He's always been loved and well fed, and still he developed this strange behaviour.

Plenty of other pet owners are puzzled too when good dogs go quirky.

"Just like in humans, a bad habit is hard to break once it's acquired," says Fred Alimusa, a specialist in canine behaviour.

They might bark all the time, urinate everywhere, chew things during your absence - all such misbehaviour has to be corrected bit by bit, he says.

And the best way to do so is in a "social" situation, since dogs also share the human yen for being among their fellow creatures.

So Alimusa has introduced the weekly ABC4dogs Programme at Bangkok's Thonglor Pet Hospital.

This isn't a boot camp for bad dogs: The training isn't military-style. The course allows dog owners and their four-legged friends to learn about each other.

"This is how you teach your own dog without punishment," says Alimusa.

The hospital claims it's the first course of its kind in Thailand. Instructor Thitiporn Pliansamai believes that most animal-psychology instruction at universities involves basic knowledge that any pet owner will acquire in a short while.

Here, in programmes for each doggie age group, the pooches learn by playing.

Ideally, an owner will discover his dog's nature while it's still a puppy and make it understand the rules of the house before it has a chance to set its own and become the boss.

If the dog gnaws on furniture while you're out, don't make a ritual of saying goodbye. That way your pet - which can't tell time - won't fret about your absence.

If your dog wants to spend the night in bed with you, don't let it - give it a nice sleeping place of its own to enjoy.

Alimusa, who has a six-month-old German shepherd and learned about controlling dogs in the US army, doesn't try to change canine nature; they'll always bark, run around and mark their territory with urine.

The classes try to make their behaviour fit in "in a most positive way", he says.

After a few weeks at a regular training school, Alimusa notes, a dog will usually be able to perform new tricks and will behave for its trainer - but not for its owner. In its owner's absence, it's learned to follow the trainer's orders, and definitely become more disciplined, but meanwhile the owner hasn't learned anything new.

At ABC4Dogs, the owners must attend the classes too, and then the knowledge they gain can be applied to the other dogs in the future.

Without training, most owners either spoil or ignore a puppy's naughtiness, Alimusa says, and misbehaviour becomes a habit. As with children, too much love and care can translate into spoiling.

"That's why we use the term 'dog parenting'."

Thais, who are good at planning families but not so hot when it comes to preparing for pets, will find the programme quite useful, says hospital director Kitika Patanakul.

A puppy's needs - training, feeding, exercising, nurturing - ought to be fully discussed among the family before the decision is made to buy one, she says.

Instead, the purchase is often spur-of-the-moment, or the animal is a surprise gift.

Old habits die hard, though, and Mayuree figures taking her 10-year-old to the classes would be a little late - but there's always "my next dog".

Sirinya Wattanasukchai

The Nation"