Selecting an Alert Signal

Rachel writes:

HOW DOES ONE SELECT AN ALERT SIGNAL?

Before you begin training, carefully think about the desired results.  When you plan a long trip, you plan the route with your destination in mind.  What is the end goal for our dog?  Knowing our goal helped us chart a clear course.

Consider the strengths and weaknesses of each of these alert behaviors.  Imagine how each of the alert behaviors being considered would transfer to various environments, various times of day.  Assess the natural abilities of your dog.  Shaping a natural response is the easiest task for both you and the dog.  If your dog has a natural oral fixation as a response to the odor and if your dog equates retrieving as a reward, then a retrieve-based task is a logical alert.  However, if your dog is not a retriever, you set the dog up for failure by implementing a task that is too difficult or unnatural.

Consider what the dog ENJOYS and also how he is hard-wired to perform.  Shaping a natural response should be considered but also should be weighed against prior history of reinforcement.  Retrievers retrieve. Herders herd. They are hard-wired to perform specific tasks routinely. It is a part of who they are, so consider it in selecting the alert behavior. 

Does the dog effectively use this behavior at other times to gain attention? Have you rewarded the dog for offering this behavior in conjunction with play or affection? If so, you will find that the dog might quickly revert to using this behavior for an alert signal. Your alert behavior needs to be clear, unique, solid, and consistent. Preferably, the alert behavior will be clearly recognizable by not only you but also by others, in the event that you require assistance. 

What will this behavior look like as it escalates? Many diabetic alert dogs escalate the alert behavior in the absence of timely acknowledgement. Since a diabetic’s cognitive skills are diminished when blood sugar values are out of range, most desire a DAD to escalate an alert behavior until it receives a response. Therefore, think about what your alert will look like as your dog increases its intensity or frequency. Also, imagine how each alert behavior would transfer to various environments and times of day.

Consider what YOU want.  Nose nudge, paw touch, bow, wave, and stare are among the effective alert actions a dog can make. Do you prefer physical contact or a tattling behavior? Select one that fits the natural abilities of your dog and is easy for both you and the dog. 

Follow these precepts to select an alert behavior: 

• Clear—The behavior needs to decisively communicate to everyone that the dog is performing a task. It must be unmistakable for you or anyone observing.
• Unique—The behavior should be used solely to tell you to check your BG, not to elicit any other response. If the dog engages in this behavior and if you reward the behavior routinely, then it will not serve as a unique alert versus a behavior the dog uses to be petted, played with, or aired. 
• Solid—Some alert signals involve more than one behavior. For example, when a dog gives a nose nudge and then retrieves the meter, it is performing two behaviors, like two links in a chain. In training such a chained activity, teach each one separately until both are solid and strong. Practice each one with the dog in many settings and at various times. Connect or chain the two links together only after the dog solidly understands each one. Otherwise, the dog will likely revert to random, nondescript behavior rather than consistently performing a trained alert.
• Consistent—It is preferable to have a single alert behavior for all situations. This is a much simpler scenario for the dog and for you. If one alert behavior cannot transfer readily to many environments, during various levels of activity, then you will need to train a different alert behavior for driving, for jogging, for sleeping, for distance, etc. Choose a single alert behavior and avoid adding complexity to it or changing the behavior from one situation to another.

Here are some common alert behaviors:

• Nose Nudge—Physical contact between the dog and the diabetic or caregiver is inherent in this behavior. Many find this a great strength since it is likely to get the attention of a diabetic, even when blood sugar levels have effected his or her thinking skills. There are many variations to this behavior. Either a sustained nose touch or a repetitive nose “punch” is a variation of the nudge. 
• However, there are weaknesses to consider. How would this work as a distance alert? Will this nose nudge be desirable if you are in a business uniform? Is a nose nudge safe while driving? What types of nose nudge variations could you train for driving time?

