I remember back when I was first considering getting a dog that one of the things I wanted to do was go running with him/her.

Not as easy as it sounds. First off, when we go running around in the yard, Zeus gets all excited and wants to jump around and onto me. (He's normally very good about not jumping.) But the thing that really has me reluctant to take him out for a walk/run right now is the large number of dogs in the neighborhood--many of whom run free. See, Zeus is a pretty agressive dog, and very so toward other dogs--especially other males. One of the big reasons I have him in the obedience school--and why I intend to take the next class after this one as well--is to get him used to being around other dogs. (Right now there are really only two "problems" with him that I want to make sure get solved. 1)His aggression toward other dogs, and 2)The fact that it's a struggle to get him to drop anything in his mouth. Other than that he's marvelously well-behaved and picking up the training amazingly quickly.)

But generally I like the fact that he's strong and aggressive. Aggressive is not the same as vicious, and he's a total sweetheart to me. However, I want to make sure he gets all the training possible, so I can focus that energy, and so I can call him off if the need arises. I keep hearing people say how they don't believe dogs should be trained, that they prefer to keep dogs "natural." Sorry, but with a dog like Zeus, I think it would be unbelievably irresponsible to not train him. I couldn't live with him if he were unmanageable, and I don't want to face the liability of having him bite someone who doesn't deserve to be bitten. So, in exchange for regular meals, a comfy bed, and lots of petting and affection, all he has to do is learn a few dozen or so commands. Fair trade, I think.

I can't decide what I want my "blurb" to be on the NotAWebring link page. I'm toying with "A Dog, A Bitch, A Computer," but I think it might be too obnoxious.