Dear Dog Lady,
I rescued a Lab/Vizsla mix in September of 2018. He is an awesome dog and very, very friendly. My question to you: Is there a reason that he always throws his backside around and puts his butt in my other dog's face? He does it all the time. I figure it is a dominance thing but am not sure and wanted to ask someone. Is there any way to get him to stop doing it? I have had dogs all my life and have never had one that did this.

—Gale
Dear Gale,
The best guess is that the Lab/Vizsla is just saying "hey." Sniffing butts is how dogs check out each other. Ask Dog Lady is surprised you haven't noticed this over the years because the butt sniff is standard dog behavior. Your Lab/Vizsla seems to be making it easy for your other dog to know who he is. A good thing. There should be no reason to train this behavior out of our dog because it's not mean or aggressive — just natural, normal and nice.

Dear Dog Lady,
We recently put a deposit down on a puppy that is a Pekingese/Pomeranian. She will be eight weeks old two on March 1. We have two little girls — ages two and six. I am a stay-at-home mom so the pup will not ever be alone and will constantly be around the two-year-old. A lot of things I have read say that the Pekingese is going to bite my daughter. I am obviously concerned.
My dad did make a point that, since we are getting the puppy so young, she will grow up around the girls and it shouldn't be a problem. Any ideas?
—Kara
Dear Kara,
If you read things suggesting the Pekingese would bite your daughter, why did you decide to bring this variety of dog into your home? You did the right thing by researching but maybe the wrong thing by ignoring the research saying the dog might not do well with small children.
Your Dad, however, does make a wise point about the dog growing up with your kids. Because all the creatures will be raised together, this could cement the bond and ease the strains. However, please be vigilant and never leave the dog and your youngest daughter alone until you are 100-percent confident they will peacefully coexist. You must train your child to get along with the dog as surely as you must train the pup to do likewise.
Ask Dog Lady, however, cannot give her seal of approval to this. If a breed of dog carries a warning that it is not good around small children then you should pay attention.

Dear Dog Lady,
We have a seven-year-old standard poodle who has recently decided it is we should heel to her command. She pulls terribly on the leash and growls or barks as other dogs approach (even when inside if a dog passes by). When she is without us at "doggy day care" we are told she is not aggressive at all. Who made her queen?

—Maude
Dear Maude,
You crowned the poodle by allowing her to rule you. So hold your head high and be the queen mother. The best way to get her to stop pulling is to grind to a halt immediately when she starts to haul you or growls at another dog. Become an immobile marble statue. When she looks around at you quizzically and starts to pay attention to you, seize the teachable moment. The poodle will learn quickly that she's going nowhere by pulling you.

Write askdoglady@gmail.com.