pet dogs.

Megan Ashman, Flickr Name: Toby Location: Ohio Age: 3 Breed: Yochon (Bichon Frise and Yorkshire Terrier Mix) Favorite Treat: Canteloupe. Favorite Toy: His squeaky football and stuffed-animal monkey. Likes: Going for walks and car rides, doing tricks for treats, snuggling, and napping. Dislikes: Baths, and being shut out of a room. Weird Quirks: He likes to bury some of his treats in the couch. Fun Fact: He sometimes plays fetch with himself. Congratulations to our submitter, Megan Ashman. If you'd like to submit your pet, upload your favorite pet photos to our Flickr pool! More Cute Pets ...

Anna Westhoff Each week, Ben Westhoff shares the ups and downs of owning Pippi, the dalmatian mix he and his wife Anna adopted as a puppy in late 2009. Anna wrote this week's column. Ben and I may live in the suburbs, but we don't have our own enclosed yard for Pippi to do her business. Instead, we give her plenty of walks around the neighborhood, to give her the opportunity for what I like to call her "daily constitutionals." Ben is pretty disciplined about keeping Pippi on the sidewalk, but I often let her sniff around front lawns, under hedges and along tree-trunks. She just seems to love being outside so much; her tail whips to and fro when she finds a scent she likes! Sometimes, ...

jupiterimages Meet Mary Burch, American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen Director and Paw Nation's expert columnist addressing your questions on animal behavior. Dr. Burch has over 25 years of experience working with dogs, and she is one of fewer than 50 Certified Applied Animal Behaviorists based in the United States. She is the author of 10 books, including the new official book on the AKC Canine Good Citizen Program, "Citizen Canine: 10 Essential Skills Every Well-Mannered Dog Should Know." Mary, I'm about to get a dog, and I want to be a good owner, but I don't know exactly what that means. When I was growing up, we kept our dogs outside. Other than feeding them, they fended for ...