He's got it!

Senator has been consistently alerting to my lows the last few weeks.  We've been testing him in a variety of situations, and he has performed very well.  I still use the scent pads that I made when I was low to test him and  I have had Gary do this occasionally as well.  He gets it every time and usually quite quickly.

I've had some lows recently too that he has caught.  They happen most frequently right after a walk and I can usually feel them.  When we get back home, I make it a point to get near him and he senses the low an alerts me every time. There have also been some instances now where I didn't know that I was low and he told me.  One time, I was getting ready to leave for work and he alerted me.  When I went to check, I was at 63.  Not a good number to be driving to work with.  Just yesterday, he alerted me when I got home from work and was greeting him.  This time, I really doubted him because I had eaten a protein bar on my way home in preparation for a walk.  I was really disappointed when he alerted me, but decided that I should check just to be sure.  I was at 71.  Its really amazing.

Interestingly, he doesn't false alarm alert.  It surprises me because his alerts always lead to lavish treats and praise.  I really don't understand this, but will accept it.

I've recently noticed that when he alerts me, his eyes are big and very round.  Usually his eyes are quite slanty, so it is very obvious.  The pawing that is the true alert is now only for his benefit.  I already know when I see those eyes!

Senator's first real scent alert

a pinnacle!

Senator had his first alert to my natural low blood sugar scent. It was so exciting.

We had just returned from a walk and I was sitting on the floor taking off my shoes.  I noticed that he was looking at me with a questioning look in his eyes and beginning to approach me.  I was thinking "Oh no, a false alert!" and I'm sure I was starting to back away.  He approached me and alerted.  I tried to ignore him.  Then, I got to wondering......Could I be low?  I tested my blood sugar and it was 74.  It was a real alert!  I praised and rewarded him big time!  He had accomplished what we had been working so hard for.  All of our working with the scent pads and the scavenger hunting that we had him perform had paid off.  He really was learning and could recognize the scent.

This was a huge hurdle and hopefully the beginning of something really great!

A visit from Dee Bogetti

I was able to have a professional diabetes alert dog trainer come to my home and evaluate the progress that we had made so far and help us to get on the most efficient path to success.

Dee Bogetti is a professional dog trainer with an impressive record of success with the training of diabetes alert dogs. I hired her to come to our house for a 2 hour lesson with Senator and me.  It was a nice combination of educational and enjoyable.  I think that we both learned a lot.  Margaret was there too and I was very pleased with how impressed she was with Dee's knowledge.  Margaret was able to know some more specific questions to ask which helped too.

We started with a demonstration of what we had been working on.  I had Margaret hide a loaded scent container in the living room while Senator and I were in the kitchen.  Senator went right to it.  Dee wanted to hide it next.  So Senator and I went back to the kitchen and Dee hid the container in the dining room on the middle shelf of a little table.  I didn't know where it was and ended up standing right in front of it while Senator was looking.  He found it quickly.  So this ruled out my body language in directing him to the container.  I was actually surprised by how well he did this.  Having it off the floor was an extra barrier.  He usually has more trouble with anything off of ground level.  So, with this, Dee was convinced that he could distinguish the low, and I was more so.

She recommended that we stop hiding the containers throughout the house and begin hiding them only on people.  Also, that we should continue to find the highest level of treats to reward Senator with.  And to do a more extreme celebration when he did find the low and give the alert.

Both she and Margaret laughed when they saw that I had loaded the container with 3 little pads.  They say one is enough and since then I've found that to be true.

We talked for awhile about training in general and both Dee and Margaret think I should be working on some more commands with Senator.  Its good for his future needs and just for his development.  So, I've been working on a command for "front" to have him come and stand in front of me with eye contact.  We talked about heel as well and I'm working on some refining aspects of that.

It was interesting watching Senator perform with these two experienced trainers.  Its amazing how he responds to their commands and body language with such precision.  There really is an art to it.  Its very inspirational.

In the meantime, I've been working on all of these things.  Senator's alerts have progressed phenomenally.  He can tell right away when I walk into a room with the scent container in my pocket.  He had alerted to one low that I had after a walk.  When we returned home, I knew that I was low so I sat him down and blew in his face.  With no verbal cues, he alerted.  It was a really exciting thing to see!