Psychiatric Service Dog Program
The Major Function of the Psychiatric Service Dog (PSD)
A psychiatric service dog (PSD) is a specially trained service animal that assists individuals with mental health conditions such as PTSD, anxiety disorders, depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. Unlike emotional support animals, PSDs perform specific tasks to help their handlers manage their conditions.
About Our Service Dog Program
We specialize in training psychiatric service dogs that provide essential support for individuals with mental health challenges. Our program focuses on tailored task training to meet each handler’s unique needs, enabling their service dog to effectively reduce psychiatric symptoms and improve daily functioning.
We adhere to proven training standards using positive reinforcement and public access training, ensuring reliability for those with PTSD, anxiety, and depression. Our dogs are trained in critical tasks such as deep pressure therapy, anxiety interruption, medication retrieval, and safety guidance, ensuring that every dog-handler team is well-prepared for a successful partnership.
Training and Certification Process
Pschiatric Service Dog Training and Testing
This is the training path for our Psychiatric Service Dogs.
– The first three weeks will be sent in the Bootcamp Training Program. We will concentrate on honing essential obedience commands, familiarizing dogs with wearing a service vest, acclimating them to diverse public settings, and laying the groundwork for their understanding of the specific tasks associated with their service roles.
We will offer three in-home training sessions after your dog completes the Bootcamp Training Program. These sessions will concentrate on perfecting task training for confident execution at home. They will be spaced at least a week apart to give you time to practice with your dog.
– Our next step involves implementing these newly acquired skills through five Public Access sessions held at various local dog-friendly locations, scheduled at least a week apart. During these sessions, we will focus on enhancing the dog’s interactions with the public in diverse environments. Specifically, we will address challenges such as food distractions, navigating elevators, managing loud noises, and performing job-related tasks in public settings.
– Testing time. The Public Access Test will be administered only twice for each dog without addressing the retraining of any failed test criteria. Test criteria will be provided to handlers well in advance of the examination. We can arrange these assessments at a time you feel you and your dog are ready; however, I strongly recommend not postponing the test for too long.
This program represents the pinnacle of our training offerings, spanning close to three months for complete mastery. Success in this endeavor requires substantial commitment from all participants. The bond between the service dog and the handler is paramount, functioning together as an integrated unit. Every moment of this experience is intertwined within this partnership. To cultivate a loyal service dog, one must equally embrace the role of a devoted handler.