Service Dogs & K9 Working Dogs Together in Public

We recently attended a college basketball game with Bo and had an experience with a K9 working dog and handler that changed how we'll work in the future.

We were seated in ADA seats at the mezzanine level of the school's large basketball pavilion. Bo was tucked at our feet and out of general view. The K9, working on a long lead, scented Bo and began approaching him. The dog's handler didn't realize what was happening.

We tried to alert the handler of what was happening and kept repeating that we had a service dog but what we were saying didn't seem to register with the handler because he didn't call his dog back or restrict the leash. As a result, the dog was able to continue his approach toward Bo. We resorted to body blocking with our hands and legs. If you're unfamiliar with body blocking, it's a technique to simply take up space to prevent a dog from doing so.

We used our our hands and legs to put protective space between the two dogs. We did not touch the other dog however, the handler perceived our actions as doing so and shouted "don't touch my dog." While the appropriate response would have been, "yes sir." My instinctive response was to tell him our dog was a service dog. He sternly replied that his dog was a working dog and repeated, "don't touch my dog!"

Bo didn't break his down stay and it was a non-incident in that regard but it rattled all of us, especially me. I ruminated over the incident for the rest of the game, as well as days after. I kept thinking about what I could have done differently. I came up with this list:

1. If we're working in a space where K9 dogs may also be working, I'll approach a security officer when we arrive and ask that any K9 handlers be alerted to the location of our service dog team. 
2. I'll request the dogs' handlers not allow their dogs to approach our service dog. 
3. I'll also ask the event staff closest to our seats to keep an eye out for other working dogs and inform handlers that they're approaching a service dog team. 
4. And, while ADA seats were recommended because we were attending the event with a service dog, I'll choose regular seating in the future. The mezzanine was busy with foot traffic, Bo would have been better protected in the bleacher seating. 

In the spirit of providing useful information, I called the college's ADA office and shared our experience. The representative I spoke with was receptive to my feedback. I explained what happened and suggested K9 handlers be advised that they may encounter a service dog in the ADA seating area. I also expressed my empathy for the handler, adding I understood the instinct to protect one's working dog. I made a point of mentioning how I appreciated the fact, that after the incident, the handler kept his dog in a tight heel when he passed our team.

In the end, it came down to two handlers with their dogs' best interest in mind. Next, time I'll be better prepared for the unexpected. I'm grateful for Bo's training and his rock solid work; he exemplified a trained service dog beautifully.

Today I Turned Five

Today I turned five.

I found a green ball.

I chased the ball.

I splashed in a big puddle.

I went for a walk.

I got new toys.

Gil and Syl got me a football.

I ate a special frozen treat.

I had a birthday party with my humans.

Our five-year-old pup. August 23, 2017.

A Listening Dog

The other day I was reminded that Bo is a listening dog. Austin had just finished checking his blood sugar after a low alert from Bo. I asked Austin if he wanted to take glucose tablets or if he wanted me to get a juice. I was already on my way to the kitchen when Austin replied he wanted juice. I turned around to see Bo was behind me carrying a juice box. He had retrieved it from Austin’s nightstand where we always keep a juice box.

Bo has the 'get juice' command under good stimulus control — only retrieving a juice from the nightstand when given the command. When I had asked Austin if he wanted me to get a juice, Bo heard his command 'get juice' and responded as he has been trained. 

Related Video Posts: Retrieving a Juice Box on Command (from 10-19-2014)

Bo's Four Year Homecoming Anniversary

October 13, 2013

Four years ago yesterday, we brought Bo home and began the journey that led us to where we are today. We welcomed our sweet pup into our hearts with hopes and dreams that were big but grounded in reality. We knew there were no guarantees the puppy we chose would have the drive or temperament to be a diabetic alert dog (DAD); what we did know is we were committed to doing everything we could to give him the best possible chance for success.

