I was wondering if anyone has a "Seizure Dog" as my neuro called it. She recommended I look in to it to help my wandering after a seizure. Recently I wandered into the street mid afternoon :| She also said it's not really worth the $10,000 + for training from gov. places, it can be done from home but the dog must be fairly young to start. A collie/border collie are best (says neuro) because of their natural herding instincts. There's not much that can be done about me stopping breathing if it were to happen again, but the most dangerous part would be helped and if it stops me from getting hit by a car or falling down stairs it's worth it since I've broken a arm doing it.
Epilepsy Dog
- Thread starter gowings83
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Hi, Gowings,
Welcome to the forum!
Service dogs can be very helpful. I have a seizure alert dog. He trained himself for that part. It took me a long time to figure out that's what he was doing. He reminds me of my meds also. He was trained by a profesisonal for that task. He wasn't a puppy when he started training, but he's very smart and I've been careful to be ultra-consistant with him so he'd learn the behaviors.
Some people use their service dogs to alert people when they have a seizure. Some use them to cue other people what to do to help you. They might point and bark at instructions you may have on your person, or at your medic alert ID.
When I have my complex partials I'm not responsive. If i'm walking some direction no one can really stop me unless they grab me. But I think some people could be "herded." In that case, is a bigger herding dog maybe a good idea? Like a big fuzzy sheepdog? I'm not sure a dog that's around your knees would be able to alter your direction.
About training - a profesisonal trainer is a very good way to go. There are non-profit organizations that may be able to help. If you keep your dog at home, still find a professional trainer who can help. Herding you is actually a pretty complex behavior. The dog would have to recognize when you are having a seizure, understand the environment, and then move in ways that work to keep you safe.
Good luck. Will you let us know what you find out and what you decide?
Welcome to the forum!
Service dogs can be very helpful. I have a seizure alert dog. He trained himself for that part. It took me a long time to figure out that's what he was doing. He reminds me of my meds also. He was trained by a profesisonal for that task. He wasn't a puppy when he started training, but he's very smart and I've been careful to be ultra-consistant with him so he'd learn the behaviors.
Some people use their service dogs to alert people when they have a seizure. Some use them to cue other people what to do to help you. They might point and bark at instructions you may have on your person, or at your medic alert ID.
When I have my complex partials I'm not responsive. If i'm walking some direction no one can really stop me unless they grab me. But I think some people could be "herded." In that case, is a bigger herding dog maybe a good idea? Like a big fuzzy sheepdog? I'm not sure a dog that's around your knees would be able to alter your direction.
About training - a profesisonal trainer is a very good way to go. There are non-profit organizations that may be able to help. If you keep your dog at home, still find a professional trainer who can help. Herding you is actually a pretty complex behavior. The dog would have to recognize when you are having a seizure, understand the environment, and then move in ways that work to keep you safe.
Good luck. Will you let us know what you find out and what you decide?
I looked in to the training programs at PetsMart yesterday, it's the only place in town to do it that I could afford. Anyways I had a talk with the trainers and they told me that they do have a similar thing in a training program. Now I think I may look in to the dog, however there's not much room for it until my mother-in-law moves out. But I can at least see what's out there more before I jump in.