859-553-9033
- mddogsinc@gmail.com
- M-F: 9am - 5pm
859-553-9033
M.D. Dogs is a nonprofit organization whose goal is to provide affordable
resources for medical detection dog training, standards, and research.
M.D. Dogs provides free instructional videos and an online workbook to teach individuals to train their own Diabetic Alert Dogs. This is an excellent solution for those who are comfortable with basic dog training and are looking for clear and concise instructions for scent and public access training.
The purpose of these free instructions is to help those with type 1 diabetes obtain a Diabetic Alert Dog at a lower cost, as well as to educate about Diabetic Alert Dogs and bring transparency to the field. Whether you would like to train your own Diabetic Alert Dog, are interested in purchasing a fully trained Diabetic Alert Dog, or are just curious about these dogs’ capabilities, M.D. Dogs’ workbook and videos describe each step of the training process and show all that these incredible dogs can do to help those with diabetes.
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If at any point you have questions or would like advice, we would love to point you in the right direction! For consultations we will refer you to Libby’s Loving Leashes to work through any difficulties or give you advice through emails, videos, or phone calls.
Over 30 videos are available to demonstrate the scent training steps as well as other necessary instructions. In addition, there is a corresponding workbook that provides tips and suggestions not included in the videos. Due to the many videos, the playing of your videos may be delayed. If you find it is too slow, you can visit the videos directly on Vimeo HERE using the password: dad17
A few of the topics included in M.D. Dogs’ DAD video series are: how to choose your dog, scent and public access training, puppy temperament test, public access training guidelines and schedule, socialization schedules, and a public access test.
M.D. Dogs' methods are based on teaching the dog that specific scents result in treats, praise, and excitement. The dogs are then taught that they must perform a specific behavior, such as pawing their handler's knee, when they detect the scent in order to receive their exciting rewards. The entire process is a game, resulting in the dogs being happy and confident when they work.
In addition to being less expensive than purchasing a fully trained dog, a benefit to training your own medical detection dog is that the dog will often begin helping you long before they have completed training. During the training process your dog will begin to alert to out of range blood sugars. This means that although they won't be perfect, the dog can begin to help keep their handler safe while still young, rather than waiting until the dog is completely mature to be placed and begin alerting.