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Animal therapy is proven to help lift the spirits of those that don’t seem to have much reason for being happy. That’s why dog therapy has gotten so popular over the last few years and its popularity is continuing to increase. In the cases of those that need to heal, having a dog therapy session can prove dramatic results in the healing process and can even give people a more positive outlook on life. Becoming certified to be a trained dog therapy assistant, and having your dog become certified to be a therapy dog is easy once you know how to go about doing it.

The Right Animal

The right animal for dog therapy will be an even tempered and healthy animal that has gone through all regular check-ups and vaccinations. The dog must not be too small or too big, should be well behaved naturally, and cannot have any history of aggressive behavior whatsoever. There are certain breeds of dogs that work better for dog therapy training than others, so do your research to find the perfect breed of dog both for you and for dog therapy.

The Right Training

If you aren’t a certified trainer, be sure to hire someone to train both you and your pet in the ways of being a therapy dog and assistant. You should know all of the commands that your dog knows so that you can effectively communicate with the animal while he or she is interacting with people at a volunteer location.

The right training program will train the dog to not get stressed in certain situations and to be okay with loud people, heavy petting, and people who are afraid of dogs. The program should also teach both the animal and the dog therapy assistant that will be taking care of the dog and taking it to volunteer locations on how to interact with mentally or physically disabled people, as well as children and the elderly.

The Right Certification

The Delta Society is the most well known and respected dog therapy training certification organization and can even offer training courses and can establish the volunteer locations in which you and your therapy dog can visit. The evaluation to become certified will test behavior skills and make sure that the dog is healthy enough to be a therapy dog. They will make sure that your dog is ready to become a therapy dog.

The Right Place to Start

Make sure that the first place you visit for a dog therapy session is a relatively small location with just a few people. This will get the dog more accustomed to the experiences and interactions that he or she will have when they are at a volunteer location. Animal Assisted Therapy volunteer locations range in size from just a few people to hundreds, so there is always a small place to start out with.

The Right Interactions

You can also make sure that the people who are going to be interacting with the dog know how to do so. Even just a little verbal training as to how to pet a dog, how to talk to the animal and how to communicate with it can go a long way in easing the stress that may be felt for both the animal and the patients or residents of the volunteer location.

There are a number of things that can be done to make the dog behave beautifully when it is taken out for a walk. By being consistent and firm, and praising great behaviours, it is possible to transform an errant dog into a happy, well-exercised and obedient pooch.

Correcting the Dog on a Lead

A soon as a dog runs forward, pulls on the lead, sniffs or barks, he needs to be corrected.

Correct the behaviour as soon as it occurs to let the dog know that it is inappropriate. There are a number of established corrections that let the dog know instantly how it should or should not behave. When consistently used, the dog will quickly understand how to walk on the lead without bad traits.

Steps to Eradicate Poor Behaviour

Firstly, the lead should be pulled in a short fast jerking motion. While the dog obviously should not be hurt with this technique, it serves to get his attention from what he is doing and back to the owner. Remember to stay calm and relaxed so that the dog does not become stressed. Hold the access lead in the right hand, while relaxing the left. Repeat this correction each time the dog stops to sniff or pulls.

Verbal Signals

Verbal corrections are useful to let the dog know he is behaving badly. Use a sharp ‘shush’ noise each time the dog misbehaves, and the dog will soon learn to associate the noise with poor behaviour and correct it.

Gentle Reminders

Touching the dog gently each time it pulls or halts can be useful to refocus attention on the owner and away from distractions. While using the verbal correction and pulling on the lead, use the right foot to gently touch the dog. The idea is to get his attention back to the owner to help put him in the relaxed submissive state. Repeat this correction a few times if the dog continues to display inappropriate behaviour.

Coming to a Complete Stop

Finally, the most severe form of correction is to stop completely and get the dog to sit. He will soon realise that bad behaviour makes an enjoyable walk come to an end until he behaves well.

Don’t Forget the Best and Most Important Part

Praise is as, or more, important than admonishment. A dog responds well to treats, pats and verbal praise, ensuring that good behaviours become second nature. Be kind to the dog – learning new ways to behave can be hard and confusing, so reward well every time the dog behaves in the way it has been asked to.

Getting the smell of dog urine out of hardwood floors can be challenging, especially if you aren’t home to clean the mess immediately and it soaks in. As the dog urine breaks down and crystallizes, the urine odor permeates the porous surface of the floor boards. Dried uric acid crystals stain the wood, turning it black in cases of repeat pet urine soiling due to the acidic urine burning tannins in the wood. Regular hardwood floor cleaners may remove the stain, but they will rarely eliminate the dog urine smell. Make sure you treat the area to remove the stain and the urine smell before sanding or refinishing your hardwood floors; the heat of sanding will bake urine crystals into the wood, making odor removal nearly impossible.

