Diabetic Alert Dog Fundamentals – Free Training Advice
Mary McNeight, CPDT-KA, owner and head trainer of the Service Dog Academy shared some of her diabetic alert dog training fundamentals in a free webinar earlier this month with attendees from all over the country. With her background in training service dogs, and seeing the effects of diabetes through personal experience and with family members, McNeight set out to make training dogs for diabetic alert accessible for everyone. Attendees from all over including Denver, San Antonio, Anaheim, Brooklyn, Michigan, Virginia, and New Jersey also got a sneak peak at Diabetic Alert Dog University – the next phase in McNeight’s quest for offering low-cost diabetic alert dog training to type one and type two diabetics, hypoglycemics, and pre-diabetics. “I did find your webinar useful and your approach compatible [sic] with my own training beliefs. I am fascinated by the whole process!” In this program, dogs are allowed to be dogs through the use of games, solving puzzles, and making service work incredibly rewarding. By using positive reinforcement methods, Service Dog Academy’s diabetic alert dog program keeps a dog’s spirit intact. The puzzles and games that are part of the training have been developed to create an improvisational dog. Furthermore, by working with your own dog and doing the training with your dog, it will give you the ability to keep up with the training. Unfortunately, when an already trained dog is given to a person he may lose his ability to alert within a few months. With this program, in addition to the basics of alerting to blood sugar changes, getting drinks from the refrigerator, retrieving your meter and getting help, this program gives you the fundamentals to teach your dog more complicated tasks when you come up with them. The main goal of Continue reading >>
Service Dogs
Doctorate – Service Dog Certification Service dogs are specifically trained to assist their owners in a variety of tasks including, but not limited to, visible and invisible disabilities, and psychiatric assistance. Therapy dogs are not Service Dogs and therefore do not share the same rights to public access as Service Dogs. The only requirements are you must be in need of a dog to help with tasks or have a health condition that warrants assistance. Also, you must be able to reinforce behaviors as requested by your trainer. Each situation will have their own specific needs so this program is tailored to your exact situation and goals. Some of the behaviors that can be accomplished are: Diabetes Alert – alerts when blood sugar levels go out of normal range…even at night Mobility/Stability – Help walking, going up/down stairs, and navigating crowds Psychiatric – interrupt repetitive behaviors, comforts, supports and/or interrupts a variety of triggers Autism – – interrupt repetitive behaviors. As well as, comforts, supports and/or interrupts a variety of triggers. Hearing Assistance – Alert if someone is at your door or calling your name, phone rings, or timer dings In this 1 year academy, you and your dog will learn how to work together as a team! To qualify for Service work your dog must be 100% distraction proof in public. This will be a time commitment above and beyond training tasks. You must be able to pass the Public Access Test to graduate the program. Canine Good Citizens Preparation The Canine Good Citizens Test is an AKC Program designed to reward dogs who have good manners at home and in the community. It is nationally recognized to be a sign that you are a responsible owner and your dog is well-mannered. Service Dog Vest and Certificate Additi Continue reading >>
Service Dogs Provide Alert Assistance For People With Diabetes
Seeing eye dogs were the first type of service dogs in the U.S., supporting the blind community. Gradually, our understanding of dogs’ service abilities expanded, and in 1975, Bonnie Bergan coined the term “service dogs” and started the first service dog non-profit, Canine Companions for Independence. To this day, CCI trains dogs to support people with a wide range of disabilities and places them with those in need. As research on what dogs are capable of providing became more concrete, the Americans with Disabilities Act expanded the definition of service dogs in 1990 to include “any guide dog, signal dog, or other animal individually trained to provide assistance to an individual with a disability.” This allowed for the expansion and support of formalized dog training to serve a wide community of people dealing with various disabilities and special needs in the U.S. Among these are diabetics. Nowadays, thousands of service dogs are being trained around the country to alert diabetics who show signs of abnormal blood sugar levels as well as to communicate to a third party if an emergency situation arises. Read on for a comprehensive guide to the research and the organizations involved. Diabetes is an Illness that Affects Millions In the U.S. today, diabetes impacts over 30 million people with another 84 million who are prediabetic based on the National Diabetes Statistics Report. Each year the number of people impacted continues to grow, and there are over 7 million people who are living with diabetes but are undiagnosed. While this illness can be managed with a healthy diet, exercise, the correct dose of insulin, and medication, the risk of hypoglycemia (abnormally low blood sugar) or hyperglycemia (abnormally high blood sugar) is a daily battle. Other condit Continue reading >>
