Train an Allergen Detection Service Dog (scent training, allergy alert)

[@one_field]

Brilliant! I'm fatally allergic to peanuts and seafood, so this is something I planned to train but wasn't sure how to start. This step-by-step overview is fantastic, thank you so much!

[@DoggyU]

You're welcome!! I'm so glad it was helpful! Good luck on your training journey!

[@alexisrivas307]

Aw man when ever I encounter someone with a nut allergy what pops up in my mind is how much that would suck if that were me. Peanut butter is so delicious. Well, I’ll eat the PB&J, peanut butter and banana sandwich, and ants on a log in your honor. Stay safe out there. Food allergies are no joke.

[@victoriar8668]

This is a big reason I got into dog training. I have a goal to train an allergy detection dog but not sure where to start. Would love very detail specific training on how to do this.

[@windywilliamson-n3o]

I learned how to do this from Donna Hill. It is work to train this, but I must say very worth it. And like her saying what is not good to teach them.

[@suedemaio3443]

Great video. Very detailed, helpful information about the process and length of time to expect some success. Thanks.

[@katlynalves6230]

Great job, Jackie and Chai! I never thought about how if an allergen detection dog alerts by touching their owner, they may pass along the allergen! Thank you for sharing all your wisdom. This was a fascinating topic for this non-scent trained service dog team.

[@DoggyU]

It was so wonderful to have Jackie on to share her knowledge!

[@busywithdogs]

This was very helpful. I have developed some severe allergies over the last year (potatoes of all things) and now I am considering adding allergy detection to my SDiT's training. The biggest hurdle is I am extremely allergic to these things and can't have them in the house, so I am not sure that I can owner-train her to detect them myself. Since she is still only a puppy, I figure I have other things to focus on and I will cross that training bridge when I get there. Thank you, Laura.

[@alexisrivas307]

My husband and I were talking about potato allergies a couple weeks ago. We looked it up online and it said this is rare. It’s ironic that I find someone in the comment section with this allergy.

[@busywithdogs]

@@alexisrivas307 That is ironic. People look at me like I have two heads when I ask them to not open a bag of potato chips in the same room as me.

[@20NewJourney23]

I don't have a potato allergy (but I have many other food allergies) but I had a rescue dog a few years ago that I found out was allergic to potatoes. It took about a month for me to pinpoint which food it was but - potatoes. I thought 'how strange'. I hadn't heard of a potato allergy until that point. :P It's probably more common than we realize.

[@zaydnharbin6507]

Could you maybe do a more in-depth version ?

[@penguiuny]

What behavior does the dog do to show all clear?

[@abigailkerr3354]

This is great! I tried training my dog for gluten detection, but she didn't have the drive, now I'm retrying with these steps with a lot of hope! One question, how do you transition between step 2 and 3, associating the allergen with a treat, and then alerting when detecting the allergen?

[@DoggyU]

I'm not a specialist in scent-detection tasks, so I'd work with a professional that specializes in that. Check out Delta Tails scent-detection program :)

[@bdogg20101]

Thats exactly what ihave allergies too. Spices.

[@asecretcourtofcrowsandcloc4084]

This is very interesting. I always wondered how they were able to train the dogs not to eat the food they were sniffing like if it was at a restaurant or on the floor

[@DoggyU]

I have a video over on Patreon that shows how I teach them to ignore dropped food (which is typically part of a Public Access Test). www.patreon.com/posts/leave-it-and-for-72110249

[@armadillofeathers4850]

I was so excited to see this as I am getting a service dog prospect for just this application. I have a tree nut allergy and while I have not required an epi pen, I try to avoid the symptom of projectile vomiting at all costs. Since tree nuts come in different varieties and forms (as in almond milk, cashew butter, etc) does the dog need to be trained to each kind of nut that falls under tree nuts? Thanks for posting this, it made my day.

[@DoggyU]

Hey Armadillo Feathers! I’m glad you enjoyed the video! I’m guessing the answer is yes, but I don’t know for sure. I brought Jackie on because I don’t know too much about allergen detection, so I would check out her business, linked in the description, as well as delta tails. They may be able to better answer that question more accurately! If I get a lot of questions, I may group them together and try to get them all answered over on Patreon :)

[@Centrestagedogtraining]

Hello! Yes the dogs do need to be trained for each nut that you have an allergen to!

[@ramensoup762]

I love it!! I love learning all kinds of task training. It's so fascinating

[@Smokeybluetheraccoon]

Love the video! It's so fun when you have guests on!

