Bo has begun alerting on highs without training with high scent samples. The first high alert came a few weeks ago when he paw swiped Austin and Austin's blood sugar was well over 300. Then he alerted on a high of 219 last night and tonight he alerted on a high of 258. A D.A.D trainer recently shared with me that dogs she has worked with have also alerted on highs without training with scent samples.
I will need to seek guidance from experienced D.A.D. owners and trainers to determine how I should handle these real time high alerts. For now, we have been using the opportunity to associate the high smell with a 'spin' alert followed by a high value food reward. The idea is to use the spin as the alert for a high.
It takes a lot of work and commitment to train your own D.A.D. but seeing the result of your work makes it so worth it. It's an experience like no other I've ever had. I thank God each day for the strength, patience and determination he has granted me on my journey to train a D.A.D. for Austin -- all the glory goes to Him.
God has certainly blessed you Jenn. Now I know where all your strength and stamina comes from.
ReplyDeleteBo was meant to be Austin's. Such a heart warming feeling :-)
Syl
Thanks so much for your kind words Syl. You, my friend, are also a blessing and all that you and Gil do to help raise Bo are so appreciated by all of us!
ReplyDelete