I've decided dogs are a lot like people - with their own personalities and behaviors - sometimes very hard to understand.

I'm partial to golden retrievers, having known and raised a couple in the past decade, and I'm currently co-rearing an eight-month old, Summer.

Chaco, whose picture you may have seen on this site, is 10 and one-half now, and a retired agility champion who has grown from a feisty puppy into a mellow, loveable, 75-pound companion who is relatively low-maintenance and very reliable.

Summer, just turned eight months, is both a loveable, affectionate, wants-to-please little guy and, in turn, a feisty, meddlesome, looking-for-trouble pup who lately has earned the nickname 'Jaws.' This from recent escapades with finely shredding recycled newspaper all over the back yard and also doing shredding exercises inside, including a wall-mounted electronic home alarm intrusion detector he found fascinating, if not very durable.

How can a puppy often so obedient and mellow at home become so hyper, nervous and disobedient at obedience class that he acts like he's never heard the terms come, stay and sit ever before?

Summer has also decided that our bed is also his bed anytime he chooses to have that option, and once he's jumped up there, goes limp like there isn't a bone in his body. The only way he moves after that is if you move him - I wish I could relax like that.

I'm sure many of you have stories about your family pets and you learning the rigors of co-existence - I'd love to see some of those stories posted on YourHub.com.

If you have any advice about surviving the late-puppy stage (think adolescent) I'd welcome your comments.

Daniel Smith