1300 489 873Dogs are famous for being man’s best friend, but they are also famous for being trained to support humans in different life situations. They can be guide dogs, rescue dogs, or police dogs. Only a few people know that some dogs have got senses to predict an epileptic seizure. These senses are still controversial, but especially in the USA a lot of dogs receive special training to help epileptics.
It is important to distinguish between two kinds of seizure dogs: Seizure predicting dogs and seizure response dogs. The seizure predicting dogs are very rare. Not every dog has got the ability to perceive symptoms of epilepsy and not every dog 
who has got the ability, wants to show it. You cannot train dogs to acquire that skill, but you can train the dogs who have it, to use this ability.
Seizure response dogs on the other hand react during or after an epileptic seizure to help his owner. This could be: activating an alarm system, bringing emergency medication and learning to stay close to their owner during a seizure in public. Some dogs also learn to lay down next to their owner to calm them down, to bring them their phone and to lead them home safely.
Not all dog breeds are suitable to be seizure dogs. They should be searching for closeness to their owner and pay close attention to them. Examples of breeds would be Golden Retriever, Labrador and German Shepherds.
Seizure dogs can be recommended to epileptics, because they are not just a big help in the everyday life, but in the end they can become a life preserver.
