Everyone wants to be Merlin the pup’s boss

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Updated: December 8, 2011 1:39PM

Q.W e have a family of five — myself, my wife, our 10-year-old son, 15-year-old daughter and 12-year-old son. For years, the kids bugged us about getting a dog. We kept throwing out excuse after excuse until we finally caved in last summer. We were ready, or so I thought. There is no denying we are all captivated by puppy Merlin, the half-Labrador, half-? we adopted from the shelter this past summer.

The problem is that everyone is Merlin’s trainer. My daughter wants him to sleep in her bed, my wife wants to keep him in his crate in the kitchen. My son tells him to sit before feeding him; my other son just plunks down the bowl. I worry poor Merlin is confused.

Call a family meeting and discuss. On the agenda? The care and feeding of Merlin: Who walks? Who feeds? Who house trains? Who teaches him to sit and stay? Who sleeps with? Everybody can take part, but there needs to be an overseer watching out for Merlin and coordinating care and feeding of the dog until you trust Merlin not to leave piddle puddles around the house.

Q.

Baby is our 2-year-old miniature Dachshund. She was about 7 months old when we brought her home to live with us and Shadow, our elderly shepherd/husky mix. Shadow acted like a mother and would lick Baby a lot. Last year, we had to put Shadow down. Baby will now lick arms or faces whenever we hold her. How to tell her to stop?