Frank Wisneski

You have heard me talk about pre-alert behaviors before. They are little signs the dog gives off that lets you know he is about to make a decision. Most of the time, this decision involves breaking an obedience command, like a down stay, to come tell you something isn't right. We actively look for those tell tale signs. When we start to see and recognize them, we can really start to work and refine the alert behavior. It is a major part of what we do when we have a DAD in training here for real time training. The dogs are introduced to the fluctuations, the ebb and flow of a diabetics blood sugar range. With the scent work training at a non-diabetics home, essentially there is no scent, and then there is a lot of scent introduced all at once. In a home with a diabetic, there is nuance to the scent. There is subtlety. And there are extremes. Slow changes, and exceptionally fast changes. Ryder is doing really well with his real time training. We have learned a lot about him and his pre-alert behaviors. His number one tell is his inability to hold a down stay when there is an issue. Last night Quin was asleep in his bedroom and my wife and I were watching TV. Ryder was with us on a kuranda cot in the living room. He wouldn't lay down. He broke place and went to lay down on a dog bed. The CGM indicates that Quin is in a good range, but on the lower end. Part of our job is to build confidence and drive. Sometimes that is achieved by presenting a little frustration/stress in the dog. I placed him back on the kuranda and told him "down". As soon as I turned around he was up again. He slinked across the room and played down on the dog bed again. And then he literally army crawled across the floor to my wife and I. We had a bringsel (a tug toy we wear on our belts) on the coffee table. He grabbed it. We went and tested Quin, and Quin was 68. Good low Ryder. Great job. Lots of treats and a puppy party followed :)