Does Rex go to school with your son?
I do believe that dogs can do this because I have a 5 year old Toy Schnoodle (Schnauzer-Poodle) named Chopper. He is NOT a trained Diabetes Alert Dog, but many times before, in the middle of the night, he comes close to my face, and starts pawing at me until i wake up. When i do, i realize that i am low and go get some juice. Also one time at 4:oo am he just started barking, which resulted in my mom coming to my room and her realizing i was low, since his barking did not wake me up.
Not yet, My son is 6 yrs old and I feel he isn't responsible enough to handle a dog in the school setting.
I know this is several months later, but have you gotten any further information or obtained an alert dog? If you are still interested checkout the following site: http://blog.bethedenkennels.com/. They are located in TX.
Bob
Hi Patience,just wondering how your alert dog is coming along..we may or may not get another dog.But it does make me think the next one should be one that can alert.I would have to consider the cost as well.You are so lucky to have one-Hope he has worked out great.:)
One more question-Rex is a lab and I seem to notice they use labs often.Did you notice any smaller breeds being used as alert dogs ? That might be a good thing because they fit in smaller living spaces better.Maybe a lab has something extra -I like the idea of a calm dog because it gives comfort to a person.Love dogs and cats ,ha :)
on a general note about this.. ive done research and not all breeds are capable of this. it is mostly pure breeds and dogs on the larger side
Meme,
It's funny you asked about the Lab thing. My husband and I have had numerous conversations about using a smaller breed. Our thought is that as long as the dog has a good nose, meaning one that is anatomically built for scent , such as a longer snout as opposed to a nose like a yorkie or pekinese and a temperament that is conducive of a service dog than there is no real reason to use a larger dog. Now remember this is OUR opinion and I don't know what the experts would say but I can tell you that our Rat Terrier who is a pet, would have been great as a diabetic alert dog.
Rat Terriers have a personality trait of always wanting to be next to their owner and sleep by your face, they are smart and want to please and get along well all dogs. They are small and agile and learn tricks quickly. In fact i have taught our Rat terrier to scent. They great thing about him is he is easy to pick up. We went with Rex or a Lab b/c the dog is for our son who will someday be a teenager and as a male teenager with diabetes, we wanted him to have a manly looking dog. lol if you know what I mean. Kids are not nice and we did not want him to be embarrassed by a cute little dog as a service dog. If it were for myself or my husband then we would have gone with a different breed. It's all about the drive and desire of the dog really.
Rex is from Wildrose Kennels and they have such an impressive breeding program. This is another reason we picked him. We knew we would be training the dog and wanted all the help we could get. He is doing great work and is now about 8-9 months old. He is incredibly sweet and loves our son. They are turning into an incredible team.
Thanks so much for the information.Sounds like a great dog to have !!! I looked up Wildrose Kennels,made me want a dog more,ha...I will be asking more questions down the road.I like reading about Rex.So happy you got the perfect match for your son ! :)
You know what I Just thought of-What if you have 2 people in your home with d...What would the dog do and would it confuse the dog ?
When we went to train Rex there was a family that had a mom and dtr with diabetes. The dog alerted to both. Also I know of another family that has a DAD and he alerts to his handler AND her niece. So I can't see it being a problem if you are clear with your training and what you ask and expect of the dog.
Be aware that not all dogs can do this and if you want to put your life in their hands you should go to Dogs4D site and/or see them in action. They have years of experience with training the dogs and have now gone with a dedicated breeder for their dogs and only one breed. The Lab and the Golden are the breeds the have had success with.
To see them in action is an incredible experience.
Just wanted to mention that there was a great pbs show on service dogs. You can watch it online. Although it doesn't specifically show any diabetes trained dogs in it, the show was about a company called Canine Assistants and they do train dogs for diabetes as well. I've been wondering if, considering the limits of the current cgms devices, if I might get better results with a living, breathing, naturally intelligent animal, too. Although I think my 16 year old cat would not approve. :)
There was a girl who was in a few of my classes that always brought her dog with her, he would lay under her desk, so cute. She was the first person who ever told me about d4d and she raved about the ability of the dog to save her life or just help out when needed. She had him for two years and all she had to do to allow the dog on campus was to register with the disabilities office at our school and all was hunky dory.
I think having a diabetic helper dog is great if you intend to be living on your own for the first time. I also strongly recommend investing more in your purchase and getting it from a group like d4d because of the extensive resources and training that they can provide.
I'm a bit late to the conversation but should be able to answer. I have a two year old chihuahua diabetic alert dog. She rides in my lap everywhere (I'm in a wheel chair for something not related to diabetes), there is another member of the extended family who is a diabetic also and she will alert to his low blood sugar also.
Ever since I have gotten a pump and then a cgm I have never gone low in the night. You just program it to keep you at 130 or such all night and you'll be great. I was plagued with lows at night before I started to keep better control.