Training Distance Alerts

TRAINING DISTANCE ALERTS

Laurie, you've likely posted about this elsewhere, but I would love to know more about how you trained Willow & Co. for distance. (We're still working on live alerts, so it's a bit early, but I'd still like to plan for it.)

Followed Rachel's lead on distance alert training with involving all family members during real low events.

Expanded the distance training using technology and setups for the dog. If we know we have a low through texts or distance monitoring we can watch and reward the dog for alerting accurately when the T1 is not closely accessible. 

What if there is only a closed door between the dog/parent and the T1 with a low? The dog can't touch or see the low t1 but the dog can use its alert signal to the person they have access to.

If the dog can hit a scent sample or confirmed low and alert consistently then the game can extend in many creative ways but only after when in close proximity consistency has been achieved.

Night Alerting

Rachel Thornton

3 hrs · Hamilton

night alerting involves so many additional complexities:
-novel location
-Novel posture for the dog
-Novel posture for the person
-Need for escalation of alert due to probable delayed response 
- need for dog to be reinforced by a potentially less exuberant response
- dark
- persistence to push past groggy, even irritable response
- need for scent to awaken the dog

Slice those pieces and train as many pieces separately as possible.
-Lay flat on floor in another room.
-Introduce scent to do when you are sitting but dog is laying
- practice introducing the scent in the earliest stages of the dog's relaxation and build toward deeper sleep periods
- practice in the bedroom room when you are awake and the dog is awake
- practice in the bedroom in the daytime with lights on. . . In the daytime with lights off
- practice when you lay on the sofa. . .

And keep logs of all your training. Review the dogs response.
The effort you put into planning and executing and reviewing training will be rewarded . . .

Kiva, in my bedroom, in the daytime, with lights off, I'm awake but pretending to sleep, Kiva has just settled :

Scent Training and Alerts

Rachel Thornton

August 2 at 12:41pm · Tupelo, MS

Molly and Tasha are working to get ezri's alerts dialed in and consistent. I'm sharing some dialog here, so that others might benefit.
My message to Tasha :

Reviewing scent training in new place:
Go all the way back to the beginning (go back to kindergarten)

You will be addressing the scent picture with ezri in 2 separate ways:
- with samples
- with real time events.

WITH SAMPLES
Start with very basic "intro" or "refresher" :
3 times per day, present the scent (in container, cupped in your hand). Wait for her to SNIFF (you are looking for SMELLING, not nose touches or retrieves). Mark and reward. For now, give her the reward OVER the scent and as she is finishing the treat, remove the scent (put it behind your back, perhaps). You will only do three repetitions. Do this 3 times today.
Video if you can.
*I will post a video of kiva or Nya doing this step*

Meanwhile: check Molly's BG at regular, close intervals (perhaps every 1.5 hr)
Follow a very consistent protocol.
"Let's check"
Walk to meter together
"Sit"
(Check BG)
Wait for number.
If out of range ( <75 ; > 140. . . Y'all decide on specifics per Molly's goals) :
Share scent** and cue the behavior

**Vary the way you share scent. You want to draw her into sniffing molly .
- exhale gently in Ezri's direction OR
- have Molly sit on floor with head in lap (we call it 'crack the egg' when playing on trampoline) OR
- have Molly exhale into cupped hands and then drop her hands near ezri

Come up with creative ways to get ezri to sniff

AS SOON AS SHE SNIFFS, mark and reward.
*at this point, don't worry about having ezri offer an indication*
Do it like this for 3 days

OR :
- hide Molly

(If you hide Molly, do it just like you would do a controlled retrieve. Make it easy-peasy initially. Like this: Molly Tests and is a "safe low". Have ezri sniff her. Reward. Then tell ezri: "wait". Guide Molly to other side of sofa. Have Molly sit on floor. Return to ezri. Say "where's Molly?" And then "ok" and point towards the direction of Molly. FOLLOW EZRI. When she gets to Molly, REWARD
We will make this progressively harder. She knows this game (you've seen her do it with a toy), so this will be fun!

OR. If Molly tests and is low, get a sample out and have Molly practice scent training with the sample WHILE she is low (but safe) . It ties it all together

Send video if you can.
Do samples 3 times each / 3 times per day. In various locations, at various times of day.
>>>Be sure to do some of the training with samples with Molly in her bed. <<<

Do real BG checks and training consistently.

We will build on this after 3 days of consistent work

MEANWHILE, practice the behavior you will use as indication (paw touch)
*For now*, review this behavior independent of the scent.
(You will put these pieces together like a chain but let's get the pieces nice and fluent first)
Your goal : Ezri can offer a paw touch, "tag", anytime / anywhere / with any level of distraction.

But start "in kindergarten": just review and reinforce offering the behavior, then add the cue back. Then move it to different places / different positions (of Molly)

I'll post a video of both kiva and Nya reviewing paw touch too.

Scent Work

by Rachel Thornton

Think of your scent work as a 3 step process:
1. Assign value to the target odor
2. Teach the dog to discriminate and show preference for that odor 
3. Add a trained indicator / build a behavior chain

I would suggest going back to step 1: Assign Value to the odor. In the phase, I would not have competing containers Make it simple. Sniff target odor = high value reward.
Only a few reps. After that, many dogs are on "auto-pilot" and aren't really "thinking" about the odor.

When your dog shows anticipatory behavior when sniffing the scent, you will know here is value. THEN, you can add a second container.

As you build success with a second container, vary the presentation:

1. The room
2. Your position
3. The time of day
4. The type of container (plastic, glass, wood, cloth)

But, remember, that ULTIMATELY, for diabetic alert, the scent will be on YOU. As often as possible, I like to point all of these activities back to having scent on person as much as possible.