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Updated: November 14, 2011 6:00PM

Q. Because we have a home without a fenced-in yard, it is part of our daily routine to walk our 8-year-old basset hound Chester, three times a day. Over the past several months, Chester has decided he only wants to walk with me.

It is no secret that Chester has chosen me as “his favorite person” over the years and I love him dearly. However I am frustrated. When I am busy he doesn’t get enough exercise. (My husband has told me that Chester will walk better if I am not home.)

A. Tough noogies, Chester. Your dog doesn’t control who walks him. Make sure you have a good collar for training/tugging him. No one in your family should take “no” for an answer when he or she tries to walk him. Chester must move his stubborn rump and your dog should get the message to walk no matter who’s holding the leash.

Q. My dog Max is a 19-month-old yellow Labrador/golden retriever mix. He constantly growls while eating his food but allows me to pet him and put my hand in his bowl without consequence. Occasionally he will even growl when nobody is around while he eats. This only started about six months ago and I have tried feeding him by hand, giving him half and then the other half, and also tossing treats in the bowl as I walk by.

A. Max must realize the most important thing in his young canine life right now is his food bowl. He protects out of sheer atavistic instinct. He’s like a wolf hunkered over a pile of elk bones and snarling at his pack to scram. You do the right thing by constantly reminding him you control what goes into that prize object. Keep feeding him occasionally with your fingers and putting your hands into the bowl. Another way to remind Max you’re in charge is to make him sit and stay before you allow him to gobble. This may seem like cruel teasing but it’s a humane reminder you are in charge when you make the dog wait to eat.

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Q. We adopted a 9-year-old female black Labrador about a year ago. Normally I take her for a walk early every day, around 5:45 a.m. Both my partner and I work and feel she needs attention and a good walk before being home alone all day.

However she started a new habit recently of waking me up very early (4 a.m. to 5 a.m.). She wakes me by quietly whining or snorting/sneezing when she senses that I am awake. We are at our wits end; waking too early makes the rest of the day hard.

A. Make sure your black Lab has her own bed and make her sleep on it. She should only be bothering you if she has ants in her pants — She has to go. Provided you’ve given her a good walk before bed, she should be leaving you alone until morning. She’s probably only bothering you because she knows she can. If you put her on her own bed (no matter where it is in the house, even your own room) and ignore her intrusions, she should learn to stay quiet. You must train her; do not allow her to train you.

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