Lady has been a diabetic for almost seven years now and I have been testing her myself for almost that long. Keeping her blood glucose so tightly under control is the reason why she is still doing so well at age thirteen. Even her opthamologist is amazed that her eyesight is still perfect since most diabetic dogs go blind.
The lip stick method is the best. Here is a great how to:
Pets with Diabetes: Lip Prick Home BG Testing
It looks terrible, but it really is very easy to do. I have always made it a very happy, positive thing with a treat afterwards so Lady is great about getting her blood glucose checked. She comes happily when I tell her it's time to "check her sugar". In fact, she usually comes when she hears me unzip the case to her meter.
Normal bg is 80-120, but you really don't want to let them get that low on insulin as it is too dangerous. My vet said between 100-200 is ideal. I try to keep it below 175 pre meal.
Please feel free to pm me if you have any questions or just want moral support. You can learn to home test, I promise.