Seizure Dogs
Seizure Alert vs. Seizure Response
Some dogs will alert to seizures (or other medical conditions) naturally. If you have a dog that is offering this behavior, it can be reinforced.
However, there is no known way to train a dog to alert to seizures.
The problem is that no one knows what the dog is sensing or responding to. It could be smell or body language. Without knowing what the dog is sensing, there is no way to prompt the behavior.
Dogs can be trained to respond to seizures if the seizure is recognizable. They can also help in other ways (by calming the person, by carrying medical information, etc.).
For more information:
Seizure Dogs for People with Seizure Disorders by Liz Rudy.
What About Seizure Dogs? by the Epilepsy Association of Central Florida
Seizure-Alert Dogs -- Just the Facts, Hold the Media Hype by Jenna Martin for Epilepsy.com
Handi-Dogs can help you train a seizure response dog, or if your dog is alerting to seizures, we can help train the necessary public access behaviors for service work.
