A good breed to train as a seizure-assist dog is the golden retriever.
Seizure dogs (also known as seizure-assist dogs) are canines trained to assist people suffering from seizure disorders. The two categories of seizure dogs are seizure-alert dogs and seizure-response dogs. Alert dogs warn their owners of impending seizure activity, while response dogs protect and assist during or after a seizure.
Seizure-Alert Dogs
Seizure-alert dogs have been trained to sense and advise their companion of an oncoming seizure. These dogs are trained to alert by exhibiting significant behavior changes such as circling, barking or pawing. They are most successful at warning about specific types of seizures, such as ones preceded by migraine headaches or auras. An owner's adequate attention and responsiveness to the alerting behavior is another important component of a seizure-alert dog's effectiveness.
Identifying Preceding Signs of Seizure
There is no substantial research evidence to suggest animals can actually detect an oncoming seizure. There is, however, evidence that dogs can be trained to recognize specific changes in an owner's behavior and respond to those, according to the National Institutes of Health's abstract of an article by V. Strong, S.W. Brown and R. Walker (1999). The article on seizure-alert dogs reported on training successes in support animals and noted that Support Dogs, a charitable dog training agency, successfully trained animals to detect their owner's unique changes that signified an oncoming seizure. All individuals have specific seizure profiles that include preceding signs. Alert dogs may not be detecting the seizure, but instead are recognizing these changes in their companion's behavior and body. Some specific signs that may be detected by the animal include scent changes, speech differences, confusion and disorientation in their owner.
Seizure-Response Dogs
Seizure-response dogs are trained to seek help for their companion in a seizure situation.
Seizure-response dogs are not always seizure-alert dogs; their primary function is to help during and after a seizure. These animals are trained to cushion a fall and revive their companion. They stay close for the seizure duration while their owner is most vulnerable. After the seizure, they can bring the victim medications, a phone or a helper.
Cost and Training
Successfully training a seizure dog takes significant time, money and dedication.
Though there are more than 100 service dog training facilities/organizations in the United States, fewer than 20 work with seizure dogs. This is because the necessary training for these animals is intense. It can take up to two years to ready a seizure dog for the duties required. The amount of rigorous training involved drives the cost of these animals up, ranging from $10,000 to $25,000.
Tags: their companion, dogs trained, oncoming seizure, their owner, Alert dogs, during after, during after seizure