Ask the Trainer: How Can My Dog Become Trained & Certified as a Therapy Dog?

Dear Kevin,

I have an English Retriever Poodle named Raven, who is just under 2 years of age. She is so laid back and relaxed and I would like to see what it would take to make her a therapy dog. We are in Michigan and I am having problems finding information about it. Really thinking more in the nursing home and assisted living kind of settings.
Thank you!
Brenda R.
Hi Brenda,
That is awesome that you are considering therapy dog work with Raven. To my knowledge there are two options for where to get a dog certified. The options are Pet Partners (www.petpartners.org) and Therapy Dog International (www.tdi-dog.org). I would research both of those to see which will work better for you. From what I have heard, Pet Partners seems to be more for hospital visits and TDI is more for nursing homes and assisted living.
The requirements of the test do take some practicing. Your dog needs to be able to pass another dog without showing much interest. Another part of the test which is kind of difficult is your dog has to pass something tasty on the ground without going after it.
I recommend definitely getting into some basic/ advanced obedience to get Raven prepared for the test. (Maybe you already have.) But the more practice the better. A lot of training facilities offer some sort of Canine Good Citizen/ Therapy dog class. They may not be able to certify you, but they can at least get your dog the practice it needs. Another option could be private training. I offer this service. I like doing this because it gives the person/dog the individual attention that is needed for some of the difficult parts.
For anyone else that is reading this and is considering getting their dog certified I definitely recommend getting started sooner than later. Just about any dog has the potential to do this; it can just take a lot of training and socialization. A good thing to do is practice going into pet stores, or other “high traffic” areas where pet lovers are. Use these places to your advantage. If someone wants to pet your dog, practice having your dog sit to get the petting it is looking for. Don’t forget to use lots of positive reinforcement. This will help you yield the quickest results.
Thank you for the question!
Kevin Duggan CPDT-KA
Kevin is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer through the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT.org)  and is a Canine Good Citizen Evaluator through the American Kennel Club. He currently resides in Ohio with his dog, V, a six-year-old Shepherd/Lab mix, where he operates All Dogs Go To Kevin, LLC, specializing in helping build positive relationships between humans and their canine companions using clear communication, not pain and fear. For more training tips and tricks, and to meet his amazing dog, V,  follow him on Facebook by clicking here.
Do you have a tough training question of your own? Click HERE to “Ask the Trainer!”

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Teach your Dog to High Five!

You’ve mastered sit, stay and heel, right? Now you’re ready to move on to some of the cool doggy tricks to show off to your friends! Teaching your dog to give a high five is easier than you think!

There are a few different methods you can try, but we found this one to be the simplest. With a little time, patience and persistence, your pup will be high-fiving all your friends in no time!

All you need is a quiet area free from distractions and some small training treats.

Have your dog sit on the floor. Sit on the floor facing him, close enough that he’ll be able to touch you with his paw.Place one of the training treats in the palm of your hand and make a fist. Hold your hand, palm down, under your dog’s nose a few inches away from his face. Your dog may smell the treats and paw at your hand.Each time your pup paws at your hand for the treat, reward him by giving the treat to him. Repeat this until your dog consistently touches your hand for the treat.Try moving your hand slightly to the side. Make sure he will still reach up and touch your hand for the treat. If he does this consistently, you’re ready to move on to the next step!Open your hand in the high-five position, facing your dog, and raise it in front of him. Each time your dog touches your hand, reward him with a treat.Repeat this and continue rewarding your dog for touching your open palm, and now add the verbal cue, “high five!” each time he touches your hand.Keep practicing and reward your dog along with the verbal cue until he does the behavior consistently.Now try giving him the verbal cue while raising your palm and see if he will give you a high five…

Keep practicing.

Congratulations! Now you can celebrate with your buddy and he won’t ever leave you hanging!

Check out this video of a pup learning how to high five!

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A Match Made in Heaven: 3 Nuns Adopt Senior Pit Bull

Three nuns adopted Remy, a senior pit bull. It’s a match made in Heaven! Photo courtesy Hi Tor Animal Care Center.

For several months, 9-year old pit bull, Remy sat in a New York shelter, waiting for her forever home. A combination of her age and breed made it unlikely she’d ever leave the shelter.

