Any dog can be a therapy dog without being certified. The danger is that if the dog scratches someone, does any other damage, or is even accused of harming a person - you personally can be sued. By having your dog certified, you are insured by the organization against law suits.

A dog must love people and get along with other dogs to be a certified therapy dog. The ideal Therapy Dog will have a pleasant, easy going disposition. A Therapy Dog must be able to handle many situations without panicking.   Loud noises, scooters, wheelchairs and medical equipment will most likely be part of a Therapy Dog’s job. It is very necessary that the dog not react with fear or aggression to any of these or to being bump or handled improperly.

A Therapy Dog may be working with children or older people who do not realize how to gently handle a dog gently. While it seems odd, part of training for a dog to be a Therapy Dog is to condition it to having its ears pulled, paws squeezed, and even be pinched without reacting with even the slightest aggression. I have done this in a relaxed environment where my dog feels very safe.

If your dog trusts you 100 percent, you should do a little rough work with him by doing some of the actions listed above. After conditioning your dog to a bit of ear pulling, paw grabbing, etc from you without showing any aggression praise the dog and give it all the kinds sweet loving it craves. I have also have done training with my neighbor’s small children with my dog on one side of me and the child on the other. The child did not understand how to gently touch a dog and would reach across me to shove, yank and in generally annoy my dog. I always keep my voice soft and calm. I always keep one hand on my dog so he knows I am there to protect him. I also rewarded the child when he gently pets and touches the dog.

Different organizations have different rules as to what is required of a Therapy Dog. Major Payne did not pass the first organization because he pulled on the leash and made snorting sounds. Therapy Dog Inc. was much more relaxed. The trainer I had was impressed that Major would sit and be petted and loved on and walk right pass a person that did not want to pay attention to him. He did pull on his leash when he saw someone who wanted to pet him but that did not disqualify him. He is interested in other dogs but will not attack them if he sees them (he really would like to play) or lunge toward the other dog.   Excessive barking will also be a problem in getting your dog certified as a Therapy Dog.

 
Basically a Therapy Dog must want to be loved on and not be aggressive. It must trust its handler totally. When I am working with my dog I always have my hand on him when other people touch him so he knows I am there for him.

The best place to start training your dog is to enroll it in a beginner’s and then advanced obedience class after which it should be able to pass its Canine Good Citizen (CGC) test and receive the CGC award. While this award does not guarantee that your dog will past the certification, it is definitely be a good way to get your dog on the road to being a Certified Therapy Dog.

 It would be easy to write an essay on dog training and positive reinforcement. I mean there are hundreds of books and trainers we could talk to and whether you like his tactics or not, pay for Caesar Milan’s advice. That is not what I’m here to do though because what I use and what someone else uses for dog trainings are different depending on opinion and such. I am here to write about my own personal experience with how I trained Peia and why I believe in positive reinforcement.

This is not an article on how to properly train a dog. I am not a professional dog trainer. I feel like I need to say this because I simply had a willing dog and I did my research on how to train by reading books and asking for help.

Before I became a puppy parent, I worked with autistic children and although it was hard for the children to verbalize their wants and needs, I, as an aide had to watch their behaviors, understand their baseline, and try to meet their needs or wants to the best of my ability. Unfortunately, sometimes these children would express themselves through yelling, physical violence towards themselves or others, or isolation, or other ways.

Please don’t think I am comparing children to dogs or vice-versa. All I’m saying is: Look for the similarities and not the differences.

Prior to becoming a puppy parent, I had to research exactly ‘how do I become a puppy parent and how do I train a dog?’

What I did was I read. A lot. Of course, “Boston Terriers for Dummies” and “Boston Terrier: An American Dog” were the first books I really looked at and what I found was that when dealing with puppies, it doesn’t matter what kind of book you get, they all say the same thing - be the pack leader, be consistent, and reward the puppy through praise and treats and don’t reward them if they don’t deserve it.

My goal with this new puppy (and the next one whom I am anxiously awaiting the birth of) was to build a bond. I wanted a relationship and the first way to do that was to show the puppy that I am the pack leader. I am in charge and that puppy was to listen to me and to look toward me for direction.

So how did I do that?

1. Buy treats. Preferably something small. You don’t want the dog to be too immersed in chewing the treat. It has to be ‘instant gratification.’ I used Bil-Jacs because of their tiny size and I assume they tasted good. Peia went NUTS over those treats.

2. Practice my ‘baby-talk’ for when she pleased me. Yes, I sounded stupid, but she knew by the tone of my voice whether she had made me happy, or she had displeased me.

When training a dog, you don’t want to over work your dog. They will get tired of doing the same thing and you will get frustrated. There is also the magic number three. If they can do a trick three times in a row you can stop. 20 minutes is about how long I would work with Peia at a time. I would work with Peia about 3-4 times a day, followed by play time afterwards.