Fast forward to today and boy and pup are navigating high school side-by-side everyday. They are working together with ease. Bo is alerting Austin at school and Austin is responding to his alerts by checking his blood sugar and rewarding Bo. It wasn’t until boy and pup began working independently together at the start of this school year that I finally felt like I could say ‘I did it’ — I reached my ultimate goal of training a DAD for Austin.

The path we took to get a DAD isn’t a path that’s suited for every T1D family and certainly not a path for the faint of heart. I believe it worked for us because we committed our time, energy and resources to giving Bo the best possible chance for success. Additionally, we were fortunate to have an extraordinary trainer in Helen Nicholls St. Pierre plus an expansive support network of family, friends and other DAD teams from across the country.

We were lucky; Bo turned out to have the drive to do the work we raised and trained him to do. Not all dogs, despite their breeding and training, are cut-out to be service dogs —  a fact I think about every time I consider training another DAD for Austin to take to college. Similarly, not all families are suited to train a service dog. I’m thankful for our experience and grateful for the incredible journey we began four years ago when we brought Bo home.

Basketball Tournament Weekend

Scenes from a weekend away at a basketball tournament. 

Bo on place at restaurant.

Waiting to enter basketball courts.

Between games.

Boy and pup hanging together.

Between games at Cabela's.

Bo alerted to a high at Cabela's.

Boy and Pappa checking out fishing poles.

Waiting for the Mama.

Boy and pup working together at Cabela's.

Shopping together.

Picture in front of the taxidermy display.

Go team!

Generalizing the Alert Behavior

Bo waiting for me after an alert.

One of the many key concepts in scent training involves teaching your dog when you ask him to perform a behavior it means the same thing regardless of the environment or scenario. This is called generalization; teaching a dog to generalize a behavior involves training the behavior in different locations and under different distractions. It also involves changing up the position of your body when you ask for the behavior. Once a dog is able to generalize a behavior, he is able to give the behavior on cue despite the scenario. 

During a recent extended stay at a vacation home, Bo demonstrated his ability to generalize his night time alert behavior. The vacation home was larger than our home and the floor plan was much different. I wondered if Bo would alert at night given the new space. Would he find his way from the room where he slept with Austin to the room where I slept. Would he come to the side of the bed to wake me? Would he lead me back to Austin? 

The first night he demonstrated his ability to generalize night alerting. Despite being in new surroundings, he alerted to a low of 69. Just like he does at home, he left Austin's bed and came to the side of the bed where I slept to wake me. When I stood up, he bowed at my feet and then he led me to Austin. 

Bo with reward toy after a game of getcha.

What really impressed me was his ability to also generalize his reward behaviors. Just like at home, he went to the refrigerator to get his food reward, then he followed me to the bin where his reward toy was and waited for me to initiate a game of 'getcha.' After a few laps of me pretending to get him, I cued him to return to the kitchen with the toy. He dropped the toy and waited for his last treat before returning to bed with Austin.  

Night after night in this new space he worked just like he works at home. He alerted to lows in the 80s and highs ranging from 173 to 220. His alerts were not limited to at night, he alerted during the day catching post skiing lows in the 70s and 80s, as well as highs related to temp basal decreases that were a bit too aggressive. 

Settled 'under' after being rewarded for a high alert.

At the ski lodge, he broke place from under the table to alert but Austin's blood sugar was 157, so we told him we would 'watch.' Within 12 minutes he re-alerted by paw swiping my leg from under the table; this time Austin's blood sugar was 187 and in Bo's high reward range. After being treated for his alert, he settled back under the table where he remained until we left. 

Being away on vacation has provided Bo the opportunity to demonstrate his ability to generalize his alert behavior. Seeing him work successfully in new environments and under different distractions fills my heart with pride and gratitude. We've come so far on our journey. 

Video: Training Bo to Close Doors

I am training Bo to close doors on command. It's a behavior he is learning quickly. I started training him using a sticky note taped to a door and giving him the 'touch' command. I began target training with him when he was a young puppy, so he knew what I wanted when I pointed to the sticky and gave the command 'touch.'

