Health Tag

Introducing:

TATTLE TAIL SCENT DOGS -

WHERE A DOGS NOSE MEETS YOUR HEART!

On March 1 on this year I started a new business venture.  The purpose of this business is to provide quality alert dogs to self-trainers.  I also provide information, training and support to individuals and family’s looking for a dog with scent based imprinting!

Being a Type 1 diabetic myself with over 20 years of dog training experience in assorted dog venues has led me to start combining my love of dogs with my love for people!   There will be more information to come as things start coming together but I felt this was a perfect time to announce this to the world!

Ekphrasis Post

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705390004/K-9-heroes-to-be-honored-at-Soldier-Hollow-Classic-Sheepdog-Championship.html 

For those of you who know Bravo and me you have seen many good pictures of us!  Jeffrey D. Allred of the Salt Lake City Deseret News managed to capture in image what I believe to be at the center of how diabetic alert dogs work.  He captured the raw emotion from both Bravo and I after an alert!   My look is one of gratitude and love for this amazing dog…and his is in my humble opinion is  a look of absolute love and peace!  It is  “I JUST WANT YOU TO BE SAFE!”  “ I LOVE YOU AND YOU ARE MY WORLD”.

Over the years I have taken some flack if I stated that these dogs alert out of love.  I had one lady tell me that dogs are not capable of what we humans call love.  I understand what she was trying to say to me but I don’t think she understood what I was trying to say.  We can teach most any dog about SCENT work... but scent work is an OFFERED behavior.  Who truly knows what a dog smells and how they do it.   When training these dogs we teach them the particular scent we want them to acknowledge.  We then teach the desired behavior in combination with that scent and that is about as far as we can take it.  At that point….it becomes does the dog want to OFFER this behavior on its own!

What would make a dog want to offer this behavior on it’s own???  Some dogs seem to do it as a self-reward.  Some do it because we have always had a big PARTY when that scent is present.  Some do it because we are their world, we have spent hours and hours teaching, training, and playing with our dogs.  We are the source of EVERYTHING to our dogs!  Their basic needs of hunger and food come from us.  Their need and desire for order is enhanced by our actions.  Though love, discipline, and by simply spending a lot of time with us they very often JUST WANT TO PLEASE US!!!!  Most dogs want to know when they are right so they can do it again and again!  Their experience over time is that this makes us VERY HAPPY and they like to see us happy!  When you add the mood and behavior changes that diabetes can have in our bodies…these dogs just want that “BAD SCENT” to go away and for us to be HAPPY again.

I realize that I am simplifying this but I need for folks to understand how important BUILDING RELATIONSHIP with these dogs truly is!  Yes you can teach a dog scent….but to keep them at it YOU MUST BUILD AND WORK ON THE RELATIONSHIP!  It has to be tended daily! 

So get on it!  Build and grow the relationship with your dog!  Little by little and soon you will have your very own hero!

How to Find a Diabetic Alert Dog

There have been lots of questions about how to get a diabetic alert dog.  The most frequent questions seem to be: “Do I purchase one or do I self train?”  Personally, I believe self training is the best way to go!  By self training you get to learn how your dog learns, how your dog thinks, and in general, WITH PROPER TRAINING, the bond happens much earlier!

Is it is easy?  ABSOLUTLY NOT!  It is not for the faint of heart!  It takes a lot of time, effort, and resources. The scent portion is probably the easiest part. It is the public access stuff that is very difficult!  Not just because of the hours and hours of obedience, but because YOU ARE ALWAYS IN THE PUBLIC EYE and YOU and YOUR DOG will be paving the way for other teams behind you. It is a daunting task!  Get help if you need it, but by doing the training yourself, you will create the trust and bonding that you need in order for your DAD to work with utmost joy and dedication to you.