Anytime that Peia would successfully do what I asked her, whether it be ‘down,’ ‘sit,’ ‘fetch’ or even just looking at me when I would say her name, she always got some kind of reward. ALWAYS. To get her to first work towards a goal, I would use Bil-Jacs, and the more often we would work together, I would slowly start to give her verbal praise and pets instead. What made Peia so easy to train is that it seemed to me that her goal in life was to please me. She was also super smart as well. She was so easy to train and I hope my next puppy will be as easy to train as she was.

My advice when training a dog is to never give up! Remind the dog that YOU are the pack leader. Dogs are pack animals and need a leader. That leader is you! Think about how you want your dog to act prior to getting started with training - make a checklist of acceptable behaviors. Work on the basics first - recall, sit, down, stay, down-stay, sit-stay and crate training. Reward your dog when they do what you want with POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT!

Whether it is with treats, play, or praise, let your dog know that you are happy! Make them WANT to learn and reward that! Make sure the treats are small - I like Bil-Jacs because they are about the size of a Cheerio and dogs love ‘em! Like I said earlier, if they can do what you want three times in a row, you have succeeded! Make your training sessions short-about 20 minutes.

If they can do a trick three times in a row, three times a day it becomes a LEARNED behavior. You don’t want to negatively reinforce bad behavior. How do you do that? Don’t acknowledge it. IGNORE the behavior. Don’t yell, unless it is a simple and forceful ‘NO.’ For example, if you are working on sit-stay or down-stay and the dog starts to move, start over. Move them back to where you started the sit or down part and start over.

Also don’t be afraid to consult with dog trainers in your area, especially if you are having difficulty in training your puppy. They can often times make suggestions or give advice that you may not know how to do. You don’t have to spend hundreds of dollars to take them to obedience school because what you can teach them is the same thing they are going to teach you at puppy classes.

The most important thing you have to remember is to gain the trust and to build a relationship and bond with your dog and - practice! Practice! Practice!

 Ear Infections:  They can be more complicated  than you thought

  Ear disease is one of the most common conditions we see in pets. The medical name for inflammation of the outer ear canal is 'otitis externa.' It is estimated that up to 20% of the dog population is affected by this disease.

The reason that the ears are often more severely affected by this generalized skin irritation than other areas of the body, is because of the environment within the ear canal. Initially the hypersensitivity or skin allergy causes a low level of inflammation which allows bacteria and yeast organisms that normally live on skin to increase in numbers. In mildly affected dogs, most areas of the skin can avoid significant organism overgrowth, but the moist and warm environment within the ear canal provides the ideal environment for these organisms to grow and therefore cause further inflammation. As the organisms increase in numbers, their presence causes further inflammation and damage to the skin, leading to a vicious cycle of deterioration.

 

 

Signs of ear disease

 Every day we see dogs who have problems with their ears. Signs of these ear problems include:

•          Odor
•          Scratching or rubbing of ears and head
•          Discharge in the ears
•          Redness or swelling of the ear flap or canal
•          Shaking of the head or tilting it to one side
•          Pain around the ears
•          Changes in behavior such as depression or irritability

Causes of ear disease

 Dogs can have ear problems for many different reasons. When we see a dog with ear disease we need to think about the possibility of:

•          Allergies such as atopy or food allergies
•          Parasites - ear mites
•          Infections - bacteria and yeast
•          Foreign bodies, e.g., plant awns
•          Trauma
•          Hormonal abnormalities, e.g., hypothyroidism
•          The ear environment, e.g., excess moisture and ear anatomy

Allergies/Yeast:

 Yeast can cause severe ear problems. We usually observe a brown waxy exudate and a bad odor. Daily cleaning of the ears will help, but often these infections are difficult to treat, and special medications need to be given since antibiotics do not kill yeast. If you suspect a yeast infection in your dog’s ears, consult your veterinarian.

WHERE WOULD A DOG GET A YEAST INFECTION?

Yeast happily live on most normal skin as well as in ears and anal glands.To get a yeast infection, conditions on the skin surface have to change to favor of the proliferation of yeast.

The yeasts in small normal numbers are harmless but when the yeasts are present in large numbers, disease results.

So what conditions lead to a yeast proliferation? An increase in skin oils (which often occurs in an allergic flare up) would be the most common situation. Sometimes there is an immune deficiency or hormone imbalance which allows for the yeast proliferation.

Some animals are battling seborrhea (excessive oil production of the skin) and thus are naturally predisposed to the yeast proliferation. The most important thing to realize is that while a yeast infection is not contagious, it tends to recur unless the underlying allergy, seborrhea, or other problem is controlled. The yeast overgrowth is extremely itchy and if it can be controlled, the underlying allergy, seborrheaetc. may not be all that itchy in and of itself.

We need to be aware that in rescue dogs the reaction to Yeast as an allergic response is due to the suppression of the normal immune system due to stress on the dog from it’s life.

It needs to be understood that while antibiotics and steroids can control the bacterial infection and the inflammation the underlying allergy trigger causing the Yeast growth must be found. It is usually food.

If you suspect a food/protein allergy to be the cause of a chronic condition you may want to undertake a food elimination diet. This is a lengthy process that you will need to keep careful records and perhaps do under the supervision of a veterinary dermatologist or your general vet.

