|
Virtual classes give you the week by week instruction and materials to train your own Diabetic Alert Dog. You'll meet once a week with other students and your trainer, practice training, send in videos, and ask questions.
Self-training, but without the self-doubt. |
|
Current Open Classes
Classes are kept at 3-6 students to ensure plenty of 1:1 assistance and feedback can be given, and that we have plenty of time for everyone's questions during class. Enrollment will be open until the 2nd week of class.
|
Scent Training with a Nudge
Status: Open
Start & End Dates: December 6 through February 28 Meeting Time: Saturdays at 12pm EST Class Duration: 1 hour each week for 6 months Monthly Cost: $450/month Who is this for: Anyone who wants to train diabetic alerts and has a food motivated dog that is 4+ months old. Description: This class will cover everything from creating scent samples and determining alerting thresholds, to live alerts and how to track your dog's accuracy. This class in particular is our only class that teaches how to train a nudge alert rather than a paw alert - great for those big dogs or for those who are training dogs for their young kids and don't want to risk the harshness of a paw alert. |
About Virtual Group Classes
Our virtual group classes are designed to empower you to train your own diabetic alert dog from home—guided by one of the most trusted names in the field. Each class is led by Libby Rockaway, founder of MD Dogs Inc., who has spent over a decade training Diabetic Alert Dogs and placing them with clients from 2 to 80 years old, as well as helping others train their own Diabetic Alert Dogs. You’ll learn from an expert through a mix of live demos, interactive sessions, and step-by-step guidance that makes progress clear and achievable.
Here’s what’s included in your enrollment:
- Live weekly classes with direct feedback from Libby
- Class recordings available if you miss a meeting or want to review anything
- Private student group to ask questions, share wins, and post videos for feedback between classes
- Full slide deck access, even after the class ends
- Weekly homework assignments with clear goals so you always know what to work on
- A shipped starter kit of scent training supplies—no guessing, no hassle
- Supportive, small-group environment to stay motivated and inspired (3-8 students in any class, depending on type)
Virtual Group Class FAQs
Who should take the class?
- These classes are suited for those who have a dog that they'd like to train as their own Diabetic Alert Dog and who are dedicated to spending about 8-10 hours a week on the dog's training. Self-training takes commitment and is a risk because you can never know whether a dog will succeed as a Service Dog, but if you are willing to take that risk, have the availability to focus on your dog's training, and self-motivated then you may be a great candidate for our classes!
- Candidates for service work should be incredibly food motivated, confident, friendly, and persistent. If you'd like to discuss more about your dog's eligibility in particular you can reach out and schedule a consultation where we can identify if your dog is a good fit.
- No. While we'd love to say that taking the class will mean you'll end up with a successful Diabetic Alert Dog, that is just not the case. Even with professional trainers, not all of our dogs are capable of achieving full Diabetic Alert Dog work. With that being said, the biggest challenge is having a dog who is capable of the public access work. So if you are committed to the training and have a food motivated dog then you have a very very high chance of successfully training your dog to at least be an in home Diabetic Alert Dog.
- They absolutely can be! But it does depend on the dog you are working with, your training skills, and your commitment to training. Self-training does not at all inherently mean your dog will be less accurate though.
- Libby Rockaway, founder of MD Dogs and author of the DAD Training Steps book, teaches all the current classes.
- Most classes begin in the Spring and the Fall and last for 6 months. Each individual meeting is 1 hour.
- We understand life happens and we don't expect you to be available every week for 6 straight months! So every class is recorded and the recording is posted within a few days so that you can review missed meetings and catch up before the next week.
- Every student is added to a private facebook group for the students in their class and they can post videos for review. Feedback is given a 3-4 times a week and you can post as many or as few videos or questions as you'd like. During class, we also try to include at least a few live training sessions where students can get feedback in real time as well. For the most personal feedback and a training plan with extensive trainer support, you can check out our Trainer for a Month option where it is 1:1 assistance, one month at a time.
- This depends on the age of your child - teenagers typically should be the one to train the dog if they are interested. But those under 13 should usually just be involved in individual exercises and not solely responsible for the training and handling of the dogs in order to maximize chance of success.
- You are welcome to take our class if you are training a different type of scent based medical alert dog, but we will have everything focused on teaching blood sugar alerts and you will be responsible for the modifications for your target odor.
