|
|
#256627 - 11/12/09 08:24 PM
Re: Rescued dog mauls new owner
[Re: Melissa Thom]
|
Joy van Veen
Leerburg Web Board User
Registered: 09/24/09
Posts: 114
Loc: Arizona, Cochise County, USA
|
Offline
|
|
Seizure alert dogs (the ones that do the job with any kind of accuracy) usually sit or down on the onset of pre seizure symptoms.
This is a different ball of wax. Just as random movements in kids can trigger some bad behaviors in dogs the random movements, thrashing, and disorientation combined with the people being helpless can create a very horrible situation with a dog that triggers to it.
The worst one that haunts me was an attack on an elderly man in Canada where he was mauled by his dog after suffering a stroke which turned into a predatory moment while the man was aware but unable to get away. The RCMP had to shoot the dog upon entry to the property. This elderly fellow lost an arm and pieces of his face but survived. I cannot imagine the horror of being in such a situation which is part of the reason the rarity of these events is such a blessing.
As a trainer of service dogs and guide dogs, I've never seen anyone use a sit or down as the cue for an impending seizure. The most common cue is nudging. Most SA dogs follow this by staring at the person in the eyes. Sitting or downing could be easily misinterpretted as SDs spend much of their time sitting or downing by their partner when the team is not in motion.
Seizure alerting itself is not taught. The dog either alerts or doesn't. But the cue can be either emphasized or altered to a better cue than the one the dog does naturally. A dog that alerts to seizures is highly unlikely to follow with predatory behavior after the expected seizure ensues.
Seizure response, is a service dog task that IS taught. It is a task the dog does after the seizure, and can be taught to dogs who don't naturally alert. The most common seizure response task, is turning the partner to facilitate easy breathing.
Dogs who any reputable program or private SD trainer certify, must be low to medium low in prey drive. This, as well as the extensive training and evaluations they recieve make the possibility of the dog attacking ANYONE, often not even to defend themselves or their partner; very remote. But their are disreputable programs and trainers who will certify unsuitable dogs for profit.
_________________________
Sunkmanitu kin Olowan (Joy) Van Veen
|
|
Top
|
|
|
|
|
#256636 - 11/12/09 10:06 PM
Re: Rescued dog mauls new owner
[Re: Joy van Veen]
|
Melissa Thom
Leerburg Web Board User
Registered: 12/04/07
Posts: 1135
Loc: USA
|
Online
|
|
Joy maybe we've just visited different training circles on the matter. Most of the very few seizure alert dogs I've crossed programs with are for alerting to oncoming seizures. A track record which is super iffy.... http://www.epilepsy.com/articles/ar_1084289240 for the particular person I was seeing the alert for the dog was trained to down upon seeing a facial tic. Another dog was trained to sit upon hearing a noise that indicated an oncoming seizure for a child.
However this isn't the topic we're talking about. This wasn't a seizure alert dog topic about a service dog attacking a handler. It was about a shelter dog mauling it's handler and searching for the reasons why. Most of these kinds of horrific maulings in my limited memory are associated with the very old, the very young, and being unable to get away due to a medical issue like stroke, confinement, or seizure.
If you want to chat about seizure alert dogs or assistance dogs, I'm game. Just start another thread.
|
|
Top
|
|
|
|
|
#256688 - 11/13/09 07:45 PM
Re: Rescued dog mauls new owner
[Re: Melissa Thom]
|
Joy van Veen
Leerburg Web Board User
Registered: 09/24/09
Posts: 114
Loc: Arizona, Cochise County, USA
|
|
Offline
|
|
Joy maybe we've just visited different training circles on the matter. Most of the very few seizure alert dogs I've crossed programs with are for alerting to oncoming seizures. A track record which is super iffy.... http://www.epilepsy.com/articles/ar_1084289240 for the particular person I was seeing the alert for the dog was trained to down upon seeing a facial tic. Another dog was trained to sit upon hearing a noise that indicated an oncoming seizure for a child. However this isn't the topic we're talking about. This wasn't a seizure alert dog topic about a service dog attacking a handler. It was about a shelter dog mauling it's handler and searching for the reasons why. Most of these kinds of horrific maulings in my limited memory are associated with the very old, the very young, and being unable to get away due to a medical issue like stroke, confinement, or seizure. If you want to chat about seizure alert dogs or assistance dogs, I'm game. Just start another thread.
Okay. I'll start another thread. But I wasn't the one to bring up seizure dogs on this thread. Just responded to your post. Look for my new thread to continue this discussion.
_________________________
Sunkmanitu kin Olowan (Joy) Van Veen
|
|
Top
|
|
|
|
Moderator: Will Rambeau, Cindy Easton Rhodes, Deanna Thompson, Kevin Sheldahl, Ed Frawley, Kelly At Leerburg, Connie Sutherland
|
15010 Members
165 Forums
24067 Topics
250326 Posts
Max Online: 945 @ 07/29/07 04:46 PM
|
|
|
