Migraine Alert Dogs and Small Brag - Page 1

I just wanted to update everybody on the search I was on before on migraine alert dogs. A few days after my friend--the one I was asking about info on--took his puppy home, I received an email from him and on the subject line it said Help in capitol letters--first thing you think something bad has happened. No things were good--he wanted me to find him articles or websites about this so he could get an OK from his dr to take Minko to work with him. I had sent him the whole thread with all the info you guys gave me. But he said testimonies wouldn't help him. So I started with some of the info I got off here and I finally found 4 decent pages out of about 20 I searched. I sent them to him, got an email again saying I was awesome and it was just what he needed. Fast forward to 2 days ago. Mind you, he has had the puppy 4 weeks today and he is 13 weeks old. He said he was so proud of him and how well he was doing. He was taking him to work and socializing and doing basic OB stuff with him.But the killer part--and this is where the small brag comes in--is the dog is tuning in to when he has his headaches. He is so happy and thanked me for selling him such a nice smart dog. And he sent me a pic of himself and Minko napping in the recliner. It did my heart good to see my boy so well cared for and loved--a little service work doesn't hurt either!!!!
Another small brag is yesterday morning I got a call from someone I have talked to before but only a business leval. well she has a 7 yr old grandson who has hearing aids in both ears and also has some other kind of physical disability. I believe she told me he has had surguries for some of his problems. He has decided he needs a dog for part time service work and companion. He wants a GSD and he would prefer a black male. We talked a very long time and at the end she said well how do I get on a waiting list with you. I laughed and said honey you already are. LOL. She asked me about doing some service dog training and I referred her to the SAR coordinator who has trained service dogs for other people. Since she took my puppy she and I have been working together. So that is another small brag. The last thing is I believe I have found my place now in dogdom. Shows are fun, bitework is fun, OB competition is fun but I want to concentrate purely on working dogs like service, sar, drugwork because that helps people and it takes a steady dog to do all and any of those things. Out of my mentor's lines have been a lot of dogs sent for these jobs and I want to try to take my knowledge and experience with the breed and these lines I have and pick a lot of brains to do a little fine tuning.... WooHoo--you guys don't know I have been looking for this place for a long time in dogdom.......Everyone have a great day.................

Soo great news. 

Excellent  

Is the pup alerting him *before* he gets the migraines?

Wow, don't you love it when things work out for the best! Good to see you are realizing your K9 breeding directions. 

No Blackthorn--if he is he didn't say so--he just said the puppy was tuning into when he has them--his exact words. What I got excited about was the fact that he is tuning into them and I believe the puppy will start alerting. I say that because I know these lines very well and how they think and the things they do. And you have to realize this puppy is only 13 weeks.

This just a quick recap of things I have experienced with these lines. Monday I had a dream--at the end of the dream I couldn't breathe--all of a sudden I wake up and my girl who sleeps beside me was on top of me waking me up. And I couldn't breathe. I came in here, and grabbed some nose spray and an inhaler and I was able to breathe OK. went to the doctor Wed--I have a bad sinus infection. I had a computer chair that had no arms on it and it was a shallow chair. I take meds that can make me sleepy. Ihave gone to sleep and fallen out of the chair. After the first time I did that, when I was start to fall asleep Mauli would wake me up. After I got a better chair--deeper and with arms--and got a new dr who changed my meds around she no longer does that. I have a female here who is very quirky--as in she doesn't like the camera, the phone, to go for walks, to ride in the car--just a homebody who does her own thing--I had a kidney problem--not an infection--just my lab work was off-when that was going on and I would go to the bathroom she fought me--I mean she HAD to get to the toliet and smell the water before I flushed it. My old boy--grandpa to all these guys is my "semi" service dog--he helps me bathe by staying right there in case I fall. And if I do fall he is right there to brace himself to help me up. None of these dogs have been taught anything but basic OB. In these lines we have dogs that open the trash can and put the lid back on, open doors, gates, answer the phone, one we sold last year was opening the icebox at 3 months old--if you didn't roll the window up far enough on the car Grandpa would come in the grocery store and walmart. So with all that said they are super smart self thinkers.

