Not all canines are blessed with the Christmas spirit, unfortunately. In fact, these ankle biters and bike chasers are worse than the Christmas Grinch when it comes to greeting humans whose turf they guard in a friendly manner - people who are simply doing their job when they turn up at a residence with an overstuffed mail bag, box of tools, or roll of carpeting.

Of course, there are those who say, "The dog is only doing his job. In exchange for room and board he is there to repel the unwelcome."

While it is difficult to argue with that philosophy, it is equally true that a dog can still fulfill its duties without making mincemeat of human limbs. The answer lies in training. Yes, t-r-a-i-n-i-n-g, and who should know better than professional pet dog trainer Vincent Madeiros. Like doctors of old, who made house calls to humans in need, Mr. Madeiros does the same for canines.

A soft-spoken, gentle man, his yardside manner is quiet and non-threatening. Some might call him "the dog whisperer", for his approach to getting a dog to do what he wants is like that of a subtle suitor. There is no yelling, no flashes of anger, and certainly no physical abuse. Instead, he assesses, in advance, everything about the dog and its environment, and then works to correct the problems by what he calls "positive reinforcement".

"That is the key," he says. "If the dog does what you want, and does it well, and is rewarded, it will continue to offer that behaviour. In other words, there is positive reinforcement for behaviour wanted."

Like humans, dogs react to body language. If someone behaves in a threatening way, the dog will react aggressively.

"Dogs react and communicate largely through body language, so that is how they clue in to a particular command," Mr. Madeiros says. "A primary motivator, such as a toy, play or affection, is a key element in the training programme to get the animal's attention and focus."

But the professional pet dog trainer is quick to point out that, just like their human counterparts, each dog has its own personality and idiosyncrasies, so there is no "one fix fits all" solution to every problem.

"That is something humans need to understand in order to know how to train the animal. In fact, it is a key not only to progress, but also in designing a training programme to suit an individual animal," he says.

People who are familiar with dog shows often want their animal to perform the same fancy commands, such as jumping over fences, retrieving objects, and the rest, but Mr. Madeiros says before getting to that stage, all training programmes must begin at the beginning.

"`Sit', `Down', `Stay' and `Come' are basic commands that all dogs should know and be competent in understanding, whether they are competing or not, and owners need to work every day on making sure the dog obeys those commands," he says.

The pet dog trainer cautions, however, that since dogs are susceptible to distractions not normally found in its natural environment, such as other animals, children, and traffic, better results are obtained when these are not present.

As with babies, the earlier a dog is basically trained the better it is, and proper classes, of which there are several in Bermuda, are recommended.

"If early puppy training and socialisation, not just with people but with other dogs, is done at any early age, we then open the door on a puppy having the ability to know how to learn, or "learning to learn", as the term is known," Mr. Madeiros says.

Can you teach an old dog new tricks?

"An older dog who has not learned to learn is a stumbling block in the teaching method," the pet dog trainer says. "Obviously, the older the dog the more difficult it is to train, so you have to put in a lot more training than you would with a puppy. It is like humans - the more set in our ways we are, the more difficult it is to accept change. You certainly can't change an older dog's habits overnight, which is why it is important to get started as soon as possible with a younger dog because it is easier to shape and mould new activities, and because bad habits have not already been formulated."

Of course, it is not only dogs who have bad habits - too many humans have them too when it comes to "training" their dog. Physical abuse and rubbing their noses in their excrement, for example, are popular but totally wrong practices, Mr. Madeiros says.

"Humans cause a lot of their dog's problems by not understanding the repercussions of punishment. If a puppy is not house trained, for example, the typical thing is to hit it, or show it the mess, hit it, and then put the dog outside, only to find that the dog won't go to the bathroom outside in front of the human, and that is because it is being corrected for going to the bathroom. The dog does not understand that going to the bathroom in the house is what it was being punished for."

So what is the correct way?

"Indicate `wrong' to adverse actions by showing the puppy what you want. Take it outside, wait for it to eliminate, and then reward it for outside compliance," Mr. Madeiros says. "A lot of people don't want to wait for their dog to eliminate, but that is what you have to do. You don't use adversities, such as smacking, to correct problems."

In fact, Mr. Madeiros says smacking has just the opposite effect on a dog.

"Why would a dog come to you if you smack it, or use any form of adversity?" he asks. "Instead, removing a `positive', such as a treat or a favourite toy, is adverse to the dog. For example, I have a collie, and if it doesn't sit when asked I walk away with its cookie. When it sits it gets the cookie. That is the type of training I do. It is a far kinder method. Shouting, hitting, and other means of adverse training only produce additional unwanted behaviour."

Asked how owners get relief from such "unwanted behaviours" as straining at the leash on walks, jumping up on people, incessant barking, aggressive reaction to visitors, vandalising trash bags, digging holes in the garden, and chasing cats, Mr. Madeiros says there is no single answer, but many possible reasons, which is why he makes house calls. Talking to the owner and studying the dog's environment are part of an overall analysis that leads to corrective solutions.

"Digging, jumping up, not greeting people at the door properly, and more are big issues with owners, and you can't go to a class to correct them. Dog training classes are great for basic training, but for individual issues around the home, the dogs need home education," he says. "Home issues can be solved in many ways, depending on the dog's environment and other factors. It is a matter of determining what the trigger factor is. Sometimes the solution can be as simple as a gate, while at other times it takes specialised training."

The pet dog trainer says one of his biggest problems with humans is their belief that bad behaviour is "just a dog being a dog" when in fact bad behaviour can, and should be modified, just as it is in children.

Barking is probably one of the most irritating of all problems, particularly to neighbours. Why a dog barks incessantly can depend on many things, and again it is a question of pinpointing the trigger factor(s).

"It could be boredom, attention seeking, or something else," Mr. Madeiros says. "You have to look at the situation from a psychological approach, and do an assessment of its environment to determine the answers."

As for certain breeds of dogs which have acquired a bad reputation, Mr. Madeiros says the "deadly combination" of bad breeding, bad owners and a bad environment is often the culprit, but warns against generalisation.

"We can't look at specific breeds and generalise about their behaviour or temperament. A high percentage of problems in these breeds is due to environmental and human association," he says. "Sometimes simple kindness and understanding can turn their lives around. This type of training can sometimes open the door for so-called `unacceptable' breeds to coexist in society."

Mr. Madeiros admits, however, that "there are a lot of dogs out there which are out of control", for whom the only answers are educating the owners plus proper training. We try to bring people who have those types of dogs into the fold, but they are so alien that they don't feel comfortable, and it is going to take a lot of understanding on both sides to bring these groups together, and the answer is coming to training classes."