Ever since that great video featuring Tyson the skateboarding bulldog hit it big on Youtube, skateboarding has become a standard dog trick that owners attempt to train. Most owners start by using some basic method of luring the dog onto the skateboard with a treat or pointing to the skateboard and hoping the dog will get on. If he does, then they praise and pet him like they would a child who has finally managed to ride a bike without the training wheels. They may even give the dog a treat. For some natural-born skateboarding dogs, this crude technique works.

A version of this article originally appeared in Dr. Yin’s Pet Tales Column in The San Francisco Chronicle in 2000.      

Originally appeared in SF Chronicle in 2005      

Question: What do you do with a cat who attacks everything and everyone? Our cat lurks behind furniture and then leaps out at people as they walk by. She never seems serious because she doesn’t bite very hard, but it’s getting annoying. Answer: Picture this: Through a deep silence, the young huntress surveyed her territory. The day was growing weary and she yearned for a break in the monotony. Then she heard it. A familiar thud in the distance. She froze. Crouched low. She couldn’t see it but she knew where to go. Pupils dilated with excitement, she oozed along

First, you’ll have to find a better way to give her the message that sitting quietly is what earns her your attention. The quickest way to do this in cats is to teach them to sit using food. By approaching this problem in a systematic manner you’ll be able to turn the meowing noise off in just several days.