The difference between true alerts and false alerts

Today was a beautiful day outside and we got to take the Diabetic Alert Dogs out for our first walk in the park.  We were given our red Diabetic Alert Dog Guides official vest and for whatever reason Hana was not impressed. She looked downright sad.  It was so funny.  I had not seen her puppy eyes just yet.  She didn't whimper, she didn't whine - but she pulled out the cutest puppy eyes I have ever seen.  I wanted to eat her up.

Once outside though, whatever was bothering her, or whatever stunt she was trying to pull, Hana seemed to forget.  She loved being outside with me and I loved being out there with her.  We fell in stride right away and she obeyed the "heel" command 80% of the time.

Loved being out and about with her.

Today she was a bit wonky with her alerts.  She did an amazing job just before heading out in the yard for their first play out there.  I had taken her to the special skills area to groom her for the first time.  I used this nifty circle brush to get her undercoat groomed. She shed a ton of hair while I did that - that is good.  I was told the more she is groomed and sheds during grooming, the less she'll shed around the house.  I am all for that.  Daily grooming?  Check! Then I used another brush for her top coat - make it nice and shiny and healthy.  She's a black beauty!

As I was heading out of that area I grabbed a handful of dog food/kibble to be able to have some "treats"/rewards for good behaviour and walked out.  As soon as we walked out into the long hallway, Hana started jumping up as if to alert me but I told her "Off, Hana" thinking she is jumping up for the treats.  I shook my head as we walked out of the hallway and joined the rest of the DAD class near the door to the courtyard.  I remember saying to her, "Just because you found the treats, does not mean you get one." Then I hear my pump, "BEEP, Beep, beep." I was going low.  I discreetly turned away from Hana and tested.  I was 4.2 (which isn't crazy low, but she is trained to alert anything below 4.5).  She had done a great job.  I notified Erika, our trainer.  The two of us and Hana walked away from the main group back into the long hallway and I started telling Erika the story of the grooming, and the handful of treats, and the jumping/alerting, and the 4.2 testing.  And right in the middle of the story, Hana jumped up on me again and alerted me.  Then jumped on Erika, then back to me.  Amazing!   We praised her and gave her her reward - doggy bacon.  I was so proud of her!  She was even alerting me while we were walking.  It was fantastic.

Then there was a wildly happy play time in the yard.

Later in the evening as I was hanging out with some of the other peeps in the program Hana literally jumped up on my lap, which is what she did yesterday to alert me.  I tested and showed 6.3.  Perfect numbers.  I ignored her alert.  A few minutes later another jump up.  I asked her "off" then tested. Same result. Erika happened to be with us and she said, "If she seems to alert again, tell her off but test anyways.  Maybe you're dropping." But I wasn't.  Hana alerted a few more times like that, but each time the BG was normal.  So Erika suggested I try to get her to the "relief" area and tell her to go "busy, busy".  We have to command these dogs to relieve themselves - which is important if it's a working dog, in a mall or whatever, it has to wait until there is a good opportunity and we tell it it's okay.  Anyways, it wasn't that.  She didn't want to get "busy, busy".  

We went back to the common area, packed up our Dutch Blitz, the laptop and any other items I brought out of the room and headed to bed.  What else are you going to do at 8:30 at night when you are in a totally chill Lion's Foundations?  There is a lot of laying down and napping happening up in here.  Maybe it's the baby, maybe it's all the walking and the "heeling" and the classes.... I think mostly it's the laid back nature of this course and the fact that we are in training and it's exhausting for us and for the dogs.  They nap any chance they get.  I sit down Hana settles at my feet, lays down and she's out.  But any move I make, she's up.  I reach for a kleenex, she's up;  I need my purse from a foot away, she's up.    It's pretty incredible.  She's so in tune to me.

Tomorrow is Saturday.  One more day and I get to see my babies and my hubby.  Then back to classes. 2 more weeks and I graduate and get to take Hana home.

So the difference between a true alert and a false alert? I have yet to figure that out and so does Hana. That's why we are here for another 2 weeks.