[@DoggyU]

I'm so glad you enjoyed it! I have more guests lined up throughout the year! :)

[@zekegreyhound]

Any tips on how to train your dog if you can’t touch your allergen (peanuts and tree nuts, in my case)?

[@TheServiceSetter]

Hi, I love your videos! you should do a how to train a cardiac/medical alert!

[@DoggyU]

I don’t personally have experience training for that outside of dogs who naturally alert. But I believe Feywild dogs has a course on this that might be helpful!

[@TheServiceSetter]

@@DoggyU oh ok ill go check them out! thanks so much!

[@samhowarth2639]

This is super helpful! Im going to start scent training for my peanut allergy soon for my pup. I love the foundation ideas i can start working on now before adding a peanut scent.

[@DoggyU]

Glad it was helpful! And yes! These foundation games can be started even with younger pups!

[@SeeSarahSaw]

This is amazing!! If my dog wasn't so bad at sniffing out even her own food and treats, I would absolutely be looking into training her to detect my food allergens (peanuts and multiple types of tree nuts) T_T

[@ellabartal4652]

Dogs who don't need to sniff for food, are not naturally gonna sniff for it. You gotta start doing scent games and teaching them to sniff (through shaping) for a scent. There are probably tutorials online for scent games.

[@SeeSarahSaw]

@@ellabartal4652 Thank you for the advice, but I've been doing this and trying out all kinds of scent games with her for over a year and a half. Every other cue and trick and game I've taught her she's picked up quickly with no problem but she is just not good at finding food by scent even if she is excited and actively looking for it; more often than not, I have to end up guiding her to food she is literally standing on top of because she just can't seem to latch onto a scent trail. Anyone who has fed her treats has noted this as well. lol

[@zaydnharbin6507]

Omg! I could train my dog for that!!tysm!

[@DoggyU]

You're welcome :)

[@stayinganonymous]

Wow so impressive!

[@kristygranny5224]

I'm allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, sesame and soy and looking to use a Boston Terrier for training for allergen alert

[@hollybeaton6422]

Great video thank you!

[@DoggyU]

So glad you enjoyed it holly!

[@user-Sam-Cooper]

Can I train my great Dane to do that?

[@DoggyU]

This type of training works with all breeds of dogs. Each dog will have their own personality, needs, and training timeline though!

[@jermyward6669]

Can you train for avocado?

[@DoggyU]

I don't see why not!

[@jermyward6669]

Thank you

[@dorkatomankova5132]

Omg I am no the only one in the world alergic to avocado.

[@GuntherAlcerro]

Very good!

[@DoggyU]

Thank you Gunther!

[@janepatterson3489]

I got lucky, my doctor and I discovered I had diabetes. We started meds right away. I also went on a diet that besides losing weight, it was also to drop my A1C. I have a service dog that picks up stuff and helps me stand when needed. So I was thinking on how to train him to sense when my levels were to high or to low. I didn’t have to worry about training him. His bonded girlfriend knew when I went to high or low. She would lay on me when I was in trouble. Now that I’m not worried about being a diabetic and I’ve kept on the weight loss. She still sticks by me at home and I didn’t have to worry about working with two service dogs. The fun part is we got her at the end of my service dog training and she just worked with him and learned how to be a good service dog but not the special training that Ryu went through. The only one going training she still gets is her down training. She is short enough that when all the other dogs lay down, they become eye to eye with her. So she thought she just sat there and was in a correct position. Well, she ended up learning down on the bed so she was eye to eye with us in bed. She does down on the couch now. Hoping she catch’s on when she is on the floor. But at home she snuggles with me and is a great dog.

[@DoggyU]

Check out this video for three different ways to train the down: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gIucoqCXp9Gsr6M

[@hay_Z2021]

Would this approach work for medical alert scents as well?? My sd has learned to false alert for food sometimes unfortunately, although it’s lessening, and he’s learning that false alerts don’t get him food, would these be good steps to go to to really make sure he is alerting accurately and understanding what he’s doing?

[@DoggyU]

I'm not a specialist in scent-based training, but I highly recommend you check out Delta Tails for their resources on scent training alerts.

[@AdventuresOfSpeckles]

do super strong smells interfere with accuracy?

[@DoggyU]

I would imagine they could be a distracting element you'd need to train against.

[@AhriBearSollySun13]

If you train the pup to detect more then one allergy do they do a different motion “aka lay down “ for each allergy? Or can just one motion work since it’s to find an allergy you want to avoid?