What should you look for in acquiring a pup to train for this purpose?  First off, you want to ASK LOT OF QUESTIONS of the breeder.  Be cautious, when the breeder is hesitant to provide the answers you need!  You want to know the temperament of the parents.  You want to know the health history of the parents.  You want to know if they have met basic health clearances specific to the breed. For example, in Labrador retrievers, you want to ask about hip clearances (OFA or Penn Hip), eye clearances (CERF), EIC, and CNM.  Each breed has heath issues that are specific to that breed.  You want to ask if there are contracts and/or guarantees in writing.  Here is a copy of the contract I use:

 Puppy Health Guarantee

Fetch Express Kennels breeds their dogs in an effort to significantly reduce the possibility of genetic hip and eye problems; however, due to reasons beyond our control, these problems still occur.  If these health problems arise in a dog purchased from Fetch Express Kennels, the following puppy replacement agreement applies:

Hip Guarantee:

1.      The dog must be X-rayed for Hip Dysplasia after 24 months of age and before 26 months of age.  The X-rays must be submitted to the OFA for examination at that time.

2.      If the OFA (Orthopedic Foundation for Animals, INC) finds the dog to be dysplastic, in order to qualify for a replacement the following must be fulfilled:

A.    KC Owens is to receive a copy of the hip x-ray and a copy of the OFA written report.

B     The dogs AKC registration number and the microchip or tattoo number must be reported  to OFA at the time test results are submitted for evaluation.  It is also recommended that these identification numbers be noted on the x-rays when they are submitted to OFA.

C.    If the dog is found to be dysplastic, the dog will be replaced after the return of the dog to KC Owens and the dogs registration papers are to be signed over to KC Owens.

D.    All freight charges are to be paid for by the owner, for both the replacement puppy as well as the dog that is returned.

     E.    The OFA shall be the sole judge regarding hip dysplasia.

F.    Purchaser agrees to provide proof that the dog has been spayed/neutered prior to replacing dog with another dog from like breeding.

3.       The replacement puppy will be from a breeding with a comparable pedigree and will be the same breed and sex.  The puppy will be replaced when one becomes available. The replacement puppy will be chosen by KC Owens.

This guarantee is void if the dog has an traumatic accident such as being hit by a vehicle, a large fall, or any injury resulting in a broken leg.

Eye Guarantee:

1.      The dog must be checked by a certified Canine Opthamologist.

2.       If the CERF(Canine Eye Registration Foundation) finds the dog to have bad eyes, in order to qualify for a replacement the following must be fulfilled:

A.    KC Owens is to receive a copy of the examination from the Opthamologist and a copy of the CERF report.

B.    If the dog is found to have a congentital defect before 26 months, the dog will be replaced after the return of the dog to KC Owens and the dogs registration papers are to be signed over to KC Owens.

C.    All freight charges are to be paid for by the owner, for both the replacement puppy as well as the dog that is returned.

     D.    The CERF shall be the sole judge regarding congential

       eye problems.

F.    Purchaser agrees to provide proof that the dog has been spayed/neutered prior to replacing dog with another dog from like breeding.

3.      The replacement puppy will be from a breeding with a comparable pedigree and will be the same breed and sex.  The puppy will be replaced when one becomes available. The replacement puppy will be chosen by KC Owens.

AKC Registration Number  ______________Date of Birth__________

Sire

Dam

Breed ____Labrador Retriever________________ Color ____ Sex  _____

Then both parties sign and receive copies!

You will want to ask questions about how the pups were raised.  Were the pups exposed to the Army Biosensor program?  Were the pups exposed to diabetic scent from a young age?  There is a big bonus if the pups were raised by a diabetic!  Can the breeder tell you the weight of the pups when they were born?  Can they give you more information than you really want to know about the parents and the health history of the entire litter?  Does the breeder quiz you about your life and your needs from this dog? 

Are the pups registered or can they be registered with a well known dog registry system like AKC or UKC?  Are they sold on a limited basis meaning you do not have breeding rights unless you meet certain requirements?  Can you live with those requirements?  Does the breeder make it well known that IF FOR ANY REASON you need to give the dog up that the dog comes back to them? Are the pups temperament tested and if so can you see the results?

I would recommend being very cautious if they say they are retaining the right to make you train in a certain way or if for any reason they can repossess the dog that you have paid for in full.  Dog training knowledge is not something that is owned by any one person.  It is attained through very hard work, but anyone that has common sense and is willing to try hard can attain it!  There are many ways to achieve success, but you have to buckle down and want it!  IF IT SOUNDS LIKE A MARKETING SCAM it probably is!  A good breeder is going to try to match the pups to the people!

