Even the most lovable pets sometimes do things that drive owners crazy. Dogs that "can't" be housebroken and cats that urinate or defecate outside the litter box are high on the list of behavior problems that cause some people to give up and relinquish their pet to a shelter.

So it is very fitting that a renowned veterinary behaviorist will be doing seminars Oct. 22-24 at the Animal Friends shelter in Ohio Township. Keeping pets out of shelters is a "personal mission" for Nicholas H. Dodman.

Fido won't go outside to do his business?

"That's very easy to address in just a few days to one week," Dr. Dodman said in a telephone interview from his office at Tufts University's Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine in North Grafton, Mass.

Fluffy is not using her kitty litter box?

There are multiple causes for that problem and multiple solutions, Dr. Dodman said. The drug Prozac will fix "almost 100 percent" of the cats that are "urine marking" throughout the house because they're stressed.

Dr. Dodman has "written the book" on dogs and cats behaving badly. In fact, he's written multiple books, some of them best-sellers that landed him on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" and other big-time TV venues.

He uses positive training techniques and is opposed to all corporal punishment. He seems to think there is no cat or dog behavior problem that can't be fixed "if we all work together."

He's talking about cooperation among veterinarians, trainers, veterinary technicians, shelter workers, groomers and other pet-care professionals, for some behavior problems have an underlying medical condition. For instance, feline urinary tract infections can cause litter box "misses," and low thryoid levels can cause dog behavior problems.

Go to www.thepetdocs.com to pre-register. Register before the Sept. 10 early bird deadline to get lower rates: $125 for The Well-Adjusted Cat on Oct. 22 and $275 for The Well-Adjusted Dog on Oct. 23 and 24.

"The cat people often don't show up," Dr. Dodman said. "They seem to think cats cannot be trained or improved. That is NOT true."

Seminar topics include dominance vs. conflict aggression, separation anxiety, pet phobias and anxiety, compulsive behaviors, medical problems that present themselves as behavior problems, and litter box strategies.

About 5 percent of people who come are pet owners, not pet professionals, and they're more than welcome. Dr. Dodman will also be advising Animal Friends staff.

If you don't have the time or the money to spend at daylong seminars, Dr. Dodman's excellent books, listed on his website, are much cheaper.

He gives away much free advice on the website, www.thepetdocs.com, which he shares with his wife, veterinarian Linda Breitman.

The "questions and answers" sections is especially helpful.

A woman with two cats and two litter boxes asked why one of her cats would urinate in the litter boxes but would not defecate there.

"It is a strange thing but some cats do prefere to urinate in one location and defecate in another," Dr. Dodman answered. "Hence the formul N + 1. . . . N = the number of cats present."

The lady with two cats should have three litter boxes. The third box should be in a different location and should have unscented litter. Some cats don't like using smelly, soiled litter boxes, so clean the boxes frequently and use products like Zero Odor.

Saturday, Aug. 7, is Animal Rescue Day at the National Aviary. Meet adoptable animals from Western Pennsylvania Humane Society, Animal Rescue League Wildlife Center, Hidey Hole ferret rescue, Great Pyrenees Rescue, Hello Bully, Going Home Greyhounds, Foster Cat and Distinguished Dobermans Rescue.

The rescue groups will be under the tent outside the Aviary, 700 Arch St., North Side, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Correction/clarification on the July 24 column about Scooter, the therapy cat. He was initially treated by Dr. Betsy Kennon at Harts Run Veterinary Hospital in Fox Chapel, and clients there donated the money to buy his custom-made wheeled cart, which supports his paralized hind legs. Several months later Dr. Kennon left Hart's Run, adopted Scooter and began working at Northview Veterinary Hospital in Ross.