Psychiatric Service Dog

A Psychiatric service dog is a dog that is trained to mitigate the symptoms of his owner and the disability they suffer from along with everyday tasks. Disabilities can include, but are not limited to: PTSD, chronic depression, anxiety disorders, and social phobia. These medical alert service dogs are trained to do specialized tasks for their handler in order to react to or prevent the symptoms of their medical disability, and to shift their focus back to a positive environment when needed.

A psychiatric service dog can be trained to do tasks such as:

• Blocking – the dog positions himself between his handler and other people by creating a buffer of space discouraging people from coming too close.

• Deep Pressure Therapy (DPT) – the dog applies his body weight against his handler in various ways such as lying across his handler’s torso or lap, which can have a calming, soothing effect when their handler is feeling overwhelmed by emotions or having a panic attack.

• Interrupting Nightmares –the dog wakes his handler when they are displaying signs of having a nightmare such as thrashing about in bed or crying.

• Anxiety & Panic Interruption – the dog can pick up on the signals his handler does when becoming anxious or when beginning to have a panic attack. Upon recognizing the trained signs, the dog interrupts the process by pawing or nudging his handler.

• Turning on lights

• Reminding a person to take their medication

• Seeking help for their handler when necessary

A Psychiatric service dog can provide his handler with a better outlook on life and can assist his handler in maneuvering through daily activities in a less stressful manner. Dogs have been shown to improve the quality of life of someone suffering with a disability not only with the tasks they perform, but also with their unwavering love and companionship.

For more in depth information on our training process, visit our Service Dog Training program page.

Pups 4 Patriots

Are you a military veteran diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and/or Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and would like a trained service dog? Bark to Basics Canine Obedience Center, LLC is very honored to be teaming up with American Humane in training service dogs for Arizona veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress (PTS) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).

American Humane’s Pups 4 Patriots program provides specially trained service dogs at no cost to qualifying military veterans. American Humane is seeking to assist Arizona veterans with a diagnosis of PTS and/or TBI due to military service who are interested in receiving a service dog to help with their symptoms; hearing, guide, or mobility dogs are not offered. This program is free to all qualifying veterans.

For more information and questions, please email infomilitaryaffairs@AmericanHumane.org or visit American Humane Pups 4 Patriots page.

For full application details and eligibility requirements, please click here: Pups 4 Patriots