Sweet Snoopers® Scent Detection for Diabetes and Medical Alert Dogs Course Description Atlas is pleased to partner with Debby Kay to offer her Sweet Snoopers course. This course is designed to teach the world-renowned training methodology of Debby Kay’s Sweet Snoopers Program. Debby’s program is recognized as one of the most reliable scent detection programs available for teaching diabetes alerts. These methodologies are applicable to many scent-based medical alerts. This course is text and video based. It presents a step-by-step approach to applying conditioning principles to train a dog to consistently and reliably detect a specific scent and alert their handler to the presence of the target sense. Course Objectives Teach trainers how to use classical conditioning to train dogs to consistently and reliably alert to the presence of a particular scent Teach trainers how to train dogs to develop the alert method best for the dog and the handler Teach how to expand the dog’s ability to alert in any location; any time of day; on buses, trains, planes, or in cars; inside and outside Teach how to train the dog to: Wake the client at night when the target scent is present Wake from a sleep to alert the handler when the target scent is detected Teach how to train the dog to alert while walking Teach other skills essential for scent detection and service work in general Patience Impulse control Working with distractions Keeping the dog engaged Teach how to obtain and store scent samples Teach how to build and use a scent wheel for training Learning Outcomes Upon successful completion of this course, students will: Know how to train a dog to check for and alert on the presence of a target scent at any time of day or night and in any location Know how to train the dog to alert when the target scent is detected Know how to train the dog to have the patience and alertness for scent work Outline Sniff the Tin – Foundation – Introduction to the tins used in training How to train the dog to find and alert on the tin in random locations Simplicity of Patterns – simple, methodical patterns to search for tins Training in a variety of locations throughout the house Finding non-visual/hidden scent sources Crate training for impulse control Teaching the dog patience Searching when the person is lying down Training the dog to think about what they’re doing Reinforcing the dog staying in place Developing a distinctive alert Scent wheel Challenging the thinking dog Alerting: At any time of day While walking When the dog is asleep When the person is asleep In public, including all the places the person regularly goes On a train, bus, car, or plane In the presence of another dog Changing the levels of alert (e.g. a different blood glucose level) Course Expectations Please allow multiple sessions of a couple of hours at a time to go through the course and review the references that will be provided. There are many details in the course materials and the accompanying manual, so please take time to digest them. If the topic is less familiar to you, you may need more time to view references or research the area in further depth. This course includes two assignment, each require you to submit a video case study showing you working with a dog while training one of the behaviors covered in the course. The first video is required after you’ve learned the foundations of the material and have you working with your dog introducing scent samples in tins. The second video is required later in the course and has you demonstrate you have trained a dog to the point they can alert someone with a hidden sample. Videos are typically 5 minutes long for these case studies. It will likely take you several sessions with your dog to achieve the desired results in the video. More details are provided in the course. During the course, there will be tests as you complete submodules. These have a mix of multiple choice, fill in the blanks, true false, and long answer questions. A grade of 80% or above is required to pass each test. Students have the opportunity to discuss their answers with Atlas faculty as well as retake tests as needed. Reference Materials Investigation into the Value of Trained Glycaemia Alert Dogs to Clients with Type I Diabetes. http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0069921 Glossary of Diabetes Terms https://www.webmd.com/diabetes/guide/diabetes-glossary-terms#1 A Getting Started Guide is included with the course. The guide provides information on how to obtain, prepare, and clean tins; how to obtain and store scent samples; and how to make a scent wheel to use in training.

Sponsor:Atlas Assistance Dogs
Speaker(s):Jennifer Kolar

Contact: Shelly Phillips
 Email: shellyp@atlasdog.org
 Phone: 404-953-1165
 Web: https://www.atlasdog.org/atlas-academy/