man's best friend.

But dog psychologist Dr. Roger Mugford may be able to shed some light on the subject at a meeting tomorrow at Pembroke Sunday School.

And he will explain his complete opposition to "gratuitous violence'' against dogs while their owners are training them.

Dr. Mugford is Britain's leading animal consultant and the author of two books. "Dr. Mugford's Casebook -- How To Understand Your Dog'' was published in 1991 and next week sees the release of "Never Say No -- Dog Training The Mugford Way.'' Heading a team of 11 at his Animal Behaviour Centre, in Surrey, England, Dr.

Mugford discusses his techniques with veterinarians and members of the public.

Patients include dogs that have been chewing their paws and eating faeces but the majority of cases concern aggressive behaviour.

Dr. Mugford said: "Treatment mostly lasts no more than two hours, because it is just a case of giving owners the right techniques.'' His training plans are based on rewards, rather than punishment. He believes that shouting at dogs, hitting them or using choke chains is wrong.

Dr. Mugford said: "The purpose of my lecture will be to stop the guilt about dog training by stopping gratuitous violence against dogs.

"It is not use shouting at dogs every time they get around other dogs. They become afraid of going near another dog. It is the decibel approach. The poor animal becomes overstimulated all the time.'' Dr. Mugford suggests training on a one-to-one basis, but also giving puppies the opportunity to mix with other dogs, owners and even farm animals to get them accustomed to other animals without being aggressive.

He even admits that the best teachers are other dogs. Dr. Mugford said: "A well-behaved older dog can pass on some of its good points to young puppies.

"If you have a dog that is very old and you intend to get another, it is always better to get a puppy before the older dog dies because it will teach the younger one good behaviour. I am pleased to see that Bermuda allows owners to have two dogs which makes this kind of approach possible.'' As well as these techniques Dr. Mugford also sells a number of devices which help with dog training. One is the world's kindest muzzle while another is the "smell collar'' which emits a smell every time the dog barks. This confuses the dog and stops it barking.

Dr. Mugford said that the success rate of the smell collar, stopping dogs which constantly bark and cause a nuisance, is around 94 percent, in the cases he has dealt with.

He said: "Bad behaviour is the single biggest killer of young dogs, the most common reason why owners ask vets to put an otherwise healthy pet to sleep.'' The "Casebook'', which will be on sale on Friday, details how Dr. Mugford became involved in animal psychology after studying psychology and zoology at university.

Dr. Mugford set up his practice in 1979 and initially attracted more media coverage than patients but over the years the novelty has worn off and people, and vets, began to see the benefits.

Those benefits will be available to Bermudians when Dr. Mugford speaks tomorrow beginning at 8 p.m.

Dr. Roger Mugford.