When Austin is Away Bo Will Play

Play scent games, with low scent samples, that is. We don't do scent training with samples when Austin is at home because we don't want to confuse Bo with the scent of Austin's live blood sugar. Our samples range between 85 and 70 and Austin's target is 120. You factor in Austin running above target and you can see how a live blood sugar, coupled with a scent sample of 85 could be confusing. So, all our training with scent samples is done while Austin is not present. When Austin is at home or in public with us, we use live blood sugar to train Bo.

For the past few days Austin has been overnight with family members and I've been doing extra scent training sessions. Our sessions include games where I hide a low scent sample and give Bo a command to find the low. Once he finds the sample, he is rewarded with a high value food and a game with me involving his favorite toys. Between sessions, I will also take him outside to play and sniff as a reward and give him time to rest. Tonight we had two sessions indoors involving  games of finding a low hidden in a container and two sessions outdoors involving recognizing a low scent on my body. He hit on the low the first time all but once -- when a lemon peel in one of the containers was enough to distract his focus. When this happened, I told him 'let's try again' and I took him out of the space, moved the containers and then brought him back.

Video: Scent Training with Snap-in Drains and Caps

Snap-in drains and caps for scent work. 

I'm changing the threshold low blood sugar number that Bo gets rewarded for from 100 to 85. I've decided to do this in hopes his 'ahead of the meter' alerts are below 100. Right now, he will alert ahead of the meter at say 118 and then within 10-15 mins (sometimes less) he re-alerts and Austin's blood sugar is 100 or below. See our alert log for examples. I expect it will take some time to re-train him to alert on the lower number and for this reason plan to increase the number of daily scent training sessions I do. My goal is to do four 10 minute sessions a day. One of the biggest challenges is going to be collecting an ample supply of scent samples between 80 and 85. Today, I picked up these snap-in drains and caps to use for scent work. In the video below, you see him sniffing around the room and when he comes to the container with the low scent sample (second in from left), he turns to me (off camera) and bows. I can only imagine what he would be capable of if he were being trained full-time by a professional -- rather than part-time by me.Thankfully, he is forgiving of my mistakes. If only I could learn to be as forgiving with myself.
VIDEO

Watching a False Alert

Bo just alerted (4:49 pm) and Austin was 118 with .45 IOB. This alert is considered a false alert because it's not in Bo's low reward range of 100 or lower. When this happens, I put Bo on his cot and tell him we are going to 'watch.' If Bo doesn't re-alert within 10 minutes, I check Austin's blood sugar again. When Bo gave this false alert, he re-alerted after five minutes. Austin was 99 and he had IOB from an earlier correction. This picture is what Bo looked like from the time I put him on his cot until he broke his place to re-alert to me. (He had an intense stare on me no matter where I moved in the room.)

It's not uncommon for DADs to be ahead of the meter in their alerts. I only consider an alert ahead of the meter and not false, when the out-of-reward range alert is withing 15 minutes of an in-range alert. If it isn't, I consider the out-of-reward range alert a false one.

Adolescents Versus Temperament

The other night I took Bo to Target with a family member to train while the family member picked-up a few items. We were in the store for 10 to 15 minutes and Bo walked at my pace, ignored distractions of people and carts and stayed focused through the busy check-out line. He went for pieces of popcorn on the ground and sniffed a bag of Tide pods on an end cap but besides these infractions, he did nice public access work.

We were leaving the store and had just entered the automatic doors when I declared 'success' to my family member. Just as I completed my sentence, and stepped outside, Bo spotted a gum wrapper blowing across the ground. He lost all self-control and went racing after it -- pulling me behind him. The episode bummed me out.  Naturally, I want him to be stellar -- rock solid in public.

I couldn't help but wonder if his reaction was typical adolescent dog behavior or a result of his temperament. I suppose time will eventually tell. Until then, I will continue daily training, group training and one-on-one consults with the goal of giving Bo all the skills and practice he needs to be a success. 

Video: Bo Chilling at the Piano

Bo will hang out beside Austin's piano bench when Austin is at the piano. Tonight, Austin was playing crescendo and it was a bit loud for my noise sensitive ears but Bo didn't seem to mind. Last night when Austin was  practicing a classical piece, I observed Bo appearing to enjoy it. He would close his eyes when Austin played and then open them when he stopped.

We've Got an AKC Canine Good Citizen

We did it! We passed the CGC test.

Bo passed the American Kennel Association's Canine Good Citizen test this afternoon. We have been training Bo in preparation for this test since we started our first level II class late last year. I was anxious as we drove to the test. My anxiety had more to do with my worry that I would mess up handling him and less to do with my confidence in his ability to pass the ten test items.

We were the first ones to arrive at the testing site -- a city park sprinkled with adults and children enjoying the beautiful day. Once another dog and handler team arrived, we got started with the first test -- accepting a friendly stranger. Bo sat comfortably as our instructor's assistant walked up to me and said hello and then walked away, only to walk back and ask to pet Bo. The test moved swiftly from that point on and I praised Bo generously each time he completed an item. The last test was a supervised separation. I had to leave Bo with a friendly stranger, walk away and stay out of Bo's sight for three minutes. This was the hardest part of the test for me. I couldn't see what he was doing and the three minutes felt like ten. When I got the okay to return to Bo, the instructor told me he had passed.

I felt a great sense of pride with the news that he had successfully passed. This feeling of success and accomplishment wasn't because the CGC is a really hard or prestigious test that only select teams can take and pass. To the contrary, the test is available to any dog and handler team and the test items represent pretty basic obedience skills. What really fueled my pride was knowing the time, energy and work we both had put in to get us to this point. 

For us, the CGC is the first of three tests we are pursuing as part of Bo's public access training. The other two are the AKC Community Canine, the advanced level of the CGC Program, and the Assistance Dog International Public Access Certification Test. We will continue our daily training, group training and one-on-one instructor guided training, as part of our goal to take and pass these advanced level tests. 

High Alert After Arriving Home from Being Gone

Austin wasn't home when I got home from work this evening. While he was gone, I did scent training with Bo inside and outside. I also ran him and used the lunge whip with him. When Austin got home, I brought Bo inside. After Bo greeted Austin and his grandmother, I observed Bo sniffing Austin. Bo's nose was tilting up toward Austin's head but touching his leg. Right after he sniffed Austin, Bo came over to me and alerted with a paw swipe. Austin then told me he had just eaten dinner out with his grandmother and that he was probably high. I checked Austin and he was 241. I rewarded Bo for his alert. Thirty five minutes later, Bo alerted high again. Austin was downstairs and Bo was upstairs with me this time. I checked Austin and his blood sugar was 181.