<http://tinyurl.com/ygua4ha>

this vid-clip shows some of the training done to teach the Lab
to alert on her handlers low-blood-sugar, via her breath.

another signal that has been used for training:
sweat from the face and armpit, gathered on gauze and dropped
into a glass-jar.   'blanks' are gauze-specimens of sweat taken
when blood-glucose is normal - the various samples can be
placed in a line, and the dog is asked to find the low.

obviously, the dog will have to transfer that learning from
gauze-pad to human body, but it works well.
cheers,
---  terry

terry pride, APDT-Aus, apdt#1827, CVA, IPDTA, TDF

I keep wishing Dahlia would learn this skill.  It would be helpful and then she could be declared a service dog and go with us everywhere.  Ah well, she seems to show no sensitivity for it!

This is very interesting, My friend has a cat who kept getting "in her face" something the cat had not done before. This went on for two days the friend went to the doctors and they found problems. It just seems so instinctual for many animals. Further and more in depth learning is a great way for people and dogs to be on that same page when it comes to many illnesses.

They have had a dog on who sniffed cancer, I just find it so normal and yet amazing how well our furry friends come to our aid time and again.

hey, danna!   :-)

yes, the spontaneous alerts are a gift -
but teaching a dog to alert consistently is good, too.
(or a cat - if the species can do it, go for it!)

there is a young woman whose cockatiel has learned
to alert prior to her seizures -  giving her precious time
to get herself to a safe place, lying down.
her bird was not taught the alerting, but was rewarded
for her alerts - which have become very reliable.

cross-training an Assistance-Animal or Service-Dog to
do alerts as well, greatly improves the handlers life.
since these animals are already very attached and
enjoy working, this extra fillip is not a huge burden.

cheers,
 ---  terry

hey, chrys!   :--)

wishing will not do it, LOL - but training can.
she would need to satisfy more criteria than  *she detects lows*,
too -  i believe the standard for public-access is 3 mitigating
tasks to assist with day-to-day needs.

however...
there is absolutely no reason that she cannot alert At Home -
no one can add other hoops for her + U to jump thru, she can
learn this skill and use it in Ur home (or at relatives, while at a
hotel, etc, when she is with U in more private settings).
there are many dogs who are in-home help - they do not meet
public-access standards, but that does not mean they are not
extremely valuable to their person(s).
cheers,
 ---  terry