Doggy Dinners Deconstructed
As you watch your pooch gulp down its dinner, consider the expression "wolfs down its food." Your dog, its relatives and all of its distant wolf ancestors have at least one thing in common: They love to eat. At mealtime, you are your pet's waiter, busboy, chef and cleanup crew all rolled into one. Unlike a restaurant, which must go through health inspections, your makeshift doggy diner has only you for quality control.

Carpenter: How do you stop marking?
I have a question that no one has been able to answer for eight years (including three different vets). I have a 9-year-old shih tzu who is not neutered. He will mark his territory in the house every few weeks. What can I do to stop this? Would neutering help at this stage? He is a rescue, but the information I got was that his owner died before he was 1 year old. He has never been abused. But he does hate my husband. Thanks for any help you can provide.

Carpenter: Why is my dog destructive?
I have a 16-month-old pit bull who was fathered by my other dog. However, he acts more like his mother and is very active, and is more stubborn and mischievous than my dog. When I leave him out of the crate for any number of hours he always rips my blinds down from the windows. He never does that when we're home. How do I get him to stop?

Carpenter: How to have good dogs off the leash
How can I get my dogs to to obey my commands off leash? On the leash or in a small area (say, my living room) they listen great, but outside in the open yard it's a free for all, and it's as if they forgot how to sit, stay, etc.

Carpenter: How do I socialize a pit?
Can you give guidance regarding a socialization issue with a rescue dog? We have a sweet 8-month-old, 75-pound pit bull that is socialized and is living with five other male and female dogs and has no problems, but they are crated when no one is home.