Aggression begets aggression

If you're mean to your dog, he's going to be mean right back at you. And if you're nice to your pup, chances are pretty good, he'll be nice in return.

That's what U.S. researchers have discovered, but it seems fairly self evident to me.

Treats and exercise are the keys to a well-mannered dog. My dog goes through about two boxes of Milk Bones a day and is walked so often that strangers in my neighborhood wave at me as I pass their houses.

"Nationwide, the No. 1 reason why dog owners take their pet to a veterinary behaviorist is to manage aggressive behavior," lead author Meghan Herron of the University of Pennsylvania said in a statement.

"Our study demonstrated that many confrontational training methods -- staring down dogs, striking them or intimidating them -- does little to correct improper behavior and can elicit aggressive responses."

The study also discovered some pretty alarming things. Now it's true that I've growled at my dog, but only when we're playing and he's play growling back at me.

The researchers found 43 percent hit or kick a dog, 41 percent "growled" at a dog, 39 percent physically force the release of an item from a dog's mouth, 31 percent "alpha roll" -- rolling the dog onto its back and holding it, 30 percent "stare at or stare down" a dog and 26 percent grab dog by jowls and shake. All of these techniques may provoke fearful or defensively aggressive behavior, Herron said.