Diabetes Alert Dogs
Tarra Robinson was afraid that she was going to lose her job. Diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when she was 18 months old, Tarra had recently developed hypoglycemic unawareness, which affects about 17% of type 1 diabetics. Tarra was passing out at work, and once she even crashed her car when her blood sugar dropped unexpectedly. She went on a pump and tried a CGM, but nothing seemed to help. She was still having frequent, dangerous lows. Scared of losing her job and her license, Tarra began to research Diabetes Alert Dogs. It took a year and a half to raise the nearly $10,000 dollars required, and then the training process for Duchess, her Labrador/Golden Retriever mix, began. “I can’t explain what she’s done to my world,” Tarra says. Trainers say that Diabetes Alert Dogs are right 90 percent of the time. These service dogs are “scent trained” with cotton balls of sweat from a person’s body during a low blood sugar. After a period of extensive training, Duchess came home to Texas with Tarra. Now, when she senses a low blood sugar, Duchess knows what to do. First, she will lick Tarra’s hand. If Tarra doesn’t respond by saying, “Glucose” which is the command for the dog to go get the glucose tabs, then Duchess will paw her leg or thigh and eventually her chest. Duchess sleeps next to Tarra at night, and will get on top of her to wake her up if she senses a low. “She doesn’t give up,” Tarra says. “She’s very good at her job.” Science Thus far, attempts to demonstrate that dogs can detect hypoglycemia are based on little more than anecdotal reports. Dr. Deborah L. Wells, Senior Lecturer at the School of Psychology at Queen’s University in Belfast, has studied dog responses to their type 1 owners. Her study, Canine Responses to Hypoglycemia Continue reading >>
Couple’s Need For A Diabetic Alert Dog Sparks Nonprofit Training Program
Sniffing the openings in the PVC pipe, Robert McVey’s retriever narrows down the compartments and detects his target: the scent of a low blood sugar level. The routine is part of the training Austin goes through to help McVey monitor his type II diabetes. He’s the first diabetic alert dog trained by McVey and the inspiration behind the organization that aims to match similar dogs to other diabetics. McVey and his wife, Lesli, founded DADs Paws 4 Life out of their home in Stuart, Ia., last fall and are seeking nonprofit status for the group. McVey was diagnosed with type II diabetes in 2012 and has a family history of diabetes — his grandmother and great grandmother had the disease and his father manages it with medication. “I’ve grown up with it. The shocker for me was that my grandmother passed away when I was a freshman in high school due to diabetes complications,” said McVey, 42. The condition has been life-changing, and McVey soon worried how diabetes would impact him in the future. Over eight to nine months, he ran through a series of medications. He was allergic to certain pills and others failed to control his diabetes. Dr. Anuj Bhargava, endocrinologist with the Iowa Diabetes and Endocrinology Center at Mercy Medical Center, finally switched him to an insulin pump. He also counseled McVey to use My Diabetes Home, an electronic platform created by Bhargava to track blood sugars and monitor medication costs. Still experiencing serious low blood sugar readings, at risk for complications and concerned about related expenses, McVey began searching for additional alternatives. Alert dogs are trained to smell the biochemical body changes that occur as insulin levels increase or drop. While service dogs are more commonly used by type I diabetics, McVey’s Continue reading >>
Diabetes Alert Dogs
DADs, or Diabetes Alert Dogs (Diabetic Alert Dogs) are specially trained dogs for people with type one diabetes. Diabetes Alert Dogs can alert their handlers to diabetic lows (and highs, if needed) before an emergency occurs. DADs alert to low glucose by a nudge, paw, or tug action. These dogs are service dogs that can accompany their handlers in their daily activities to help diabetics stay safe, especially at times when assistance from other people may not be available such as when sleeping at night, or when living or travelling alone. DADs are particularly important to our family, as we have a type one diabetic son who uses a DAD. We understand the struggles and worries of diabetic families, and how DADs can add a safety net to your regular routine. All of our DAD dogs live in our home, with a type one diabetic while they train to ensure that they have the experience of alerting to live diabetic lows as they happen. We feel that living in this type of a home environment is paramount to training a DAD that works well in your home, too. DADs are available as fully trained dogs, or puppies are available to trainers from litters bred to excel at this work. Workshops to learn to train your own DAD are taught periodically, and private coaching is also available. Contact us to discuss whether a DAD is right for your situation, and how we can help you get or train a DAD. Becky Causey has trained multiple working DADs, is a professional member of the International Association of Canine Professionals, and is currently the President of the Diabetes Alert Dog Alliance, the premier organization for Diabetes Alert Dog trainers, breeders, and research. The Diabetes Alert Dog Alliance has created the first Diabetes Alert Dog Service Dog certification program for Diabetes Alert Dogs, Continue reading >>