Sounds daunting doesn’t it?  I warned you it is hard work!

If puppyhood just isn’t for you and your family, find a REPUTABLE group to work with.  They are out there but you have to WORK HARD to find them.  Honestly, the demand is great and the resources to fill that demand are limited.  Many of the same questions and cautions apply!  A good group is going to have a very stringent application process.  They are not going to move you up because you have more money or greater need.  If they do, trust me you are soon going to be parted of some hard earned cash!  Do they bend over backwards to PROBLEM SOLVE ISSUES?  Do they think outside of the box?  What about health guarantees?  What about contracts?  Are they willing to try different things to help get you and the dog on the same page?  Can you train a dog like they do?  If they use a physical correction can you or your child use the same amount of correction?  Are you physically up to the task?  Do they work to come up with solutions that will work for you and your family? Do they teach in a style that you can learn?  Do they explain all the various training modalities that are out there?  Do they tell you that one style or another WONT WORK?  Trust me, there are successful dogs out there from EVERY modality there is!  There is NO RIGHT or WRONG way to train a dog.  You do what you have to do to explain it. Learn how your dog LEARNS BEST and the methods that work BEST FOR YOU AND YOUR FAMILY! Fairness is of utmost importance to a dog learning to be a DAD so that the bonding between dog and human is created and trust and respect is the underlying component. It is FAIR to tell a dog when he is wrong and it is FAIR to reward when a dog is right. 

 Once again if they say they can take the dog back without good reason and without your consent RUN TO THE NEAREST DOOR!  DO NOT BE IN A HURRY!  Just because your child is going off to college and you want the peace of mind a DAD may bring, it is not a good reason to accept the first available dog.  Any good group is going to have a very long waiting list.  Remember, very often GOOD THINGS COME TO THOSE WHO WAIT.  Also, if they try to tell you what they are doing is a SECRET and that you shouldn’t talk about it, if they try to strip you of your right to free speech or if they make you afraid, RUN! Be careful of organizations that want to withhold the ownership on the dog they send out with someone.  When you buy a dog IT SHOULD BE YOURS WITH ALL THE RIGHTS, RESPONSIBILITIES, PRIVELDGES, and PROBLEMS that come with owning a dog.  Remember these dogs while a wonderful asset are ALWAYS and FOREVER going to be a dog first and foremost!

And, do not be afraid to ask for referrals from prior customers.  A good organization should be proud to offer referrals from happy customers.  Match what the referrals are saying to your own situation!

ABOVE ALL ELSE, trust that small voice inside of you that says SOMETHING IS OFF!   Do not try to over ride it!  This is WAY TOO IMPORTANT to get derailed for any reason!  Keep your nose to the grind stone and it will happen. The right doors will open and you will find yourself exactly where you are meant to be! 

I know this seems like a lot, just to get a dog.  While these dogs another wonder tool in the battle against the disease of diabetes….they are not a cure all.  They are not going to take away the disease…they are just going to be a good friend to go through it with you.  But all friendships require hard work!

Written by KC OWENS fetchexpress@gmail.com on July 25, 2011

Please feel free to copy and cross post this as necessary!

Bad Reasons For Getting a Diabetic Alert Dog

I was at a doctor’s office this week when the following conversation came up with a perfect stranger. She is telling me she has a 17-year-old son who is going to college and that her daughter is getting up and testing this kid every hour in the middle of the night.  She is also telling me that her daughter is moving so her son can live with her while going to college and she can continue to check him.  I ask how old the daughter was….she was 23.  I ask what her role was in all this…”she says oh I have to work and to be honest “I just can’t handle it”.  She says “we should get a D.A.D., it would make my daughters life easier”. The conversation goes on… she says “How often do your dogs miss a low?” I hedged and replied “well I always try to remember they are dogs first and foremost!”  She says “well why would you put all that time and effort if they are not going to do their job?”  “ I would have to get rid of them if they aren’t going to help!”  “Would you be willing to sell your dog?” “Can I get your number?”

