Medical Alert Dogs
Shih Tzu Medical Alert Dogs
Overview
Service dogs are dogs of any breed (purebred or mixed) that are trained (and sometimes certified) to be of assistance in some way. There are many types including those that 'work' as a medical alert dog for their owner (handler).
Shih Tzu dogs can excel in this capacity since they are clever, loyal, and observant. Let's take a look at an overview of what this type of service dog can do and then meet a Shih Tzu that is a medical alert dog for their human.
What Medical Alert Dogs Do
The official definition of service dogs by the American with Disabilities Act
is: "…any dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability."
When it speaks of a physical disability, medical conditions are included in this. The definition continues to note that some examples of what these dogs can do include "alerting individuals to the presence of allergens" and "retrieving items such as medicine", though there are far more tasks that can be done based on an individual's need.
There are 5 basic sub-categories:
1. Autism Service Dogs: The dog helps the owner process situations and when several elements are all happening at once, aids in alerting the owner to focus on the most important element.
2. Hearing Dogs: The dog alerts their deaf or hard-of-hearing owner to sounds. This includes everything from the ding of the microwave to the doorbell and such things as someone calling out to the owner.
3. Mobility Dogs: These dogs help owners that have physical impairments that effect mobility. They perform everyday tasks such as turning lights on and off and opening doors. In many cases, a small dog like the Shih Tzu would not be cut out for such a job, since part of this can include moving larger objects such as laundry baskets and to walk closely by an owner's side to provide stability to help prevent falls.
4. Psychiatric Service Dogs
(PSDs): These dogs assist individuals who suffer from psychiatric disorders. Only some states in the US accept PSD's as official service dogs, which limits the public places to which they have access (restaurants, etc.).
5. Alert/response dogs: The dog will know when a medical event is has started to occur (a seizure is going to happen, blood sugar is low, etc.). He will alert the owner and then respond and assist (this can be done by bringing medication, getting help if necessary and even knowing when to call 911 via a special phone).
About Medical Alert/ Response Dogs
The specific type of service that we are going to focus on in this article is when a Shih Tzu serves as an alert/response dog.
Some examples of medical conditions that dogs can alert, respond and assist with include:
- Diabetic alert
- The dog will alert an owner when sugar levels are either too high or too low.
- Allergy alert
- For people who have severe allergies, the dog will alert the owner if an allergy trigger is in the area. This includes certain foods such as peanuts and shellfish.
- Cardiac alert
- The dog warns their human of a drop in blood pressure so that medication and safety precautions can be taken.
- Seizure alert - The dog warns their human that a seizure is about to begin so that they can take safety precautions.
- Sleep Apnea - With this condition, a person temporarily stops breathing while sleeping. The dog will nudge the owner awake and assist as needed.
Let's Meet a Shih Tzu Medical Alert Dog
This is Angel:
Angel, who (at the time of this writing) is a 12 year old Shih Tzu, belongs to Linda Sanborn of Green Valley, AZ. She has alerted her human to a range of health issues including sleep apnea, a blocked artery, and high blood pressure. Let's dive into some Q&A with Linda to learn more about her remarkable Shih Tzu.
Q: Can you fill us in on how this all began and offer more details about what your Shih Tzu does for you as a medical alert dog?
My Shih Tzu began alerting me to health issues by bumping into my back at night, persisting even after being let outside. My vet, who owns a medical alert dog, suggested she might be a 'natural responder' to medical conditions. Indeed, tests revealed I had sleep apnea, with up to 10 breathing pauses nightly, which Angel was trying to alert me to.
Later, her behavior escalated to jumping on my chest, leading to a diagnosis of a blocked artery, treated with a heart stent. Although I still deal with high blood pressure, Angel helps by guiding me to rest or sit down when she senses an increase in pressure. She also alerts me to missed medication doses by bumping into me and barking at the pantry where my medications are stored.
Q: Angel has a certification as a service dog; what was involved with that?
A: Yes, though it was clear that Angel was naturally alerting me to health issues and doing a great job as a helper, I decided to make my Shih Tzu's status as a medical alert dog official. I sought out Delta Society for help in finding a service dog trainer near her in southern CA and was referred to Twyla Seymour in the Big Bear area of California and her organization, Angels in Fuzzy House Slippers.