Parasites:

The ear mite, Otodectes: Some dogs are hypersensitive to the mites, however, and the resultant itching can be intense. These dogs may scratch so much they severely traumatize the ear.

Ear Environment:

Bacteria and yeast could not ask for a better environment to live in than a warm, dark, moist ear canal. Dogs with heavy, floppy ears such as Cocker Spaniels may have ear problems due to the excess moisture that builds up in their ears.

*Bostons do not typically have an environment for bacteria and yeast as accommodating as these other breeds. i.e. Spaniels, Bassets etc.

Diagnosis

Because there are many potential causes of ear problems, we cannot just say it is a bacterial ear infection, dispense antibiotics, and it will go away. Often, more work is needed. Your veterinarian can use an otoscope to look down into the ear canal and determine the amount of inflammation present, if the tympanic membrane (ear drum) is involved, and if there are any foreign bodies, tumors, or other potential causes of the problem. Swabs of the ear can be taken, smeared on a microscope slide, stained, and examined for bacteria, yeast, and mites. A thorough history and physical exam may help determine if this could be a hormonal, allergic, or hereditary problem. If these are suspected, further diagnostic testing would be needed. If a bacterial infection does not respond to the first antibiotic therapy, a culture and sensitivity may need to be performed to select a different antibiotic.

Treatment:

The treatment is going to depend on what caused the ear problem and what secondary conditions are there as a result.

Antibiotics:

Used for bacterial infections and antifungals for yeast infections. Glucocorticoids such as dexamethasone are often included in these preparations to reduce the amount of inflammation in the ear. Ear problems caused by a systemic disease such as a hormone abnormality or allergy must include a therapy that treats the whole dog, such as hormonal replacement or allergy testing and hyposensitization(immunotherapy).

Allergies:

Allergies are commonly treated with regular ear cleaning with an ear cleaning solution, antihistamines, and fatty acid supplements. Sometimes corticosteroids are needed. These may be given in an oral or injectable form, or they can be applied topically. Allergy testing and immunotherapy (hyposensitzation) may be the best way to cure the ear problem.

Ear mites:

Ear mites can cause a dry, dark, crumbly debris in the ear that resembles coffee grounds. For this condition, ear cleaning followed by an ear medication to kill mites will eliminate the problem, although the treatment may need to be continued over several weeks depending upon the product used.

Bacterial Ear Infections:

Bacterial ear infections can also have a bad odor and often have a more yellowish exudate. If it is a severe or chronic condition, ear cleaning alone will not take care of the problem and antibiotics will almost always be necessary. Again, consult your veterinarian. Ear infections of the canal, if severe, can spread to the middle and inner ear, so prompt attention to the problem is always best.

Regardless of the cause of the ear disease, we must always keep the ear canal clean.

The key to healthy ears is to keep them clean. Check your dog's ears weekly. A slight amount of waxy buildup may be present in normal ears. If your dog swims a lot, has pendulous ears, or a history of ear disease, routine cleaning (often once to three times per week) is recommended. Use the same procedure as described above. Excess hair around the ear can be clipped to allow more air flow

Remember, if your dog is showing severe discomfort, the ears have a bad smell, or the ear canals look very abnormal, do not delay in contacting your veterinarian. If your dog has a ruptured or weakened eardrum, some ear cleansers and medications could do more harm than good.

The ultimate “fix” for a chronically infected, damaged and traumatized ear is TECA surgery. The term Total Ear Canal Ablation or TECA is used to describe a procedure used to manage severe canal or middle ear disease in dogs where other methods of treatment have failed. The full name of the procedure is Total Ear Canal Ablation with Lateral Bulla Osteotomy (TECA + LBO) but most surgeons use the term TECA for convenience.

My experience with the cycle of chronic ear infection and TECA surgery came with a rescue I fostered. He came into rescue with untreated hematoma and three types of bacteria in his right ear one being e-coli! Upon examination under anesthesia it was found that his tympanic membrane had been eaten away by the bacteria and his ear skin was so inflamed and thickened from chronic infection that it would be impossible to break the cycle of infection. His behavior around his head was very protective and that gave rise to behavior issues. This boy had been in constant pain and discomfort most of his young life. The TECA surgery was literally a life saving surgery he had to have. His condition rendered him unadoptable.

However, it MUST be noted, that the surgery was only part of the puzzle. Without neutralizing the allergen causing Yeast growth in his body, the other ear which had remained healthy would surely be affected. This is, in fact what started to happen shortly after the successful TECA surgery.

Fortunately, his condition stabilized with a low dose of prednisone in Vanectyl –P and being on a vegetarian diet. He was adopted to a lovely couple who live a quiet life in the country which was perfect for this boy. His condition remains under control and his remaining ear smells sweet as a daisy!!

I cannot over stress the importance of staying on top of ear infection and ear health – with this one Boston boy it was literally life or death.

                                                       Here he is (you can see the thick and flopped over damaged right ear)

Sources:
http://www.willows.uk.net/specialist
http://veterinarysurgicalcenters.com
http://www.peteducation.com
http://www.marvistavet.com