I don't mean to hurt their feelings. It's nothing personal. They look to be very nice dogs. It's not that I don't like them - the problem is that I'm allergic to dogs.

So, being greeted with two of the biggest Irish wolfhounds you can imagine, my thoughts stray to the state of my lungs rather than any misplaced notions of being in danger.

I ask animal behaviourist Lindy Metheringham if they can be shut out of the room while I conduct the interview. It's an instant faux pas, as I find out when their ears drop in an apparent sulk.

Man's best friends are just that and aim to please the humans they come across. Being rejected is the worst thing imaginable and much more effective as a control device than any beating has ever been.

Things go from bad to worse then when Lindy accidentally treads on one of the dogs as she goes into the kitchen to get the notes she's made for me. So now the dog associates me with rejection and pain. It's not looking good and my thoughts are beginning to consider a safe passage out.

But at least the little ginger cat has taken to me and I'll be taking a little bit of him away with me - stuck to my trouser leg, where he's been rubbing.

Cats and dogs are simple creatures with simple needs. They are also much misunderstood and while most owners would consider themselves experts on the topic, they can get it badly wrong.

When a pet is out of control, more often than not it's a reaction to how it's being treated or has been treated in the past.

"Animals are opportunistic and will push for whatever they can get," Lindy says. "You have to show them you mean business and they need short commands which are followed through straight away."

Many owners humanise their animals, spoil them and expect them to understand complicated conversations. Shouting doesn't help matters and punishing them long after the event only gets them confused. "If they've made a mess and you find it when you come in from work, the animal doesn't worry about things done in the past. As far as it is concerned it is just coming to say hello and then you give it a clout."

Physical punishment is too aggressive and can provoke an aggressive response from the pet. Similarly rubbing the animal's nose in whatever mess it has made serves no purpose at all. It's a modern day myth, best forgotten, says Lindy.

Cats are a completely different animal, more private, and need their space. They are loners and like to choose when to give owners their affection. Leave them alone and they will love you for it.

Lindy, who also runs pet bereavement and search services from her home in Marske-by-Sea, deals with all manner of pet problems, from aggression and soiling, to fears and phobias. She is also part of a pet behaviourist network and in contact with experts who specialise in other breeds, including birds and horses.

After getting as many details as possible on the phone, she meets the owners and the pets in their home. A report is prepared and she follows this up with a phone call a week later. After a month she would hope to see an improvement in the animal's behaviour.

"People expect an instant fix, but it takes time," she says. "You have got to be patient about it. I do get cases that don't work. There was a little terrier which came from a rescue centre which attacked everything outside. God knows what it had been through, what its life had been like before, but we went through all the procedures. It had to be put down, but this sort of case is very much in the minority. It's not a cure-all. We just do our best."

Read Lindy's column here.

Anyone with any questions for Lindy can email her via the Advice section