BERLIN (Reuters) - A German man who taught his dog Adolf to give the Hitler salute by raising his right paw has been charged with violating Germany's anti-Nazi laws for a series of incidents in recent years, a Berlin court said on Wednesday. Police investigated the man after members of the public complained they had seen Roland Thein giving the stiff-armed "Hitler salute" and telling his dog: "Adolf, sit! Give me the salute!"

　　Later on Wednesday, however, a Berlin justice official said prosecutors were dropping the charges related to the dog and instead focusing on other incidents in which the man used outlawed Nazi phrases in public. The spokesman for Berlin's justice ministry said it wasn't clear whether it was a crime tosgroupsa dog to give the Hitler salute, but prosecutors had sufficient evidence from earlier incidents.

　　Germany has strict laws banning the use of Nazi symbols, but Thein, sporting a Hitler-style mustache and military tunic, said he didn't understand what the fuss was about. His trial is set for Thursday. He is accused of shouting the Nazi battle cry "Sieg Heil" in front of Berlin police and of wearing a Hitler T-shirt and shouting "Heil Hitler" at a market in the city in separate incidents in 2002.