Thank You, Lord I was called back to see the doctor, but I will tell you my blood pressure was high! It is not my place to judge anyone else.  Hey this disease is a horrible thing for everyone involved…but there is just so many things that bugs me about what she said to me.  In her case, hiring a personal assistant would be a better idea.  I just wonder how long it will be before the personal assistant says DO IT YOURSELF!  I guess just about anything can be bought now days, but it would be a very cold day before I allowed any dog that I have control over into an environment like that!

Can you imagine the dog’s perspective of trying to alert when someone is yelling at the diabetic for not taking better care of their self?  Can you imagine what happens if a D.A.D.,  misses an alert and all the sudden they are blamed for a low blood sugar?  The sad thing is that I hear stories like this all to often.  Either families are not emotionally, physically, or mentally able to take on another challenge…or all their hopes are pinned on a D.A.D.,  and when it doesn’t work out it is the dogs fault.  THEY ARE DOGS!!!!!  DOGS ARE ANOTHER TOOL IN THE BATTLE AGAINST THIS CRUMMY DISEASE!  THEY ARE A FRIEND IN A TIME OF NEED!!!  They are many things, but always and ever a dog! Just like us they have good days and bad days.   Even when a dog is fully trained, training always continues.  It is fined tuned or something new is taught.  Just like us if the dog gets stagnant, they get bored!

Training a dog is never an easy task.  I get many questions about how to train a diabetic alert dog…I get even more questions about how to train a dog.  I have been pondering these questions a lot lately.  It seems I always answer this question by asking a question…ARE YOU READY FOR A DOG?  Or ARE YOU READY TO MAKE SOME VERY SERIOUS CHANGES IN ORDER TO GET A DOG WHERE YOU WANT THEM TO BE?

Obtaining a dog should require A LOT of forethought before bringing one home.  It is not a decision that should be made lightly!  Yes dogs are humankind’s best friend but we also have RESONSIBILITY about how we interact with them.  If your home is utter chaos with tempers flaring, lots of yelling, and in general an unhappy place to be…do you really think that a dog is a good idea?  If your home is a place where no one can make a decision and no one wants to take responsibility for their own actions or where one person is trying to fix everyone else’s problems…do you really think a dog is a good idea?  In the case of a DAD, if the active diabetic really doesn’t want a dog and doesn’t want the added responsibility of a dog or doesn’t have the wherewithal to build a active relationship with a dog…do you really think that getting a dog is a good idea? The whole idea of PERSONAL RESPONSIBILTY and dogs is CRITICAL!

Diabetic Alert Dogs in particular require HOURS AND HOURS of TRAINING and CARE!  Their needs must be met as well…as much of a blessing my guys are to me, they are also a lot of work.  I don’t mind it one bit as what I give to them seems so pale as to what I receive from them…but I thought I would give you a breakdown of a fairly typical day for me.  I wake up around 6 AM, go to bathroom, let dogs out, check my blood glucose, and let dogs back in. I then feed the dogs and while they eat I take a shower.  I then eat breakfast and take dogs for a walk or some sort of exercise.  I come back and do some sort of training.  It might be obedience, agility, field, or scent.  Sometimes I just use the time to teach Radar some stupid pet trick.  I then go to work.  One of the dogs then goes to work with me while the other one is in a port a kennel at home.  As soon as I get home from work the morning process repeats its self.  I let dogs out, feed, and then do more training.  Even though both dogs are alerting, THE TRAINING PROCESS NEVER ENDS!  Even when I am not formally training there are still certain standards that must be met and adhered to or I might just have to have a “in the moment” training session.  SIT always should mean SIT.  HERE should always mean come right now.  Every command needs to be responded to.  It should be prompt and not when the dog decides it is good and ready to do it. 

Several years back while at an AKC Hunt Test I and my chocolate lab named Hooter failed the test. I came off the line and mumbled something about “It is all my fault”.  A guy who I have a lot of respect for says “KC, Why do you always blame yourself when your dog fails?” I replied “cause it usually has something to do with me not teaching them all the necessary tasks that they need to know”.  He says, “well that is true most of the time, but sometimes they are just dogs!”  No matter how well trained they are, SOME TIMES THEY ARE JUST DOGS!  As a D.A.D. Bravo has missed one low since August of last year…it was a 78 (not truly considered a low) and it was due to the insulin not this other weird thing I have.  That is a pretty amazing record in my opinion. However, if he ever misses I will still love him and be grateful for what he does give me!  A diabetic alert dog can make a huge difference in a human life…but please do it for the right reason and with the right attitude!