Asking you the question, do you think it's possible because he is tuned he he will start alerting to them? I really would like some feedback--maybe I am getting excited for nothing.......................LOL

Bee Hundmutter and Fawn that's for the heads up--and yeah Bee it is great to know what direction I am going. And I'm glad I'm only 59, still have time to enjoy it!!!!!

Blackthorn you and anybody else that wants to chime in, even with constructive criticism, it will be welcomed. I know you are a trainer and I know you know the dogs. I am not a trainer and never claimed to be. I can get by--I've competed in AKC OB, Tracking and herding. Sure I got a few ribbons and certificates back in the day but never in the big points. Like I said in the first post gotta pick a few brains. And it all starts with am I seeing what I say I'm seeing? Or is it all coincidence? Any advice is welcomed. Thank you....................

I, like you, have done it on my own with Rose and now with Max.  From my own experience, tuning in is a good start.  Have patience though.  Time will tell.  What you really want to look for at this age is a dog that is naturally calm, confident, accepts anything new with little impact.  

Exposer, exposer, exposer.  From now on, this puppy needs to have access to everything your friend does.  As fall is here, now is the perfect time to take the dog to football games, fairs, rides in the car, sit at train stations, airports (what the loud noises that can damage the ears), kids are a big one (they are very unpredictable; the puppy needs to get use to this).  For an alert dog, bonding is the key.   In an ideal world, if your friend and the puppy can be come attached at the hip, what you will see by the time the puppy is 6 months old will be the greatest joy.

I agree with fawndallas,
tuning in is a good start..bonding and sharing nearly everything.
My young female is with a woman that has seizures. The dog sleeps with her and seems to be where ever the lady is. pup was with her when she had seizures, both when the lady was awake and asleep, Now the dog alerts her of an impending seizure. Gives her time to lay down on the floor/ground before it hits. Has kept her from falling into glass coffee tables
and falling down stairs for the past few months. the dog is now 10 months old and has been alerting since about 4-5 months old. The dog is always there when the lady wakes up just watching her.

Weezy

Fawn I was hoping you would chime in. I know the service dogs are your area and I am new to all this--another brain to pick. LOL

That puppy is a very confident dog, nothing ever fazed him--after the little SAR girl he was my second pick. The reason he didn't go to SAR is because he is heavier boned and is going to be bigger then her. Not oversized just bigger. When I met Kelly and took Eara over for evaluation I told her about Minko--formerly Mr B--but I chose her because in the case that she has to be carried anywhere she would be lighter to be carried around. And then I gave her a choice and she decided on Eara for that reason also. And I know Mike is taking him to work and everywhere in the world with him. He had a black shepherd for many years--I think he finally died at 12--and he wanted another dog and he preferred a black male. I had originally picked Minko for a competition OB dog and when it came time to make the deposits she backed out on me. So I had already decided to keep him until I found the right place for him to go because he was special. When he was born he was the biggest and he fought to get out of the sac. Voo was trying to help him and I was trying to check his nose and mouth for mucas and then weigh him. The whole time he was like don't do that-don't touch me there--put me down. It's sort of funny now. And I liked him immediately--my first thought was OMG what have I bred? LOL His grt grt grt grandfather is very stocky and not tall--he has the DDR look to him and he is some DDR--his grt grt grandfather is a little taller but blocky and his grandfather is the same way. So that's how he is going to be. Very beautiful boy.

Anyway I know time will tell--I am not a person who looks at things that may not happen but argue they will but I am the type of person that goes by my gut feelings and I have a very good one about this. As far as him being certified and all that--I don't care--my main thing is the dog will have a job and he will be helping someone. He was never sold to Mike for that--he was sold as a companion dog and possibly becoming a therpy dog that works with abused children. This all came up a few days after the sale and I was even surprised. Anyone who buys a dog from me is stuck with me for life. LOL I will try to help them all I can............

Weezy thanks for your input and sharing that with me. That is awesome. I have a long time friend who is a diabetic and has a lot of problems regulating her sugar--she has a Chinese Crested that she bought from a show breeder and the dog was terribly small. Well when the dog got to br about a year old she started alerting to Crickett about her sugar. So she got certified and now she goes to work and everywhere with her. And in the beginning she slept with her, took her everywhere, put dresses on her. I mean they developed a bond like no other. I talked to her today about this and she agreed with everything you guys have said..............

Anyway time will tell and when and if it works out you guys will know!!!!