[@Centrestagedogtraining]

It is up to the handler! You can teach different alerts or have one general alert

[@SnowySpiritRuby]

Is it possible to train a dog to alert to smells in the air, e.g. 2nd hand cigarette smoke, and indicate to the severely allergic handler which direction it's coming from? That's something I've always wondered about. I knew it was possible to do foods/other objects, but wasn't sure about scents in the air and their direction of travel.

[@Lauren9952]

Yes but it would be a different process

[@SnowySpiritRuby]

@@Lauren9952 Any idea what that process would look like?

[@Postit_all]

We don't have the Luck to havre those service dog type in France.

[@DoggyU]

Are you able to train your own assistance dog in France? There's a few trainers with online programs that can assist with owner-training.

[@Postit_all]

@@DoggyU we can't 100%owner train our dois but we have programs in owner training.

[@jaelynrae6045]

Is it possible to train a service dog to detect safe/unsafe UV levels for those with UV allergies?

[@DoggyU]

Hey Jaelyn - I don't know the answer to that question, as I"m not a specialist in scent detection. However, it seems like this may be a task better addressed with technology vs. a dog. But again, I don't know anything about UV allergies, so I would speak with a trainer who has more experience in that realm.

[@ChronicallyGaming]

this might be a stupid question to ask, but is it possible to train a dog to detect eggs? i’m very allergic to them (i require an epi-pen at least 7 times out of 10 if is accidents ingest even the tiniest bit), but i’m not sure if that’s a thing that can be trained (safely). i’m also allergic to all seafood as well as lentils, but not as much as i am to eggs (i think😅)

[@DoggyU]

I don’t see why not. But I’m not an expert on scent-trained service dogs. Definitely check out the description for some resources who are.

[@Laura05123]

Do you have to have your dog trained and verified by an ADI accredited organization or charity in order for your dog to be a service dog? I am self-training mine and unable to find an ADI accredited organization that will work with me because they don’t typically train people’s dogs, they just give people dogs they already have trained.

[@DoggyU]

You do not need to have your dog verified by an ADI organization. If you travel outside the US, ADI accreditation can be really helpful, but it is definitely not required within the US. Here's a video that might be helpful in thinking through your training timeline, goals, and testing if you're looking for a more structured approach to training your SD: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aYWbdp2Viqp-Zrs

[@hanad6161]

How would you get the allergen for beginning scent work? Latex i assume i could use pieces of latex gloves but bananas/pineapples/melons have it too. Is there an allergen isolate you could purchase for this?

[@DoggyU]

Hey Hanad! I'm not a scent training expert (which is why I had someone on to talk about it), so I'm not sure the answer to this question. I'd check out the resources I linked below and book an appointment to see if they can address this question for you. I'm not fully sure I understand the question, or know enough about latex allergies to answer.

[@alexisrivas307]

I went to a service dog training private university with a classmate that couldn’t smell anything. We wanted to train a dog for her to sniff out spoiled food.

[@keva9440]

❤

[@izmazix2148]

Watch2End&Comment

[@maureenwatt9132]

Very difficult to hear this session. There seems to be sound overlap from the demo videos masking your interview questions and comments.

[@DoggyU]

Hi Maureen. I'm sorry you didn't enjoy the video. Jackie and I worked really hard on it. Perhaps turning on the captions would be helpful to clarify the audio? I re-watched the video and there are no verbals to any of the sessions that were covered or missed. There's one point where Jackie praises Chai that overlaps with our talking, but that's about it, so I'm not exactly sure what you're referring to specifically.

[@maureenwatt9132]

@@DoggyU I DID an enjoy the video - as always terrific useful info for trainers! I just wanted to hear what you were saying over any technical issues. Please keep doing these in depth training session across the service dog spectrum. MW

[@one_field]

...maybe it's something playing on your browser at home? There's no audio overlap happening on my browser in watching this video; conversation is coming through loud and clear. Could also be an issue with KZbin uploading, since you caught the video almost the second that it launched. Sometimes the first few minutes have weird bugs that go away upon a rewatch.

[@hanad6161]

I hear it just fine as well.

[@SteveA-d4m]

Did that dog make a sandwich??? OMG!!❤❤❤

[@DoggyU]

LOL yeah - I taught Whip that trick a few years ago. It was one of the hardest ones I've trained! kzbin.info/www/bejne/omfIfGyDbrtkidU I actually have a bit of a breakdown/behind the scenes of how I trained it over on Patreon too!

[@SteveA-d4m]

@@DoggyU my pup would eat every item before making the sandwich .

[@DoggyU]

@@SteveA-d4m Not if you trained it ;)