Before you start cleaning, it’s a good idea to test the cleaning solution on an inconspicuous location before applying it to the urine stains to make sure the cleaning solutions do not bleach or stain your hardwood floors.

Store-Bought Pet Urine Odor and Stain Remover

1. Purchase a urine-removing cleaner containing bio-enzymes to eliminate urine odors. Make sure the cleaner you purchase is safe for use on hardwood floors.
2. Use a hand-held black light to locate all pet urine stains, which will glow green. Mark the stained areas by outlining them with chalk.
3. Follow the directions on the label of the cleaner to remove the stains. Saturate the urine stains with cleaner.
4. Use a plastic sheet to cover the stained areas for half an hour. This will keep the cleaner from evaporating and allow the cleaner to break down the urine crystals.
5. Wipe the stained areas with paper towels.
6. Repeat steps three through five until the stains are lighter and the urine odor is eliminated.
7. Moist mop the previously stained areas. Allow the floor boards to dry thoroughly.

Homemade Pet Urine Odor and Stain Remover

1. Use a hand-held black light to locate all urine stains, which will glow green. Mark the stained areas by outlining them with chalk.
2. Use paper towels to blot up as much of the dog urine as possible.
3. Mix together three parts water and one part vinegar. Apply mixture to urine stains.
4. Use paper towels to blot the stained area, soaking up as much liquid as possible.
5. Allow the stained area to dry. Sprinkle baking soda over the stained area.
6. Mix 3/4 cup of hydrogen peroxide (3%) with one teaspoon dish detergent. Drizzle the mixture over the baking soda.
7. Work the baking soda into the wood using your fingers or an old brush. Allow to dry.
8. Vacuum the dried baking soda mixture.
9. Evaluate the area for odor. Repeat steps three through eight as necessary.

Those big chocolate brown eyes captured your heart when you first laid eyes on that irresistible puppy begging, “Take me home!” But it wasn’t long before the whole neighborhood knew there was a new addition at your house. Even worse, you couldn’t get your new dog to stop barking.

Why is Fido Barking?

Before trying to silence your barking dog, check the source. Although it’s probably just his annoying habit, there’s also the possibility he’s barking for a good reason. Look for any clues such as cars parked in your driveway or another dog taking a walk across his property.

Tips for Silencing Fido

Don’t shout back. Shouting at your dog to stop barking only intensifies the problem. That’s the advice top-notch dog trainer Victoria Stillwell gives owners on the popular Animal Plant hit show, “It’s Me or the Dog.”

Use one-word commands. Because dogs only recognize a few simple words, they can’t relate to sentences. They may be your best friend, but they’re not human. In other words, you have to talk dog lingo to your dog. Rather than talk in sentences or even a few words, narrow the message to single commands. Firmly say, “Hush!” or “Enough!” Use a strong tone when speaking.

Look forcefully into his eyes. When saying it, look at him, keeping your stare without blinking. Then when he stops, praise him with a “Good boy!”

Reward with a treat. When your dog stops barking, reward him with a treat. Just be sure to time your treat well, making sure he’s stopped barking before giving the reward. If you reward prematurely, he may think you’re rewarding him for barking.

Use whistles or other noisemakers. By startling a dog with a sudden, high-pitched noise, you can usually stop his barking. Besides whistles, try musical instruments such as small gongs, or triangles. Weird noises on electronic keyboards are also good if the keyboard is portable or within reach of your dog’s ears. Hopefully, your dog will stop barking when he sees you approach with your noisemaker.

Spray water. If none of these approaches work, fill a spray bottle of water and mist his eyes, saying, “Stop!”

Use electric shock or spray collars. These are usually last resorts and aren’t recommended when first trying to correct the behavior.

Quietest Breeds

If you are debating on adopting a new dog, study the breeds first, so you’ll know which ones bark more than others. Dogs range over a wide spectrum, from the noisy fox terrier to the barkless Basenji who communicates with other noises, such as howls and yodels. If you live in a quiet neighborhood where houses are close together or in an apartment or condo, perhaps you need to choose a quieter breed. Some of the top five breeds known for their quietness include whippets, basenjis, borzois, Chesapeake Bay retrievers, and Swiss Mountain dogs.

Dogs Known for Excessive Barking

On the other hand, you might want to avoid breeds such as the Yorkshire terrier, Cairn terrier, miniature schnauzer, West Highland white terriers, beagles and fox terriers.These breeds have the reputation for barking when there’s no need to bark.

If all else fails, seek professional help from a qualified dog trainer. Most importantly, do not use bodily harm, swatting your dog. This only leads to an aggressive dog who, most likely, will strike back either at your or someone else.

