You often see me not listen to my service dogs at first. I know that that’s a risky move, but hear me out. Not listening to my dogs in the beginning of an alert to behavior sequence, increases persistence. That same persistent behavior often saves my life when I’m in the middle of doing things, at events, or interacting with people and don’t realize that my dog is alerting. So yes, sometimes I play Russian roulette with my health.. But typically, I know my body and I know how long I can wait before I need to take action. Sometimes I’m wrong but the best way to train an alert to a behavior for a specific person is a real life scenario. Technically, going through a real life medical event helps my dog practice how to respond as well. Making those decisions definitely can be argued but I promise I don’t always push my limits. Everest is a great diabetic alert dog but he tasks for a few more things than just diabetes. He guides (when I’m not in a wheelchair) in places that really test m...