you tend to have an unhealthy relationship with it and if it has territory issues now, then I would nip it in the bud now."

I have a Miniature Schnauzer who is 1-and-a-half-years-old. He's friendly, mellow and a nice dog, but my problem is when I call him to come to me, he won't listen. What should I do?

Justin Silver Says: "What I usually do is grab a 30-foot leash for this, and I work on my come commands. I work on it outside and I start small. I start with a few feet and have the dog come with treats and toys that it likes.  

I'll repeat the process. I'll have the dog come to me, have it sit and take a few steps back. Have it run to me, ask it to sit again and have it run to me, each time extending it further and further. Having a long leash is a really good way to do that.  Using a long training leash is really the way to go."

Can you help save my awesome but aggressive puppy? He's only a year old and we are already considering euthanasia as he poses such a risk to strangers and our Chihuahuas. He's an Aussie/Heeler cross.

I got him from a rescue when he was about 12 weeks old. I have been to a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist, which has helped with the human aggression (he's now on anti-anxiety meds and we have done some counter conditioning), but he still attacks my little dogs. I am a trainer myself, but I feel completely helpless and am not sure what else to do.

Justin Silver Says: "A dog that is 1 year old is still a puppy and valuable. Unless your vet is strongly suggesting the medication, I would not have the dog on medication. If the dog is only a year old, I am almost positive the dog does not need to be on medication at such a malleable age, despite what happened to him in the shelter. 

I have worked with lots of abused dogs. I would reach out to the other behaviorists in your area and maybe you could even find people with different methodologies and different schools of thought. In my experience, I have never seen a dog that young need to be put down for something like an aggression problem. I just can’t imagine that needing to be the case."

How do I get my dog to go down the stairs? She's an 8-year-old Maltese who lived in a cage all her life. She's getting social, goes up the stairs, but I can't get her to go down.

Justin Silver Says: "She’s probably just a little bit scared. Encouragement goes a long way and using treats, stuff like that. But at the same time, if the dog is not responding, just getting it motivated and moving it down the stairs using the leash is going to go a long way. I wouldn’t jerk it down the stairs, but the dog is obviously OK on the stairs to begin with. It’s probably just a little bit insecure that it may fall going down, so giving it a little push might not hurt in this instance. Just make sure you are supporting it."