Considering A DAD?

Everywhere I go with my diabetic alert dog I am approached by people who wish to share with me their story of diabetes. It doesn’t matter whether it is church, a grocery store, a department store, the mechanics, the doctor’s office, or simply walking down the street I am sure to be approached by someone who wants to find out what this dog does for me and to share how diabetes has ravaged either their life or the life of someone they love. Diabetes is a nasty disease….and it doesn’t matter what type it is. So who better to be of assistance than the greatest friend to humankind…. a dog!

Always after listening to the story the conversation turns to the dog and how he does what he does. This is a very new area and there are many unknowns of the exact science behind all of it but the short version it is smell. Most people with diabetes can tell you when they go high they get a sweet fruity taste or smell about them and when you go low you get a metallic taste or smell…if us humans can detect it imagine how powerful it must be to the dogs. “A dog's sense of smell is said to be a thousand times more sensitive than that of humans. In fact, a dog has more than 220 million olfactory receptors in its nose, while humans have only 5 million. (http://www.aces.edu/pubs/docs/U/UNP-0066/) Where it starts getting trickier is how do we teach a dog to tell us what they smell…that is where training comes in. That of course brings humans and all their many perspectives with it.

The next question that arises is “Where can I get one of these dogs?” The human factor quickly comes in now. There are many people who profess to know what they are doing and are willing to sell you a dog…most of these dogs are going for around $7000 to $10000. However horror stories abound about people who paid that kind of money only to get a dog that had little or no training and was defiantly not suited to being a service dog. Talk about broken hearts and broken dreams…..not to mention unscrupulous ethics!

I want to believe the best of people….I want to believe that no one would stoop that low for the almighty dollar but as with anything in life, there are some who just aren’t good people! I understand no one is perfect but this practice makes me mad! Many times it is the desperate parent(s) of a young child who wants ANYTHING to work to make the child’s and their lives easier that allows these unscrupulous practices to keep happening. Hey I cant blame anyone for hoping, but hope needs to be tempered with caution and common sense. Ask a lot of questions…….if it sounds to good to be true it probably is. Just so you know….this is not a fast process! No matter whether you buy a started or a finished dog or if you work with a trainer to train your own puppy it is not going to be a quick processs. It could be up to 2 years or more!!!!!!!

I am fortunate to have entered into this arena with a natural alerting dog. I believe that he started alerting because of the many venues of competition I have played in the dog sport world. He is a very well trained dog and he knows me as well as I know him. He knew something was wrong with me and he chained the sense of smell to my behavior and then he “told” me through his training. As with most things in my life I tend to do things backwards…the event happens then I want to know why and how it happened…so I started searching out the answers. Dogs are fairly simple creatures but they like us don’t do much with out a reason…we just need to understand the communication! Then we need to figure out how to teach other dogs that same communication. Teaching my other dog how to alert solidified some of my own personal thoughts about why my first dog started alerting naturally from a dog training perspective. I have been around working animals my whole life and yet everyday I learn something new! No 2 situations are exactly alike.

So why am I writing all of this??? I want you to hope, dream, and work to find yourself a dog that will work for you and with you to make your or your loved ones life easier. I want you to know what an amazing thing it is when a dog saves your life or helps aid you from feeling crummy. Many of these dogs alert faster than a BG monitor can pick up…often 15 to 30 minutes ahead of what the meter says. I want you to have the joy of having a working partner but I also want you to know that it isn’t easy and it isn’t without a price. You still have to be RESPONSIBLE about your own care. You will still have to do all the things that come along with the diagnosis of diabetes. A diabetic alert dog is not the end all he is simply another tool in the arsonal against diabetes. He is also a friend, a companion in some rough times but YOU have to take care of all of his needs as well! You also have to be willing to work at the relationship he is not a soldier to be ordered around. He will be doing important work and needs to honored for doing so! You also have to ask questions find people you can work with…build a team just like you have to with your diabetes care. Ask lots of questions, learn all you can, and be patient! Good things come to those who will show patience!