dog asks: What is the name of your dog?
Hi dog –
Umm… I’m kind of confused. You see, I am a dog! I don’t own one. I guess I could if I had puppies, but I don’t.
Rather, I just have a human. Now I hear people call him different things all the time, but I call him a name I made up. You see, just like all dogs, I think my human is the most wonderful, brilliant, and best-smelling person in the world. And there’s no one whose looks make me happier. So I call him Continue reading
jamz12 asks: How can I train dogs?
Hi jamz12 –
Well, of course, I’ve never trained a dog. I have spent most of my lifetime training a human – and at this point I’ve got him feeding me, walking me, and scratching me at that place I really love right there, just on the left side of my tummy, where I can never quite scratch myself in quite the right…. Oooooooohhhhhhhh yeah, that’s it… Aaaaaaahhhhhh!
There are lots of experts out there, who know how to train difficult dogs, or train dogs to do amazing tricks. But usually, what people really want is to train their dogs to do three things: 1) be safe; 2) not hurt or bother other people; and 3) be easy to Continue reading
Sarah asks: Next year I will be participating in my school’s pageant show and am going up against tough competitors. You see, I am a shy person but whatever I put my mind to I DO IT. I need some advice on being motivated. When people look at me, they see this insecure girl. How can I change that and also change me into thinking positive and having confidence in myself?
Hi Sarah –
I’m not sure exactly what you’ll be doing in the show. Singing, dancing, modeling? I might have better specific advice if I knew. But even without that, it strikes me that you’re asking two questions here, and I can take a try at both.
First, how can you get more motivated, and think positively? You have come to the right expert on that one, Sarah! We dogs have NO problems with Continue reading
u1urquiola asks: Can you teach me a magic trick?
Hi u1urquiola –
Oh I’d love to show you a magic trick! Here it is – roast up a big leg of lamb, and once it’s cool enough, put it on the floor. Turn around for one second, and it will disappear! Funny part is, so will I! Isn’t that awesome!!!
Okay, you probably want to learn some tricks that are a bit harder to figure out than that one. And I’m no good at those (they call it sleight-of-hand for a reason; sleight-of-paw’s a lot harder to achieve!).
I found a good site for some very simple Continue reading
Julia asks: My mom keeps saying I’m the problem, but I haven’t done anything wrong. So how can I make her see that she just has a problem with everything?
Hi Julia –
Thanks for your question about your mom.
This is a really tough question to answer. For two reasons. First, because I don’t really know who to believe – have you really never done anything wrong?! If so, then you’re the most amazing kid I’ve ever heard of! (The list of all the wrong things I’ve done would fill this website three times over!).
But second, if your mom really just has this negative feeling toward you no matter what you Continue reading
hanafahim asks: I am not at all good at math. I am always confused in it and I always end up in last in my class. What can I do?
Hi hanafahim –
Well, as you can guess, I am just terrible at math. The only skill I have in it is a bit of Geometry – or is it Trigonometry? – where I can judge the angle a squirrel will run from me based on the location of the nearest tree. But I’m no good at addition or subtraction, and don’t even try me with Algebra or Calculus!
The difference between us, of course, is that no one has ever cared one bit about whether dogs know Algebra. So it’s not a problem for me. But I know it is for a lot of humans – you’re certainly not alone.
The only advice I can give you is due to something that happened to Continue reading
tejaswini asks: I am a student. I am very much depressed. I try to be normal but bad thoughts keep coming back over and over again. A year ago, I started taking coaching for an entrance exam. I slogged very much, and gave up many things. I didn’t care much because all the way I was thinking that all this work would get me into some good college. I don’t know why, but unfortunately I couldn’t crack the exam. I flunked it. It’s really taking a long time for me to get over it. Even now, when I start anything new or try taking up a new task, the first thing that flashes in my mind is “I am a loser, I can’t do it, so there is no point in trying for it!’ I feel so stupid for not being able to pass after a year preparation. It keeps flashing in my mind all the time and it pulls me down. I don’t know how to come out of all this and start something again with new energy. Please help!
Hi tejaswini –
I am so very very sorry for you, having to go through this. As a dog, I’ve never had an experience like yours, because I never focus on the future. But I’ve seen humans go through this sort of thing many times. When their marriages (or hoped-for marriages) break up, or the book or movie or play they spent years on doesn’t catch on, or when their business fails. Or, yes, when they take an exam they’ve prepared for for months, and fail. It’s devastating, I know.
The big problem, I can tell, is the time involved. If a squirrel walks through my yard, and I bolt to catch him, and he gets away from me, I don’t feel like a failure; I just wait for my chance to Continue reading
ktarr asks: I’m not sure if I have diarrhea. I go to poop quite a lot, and when I do my poop is runny, and watery. When I look at it I feel sick. Also sometimes this happens at school and I go in my pants by accident. Please help. I’m not going to tell my mum, because I’m scared as she’s upset about dad leaving her. She doesn’t care. And my tummy hurts a lot.
Hi ktarr –
Diarrhea has a number of different definitions, but the most common one is exactly what you have – runny, watery poops. Especially if they’re frequent, and hard to control. People and dogs get it pretty frequently, often from eating food that’s too spicy for their system, having more fruit than usual, or, of course, from some sort of digestive illness, like a flu.
So the literal answer to your question, ktarr, is yes, you have diarrhea. But from what you say, I think there’s more concern than just that.
It sounds to me like you have a condition that’s probably brought on by Continue reading
ED104 asks: I have red hair and really want a boyfriend, but no guys like me. I sometimes get bullied about my hair colour, and everyone is so judgmental. I’m thinking of dying my hair darker for a change, but also to get a boyfriend. But I don’t know if I should or not.
Hi ED104 –
Although we dogs aren’t nearly as interested in looks as we are in smells and sounds, I understand your desire to look more beautiful. It’s clear to me that when I’m dirty and covered in burrs and smells, most people don’t want to pet me, and even Handsome just does enough that it’s clear he’s just letting me know he still likes me. But when I’m clean and brushed and not so smelly, so many more people want to hug and pet me, and kiss my nose and all. You just want to be more attractive, and that makes total sense.
But you bring up a really important other issue . It sounds like you’re saying that your red hair means you’re not Continue reading
Epic1999 asks: I don’t feel comfortable talking to my mum about anything sexual just in case she gets the wrong idea. Would I be able to talk to you about stuff like that?
Hi epic1999 –
I am more than happy to talk with any of my pack members about any subject they ask. If it’s something I know nothing about, I’ll do my best to find the information you need, or at least point you to someone who can help more than I can.
There are certain issues that I don’t post on AskShirelle about, because this site is for kids as well as teenagers. But you can always write to me about anything, and I’ll just send answers to you, without posting them on the Continue reading