Errr Don't Laugh

[raineth]

Hi everyone,

I am really hoping that I am going to be able to get some excellent ideas from all of you 'in the know' here on the training forum that well help fill in my knowledge gaps.

Recently my daughter (aged 8) was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.

I want to train one of my dogs to alert to low blood glucose (hypos) especially at night time.

I figure I have nothing to lose by attempting to train this. And actually I feel like my dog, Delta, has some excellent attributes to succeed at this kind of training.

BUT

I have really not at all done any scent training before!!!

Basically my goal is to have Delta press a door bell (located in my daughter's bedroom) to alert us to a hypo at night.

I am still mostly in the research phase.

But basically hypos have a very distinctive smell (like nail polish remover).

So it will be the smell Delta responds to.

So it is my understanding that initially I have to get her interested and recognising the smell of hypos.

So everytime my Little Miss has a hypo I have to collect an item of clothing, or a saliva sample, to practice with later.

I can store these in the freezer in zip-lock bags.

That is pretty unfamiliar territory for me. At the moment (from what I have read) I can get her interested in that scent by using clicker training for her targeting items that smell of a hypo.

I would love, and appreciate, any guidance with how I can give this the best chance of succeeding.

So if you have ideas, hints, tips, criticisms etc... please tell me

Especially I am feeling very fuzzy about how I can best connect the smell of the hypo to the behaviour of pressing a button. I haven't looked a lot into that yet.

[aussielover]

Hi everyone,

I am really hoping that I am going to be able to get some excellent ideas from all of you 'in the know' here on the training forum that well help fill in my knowledge gaps.

Recently my daughter (aged 8) was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.

I want to train one of my dogs to alert to low blood glucose (hypos) especially at night time.

I figure I have nothing to lose by attempting to train this. And actually I feel like my dog, Delta, has some excellent attributes to succeed at this kind of training.

BUT

I have really not at all done any scent training before!!!

Basically my goal is to have Delta press a door bell (located in my daughter's bedroom) to alert us to a hypo at night.

I am still mostly in the research phase.

But basically hypos have a very distinctive smell (like nail polish remover).

So it will be the smell Delta responds to.

So it is my understanding that initially I have to get her interested and recognising the smell of hypos.

So everytime my Little Miss has a hypo I have to collect an item of clothing, or a saliva sample, to practice with later.

I can store these in the freezer in zip-lock bags.

That is pretty unfamiliar territory for me. At the moment (from what I have read) I can get her interested in that scent by using clicker training for her targeting items that smell of a hypo.

I would love, and appreciate, any guidance with how I can give this the best chance of succeeding.

So if you have ideas, hints, tips, criticisms etc... please tell me

Especially I am feeling very fuzzy about how I can best connect the smell of the hypo to the behaviour of pressing a button. I haven't looked a lot into that yet.

I know of a trainer in sydney who is working with a pet dog and owner to achieve exactly this.

If you want to enlist the help of a professional PM me and I'll give you the details of this person.

All dogs have the ability to detect this, so there is no reason why your current pet shouldn't be able to be trained

[Chezy]

not sure ,but maybe the guide dog ass could help you with this , they do all sorts trianing for assist dogs now

[Nekhbet]

an older russian man taught his little dog to do this

he tested his blood and if it was low he called the dog over, it would dance about and he gave him a schmacko

if he felt sick the dog would dance about wooring (little terrier x pom) and he rewarded it with a schmacko, The reason I wouldnt personally use samples on clothing etc is you want the dog to understand it's to wake you for the child being hypo, not finding articles of clothing. The dog is meant to be with her all the time and stay with her not sniff about the house. Use the dog that naturally gravitates around her and tends to 'watch' her all the time, that will be the dog to train. I would be rewarding the dog for whining and going bonkers, not bothering with just a bell, it's adding added complication to your training regime. Foxy would get a schmacko every time he whined, barked and ran about around Alexie and he was right every time

Such a shame, Alexei's little dog was killed by a car a few months ago. Those salesman that come around and replace the light globes left the door open after he told them not too and little Foxy got out and was hit by a car he now has a 4 year wait for another one

Edited November 16, 2010 by Nekhbet

[Coponeinthenuts]

There's nothing funny about this, it's a good idea in fact you've kind of made me think i can train my dog to do this also as my mum has type 2 diabetes and my niece has type 1, but my puppy is only 6 weeks at the moment (so first I have to wait to get it and second I have to wait till it's a little older to train it).

But I've read that you can train dogs to smell out cancers, becasue it's a molecular change in the body, and as diabetes is also a molecular change (which has it's own scent change not noticeable to humans unless it is a major change) but I'd say it is definitely possible, I guess it's just first linking the scent to a reward then linking the scent to the action of ringing the bell.

[raineth]

an older russian man taught his little dog to do this

he tested his blood and if it was low he called the dog over, it would dance about and he gave him a schmacko

if he felt sick the dog would dance about wooring (little terrier x pom) and he rewarded it with a schmacko, The reason I wouldnt personally use samples on clothing etc is you want the dog to understand it's to wake you for the child being hypo, not finding articles of clothing. The dog is meant to be with her all the time and stay with her not sniff about the house. Use the dog that naturally gravitates around her and tends to 'watch' her all the time, that will be the dog to train. I would be rewarding the dog for whining and going bonkers, not bothering with just a bell, it's adding added complication to your training regime. Foxy would get a schmacko every time he whined, barked and ran about around Alexie and he was right every time

Such a shame, Alexei's little dog was killed by a car a few months ago. Those salesman that come around and replace the light globes left the door open after he told them not too and little Foxy got out and was hit by a car he now has a 4 year wait for another one

thanks Nehkbet,

you have raised some excellent points, the clothes sniffing had me wondering too. It also made me wonder if I started freezing all these smells whether she would end up distinguishing a hypo smell or a frozen smell!