Angel passed the testing and training, got her vest and ID tags, and things became official!
A big thanks to Linda for introducing us to her amazing Shih Tzu medical alert dog.
How a Shih Tzu Can Become a Certified Medical Alert Dog
Keep in mind that certification is not needed; but, it can be very helpful for a Shih Tzu to earn this since it involves lots of training that can hone a dog's abilities and teamwork training that can help both of you work better together. Let's look at some FAQ.
Can all Shih Tzu dogs do this?
Not all dogs can sense unseen medical issues; only about 10 to 20% of dogs naturally display this skill. This cannot be trained for, but training can hone that ability and can teach a dog exactly how to best alert their human and how to respond.
For dogs that can do this, it is theorized that they are able to sense chemical changes that occur in a person’s body, are able to pick up on minute bodily cues that would be imperceptible to other people, or it is a combination of both of these things.
Is a certificate necessary?
In the US, due to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 (which has been updated since its inception), a dog that is specifically trained to assist his handler and meets certain qualifications can be a medical alert dog. A dog does not need to be officially certified.
What are the benefits of having my Shih Tzu earn their certificate?
The biggest benefits are that it can give an owner assurance that their dog is able to do what is needed during medical emergencies and training can hone a dog's actions and responses (sometimes in helpful ways owners do not even consider). Full certification may also grant additional benefits such as tax breaks for a dog’s food, vet bills and even their grooming.
Tips to keep in mind:
By law, a service dog is allowed to accompany their owner into any privately-owned business that serves the public. This includes a wide range of places such as food and retail stores, pharmacies, restaurants, movie theaters, even concert halls and in taxi cabs. Any 'no pets' ban does not apply.
Also, the owner, manager, or employee of any establishment may ask you if your Shih Tzu is a service animal because of a disability and what tasks they perform, but is not legally allowed to ask what your disability or medical condition is.
While just about all medical alert dogs are extremely calm and good-natured, if one were to bark or cause a commotion, the owner can be asked to exit the premises.
As a final note, there are some people who take advantage of these laws and feign their dog’s status as a medical alert dog; and of course, that is highly unethical and is an insult to the integrity of those that are truly working in this capacity, keeping owners healthy and even saving their lives.
First steps:
Once it is determined that the natural ability to detect unseen issues exists, certification training will take things one step further and allow you to see if your Shih Tzu is able to perform these important tasks with reliability and consistency.
While some breeds are best at certain jobs (larger dogs do best with mobility issues, etc.), federal law does not restrict any breed from any type of service work. And no breed, even mixed breeds, can be banned. For this reason, many Shih Tzu dogs make excellent service dogs.
There are many organizations that train dogs for the needed commands and tasks. One of the larger groups that oversee this is Assistance Dogs International. Groups such as this can match a trained dog to an owner in need of assistance (though it can be extremely expensive, upward of $10,000) or offer training for a dog that shows promise.
What is the training like?
During training, a Shih Tzu will undergo extensive testing to ensure that they have the personality, manners, obedience, socialization, and skills to serve as a service dog. A service dog must demonstrate or perform a task specifically related to the handler’s particular disability or need.
While the details can vary a bit by the organization, there are typically 3 steps:
1 – You may be required to obtain a prescription
from the doctor stating that you have a health issue to an extent that having a medical alert dog would be beneficial.
2- Pre- training personality test.
This involves testing a dog's ability to remain calm during chaotic situations. The test may consist of people (volunteers with the program) crowding around a dog and making all sorts of noises (cymbals banged, trash lids dropped, etc.). There may also be distractions such as umbrellas opened in close proximity to a dog’s face. The goal is to see if a dog can focus just on their human and the actions required to respond to their needs despite what may be happening around them.
3- Training. The revolves around a dog learning their human's cues and reacting to them. This often involves a nudge to alert that there's a need (to take medication, to lie down, etc.). When at home, it may involve seeking out another person in the house or pressing an alarm button and when out in public it may involve summoning help. In addition, there is usually some teamwork training regarding proper manners and behaviors in public places.
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