Old Trainer: Would my dog ever forget about me, if I am gone for a long time?

Dear Old Trainer: I am 9 and my dog Sandy is 2. I have to go to camp this summer but I don’t want to because Sandy might forget me while I go. There are lots of kids I know who don’t have no dogs and what if she goes with one of them? My mom says no she won’t, but I think she might so mom said ask you will Sandy forget me while I go to camp?

Riley, Wichita, Kansas

Old Trainer: Mom is right. Dogs love their human forever and never stop. You’re the only one Sandy loves and that will never change. She’ll miss you every minute you’re gone and look out the window all day waiting for you to come home. And when you come home Sandy will be so happy she’ll bark and wiggle all over. All she’ll want to do is snuggle next to you and love on you all day.

Dear Old Trainer: Lucas, our 4-year-old Brittany/Lab mix is an angel and obeys all basic commands but he’s obsessed about retrieving balls. As soon as we step outside he barks and won’t stop till we throw it. How do we stop it?

Nat, Eugene, Oregon

Old Trainer: A classic training problem. Lucas has trained you to throw the ball when he barks. He likes it that way so he won’t stop till you show him you’re more determined to decide when to throw the ball than he is to make you throw it on his command.

That’s hard to do, but if you’re resolute —he’ll sense weakness faster than a trial lawyer—you can use his obsession against him. He gets what he wants only if he obeys your command.

Show him the ball and order him to sit. If he doesn’t, put it in your pocket. Wait a few seconds, take it out so he can see it, and give the command again. Each time he refuses to sit, put it back in your pocket.

Don’t throw it until he sits. When he does, brag on him and throw the ball. When he brings it back, order him to sit. If he sits, throw the ball again. If not, it goes back in your pocket. If he doesn’t sit after a few minutes of showing him the ball and withdrawing it, go back in the house and try again in an hour.

It won’t take him long to realize he has to sit if he wants to chase the ball. When he does, pet him and brag on him and throw the ball, but repeat the routine every time he brings it back.

Once he learns to sit, use the same routine to stop the barking. If he barks, put the ball away, grasp his muzzle and say, “no barking.” He has to learn he doesn’t even see the ball, let alone retrieve it, until he sits without barking.

But remember it’s a game, so don’t take the fun out of it. Vary your routine every few throws so he’s not sure what to expect. Have him jump for it or make him chase you or bark on your command. Make him sit, then back up and throw it right to him.

Make it as much fun as you can. After all, the reason he loves retrieving is because he’s doing it for you.

The Old Trainer has been a trainer for three decades and has rescued, trained, loved, and placed more than 4,000 dogs. Send questions to: theoldtrainer@gmail.com