Diabetic Alert Dogs
Tecla’s K-9 Academy has developed one of the premier Diabetic Alert Dog training programs in the United States. Program developer Tecla Walton has been was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes over 30 years ago and has taken her personal experience with the disease and blended it with her expertise in training dogs to produce a DAD training program unlike any other. Tecla has been joined by DAD Trainer Keith Hupka who came to TK9 as a client seeking a Diabetic Alert Dog. He was so impressed with the quality of the dog he received from TK9 and inspired by Tecla’s approach to dog training in general that he decided to become part of the TK9 team. What Makes Us Different? Two on staff trainers that are both have Type 1 Diabetes We help each client pick a breed of puppy that will suit their lifestyle as well as have the qualities necessary to succeed as a DAD We provide one year of follow up training and have a unique system of teaching DAD handlers how to maintain their dogs’ skills What Makes Us Better? Our unique understanding of the disease We train specific alerts for low and high blood sugars We have a defined test each dog’s detection skills and public access skills Our follow up program is so thorough that there is no backslide in each dogs’ skills once they go home Our emphasis is equally focused on training a high level detection dog and on handler education Dear TK9 Family, I am writing to you on behalf the Meacham family. Thank you for the wonderful job you have done in training our Diabetic Alert Dog Rocky. After the long anticipated wait and many training visits, I must say it has only been a few short weeks and Rocky had dramatically helped our son. On the first week home Rocky caught two severe lows which allowed us to treat our son’s blood sugar quick Continue reading >>
How To Teach Your Bff To Be Your Diabetes Alert Dog
“How to Teach Your BFF To Be Your Diabetes Alert Dog” training kit. Do it yourself training kit does not include Low or High Blood Sugar Samples, but will explain how to collect and store samples properly. Set is $63.25 includes shipping and tax, go to the Store page to order your self training kit. This training DVD and booklet are not about how to train a service dog in obedience or manners. They are designed to assist an individual in training their own personal dog to alert to low and high blood sugar changes as they are occurring. By using a fun and positive technique you will learn how to condition your dog to respond with a “Paw Alert’ when he smells a certain odor. This booklet and DVD only teaches the “Paw Alert”. There are other types of alerts, but ‘pawing’ seems to get the best results for us. Keep in mind that a trained alert dog does not catch every low and high blood sugar that occurs. Weather, environment, air flow, tiredness of the dog, distractions, and illness (of the dog) can all have an affect in the dog’s ability to alert. Dogs can also have bad days, just like humans, so your dog will have good alert days and not so good alert days. You should continue to follow your doctor’s advice and instructions for the management of your blood sugars, even after your dog starts alerting. A diabetic alert dog does not replace medical protocol, and should not be relied upon as the only way to check blood sugars. Always follow the doctor’s orders for managing blood glucose levels. Continue reading >>
Service Dogs
How We Train Your Dog At Retrieving Freedom, we have a very specific training program to make sure the service dogs we train are as ready as possible to help our recipients. Our training program, however, is only one piece of the puzzle. The other pieces are formed with a natural bond between the dog and the recipient. We train service dogs to help veterans living with post-traumatic stress disorder and injuries sustained during their service, children with autism and individuals living with diabetes. The key to our success is matching the dog to the individual who can get the most benefit from that training. Service Dogs for Veterans Being disabled in a combat zone and forced to return to society as a civilian can be a difficult struggle for many veterans. The initial stages of rehabilitation stages are well planned and implemented, but can fall short when a disabled veteran comes home. Returning from a deployment in a combat zone should feel like a win, yet the limitations of a physical disability or post-traumatic stress can cause anything but a celebration. Our goal is to provide independence to the lives of these special veterans, and fight to reduce the 22 veteran suicides per day with the 24/7 support a service dog can deliver. The service dog will not only help veterans with daily tasks, but provide companionship to help them cope with any emotional overload they may be experiencing. Aiding with PTSD Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, is a common disorder that impacts hundreds of thousands of veterans, causing anxiety and fear which causes changes in the body. This anxiety triggers the body’s “fight-or-flight” response, even in situations where no danger is present. This leads to a host of difficulties, ranging from higher stress levels to troubles s Continue reading >>
Diabetic Alert Dogs
