Hi All!
I was looking into the possibility of training my youngest golden, Oliver, to be my service dog. I have addison's disease and therefore run the risk of going into adrenal crisis at any time. The severity of the condition varies greatly, from feeling unwell all the way to needing to go to the ER. I knew there were service dogs for individuals with diabetes who could detect low blood sugar. I didn't know there were dogs that could do this for my condition (detect drops in cortisol levels). I saw this video though:
BBC - Life saving dog is a world first
and it would be absolutely amazing if I could somehow train Oliver to do this for me. I know this isn't something I could train him to do myself, I'd need to work with someone who has experience with this kind of detection training. So to my questions...
How do I go about finding a trainer to assist me in this feat?
Is Oliver too old to be trained to do this (he is 18 months)?
What are the steps I need to take to have him be my service dog?
(I've read about Public Access Tests, needing approval from a doctor, CGC's etc). Oliver has his CGC (at 8 months) and we are pursuing competition obedience and hunt/field work.
This would be unbelievably amazing, but I have no idea how to accomplish it. Any advice or input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
ETA: Another Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2u7RJ8kCu4s