How a Diabetes Service Dog is Trained

Service dogs are not just for the blind and deaf, they are now being put into service to assist those with diabetes. Service dogs for those with diabetes are trained to notify someone who is experiencing low blood sugars and help avoid a potentially dangerous situation. Many individuals who have had type 1 diabetes for any significant time can develop hypoglycemic unawareness and not wake up from blood sugar lows. A diabetes service dog can be a lifesaver if that were to happen.

How a Service Dog Detects Low Blood Sugar

Most dogs come from service-dog organizations and are trained to sniff out chemical changes in human sweat. When the blood glucose drops and the human is near hypoglycemia, the dogs are trained to recognize and notify the human that they are low. When trained properly, the scent of low blood sugars to a dog is as intense as morning coffee is to a human.

The diabetes service dog is trained to alert their human when they detect low blood sugars. The service dog will mouth a bringsel, which is a 5-inch rubber rod used by search and rescue dogs. The bringsel is attached to the service dog's collar or the belt loop of the human owner. When the diabetes service dog detects the low blood sugars, it will tug on the bringsel. This is an obvious signal to the human owner that a low blood sugar has occurred. The tug is a signal that makes the human owner aware of their situation and is not as abrupt as a bark.

Training for the Diabetes Service Dog

Motivation during the training and while working with their humans with diabetes is treats and play time. Most service dogs go through a 9 to 18 month training schedule that includes certification and on the job experience. Once a service dog is full trained at a cost of about $25,000 they are partnered up with a human with type 1 diabetes. The training transition to their human owner with diabetes is about three months. It takes that much time before both service dog and human owner are comfortable with each other. Annual testing and classes are also required to keep the accuracy of the service dog up.