Diabetic Alert Dogs Living a balanced life as a Diabetic or diabetes care taker isn’t always easy. With the unconditional support of a Diabetic Alert Dog, that balance becomes a possibility. SDWR’s alert dogs for diabetics provide the stability, safety and support that more Diabetics desire in their life. SDWR places golden retrievers and labrador retrievers, in EXTREME cases due to doctor-verified allergies, we can also place doodles. The SDWR Difference for Diabetes As service dog providers, we’ve seen first hand how Diabetes can affect not only the individual, but his or her family as well. Constant care, a lack of sleep, and unshakable fear from highs and lows are all realities a diabetes care taker faces. Diabetic individuals themselves might have a hard time living life fully, due to the limitations of coping with diabetes. Through SDWR’s highly-trained Diabetic Assistance Dogs, thousands of individuals and families lives have been touched. With our service dogs, those struck by invisible illness can find independence from fear and around-the clock care. Having a service dog as a companion promotes freedom, and keeps you safe from hitting sharp highs and lows. As we know, investing in a Diabetic Alert Dog is a solid investment in your mental and physical health. We Train Our Diabetic Alert Dogs To Help With The Following: High & Low Blood Sugar Alerts Early High/Low Detection Retrieve Third Party Support Retrieve Food & Medication Such as Glucagon, Glucose Tabs, Insulin, Juice , Meters, etc. Dial 911 on a Special Device Public Access Training, Testing, Certifications See Our Dogs In Action Offering Miracles World-Wide To fulfill our mission as accessible service dog providers, SDWR does not have any geographic limitations. We service those with invisible i Continue reading >>
Training Service Dogs For Diabetics
Not every dog possesses the qualities necessary for success as a service animal for diabetics. The rigorous training programs used to prepare canines for this lifesaving work identify and prepare dogs that will aptly fill the role of alerting diabetics when medical attention is needed. Best Breeds Dogs from the Labrador and golden retriever breeds are most commonly found working as service animals, according to the International Association of Assistance Dog Partners. It's because those breeds are characterized by an overwhelming desire to seek out, develop and maintain strong bonds with human companions. This is a huge plus for a dog destined to have a diabetic person depend on his willingness to focus on the relationship with a human. Other dog breeds showing some promise to work as assistance dogs include Samoyeds and two types of collies -- the smooth coated and the rough coated. German and Australian shepherd dogs also have some potential due to their strong herd mentality, but they must not be prone to nipping when trying to alert diabetics. Scent Training When a diabetic experiences a drop in blood insulin levels, a specific scent is released through the biochemical changes in their body that is easily detected by a dog's keen sense of smell. This is particularly true of Labradors, which have more than 200,000 specific smell sensors that detect scent elements in parts per trillion, according to the Dogs4Diabetics website. Dogs training to assist diabetics are exposed to the scent on the breath of someone experiencing changes in their blood insulin. The dogs are then taught to react to that scent by first staring at the person and then jumping on them gently if the first tactic does not engage the diabetic individual. Another way dogs are trained to alert is by gr Continue reading >>
How To Train Your Dog To Detect Low Blood Sugar
Introduction People with certain health conditions can be subject to low blood sugar episodes, that if not caught and addressed, can result in impaired cognition, making it difficult or impossible for the person affected to treat themselves. This can be very dangerous if the person is alone or asleep and is unaware they are having a low blood sugar episode. While many diabetics have good control over their condition, with a routine of blood sugar monitoring, insulin injections, and careful diet, some people have a great deal of difficulty controlling their diabetes and are frequently subject to low blood sugar episodes that can be life-threatening. Service dogs that are trained to detect low blood sugar episodes almost as soon as they begin and alert their owners to take action to counteract the condition, can be lifesavers. These dogs allow diabetics the ability to be independent, working and living on their own, and provide safety for diabetics when asleep by detecting low blood sugar episodes that could go unnoticed and alerting the diabetic themself and/or another family member. Diabetic service dogs detect low blood sugar by recognizing the scent of low blood sugar on a human's breath or emitted through their pores. Because dogs have such an incredibly sensitive sense of smell, they are able to detect this scent, which is not perceivable to us. Diabetic dogs are then taught several behaviors to help the person with low blood sugar. They alert the person with a nudge, paw or other predetermine signal, they can go get help by alerting another person if the diabetic does not respond, and they can be trained to assist a low blood sugar episode by going to fetch testing materials, a phone, and/or glucose tablets. When out in public or in an environment such as school or Continue reading >>
Diabetic Alert Dogs: Training Dogs To Think!
