Diabetic Alert Dog
A Diabetic alert dog is specially trained to detect low levels of glucose in the blood. The dog then alerts the person to check their sugar and adjust it to the appropriate level. I will train the dog to give a specific alert, which may include giving paw, barking, or licking the affected person. This will be the dog’s way of letting you know that your sugar is low.
The training that a diabetic alert dog will receive is very similar to training a dog to detect explosives and narcotics. The main difference is that a diabetic alert dog has to be a well behaved service dog this means the following:
1. When walking in public your dog must obey your commands and not be distracted by outside influences, noise or other animals and people.
2. While entering a building your dog should walk beside you. The dog’s attention should not be diverted nor should it want to investigate other areas of the building.
3. When exiting a vehicle or public modes of transportation your dog should exit with you or wait until you give a signal for the dog to exit.
4. Inside a building or public transportation the dog should not be distracted by other people or try to go to them. Most people realize it is improper to pet a service animal. The animal should not want attention from other persons surrounding you.
5. In a restaurant your dog should be comfortable on the floor beside you or under the table. The dog should not be expecting food from the table and should not be startled by foot traffic in a restaurant.
6. When a person, adult or child approaches your dog to pet them. The dog should look to you for guidance. The dog should allow petting by others without any aggressive behavior
7. Your dog should obey all commands without hesitating. Sit and stay should be a onetime command
8. If for some reason you drop your dogs leash, as soon as you command the dog must stop and wait for you to regain control.
Dogs are highly trainable and their extreme loyalty to their owners make the the perfect partner for anyone needing constant, 24 hour attention.
These types of service dogs can be especially important when the family is sleeping. The dog will sleep by the bed of a diabetic, sniffing throughout the night to detect low levels of blood glucose and offer a medical alert when a problem occurs.
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
Milard Roper M.S.
sniffandsit.com
631.327.8094