PSYCHIATRIC SERVICE DOGS

These dogs are specifically trained to help people who suffer from things like depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). They’re able to sense a change in their owner when they’re about to experience negative symptoms, such as an anxiety attack or a flashback.

There are many benefits of service dogs for anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Owning a service dog can force people with depression and/or anxiety to take care of themselves and get out into the world.

There are also benefits of service dogs for veterans, who often suffer from PTSD. Psychiatric service dogs can serve as a physical barrier between their owner and other people, helping to preserve their personal space. Support dogs can also help their partners feel more confidence when entering their home. Psychiatric service dogs are the main type of service dog for PTSD.

It’s important to remember that psychiatric service dogs are different than emotional support dogs or therapy dogs. Like other service dogs, they go through extensive training and aren’t considered pets under the legal definition.

OUR PROGRAM

We have been breeding for a specific temperament for many years now and a lot of our dogs have gone on to be service dogs. About two years ago we started selecting puppies to keep for our service dog program. Those dogs are now near the end of their training and we are opening applications for them.

As puppies, they have been put through the Puppy Culture Program like all of our pups. Then they go through house training, walks on and off leash, socialization, and other basic obedience commands like sit and stay. We usually have a pretty good feel for a dog at 6 months old. This is where they continue on to the service dog training or they find their forever home.

We specialize in PTSD, Anxiety and Depression. Our trainer is a Combat Veteran and PTSD survivor. He knows well the symbiotic relationship Veterans have with dogs.

We train our dogs to perform Deep pressure therapy (DPT) or just pressure therapy. Tis involves a dog using its weight and sometimes warmth to mitigate a psychiatric symptom, often either as a calming strategy or to minimize disengagement from the world. They are trained to nudge their human to alert them of an oncoming anxiety attack. Our PTSD dogs are trained to block people with their bodies in crowded situations. This helps to give a sense of safety and space. In the last year of their training, we will be working with their new owners to train them to their needs specifically. We aim to have our dogs finished around the 3 year old mark.

We use all types of dogs for our service dogs. Although they are mostly doodles, some are dogs we have rescued. We have Aussiedoodles, Poodles, Shepadoodles, Bernedoodles, and Catahoula Mixes.