Post by Jennifer on Mar 20, 2006 10:04:58 GMT -5
Dogs of all breeds have the ability to alert, not necessarily to seizures, but watching dog behavior, alerting is actually an every day skill for dogs, it just varies for each individual dog. There have been many reports of household pets alertiing to seizures, either seconds to hours prior the seizure. There are also a few reports of cats having the ability as well, although not as well reported.
Service dogs have very strong bonds with their handlers, service dogs pick up on subtle cues easily, wheter a small hand gesture, a faint sound or changes in scent, dogs pick up on this.
Many folks have reported their small household pet alerting them or a loved one prior a seizure. It is unclear what the dog may sense, some speculate a chemical change within the brain changing the scent slightly is what the dog picks up on, others speculate there may be sublte bevahior changes in a person prior a seziure that the dog may pick up upon. It could be a combination, it hasn't been studied.
One thing is known, that with any dogs that alert prior a seizure they have a close bond with their person. If you think about a beloved pet, how many times have they stayed near you when you are sick or sad. Not all of our dogs are this "tuned in", my dog certainly isn't, even though we have a close bond, he is often aloof, whether I am well or sick, he is always only a few feet away. I actually refer to him as my slippers, since he's usually at my feet.
Dogs alert us for things we see everyday and may not realize they are alerting us. They bark when they hear a strange noise or a stranger who knocks on the door. They may actually hear a person approaching the door, sound out the alert even before the person has reached the door and rang the bell. They don't have to see a stranger approaching the door, they hear them approaching.
Does your dog ask to be let outside when he needs to go? How does he tell you this, by scratching on the door or telling you by whimpering or running back and forth. Whatever way he makes this request, he is responding to a cue, in this case - he needs to be emptied. We learn to respond to his cues too, he is rewarded by getting what he wants, in this case RELIEF. This, however, doesn't mean that every dog has the ability to alert to seizures, but it does demonstrate uses his ability to communicate with his people.
There are some breeds that may better for seizure alerting service than others. Most service or guide dogs used are intelligent and their natural instincts are used to the benefit of helping a person. Some disabilites do need size and substance. A seeing eye dog, actually needs to pull his handler in the direction they need to go. Assistive hearing dogs are usually smaller, since they don't need the physical size to assist. A barker wouldn't be the first choice to train as a hearing assistive dog, but an energetic dog who is going to physically touch his handler in response to a noise, such as a door bell or a telephone.
I have had dogs all my life, and trained obedience. I am most familiar with the herding breeds and their natural abilities. Over the years, I have also had and/or worked with terriers, spaniels, retreivers and many mixed breeds. Each breed has it's own characteristics, their natural instincts have made them useful for filling the needs of humans, whether herding, game chasing, tracking, protection or keeping us warm on cold winter nights, we have used dogs for centuries to help man, and continue to find new jobs for dogs to help us.
If epilepsy gives off an unusual aroma prior a seizure, one would think that breeds most known for their "sniffing out" abilities would be best suited for a seizure alert dog. I have yet to hear a report of a bloodhound (which isn't a common breed) alert a person to an oncoming seizure. Beagles are big little sniffers, and are used at the baggage claims areas of airports. A variety of breeds are used for search and rescue. So who has the most potential? Because seizure alert dogs haven't been studied, this question cannot be answered.
I encourage anyone interested in dog breed characterastics to visit the American Kennel Club
www.akc.org/breeds/index.cfm?nav_area=breeds
Service dogs have very strong bonds with their handlers, service dogs pick up on subtle cues easily, wheter a small hand gesture, a faint sound or changes in scent, dogs pick up on this.
Many folks have reported their small household pet alerting them or a loved one prior a seizure. It is unclear what the dog may sense, some speculate a chemical change within the brain changing the scent slightly is what the dog picks up on, others speculate there may be sublte bevahior changes in a person prior a seziure that the dog may pick up upon. It could be a combination, it hasn't been studied.
One thing is known, that with any dogs that alert prior a seizure they have a close bond with their person. If you think about a beloved pet, how many times have they stayed near you when you are sick or sad. Not all of our dogs are this "tuned in", my dog certainly isn't, even though we have a close bond, he is often aloof, whether I am well or sick, he is always only a few feet away. I actually refer to him as my slippers, since he's usually at my feet.
Dogs alert us for things we see everyday and may not realize they are alerting us. They bark when they hear a strange noise or a stranger who knocks on the door. They may actually hear a person approaching the door, sound out the alert even before the person has reached the door and rang the bell. They don't have to see a stranger approaching the door, they hear them approaching.
Does your dog ask to be let outside when he needs to go? How does he tell you this, by scratching on the door or telling you by whimpering or running back and forth. Whatever way he makes this request, he is responding to a cue, in this case - he needs to be emptied. We learn to respond to his cues too, he is rewarded by getting what he wants, in this case RELIEF. This, however, doesn't mean that every dog has the ability to alert to seizures, but it does demonstrate uses his ability to communicate with his people.
There are some breeds that may better for seizure alerting service than others. Most service or guide dogs used are intelligent and their natural instincts are used to the benefit of helping a person. Some disabilites do need size and substance. A seeing eye dog, actually needs to pull his handler in the direction they need to go. Assistive hearing dogs are usually smaller, since they don't need the physical size to assist. A barker wouldn't be the first choice to train as a hearing assistive dog, but an energetic dog who is going to physically touch his handler in response to a noise, such as a door bell or a telephone.
I have had dogs all my life, and trained obedience. I am most familiar with the herding breeds and their natural abilities. Over the years, I have also had and/or worked with terriers, spaniels, retreivers and many mixed breeds. Each breed has it's own characteristics, their natural instincts have made them useful for filling the needs of humans, whether herding, game chasing, tracking, protection or keeping us warm on cold winter nights, we have used dogs for centuries to help man, and continue to find new jobs for dogs to help us.
If epilepsy gives off an unusual aroma prior a seizure, one would think that breeds most known for their "sniffing out" abilities would be best suited for a seizure alert dog. I have yet to hear a report of a bloodhound (which isn't a common breed) alert a person to an oncoming seizure. Beagles are big little sniffers, and are used at the baggage claims areas of airports. A variety of breeds are used for search and rescue. So who has the most potential? Because seizure alert dogs haven't been studied, this question cannot be answered.
I encourage anyone interested in dog breed characterastics to visit the American Kennel Club
www.akc.org/breeds/index.cfm?nav_area=breeds