Most pet owners know how hard it is to train a normal puppy, but animals with behavior problems need even more attention. Don Hanson, co-owner of Green Acres Kennel Shop on Outer Union Street in Bangor and a certified pet dog trainer, says he has a solution that works in some cases.

Hanson uses homeopathic treatments that he says can work well in conjunction with regular methods for behavior modification in animals.

“Traditional behavior modification programs can work, but it’s a very slow process,” Hanson said recently. Traditional methods of behavior modification rely for the most part on classical conditioning, or when a response is followed by a reward and is reinforced at frequent intervals.

He started looking for other methods when he had a dog with epilepsy and other problems that traditional medicines didn’t help.

Hanson settled on Bach Flower Essences, liquid drops made from wildflowers, given to cats and dogs with behavior problems. He recently spent two weeks in Japan instructing veterinarians, dog trainers and dog guardians about the use of the flower essences.

The drops are the creation of the late Dr. Edward Bach of England, who developed the remedies to heal people, animals and plants. A foundation was created to promote Bach’s systems.

According to Hanson, the drops, which he puts on doggie treats, speed up the process of correcting behavior problems.

“The advantage to the essences is that they are nontoxic, with no side effects,” as opposed to behavior-controlling drugs, Hanson said.

He first noticed their value a few years ago when a client’s dog had moderate separation anxiety issues. Hanson used an essence called Rescue Remedy, a combination of five flowers, and the dog was doing better within a few weeks. Usually it takes months of behavior modification programs to see any results, Hanson said.

Hanson is the first and only Bach Foundation Registered Practitioner in North America. Most practitioners are in England, and Hanson said the method has been slow to catch on in the United States.

Hanson made a significant effort to earn the practitioner designation. He attended a Bach training program in England, which required four overseas trips to Sussex and Wales, each from three to six days long.

“It was quite an obligation but well worth it,” he says.

The treatments work best in dogs if the substance is ingested by applying it on treats with a dropper. Bottles of the substance cost $14 to $17 a bottle. The consultation is $75.

With cats, likelier methods are to put it on their paws and they will lick it off, or put it on the pads of a paw, where it will be absorbed.

In the past year, he has treated about 40 dogs and cats.

Hanson became interested in dog training nine years ago when his own dog, Gus, was having some behavior issues. He and his wife, Paula, started Green Acres Kennel, where they provide dog day care, training classes and boarding. Hanson is not a licensed veterinarian.

Hanson was invited to Japan by Terry Ryan, a dog trainer who works with several dog training organizations in Japan. Hanson gave a three-day lecture at the Animal Fancier’s Club in Kurosio-shi and a one-day lecture at an animal shelter in Achi Prefecture. He concluded his speaking tour with a lecture in Tokyo for the Canine Good Citizens Club.

“It was a new experience for me,” said Hanson, who had never been to Japan.

Although homeopathic remedies are not necessarily more commonly used among veterinarians in the East, they are more readily accepted, Hanson said. Chinese treatments such as acupuncture are evidence that alternative sources of healing can work just as well as traditional methods, he says.

“Science doesn’t necessarily have all the answers,” he said.

Sometimes, nature does.