That is, until three nuns from Sisters of Our Lady of Christian Doctrine of Nyack visited the Hi Tor Animal Care Center looking for a new furry friend.

The Sisters told News12 they wanted to bring home a dog that might otherwise be euthanized, one that nobody else wanted. As soon as they spotted Remy, with her greying muzzle and gentle, loving demeanor, they knew immediately that she was “the one.”

“She’s a senior, and we are seniors,” one Sister proclaimed. “She’s a gentle dog and seems happy and content and easy to please.”

Pure love! Photo courtesy Hi Tor Animal Care Center.

The Hi Tor Animal Care Center announced the adoption to their Facebook fans last weekend,

Did you ever hear of Divine Intervention? Remy has. Our sweet, senior pup was adopted today not just by one Nun but by three! It is so moving how the Sisters embraced Remy and promised her Heaven on Earth! We certainly believe she will have the best life has to offer. Congratulations to Remy and her new family.

The Sisters say Remy brings a lot of love into their home, filling the void left by their previous dog that recently passed.

“It was hard to find a successor, but we got a good one,” one Sister said through tears of joy. They’ve promised to love and care for her for as many years as she has left on Earth.

It’s truly a match made in Heaven!

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VIDEO: Blaze the Husky Says ‘NO’ to Kennel Time (Really!)

Blaze, and 11-month old Husky from New Hampshire despises going in his kennel so much that he’s learned how to say “No!” when it’s time to go inside it.

Check out the hilarious video below to see Blaze go completely limp and hear him clearly say “No!” when his owner, John Ventresco tries to nudge him.

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Do Dogs Get Seasonal Affective Disorder in the Winter Months?

Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD, is a type of depression that commonly occurs in humans, especially in the winter months when we spend less time outdoors, have minimal access to bright, sunny days, and have fewer hours of daylight each day. While the disorder commonly causes depression-like symptoms in humans, evidence suggests that dogs, too, are affected by the lack of sunlight this time of year.

The dark, gloomy days and longer, colder nights of winter can cause dogs to develop Seasonal Affective Disorder, just like humans. In dogs, symptoms include lethargy, neediness, behavioral changes such as aggression and inappropriate pottying, and a general feeling of “blah.” In extreme or extended cases, even hair loss can occur.

Reporters at AnnArbor.com explain,

Many researchers indicate that although we don’t really know what a pet is experiencing, they are mammals, just like us, and they are affected by the same mammalian hormones, like melatonin. Melatonin has the ability to regulate biological rhythms, among other things.

Melatonin is produced by the pineal gland – and is inhibited by light to the retina, and it increases in production by darkness.

With the shorter days in the winter and subsequent higher level of melatonin, it can be a little challenging to try and combat the winter blahs that result for both humans and pets alike, and getting outdoors for a fair amount of time can be next to impossible.

So, how do you combat Seasonal Affective Disorder in your dog? The same way some humans find relief – with artificial sunlight!

Light boxes commonly used by humans for SAD have been found to be effective in treating dogs, too. The premise behind the light box is that it fills a room with artificial sunlight to help balance the body’s production of melatonin, thus keeping sleep cycles and moods in check.

Light boxes vary in size and price, but are typically used for 30-45 minutes each day for optimal results.

Does your dog experience Seasonal Affective Disorder? What types of changes do you notice in your pet?

Learn more about SAD and light therapy for dogs in this ABC News Video:

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Ask the Trainer: Helping a Puppy Mill Survivor Transition Into Life in a Home

Dear Kevin,
My 8-year old mill dog rescue Pom, Sweetpea that we have had for 5 months, has two very challenging behaviors. #1. She barks constantly; sometimes hours on end. Particularly shrill when her “daddy” is around. #2 She will not sleep. We’ve tried crates, pens, allowing her free roam. Nothing helps unless I sleep with her on the couch. I feel as if we are fishing around and being inconsistent.

Feeling sleep deprived with shattered nerves.
-Marti

Hi Marti,

It is unfortunate that Sweepea had to go through what she has. Some people only care about making money and don’t care about the welfare of the animal. Unfortunately most dogs used for breeding like this are pretty messed up mentally due to lack of experience with the world. If they ever do get the chance to live a normal life, it is very tough for them. It is such a big adjustment to go from living your entire life in a cage every day, to experiencing the everyday life of a “normal” dog.