Traditional methods of dog training involve obedience and correction of unwanted behaviour with intimidation and punishment. Thankfully, these methods are now seen as outdated, as more dog trainers and behaviourists move to positive dog training.

Ignoring Bad Behaviour

Unwanted behaviours in dogs may include barking, jumping on people, guarding food and toys, pulling on the lead, running away, digging, snapping, chewing inappropriate items, anxiety and aggression. Any type of attention given to a dog when he performs these bad behaviours can be seen by the dog as a reward, which reinforces the behaviour. Without realising it, some owners are actually creating and reinforcing bad behaviour in their dog. According to Pamela Dennison, author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Positive Dog Training, if you are not ignoring bad behaviour, you are enforcing it. Pamela believes that ignoring bad behaviour will reduce repeats of that behaviour, and it will eventually stop occurring.

Positive Trainers Use Negative Punishment

Timing is crucial when using positive dog training methods. It may be tempting to try to bribe a dog with a biscuit to distract him from a bad behaviour, but because you would be rewarding a dog at the time he was performing the behaviour, he thinks that behaviour is acceptable and will therefore continue to repeat the behaviour. Bearing in mind that a dog sees your attention as a reward, if he jumps up at you and you fold your arms and walk away, you withhold the reward he seeks. This method is known as negative punishment.

Positive Reinforcement

Whenever a reward is given at the exact time a dog performs a specific behaviour, this reinforces the behaviour in the dog’s mind, and the behaviour will be more likely to be repeated. When training a dog, most people use treats as a reward when their dog sits on command. A treat does not necessarily have to be food. Praise, toys and certain activities can also be used as a reward for good behaviour.

Positive Dog Training Vs Punishment

Punishing a dog when he performs an unwanted behaviour can create stress and anxiety, and damages the bond between owner and dog. Having a good relationship is the foundation for training a dog. With a strong bond, a dog will trust his owner and be eager to please. Prior to using positive reinforcement, Pamela Dennison used traditional methods of punishment and has observed the differences in dog behaviour over many years. She has observed that behaviours learned through force can fall apart when the dog is under stress, whereas beaviours learned through positive reinforcement are stronger, with the dog more able to follow commands under pressure. This is a distinct advantage in unusual circumstances where there are distractions or danger.

Portraits inside the Egyptian pyramids immortalize the early Basenji as companions for the Egyptian Pharaohs. From Egypt this breed moved to Central Africa where dogs acted as guides in the forest and alerted against predators.

As a hunting dog, the Basenji helped protect livestock by killing long-toothed and reed rats. This high energy breed aided Central African hunters during the quest for antelope, birds and pachyderms. This sighthound could point and track wounded prey. They also chased prey into the hunter’s net. An account in the 1930s described that the Basenji wore gourds filled with small pebbles that rattled and alerted hunters to follow in the tall grasses.

In 1895 a pair of Basenji arrived in England, but died of distemper. In 1936, Bongo of Blean and Bokoto of Blean survived and bred future generations. Breeders locate stock in southern Sudan, the eastern Central African Republic and the Congo regions.

Physical Characteristics

The compact Basenji is small to medium with fine bones. Females stand 40 cm (16 in); males stand 43 cm (17 in). Weight ranges from 9 – 10 kg (20 lbs) for females and 11 kg (22 lbs) for males. This muscular breed has a level back and straight legs. The Basenji has small, narrow feet and a graceful gait.

The Basenji sports a smooth, glossy coat with colours of chestnut red, black or tri-colour. White markings may appear on the chest, tail tip, feet and forehead. This breed is a moderate shedder.

The Basenji has a flat skull and a wedge-shaped face framed by a wrinkled forehead. Hazel almond-shaped eyes are set obliquely. The small, erect ears are set forward. The characteristic tail is curled once or twice.

The Basenji does not bark. This breed, however,is known to sing or yodel. Other dog sounds include howling and growling.

This breed has a lifespan of 10 – 12 years.

Temperament

The graceful Basenji has a temperament like a cat. This affectionate breed will even climb trees and scale chain wire fences like its feline counterpart. This intelligent dog is eager to please and responds to training. Basenji are known to do things their own way. Owners should handle their puppies early and show leadership. This hound likes to chew and should receive toys to satisfy this habit. This high energy dog needs 60 – 80 minutes of exercise every day, plus mental stimulation. Owners need to be consistent or face the consequences of owning an obese dog with behaviour problems when left alone.

Roles of the Basenji

Because the Basenji is silent, this breed has a limited role as a guard dog. As a companion, this breed is eager to serve. With a history of hunting rodents, this dog is not compatible with small pets. The alert and intelligent Basenji can excel in lure-coursing and racing.