Mary McNeight, CPDT-KA, CCS, BGS Director of Training and Behavior Service Dog Academy - www.servicedogacademy.com Diabetic Alert Dog University - www.diabeticalertdoguniversity.com We train Diabetic Alert Dogs. See our recent interview on New Day Northwest! Follow us on Facebook! Two Diabetic Alert Dog University students waiting patiently for their food puzzle toys and for their Pogo Plush Bunny (used to teach the dogs to play tug and to share toys.) Seattle, Washington has a unique brand of dog trainer at Service Dog Academy. Nowhere else in the Pacific Northwest can people with diabetes learn to train their dogs to alert to blood sugar imbalances. As a part of Service Dog Academy staff, we work hard to get this highly specialized training to more and more people each day. Our dog training studio was founded on the principles that people with disabilities should have affordable resources to live a manageable, independent life, and to us that means being able to train your own service dog. Having first-hand experiences with hypoglycemia and type-2 diabetes, Mary McNeight, CPDT-KA, head trainer and founder knows that manageability means a lot to those seeking out a diabetic alert dog. The costs of insurance, medicals services, and peace of mind that they won’t pass out in a shopping mall only to wake up with emergency personnel at their side is worth the work it takes to have a canine companion on the ready to alert when blood sugar starts to drop. As part of her diabetic alert dog training methods, Premier puzzles are a main part of the work to eat strategy. In the wild, dogs had to work for hours on end to find their food, and with a work to eat strategy, it emulates this as best as we can. Here's why we love this method: You get a dog that thinks you’re the cool Continue reading >>
What Are Diabetic Alert Dogs (dads)?
Diabetic Alert Dogs — affectionately known as DADs — are service dogs that are trained specifically to assist diabetics. Their primary task as service dogs is to alert diabetics of an oncoming hypoglycemic or hyperglycemic event (low or high blood sugar!) DADs are able to do this by reacting to particular smells that are emitted from the human body due to chemical shifts caused by either hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia (undetected by a human nose). There are various ways that the dog can alert their human of a low or high blood sugar, which all depends on how it is trained. These skills require rigorous training from professional service dog trainers. In addition to being on alert for blood sugar malfunctions, Diabetic Alert Dogs are known to provide a tremendous amount of love and emotional support to its owner, resulting in an increased sense of security and balance in the daily life of someone with Type 1. How can I find my own DAD? Getting a Diabetic Alert Dog of your very own is a process. The first step is to find a legitimate, accredited organization made up of trainers that will assist you in both the acquiring and the training of your new DAD. Alternatively, there are Diabetic Alert Dog Training schools that will assist in the training and development of the dog of your own choosing. After being matched with the right dog for you, you may be asked to provide a “scent collection kit” so that your dog can learn your body chemistry during its training. Home visits are scheduled in order to begin the bonding process. Organizations & Resources How long do I have to wait for my dog? The average wait time for your DAD to be ready to come home with you for good is approximately six months to a year. What is the cost? The exact cost will depend on the particular o Continue reading >>
Diabetic Alert Dog Trainers In Northern Virginia
We do diabetic alert dog training in Northern Virginia. Diabetic Alert Dogs are lifesavers for type 1 diabetes patients, specifically when they are hypoglycemic unaware, meaning that they don’t experience the usual symptoms associated with low blood sugar (shakiness, sweating, etc.). Research has shown that dogs can detect low blood sugar using the smell of sweat alone. Dogs are typically very reliable and accurate when detecting this, with rates of up to 90% accurate. For people living with diabetes, this is a life-saver and takes away some of the stress and worry in caring for this illness. How diabetic service dogs work Diabetes alert dogs are trained to notice when their owner is experiencing low blood sugar. They then alert their owner by placing their paw on their owner. If sleeping, the dog may be trained to awake the owner, and in the event that they do not awake, the dog may awake another family member. The cost of the training for diabetic alert dogs is quite high. Many organizations now exist to help diabetics afford a dog. Dr. Wolf A family physician and diabetic himself, Steve Wolf is a proponent of diabetic alert dogs. After he experienced a hypoglycemic event while driving, the doctor looked into getting a guide dog and bought Kermit. Kermit has assisted Dr. Wolf since then, keeping him aware of his glucose levels and cheering up his patients. One day, Kermit displayed intelligent disobedience by refusing to get in the car to go home from work. Dr. Wolf took the hint and checked his glucose. He found it was low and was able to take measures to compensate it before driving. Diabetic alert dogs work constantly and do whatever they can to help their owners. Mark Reufenacht The first person to train a diabetic alert dog was Mark Reufenacht. Reufenacht is a Continue reading >>