Part of the answer is, time. It is going to take time for her to adjust to her new home. Another part of the answer is, patience. Patience is going to be very important. I would give her a good amount of exercise. I would do physical exercise, like taking her on walks. I would also do mental exercise, like teaching her new tricks, or working on basic obedience. The more tired you can get her, the harder it should be for her to stay awake. Have you tried having her in your bedroom? Also, what has her Vet said in regards to this. I am going to mention some all natural things that could help her relax but it wouldn’t be a bad idea to talk to your vet to see what s/he recommends.

Some “all-natural” options to make her more comfortable include Thundershirts, DAP (Dog Appeasing Pheromone, comes in a collar, a wall plug in, and also a spray. Using multiple forms has proven to work better for some dogs.) and different calming music. You can try to put these all together as well.

For the barking I recommend increasing exercise just like I mentioned above. That alone probably won’t fix the issue so I recommend doing some confidence building exercises as well. The link below will provide you with the answers to that. I have a feeling that the barking is a nervous response. Probably from living such a sheltered life for so long. Help build her confidence and it could start to fade away.

I hope this helps. Thanks again for saving Sweetpea.

Additional advice at this link: http://dogingtonpost.com/ask-the-trainer-building-your-dogs-confidence/#.UtcjM_0SPFI

Thank you for the question!
Kevin Duggan CPDT-KA

Kevin is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer through the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT.org)  and is a Canine Good Citizen Evaluator through the American Kennel Club. He currently resides in Ohio with his dog, V, a six-year-old Shepherd/Lab mix, where he operates All Dogs Go To Kevin, LLC, specializing in helping build positive relationships between humans and their canine companions using clear communication, not pain and fear. For more training tips and tricks, and to meet his amazing dog, V,  follow him on Facebook by clicking here.

Do you have a tough training question of your own? Click HERE to “Ask the Trainer!”

View the original article here

Westminster Welcomes 3 New Breeds in 2014

The Westminster Kennel Club is welcoming three new breeds into their 138th Annual Dog Show this year!
The breeds that are eligible to compete are determined by the American Kennel Club based on population and geographic distribution, as well as growing interest by the breed’s parent club.

RAT TERRIER (Terrier Group)Beyond being a farm dog, Rat Terriers have proven themselves to be a versatile, multipurpose breed with a playful, happy-go-lucky attitude. They are an all-in-one dog-able to do virtually anything they are trained to do-and they are easily trainable and exceptionally intelligent. They excel in conformation, agility, obedience, rally obedience, terrier racing, earthdog, barn hunt and lure coursing. They are capable of hunting rodents and vermin above and below ground. They make fine therapy and service dogs. And they are loyal friends and companions-especially for families.
PORTUGUESE PODENGO PEQUENO (Hound Group)The smallest of the Podengo family, this active rabbit hunter has a history that goes back to antiquity. He is still used today by avid huntsmen in his native Portugal. To manage the terrain in different parts of Portugal, the Portuguese Podengo Pequeno come in two coat varieties, smooth and wire. The word Pequeno means small or miniature. He is the smallest of three sizes… Grand, Medio and Pequeno. The Pequeno is the only of the three that should be longer than tall. With proper socialization this intelligent breed is a delightful companion and willing participant in agility, obedience, hunting and lure coursing, as well as conformation.
CHINOOK (Working Group)Developed in New Hampshire in the 1920s, the Chinook is a true American breed. In 2009, the Chinook was named New Hampshire’s State Dog. Chinooks are highly trainable, intelligent, athletic, working dogs that excel in obedience, agility, therapy work, tracking, and lure coursing, as well as dog powered sports such as sledding, bikejoring, scootering, and carting. Above all, the Chinook is cherished as a loving companion, happily going wherever the family ventures. Chinooks require only an occasional bath, brushing, and toenail trimming. Chinooks are a healthy, robust breed with a life expectancy of 12 to 15 years.

The show begins on Monday, February 10th at both Piers 92 & 94 and at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Monday night’s event will be broadcast live on CNBC from 8-11 PM. Tuesday night’s event will be live on USA from 8-11 PM.

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