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" My friend is coming to visit with her dog during the holidays. Although she and I are best friends, our dogs are worst enemies. What can I do to make them like each other? You can&amp;#039;t force children to be best friends even when their parents are, and the same rules apply to our canine &amp;quot;kids.&amp;quot; Actually, it&amp;#039;s even more difficult with dogs, because pleading your case with them &amp;quot;But Quincy, Jack is such a sweet dog. Please share your toys with him, honey&amp;quot; usually yields nothing but a wagging tail at the sound of your incomprehensible but pleasant-sounding words. The possible reasons for their cantankerous relationship are too many to list here dominance, fear, and territorial aggression are only the tip of the iceberg. Be aware that food, toys, and being possessive about their &amp;quot;person&amp;quot; can set off a quarrel between even the best of dog friends, so you need to keep your eyes open and your mind sharp. If the dogs have been trained, begin some extra practice a week before the visit, and double your efforts during their stay. A dog that is constantly being given commands (and being rewarded for doing them) is also being reminded who&amp;#039;s in charge. The most plausible remedy for harmony is to ditch the idea of them becoming Disney-esque dog pals and keep them separate at all times. I&amp;#039;m afraid of walking at night, and I thought I&amp;#039;d be fine once I adopted a big dog. But he&amp;#039;s now acting afraid, too! You may have inadvertently taught your dog to be fearful. That would actually be the good news, because if you can pinpoint what you did, then you can begin to undo it. Unlike the woman who has food allergies and owns a dog that also has allergies, or the man who has high blood pressure and so does his dog, what you have is, I believe, a conditioned pattern of behavior, which can usually be fixed. Of course, since most dog issues fall squarely on the human&amp;#039;s shoulders, now is the time for you to do whatever you need to do in order to alleviate your own fears to avoid telegraphing fear to your dog.  One very common mistake is for owners to tighten up on the leash when they&amp;#039;re afraid. This sends a red-alert signal to your dog, who immediately responds by becoming worried or tense. To make matters worse, if your dog had become fearful, and your response was &amp;quot;Oh my gosh, my dog is so stressed!&amp;quot;, you&amp;#039;d unintentionally be creating even more stress for the poor creature. Instead, notice the times when your dog is relaxed on a walk, and praise and treat him for that. If he becomes fearful, speak to him in an upbeat voice, give him a treat when he looks more relaxed, and then retreat from whatever he was worried about. Don&amp;#039;t overstress him by keeping him near something he&amp;#039;s afraid of too long, and take him places where he can have as many positive experiences as possible. In addition, I highly recommend walking with a self-assured friend and her like-minded dog in order to give both of you the confidence you need to walk tall on your own. Kathy Recommends...Dog Furniture The only beds my dogs will sleep on are from Puppy Hugger (puppyhugger.com). Densely cushioned, double-stitched, and machine-washable, these beds are available in amazing colors and patterns to complement any home decor. The fabrics are so soft and luxurious they&amp;#039;re now making throws for dog owners as well! Crate Haven (cratehaven.com) makes hardwood crates that house your dog&amp;#039;s favorite bed and give you handsome alternatives to wire crates. They come in traditional, contemporary, or Asian-influenced styles.  Trainer and behaviorist Kathy Santo is the author of Kathy Santo&amp;#039;s Dog Sense (Knopf). Send questions to Kathyforhb@hearst.com. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.housebeautiful.com/lifestyle/kids-pets/q-and-a/a51/dog-shrink-enemies-1207/>