Sidney the Deer Chihuahua.

Meet Sidney!

This striking six-year-old is great with people and loves the grandchildren that visit his house in Arlington on the weekends, but when it comes dogs he doesn't know — watch out.

We had a quick and easy solution to Sidney's anti-social and aggressive behavior at the ready. We recommended that Sidney go on walks with a leash that's at least six-feet long. This is a small dog — he is a Chihuahua, after all! — but a longer leash actually gives his family more control while on walks.

Here's the deal: Sidney will need lots of patience, time and training to undo six years of naughtiness — so our first focus was tools. A six-foot leash can be held close at three feet, can be stepped on for more control, or at full length give Sidney room to sniff and walk around without leash tension! (A four-footer's short limit, on the other hand, makes it trickier for a walker to not have it tight all the time.)

Another recommendation was the Premier Easy Walk harness, but really any anti-pull harness with a clip on the chest will do the trick. It stops leash pulling in its tracks and gives even small people control with big, unruly dogs.

With better tools, Sidney can be quickly prevented from jumping up, lunging or pulling, and his family can work on socialization and dog/dog relationships without the leash getting tight all the time.

Sometimes something as simple as the right equipment can make all the difference.