Our Mission

 Our goal is to demystify the medical alert dog training process and share the science behind these incredible dogs to transparentize the industry and empower those with type 1 diabetes. By providing free instructional videos and a step by step book, we enable individuals to train their own alert dogs or find a reputable organization to obtain a trained dog.

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What We Provide

​M.D. Dogs teaches those with type 1 diabetes
​to train their own medical detection dogs. 

Free Book

M.D. Dogs founder, Libby Rockaway, wrote the book Diabetic Alert Dog Training Steps. The 1st edition is available for free, or the 2nd edition can be purchased as a physical copy on Amazon and all proceeds go to supporting MD Dogs. 

Free Videos

To accompany our book, Diabetic Alert Dog Training Steps, we have also created over 30 videos demonstrating how to train an alert dog. This series takes you through the progression of an actual puppy as she learns to become a Diabetic Alert Dog.

Free Community

M.D. Dogs hosts a Facebook group "MD Dogs Training Community" where you can post your questions and learn from others who are using the MD Dogs methods to train their own Diabetic Alert Dogs. 

What's the catch?

There isn't one! We are just a small nonprofit with a passion for bringing transparency to the field of Medical Alert Dogs. If desired, we offer paid consultations with an MD Dogs trainer, physical copies of our book from Amazon for purchase, and fully trained Diabetic Alert Dogs - proceeds from these are returned to MD Dogs to further our mission. But these are all optional and are not necessary, all our self-training materials are really available to the public for free. 

Proven, Positive Techniques

​M.D. Dogs' methods utilize positive reinforcement to teach the dog that specific scents result in treats, praise, and excitement. The dogs are then taught to perform a specific behavior, such as pawing their handler's knee, when they detect the scent to receive their exciting rewards. The entire process is a game, resulting in the dogs being happy and confident when they work.

Quick Results

In addition to being less expensive than purchasing a fully trained dog, a benefit to training your own medical detection dog is that the dog will often begin helping you long before they have completed training. Even during the training process your dog will begin to alert to out of range blood sugars. This means that although they won't be perfect, the dog can begin to help keep their handler safe while still young, rather than waiting until the dog is completely mature to be placed and begin alerting.

M.D. Dogs is solely funded through  grants and donations from individuals like you. Any donation truly makes a difference and enables us to continue providing our resources to the public for free. Thank you!