After just a few times in the initial session, I dropped using the verbal cue 'touch' and just pointed to the sticky on the door. Every time he used his nose to push the door closed, I rewarded him. If he pushed it hard enough and the door closed tight, I reinforced him with a jackpot of treats, plus verbal praise.

Today, I added the verbal cue 'close,' which will be the command I use to cue this behavior. Once he is consistently responding to the verbal command, I'll remove the sticky note and practice with just the command. I've been training on interior doors, exterior doors, kitchen cabinet doors and the refrigerator door. The goal behind this training is for Bo to use his nose to push a door closed on command. This training is only teaching him to close a door by pushing it. When I train him to close a door with a pull method, I'll use a tug toy tied to the door.

Bowling with Bo

Bo's first time at the bowling stadium.

We took Bo bowling today. It was his first time in the space. The distractions were high -- people chatting and cheering, music playing, balls rolling and pins crashing. Bo worked like a pro.  He did everything we've trained him to do while working in public; he even alerted to a high of 180.

The floor around and under our table was pristine. There wasn't a crumb or piece of trash to be found. Bo placed under our table without the distraction of food and stayed there until he broke place to alert. When he first broke place we thought he was being antsy and we gave him the command under but when he didn't listen to our command, I realized he was about to alert. Sure enough, he paw swiped my leg when I allowed him to stand. (This was a good reminder to first think alert when he breaks his place in public rather than thinking he is not settling.) He ended up re-alerting 20 minutes after his first alert and Austin's blood sugar was 182. By the time we finished bowling and got in the car Austin's blood sugar was 130 -- well on its way to his target of 120.

If we didn't have Bo with us during this outing, we wouldn't have caught the 180 until an hour after Bo caught it -- which would have been our next scheduled check. As result of having Bo with us, we were able to correct Austin's high and have his blood sugar back at target by the time we finished bowling. After bowling, we went out to eat. Austin's blood sugar was at target by the time he checked it at the restaurant.

Bo resting his chin 'chill' on Austin's foot. 

Bo waiting for Austin to check after giving a high alert.

Low Alert and High Alert in the Middle of the Night

We were battling high blood sugar early last night and by midnight all our efforts to correct the high had caught up. Bo alerted me at 12:04 am. Austin had a friend sleeping over, so he was sleeping downstairs on the sofa bed instead of in his room. Bo was with the boys downstairs, so when he woke at midnight he came upstairs to alert to me in my bedroom. I checked Austin and he was 70. I treated the low with 15 g of juice, decreased Austin's basal rate, rewarded Bo, cued him to get back in bed with Austin and then went back to bed myself.

At 1:33 am I woke to Bo alerting again. This time Austin was 173. I had reduced Austin's basal rate too much but thanks to Bo I was able to take care of it before it got really high.

Last night was just another one of the many times Bo has helped us keep Austin safe through the night. I love our pup.

A True Milestone on Our Journey

Last week, Helen gave us the go-ahead to remove the 'in training' patch on Bo's service vest. She gave the directive after assessing Bo work over the course of a two day adventure that took us across the country. The trip provided the opportunity for Bo to demonstrate his ability to alert to Austin's highs and lows, as well as to work in public for extended periods of time. Additionally, it provided Helen many opportunities to observe Austin and Bo working as a team in a variety of environments with varying levels of distractions. Together Austin and Bo traversed busy airline terminals and commercial airplanes. They rode public shuttle buses, ate in a restaurant, and worked in close proximity to other dogs. Helen was at their side every moment observing, assessing and offering guidance and support as needed. At the end of our trip, while we were on our flight preparing for departure, she told me Bo was working as a trained service dog and to remove the 'in -training' patch. 

When we got home from our trip, I asked our neighbor Syl to remove the patch. She had sewn the patches on Bo's vest, so I thought it was fitting that she be the one to remove the 'in-training' patch. I sat watching her carefully remove the stitching that had held it in place for two and a half years. It was a happy moment -- a true milestone on our journey.