Therapy dog training, while important, is something with which many people are not familiar. A therapy dog is one that is used to do animal assisted therapy and activities. Organizations train the dog to help people in hospitals, schools, nursing homes, and virtually anywhere people need some sort of therapy. So, then, how do dogs become therapy dogs? It is a fairly simple process.

A Good Citizen

Though the requirements for therapy dog training vary from state to state, it is almost universal that the dog must be certified as a canine good citizen. In order to receive that, you have to train your dog to be focused and well behaved around distractions. Generally your local animal shelter or even a therapy dog training center will have classes available for you to learn how to turn your dog into a canine good citizen.

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Compared to other types of breeds, Dalmatians possess a very unique metabolism. They handles purines, the parent substance for the uric acid compounds found in certain meat and vegetable proteins, more like humans and apes than like other dogs. Dalmatians will not thrive on diets high in purines, and some will develop serious, life-threatening health problems or die prematurely as a result of such diets. Dalmatians are not capable of breaking down purines beyond the level of uric acid, whereas other breeds go a step further, converting uric acid to allantoin before excretion.

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While we all enjoy treating our dogs to a nice dog cookie or some human food once in a while, is it really all that good for them? For example, it is well known that dogs are allergic to chocolate and therefore as dog owners we avoid giving them chocolate, or leaving chocolate in a position they can access. But what about other foods? Each dog’s diet is specific to itself, but sometimes there are general rules for certain foods, like chocolate. So is giving a dog a dog biscuit detrimental to a dog’s health? Or giving them a piece of cheese, or some vegetables, or a piece of bread? Every dog will react individually to different foods, but keep in mind that while dog food may be recommended by a vet, dog cookies and “people” food usually aren’t. So keep an eye on what’s going into your dog’s mouths. No one wants to see their dog sick.

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