Service Dog Training Lecture Series – Selecting and Training Diabetes Alert Dogs (DAD)
A good Diabetes Alert Dog (DAD) comes from the delicate balance of certain temperament traits coupled with sound training methods. But even with the best of training, unless the dog already possesses certain qualities, she/he may not perform as needed. We’ll discuss the different sources of dogs, from breeding programs to working with shelter and rescue dogs, and how to identify those with the required personality traits. We’ll also explore the pros and cons of working with owner dogs.
DADs have gained increased attention over the past few years and more and more trainers have become interested in training such dogs. With different backgrounds, we also see differences in training approaches, in sample collection or in types of alerts. Many questions are still unanswered, as we are working with substances that we can’t control or detect. What we do know is that there is a smell associated with the changes in glucose levels and that we can train the dog to let us know when a change occurs.
We’ll describe how and what DADs are trained for. We’ll also discuss the importance of establishing standards of training in this growing field. The information I’ll share in this lecture comes from my years of experience working with Diabetes Alert Dogs. These methods are the same that my team applies every day at our facility.
Speaker: Jennifer Cattet, PhD
Learning Objectives:
We’ll answer all these questions and then some:
- What dogs make the best Diabetes Alert Dogs (DADs)?
- How do we select them?
- How do we train them?
- Besides alerting, what other behaviors do they need to know?
- What factors influence the success of a DAD?
- Can a dog be trained for more than one purpose?
Cost: $25.00 USD
CEU’s Available:
2 IAABC CEU’s
2 CCPDT CEU’s
2 ABCDT-L2 CEU’s
2 NADOI CEU’s
2 PPAB/PPG