It happens often: The man with his young puppy walked down the street. The puppy, a shepherd mix about five months old, started to poop on the sidewalk.

The mundane scene changed quickly, as the man grabbed the dog by the scruff of his neck, and began to beat him. He threw the dog into the gutter, screaming at the dog and kicking him every time he tried to crawl back onto the sidewalk. The look of out-of-control anger on the man's face was horrifying.

Fortunately a passing police officer witnessed the scene, and being a dog lover himself, he intervened. He allowed the man to go, but the dog stayed with the cop. "I love dogs," he said. "I have a 'St. Francis Terrier' from the San Francisco SPCA. People like that, I don't understand how they can get so angry at a little guy like this."

While most dog owners no doubt love their dogs very much, how many have shoved their dog's face into a mess he or she has made? How many have lost their tempers while trying to train a dog, or housebreak them? How many have thrown an object at a barking dog, strung them up with their collars, hit them when they came back after ignoring their owner's calls for what felt like hours?

The red flag a dog owner needs to watch out for is the feeling of anger. When you have lost your temper, it's time to stop. Period. Never train or correct your dog when you're angry.

We're all human, and we are all capable of being made angry by a dog. It's one thing to say it's your own fault for leaving your expensive new shoes on the floor, and another to find your best pumps hanging out of the mouth of your dog. (A certain missing Thanksgiving turkey also comes to mind here.) Sure, anyone can lose his or her temper. But when you get that feeling of anger, don't train or correct your dog.

The purpose of training is to teach your dog to listen to you, to respect you, and to know what you want him or her to do, and then to do it. It is not to "break" the dog's will or spirit, nor to "show him who is boss." One of the most canine and least human of all the dog's virtues is the way a mother dog can train her pups without necessitating them spending half their adult lives in therapy getting over her "toxic parenting."

Mother dogs will bite or physically reprimand their puppies. They do so without malice, and they inflict no harm other than some shock. The puppies immediately submit to mom's attempts to educate them, and come crawling back for a cuddle, which they get. While mother's justice is swift and her lessons unforgettable, anger plays no part in her arsenal of training tools.

If you want a well-behaved dog who loves and respects you, follow the simple principle outlined in Carol Lea Benjamin's classic of dog training, <I>Mother Knows Best<I>: Is it humane, and does it work?

The next time your dog pushes you over the line and you want to hit him or her, stop. Dogs are not malicious, premeditative, vicious, or sinister. Those are human traits, which we project onto our dogs. Use tools that are humane and effective, and don't allow your all-too-human failings to violate the relationship between humans and our best friends.

Copyright 2002 by Christie Keith. Used with permission. All rights reserved.