Greatdogs trains Medical Alert Mapping Service Dogs that provide life-changing tasks for young adults who are facing invisible and debilitating challenges.

Greatdogs trains Medical Alert Service Dogs that provide life-changing tasks for young adults who are facing invisible and debilitating challenges.

My name is Jenni Lough Watson and I teach dogs to use their talents to serve others in the community.

A dually trained dog from my program provides dependable support through specially trained skills.

Medical Alert

Greatdogs are trained to serve their handler by indicating fluctuations in bio-chemicals such as cortisol, and Blood Glucose Levels that impact health awareness and well-being.

A Fully Trained Medical Alert Service Dog is like having a barometer at your fingertips providing real-time information to give you, the handler time and valuable insight into changes that are ever-occurring in your body.

The result of a Medical Alert Service Dog’s work is the ability to make necessary adjustments in life and environment before effects are disruptive. Long term, the impact a service dog can have is life-changing; increasing self-awareness, and improving self-regulation skills.  Experiencing predictably less intense episodes gives individuals a healthier, higher quality of life.

Mapping

Greatdogs enable their handler to be self-oriented without the need for human-assist in high-density public spaces, or in the quiet of their own neighborhood to ensure safety and comfort.

Greatdogs support their handler’s orientation and safety by leading their handler to designated locations or landmarks, called “marks” such as:

  • “To the car” – to locate the vehicle in a parking deck or parking lot

  • “To the front” – to identify the entrance or exit of a building or other point of safety
  • “To the mark” – any incremental half way point that is helpful for the handler to be aware of while navigating. Marks can be scented, or based on the dog’s memory, but always have tangible value to the handler and dog along a route.

Once the mapping dog has navigated its handler to the designated location, he will stop all forward movement to indicate the arrival.

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Live the life you have imagined

– Henry David Thoreau

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