Diabetic Alert 101 – 8 Week
See what our students are saying about our program!
Student Testimonial “If it had not been for Malla’s training… I reallly don’t think I would be here today.”
FYI: This class is appropriate for those who also want to learn migraine alerting, seizure alerting and narcolepsy alerting with their dogs. Additionally we can also work on experimental alert work depending on the condition. Please contact us with for info on whether your disability qualifies as something we are willing to experiment with.
Register for this class today! Spots are limited and are expected to fill up within the week.
Watch our feedback video and see what some of our students are saying on this webpage!
- “[Mary] makes the class fun… So, I travel close to 70 miles to come to class for you…One way”
- “Citka is a free thinker… Mary has created a monster! he has alerted to several times to me being low”
- “The progress of the class is phenomenal!”
- “I was a little bit skeptical of this, all positive training, and I have been extremely impressed with it. it’s been an experience… and I have had nothing that wasn’t success”
- “I’m so impressed with what only 7 classes has done for me and Daisy!”
- “Lily is alerting me regularly and has begun to do so on the bus, at bus stops and other out door locations… I just don’t collapse in stores or on the street anymore because she catches my lows earlier than I usually do and when I am distracted!”
We are excited to announce the introduction of the Pacific Northwest’s First Train Your Own Diabetic Alert Dog Program. See our feature stories on the West Seattle Blog, The Examiner, Animal Wellness Magazine and on King 5s New Day Northwest.
Click on the image above to see Service Dog Academy’s Diabetic Alert Dog Program Students on the set of New Day Northwest.
The Service Dog Academy’s train-your-own diabetic alert dog program strives to create an “improvisational dog.” Coming from our first round of diabetic alert dog classes, Judith and her service dog, Citka are perfect examples of what an improvisational dog will do. From jumping on counters, to digging through her purse, “Citka has certainly demonstrated – much to Judith’s chagrin – that philosophy. ‘Mary has created a monster’, but without Citka’s improvising and attention seeking tactics, Judith says, ‘I would not be here today.” Read the rest of their story on our blog.
There will be 8 classes in which students will learn to train their dogs to:
- alert to low blood sugars in your home
- retrieve sugary drinks to correct blood sugar imbalances
- retrieve your meter
- retrieve your insulin
- go get human help during a low
Frank, a Diabetic Alert Dog In Training learning to recognize the low blood sugar scent.
Class requirements:
- Your must be willing to commit AT LEAST 20 MINUTES A DAY to training your dog. If you cannot commit to AT LEAST 20 MINUTES A DAY please do not register for this class, you will not succeed.
- Your dog must be dog and human friendly. Dogs that exhibit signs of true aggression will be asked to leave the class and not given a refund.
- Your dog must have basic obedience commands. This class will not teach you how to get your dog to sit, down and walk nicely on a leash. If your dog does not have these basic skills please enroll in one of our classes
- UPDATE: Dogs as young as 4 months old can take this class as long as they are enrolled or have already taken our pet puppy class!
- Your dog must be in general good health. A dog’s health can dramatically affect its ability to do nose work.
- You must be fundamentally willing to alter the way you feed your dog. If you are not willing to use food as your PRIMARY motivator we do not want you to enroll in our classes.
- Your dog must not be Brachycephalic. Its is unknown whether Brachycephalic dogs can do diabetic alerting so we cannot recommend them as Diabetic Alert Dogs. To find out if your dog is Brachycephalic please check the wikipedia page here.
“When you are low, the first thing to go is cognitive function. Thats why here at the Service Dog Academy, we strive to create THINKING service dogs, dogs that dont just do what their told but ANTICIPATE and PROBLEM SOLVE.” – Mary McNeight, Service Dog Academy Head Trainer
Class details are as follows:
- 8 weeks
- meets once a week on Sunday afternoons
- meet for 1 hour of instructional time
- meet at our new dog training studio in beautiful West Seattle!
- will have no more than 5 students (and dogs) per session to ensure more individualized instruction
- all dog training to be done using only methods approved by the AHA
- costs only $700! We think this is an amazing value compared to the tens of thousands of dollars one can spend on a trained diabetic alert dog! Spots are limited! Register today using the button below.
IN ORDER TO REGISTER FOR THIS CLASS YOU MUST HAVE TAKEN OUR BASIC ADULT DOG OR PUPPY CLASS OR AN APPROVED POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT DOG TRAINING CLASS IN THE PAST. THOSE WITHOUT PRIOR APPROVAL FROM THE INSTRUCTOR WILL HAVE THEIR REGISTRATIONS CANCELED.
BEFORE ENROLLING PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU UNDERSTAND OUR CANCELATION POLICY AND AGGRESSIVE DOG POLICY FOR THE DIABETIC ALERT DOG CLASS.
BEFORE ENROLLING PLEASE UNDERSTAND THAT A DIABETIC ALERT DOG IS NOT A MACHINE THAT OPERATES AT 100% EFFICIENCY AND WILL NOT CATCH ALL OF YOUR LOWS. DIABETIC ALERT DOGS ARE MEANT TO BE ANOTHER TOOL TO HELP YOU MANAGE YOUR DIABETES. THEY ARE NOT A BE ALL TO END ALL SOLUTION.
| Class Day | Start Date | Class Dates | Class Time | Spots Left | Register Here |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday | 4/29/2012 | 4/29/12 – 6/24/12 (skip 5/27) | 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM |
|
King 5s New Day Northwest Featuring our Diabetic Alert Dog Program
CityStream TV Program on the Seattle Channel
In this interview City Stream reporter Roxeanne Vainuku talks with Mary McNeight and one of Service Dog Academy’s clients Jacqueline Glass about the training of her dog Peanut, a diabetic alert dog in training.