• Paw Touch—Physical contact also the essence of this effective way to get the attention of the handler. Consider, however, how your dog touches with his paw. Some give a gentle touch, yet other dogs have very rough paw touches that can be painful. Can you shape your dog’s touch to be gentle? If you are sleeping and hard to rouse, you might be thankful for the firm paw, but if the paw is so firm that it is harmful, then this is not a safe choice. Likewise, many find it undesirable on rainy days (muddy paws) or when more formally attired for church or workplace. 
• Moreover, this might not be a safe indicator for elderly or for very young or for small, frail diabetic, or for any diabetic who experiences lack of balance when blood sugar values are out of range.

• Bow—This involves no physical contact, but usually presents a noticeable behavior. Yet, this is also a commonly recognized calming signal. Is your dog a nervous dog and does he bow frequently in stressful situations? Select a behavior that is distinct. How proficient is the bow behavior? How much duration? Will the dog hold the bow until you respond? How would this wake you? Can your dog offer this behavior in the car?

• Wave—No physical contact, but possibly would escalate to physical contact if not acknowledged. Would you want the dog to continue waving until you respond? If so, then you would need to train the wave behavior to last for considerable duration of time? How precise can your dog be with the added duration? Does the wave get lower and lower? Would this alert work well at a distance? Would the height of wave impact how it is recognized? Will this get your attention and that of others?

• Stare—Many handlers describe an intense look their DADs give them when blood sugar fluctuations occur. This is beneficial but most likely not a behavior that you would train for an alert signal. It is a quiet nondescript response. The handler might recognize the uniqueness of the stare, but others probably would not, and the handler might not recognize it, if BG was dropping. Many handlers find benefit in teaching their dogs to offer eye contact frequently and to build intense focus from the dog during routine time together, whether training or not. If this is an important concept for you, then the stare would not be a useful tool as an alert signal since it could be readily confused with trained focus. Additionally, unless you are watching the dog, you will miss the stare. How could it serve as an effective alert when you are reading, driving, or are engaged in other activities?

• Meter Retrieve—This alert behavior is distinct and has practical value since it involves medical equipment associated with your care. Both you and others would recognize it as an alert signal. However, there are a number of factors to consider with this alert behavior. How will the dog deliver the meter to you? Many diabetics tell of their dog dropping the meter on them to wake them if they are asleep. How will you train your dog to bring the meter to your hand on some occasions but to drop it at other times? And how will you help him learn to drop it on you when you are sleeping? Moreover, you must consider where you keep the meter. Is it always accessible to the dog? Is this the indicator behavior with which you would like the dog to alert or is this a cued behavior that you would like to request in response to an alert? Alert behaviors that require another piece of equipment are not desirable for some handlers since it is just something else to keep track of, but presumably you would be keeping track of your meter regardless of the alert signal. Because the meter is a high value piece of medical equipment, teach this skill with a lower value object first and then transfer it to the meter when the dog masters the task. Train the “get it-hold it-give it” behavior to a high level of proficiency prior to transferring to the meter.

• Bringsel Retrieve—This is the preferred alert behavior of a Wildrose Service Companion. We richly reward this trained behavior of holding and retrieving. Hold conditioning begins after all adult teeth have fully erupted and the dog no longer has any pain associated with the process. We want the training to be pleasurable for the dog. We use massage techniques to condition the dog to enjoy holding objects in the mouth calmly and patiently. The training begins with an object that is unfamiliar to the dog and that is only used for this training. We teach cues “hold,” for taking an object in mouth with no chewing or mouthing. We teach “give” for releasing an object into the handler’s hand. When the dog has learned the behavior and can hold, bring, and give, we transfer these skills to the bringsel. The trainer simultaneously does scent-training exercises. With the dog’s eager recognition of the scent and solid understanding of hold, the handler is ready to connect these two events to construct a clear, solid, unique and consistent alert chain with the bringsel. (For hold conditioning see Stewart, pp.119-120.)

• Vocal Alerts—Barking or whining are discouraged. Any behavior that disrupts the normal business activities can result in the dog’s removal from that location. Barking in church, in a library, in a business or doctor’s office or a theatre are just a few of the examples that clearly demonstrate how undesirable this could be. Additionally, it draws undue attention to the diabetic for routine alerts that you can quietly handle without becoming a focal point of those around you.