We are still centuries away from producing the Dogmatic360 remote control for dogs, so this is not about some device that allows you to press a button to stop your dog from chasing, attacking, barking or chewing.

Any such device is likely to harm your dog physically and mentally and is thus likely to make any bad behaviour worse.

If your dog is attacking or chasing, it is your job to get him back as quickly and as calmly as possible before someone gets hurt or worse.

You most likely know, although you may not admit it, that you may not be able to control your dog off lead, especially if there are cats or dogs, children or even garbage around.

If you know your dog is very powerful or very temperamental, then you should always keep it on a lead even in dog parks. It is unfair to allow your dog to cause damage to others when a lead could easily prevent it.

To train your dog to come every time when called, you will need to start with a lot of treats for just coming to you randomly. As you learn to predict when your dog is coming to you, introduce the command just before they do so.

This will teach them that ‘Come’ is always followed by coming back to you. As they are learning this, you will need to practise this on lead in many different places with many different distractions, so the dog learns you are always the most important thing there.

However, some breeds which are motivated by smells and movement may never learn to ignore their instinct. Use a long lead and keep your dog safe and others safe too.

This was written in memory of the beloved pet dachshund, Camille Claudelle (also known as CC), attacked and killed by a dog being walked off lead on December 29 in Xemxija.

To learn more, visit www.dogtrainingmadeeasy.org or call 2142 1500 or 7771 1100.

Christina Pace is an education officer at Dogs Trust Malta.