Delta seems naturally drawn to her, she has been checking on her and sniffing her mouth since Little Miss became unwell a few weeks ago. I think Delta knew what was happening before the rest of us did. So yes, I feel that she has a kind of natural aptitude for this.

hmmm I understand what you are saying about the doorbell being a complicating factor... I have been worried about that.

Delta is not a barker, so I that will be difficult to train. And because she is a great Dane I am worried about her hurting little Miss if she carries on too much like a pork chop.

But yes I can really see that connecting the smell to ringing a door bell is would be harder than a more natural behaviour a dog would perform anyway.

The first thought I had was to teach her to jump on our bed. But the reason I scrapped that idea was because I'm sure Little Miss would eventually have her bedroom door closed.

I guess if I can get her to bark that may be the best solution.

eta: forgot to say I will definitely try to do the training at the time she is having the hypo! Definitely sounds logical to me!

Edited November 16, 2010 by raineth

[raineth]

There's nothing funny about this, it's a good idea in fact you've kind of made me think i can train my dog to do this also as my mum has type 2 diabetes and my niece has type 1, but my puppy is only 6 weeks at the moment (so first I have to wait to get it and second I have to wait till it's a little older to train it).

But I've read that you can train dogs to smell out cancers, becasue it's a molecular change in the body, and as diabetes is also a molecular change (which has it's own scent change not noticeable to humans unless it is a major change) but I'd say it is definitely possible, I guess it's just first linking the scent to a reward then linking the scent to the action of ringing the bell.

yeah that would be great

In the U.S Diabetes Alert Dogs are around and places that specifically train puppies to becomes DADs.

the dogs there also learn to distinguish between hypers and hypos.

definitely let me know if you go ahead with training her to alert

[Nekhbet]

If I had a child with an illness like that I would make it a rule to always keep the door open - more for safety and to ensure that a dog of that size isnt accidentally blocking the door if something happens. the dog is understanding something is different about your daughter, i'm sure the dog is capable of whining and comming to get you

Edited November 16, 2010 by Nekhbet

[aussielover]

not sure ,but maybe the guide dog ass could help you with this , they do all sorts trianing for assist dogs now

Guide dogs nsw only train guide dogs and pet therapy dogs. Assistance dogs or ASdogs might be able to help though as diabetes detection dogs are usually classed as assistance dogs

Edited November 16, 2010 by aussielover

[Baby Dragon]

Try these people http://www.pfd.org.au/

Edited November 16, 2010 by Baby Dragon

[raineth]

If I had a child with an illness like that I would make it a rule to always keep the door open - more for safety and to ensure that a dog of that size isnt accidentally blocking the door if something happens. the dog is understanding something is different about your daughter, i'm sure the dog is capable of whining and comming to get you

sorry Nekhbet - I keep putting the 'h' before the 'k' in your name!

its hard to know what to do sometimes. On the one hand I don't want to minimise the feeling that diabetes makes her very different - ofcourse on the other hand I want her to be as safe and healthy as possible.

[raineth]

Try these people http://www.pfd.org.au/

thanks babydragon. Yep I have found them. I sent them emails which don't seem to be working so I'll try to give them a phone call in the next couple of days.

[raineth]

o.k. this is what happened this morning:

This was probably a coincidence, but I'll be checking from now on!

This morning at 6 a.m Delta came into our room (from Little Miss' room) and woke me up.

I was pretty exhausted (getting up a few times at night to do BGLs) and I didn't think much of it.

She went back to Little Miss' room. And came back to me again and jumped on our bed.

About ten minutes later Little Miss woke up and called to us saying she had hypo symptoms - and yep - she was 3.3 (hypo is under 4 and people are liable to fit or become unconscious under 3.5)

Well I'll never be ignoring her again!

[Nekhbet]

yup Delta is now attached to your daughter and she will look after her. Praise her every time she comes to get you and leave the door open!!

I know it's hard for a kid to be different but if you let her understand how important it is they have some things different from some other people she wont be too upset if you explain it. Plus remember ... everyone is different and special in their own way

[raineth]

yup Delta is now attached to your daughter and she will look after her. Praise her every time she comes to get you and leave the door open!!

I know it's hard for a kid to be different but if you let her understand how important it is they have some things different from some other people she wont be too upset if you explain it. Plus remember ... everyone is different and special in their own way

yep don't worry she is getting all the praise she deserves :o

We are all so proud of her. We only got her in June and she has already given us so much

[Nekhbet]

yup dogs are awesome aren't they

[raineth]

I just so excited to say Delta did a successful alert at 6:20 this morning :D

we are so proud of her!

[Jigsaw]

That's fantastic. Well done Delta!!!

[sllebasi]

WELL DONE DELTA

[Clyde]

Wow, what a great thread and an amazing dog!