Dear Dog Lady,

 

My old friend, a 60ish widower, has brought in a puppy to ease the loneliness. He answered an ad and went to New Hampshire where he got a Cairn terrier, Angus, an impossibly cute and energetic dog. Angus is also very smart. He was house-trained in a week or so it seemed. But my friend cannot control him around the house. In particular, Angus jumps and barks at the TV. When my friend complains about this, I tell him to train his dog but he always has an excuse about why he can’t. Could it be my friend likes his dog’s bad behavior? Mona

 

A: We all have perfect dogs – dogs perfect for us. Over the years, Dog Lady has come to believe that some owners indulge bad dog behavior because they think it’s cute, or funny or just an indelibly endearing part of their dear dog – as long as the animal does not harm people or chew on designer shoes. Actually, there are even people think it’s adorably roguish when the dog chews shoes. The designer Isaac Mizrahi comes to mind. He once gushed proudly about his dog’s rotten behavior in an interview with People magazine. Your friend obviously thinks Angus is the cat’s meow. So don’t overthink this. Yes, he loves Angus’ hijinks but will never admit he’s oddly tickled when the puppy yaps at the TV