A Guide to Tasks for PTSD Service Dogs and Their Care

Having a PTSD service dog can be a game-changer for individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder. These specially trained dogs can provide emotional support, comfort, and assistance with daily tasks.

A PTSD service dog's primary role is to help their handler manage symptoms of PTSD, such as anxiety, flashbacks, and hypervigilance. They can also provide a sense of security and calm in public spaces.

PTSD service dogs can be trained to perform a variety of tasks to help their handlers, including interrupting flashbacks, providing physical support, and reminding their handler to take medication.

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Some medications must be taken with food, and Psychiatric Service Dogs can help with this by retrieving a snack for their handler. Handlers might need reminders to eat, so their Service Dog can retrieve a snack from a snack box or basket located where they can easily access it and bring it back to their handler.

Retrieving a beverage can also help with medication adherence, as many medications cause dry mouth or increase levels of dehydration.

Here are some ways a Psychiatric Service Dog can assist with medication:

By performing these tasks, Psychiatric Service Dogs can help their handlers manage their symptoms and stay on top of their medication regimen.

In a crisis, a service dog can be a lifeline, and one crucial task they can learn is to retrieve a portable phone. This enables the handler to contact a doctor, therapist, or others in a support system when experiencing alarming medication side effects, terror, or respiratory distress from a panic attack, or a flashback.

The emergency phone should be located in a room with two entrances, and the charger unit should be placed on the floor to make it easy for the dog to retrieve. This is especially important if the phone is left on a counter or piece of furniture above the dog's line of sight.

A service dog trained to bring the handler a portable phone can be a game-changer in a crisis. The goal is to train the dog to bring the phone to any room in the house when needed on command.

Here are some key considerations for training a service dog to retrieve a portable phone:

A Psychiatric Service Dog can provide assistance and support to their handler in various ways. They can intervene during crisis situations to help calm and stabilize their handler.

Some common tasks that PSDs perform to assist their handler include providing tactile grounding and deep pressure therapy during episodes of anxiety or panic. They can also retrieve medication, bring a cell phone, or bring a crisis kit with items for grounding and comfort.

A Psychiatric Service Dog can be trained to perform tasks such as guiding their handler to an exit, crowd control, or blocking approaching people. They can also be trained to watch their handler's back or interrupt crying, dissociating, and freezing behaviors.

Here are some tasks that PSDs can perform to assist their handler:

In such cases, hand signals can be taught to enable the team to communicate. These tasks can be useful at other times too.

A dog can be trained to nudge a certain household member on command in a crisis, providing assistance. This task can be a lifesaver in an emergency situation.

A dog can also be taught to carry a note to a spouse or another household member on command, helping to convey important information. This can be especially helpful if the patient is unable to speak.

To facilitate this, dogs should learn to open interior doors with a lever handle and strap or knob-to-lever conversion device, allowing them to exit a room to carry out a "get help" task.

Here are some examples of tasks a dog can be trained to perform:

Mental health conditions can have a significant impact on daily life, making everyday tasks a challenge. A Psychiatric Service Dog can be trained to assist with various tasks.

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A Psychiatric Service Dog can be trained to wake its handler up in the morning by licking, nuzzling, and engaging them. This is especially helpful for people who struggle with sleep patterns or habits due to their mental health condition.

Some Psychiatric Service Dog tasks include noise alerts, similar to those performed by Hearing Dogs. They can be taught to alert their handler to smoke alarms, a crying baby, the phone ringing, or other important sounds. Even if the handler is sleeping or heavily sedated, the dog can be taught to persist in the alert until the handler responds appropriately.

Psychiatric Service Dogs can also be trained to guide their handler to a safe place or exit, providing a sense of security in overwhelming situations. They can be taught to lead their handler around obstacles, such as low-hanging items or ground hazards.

Common Psychiatric Service Dog tasks include:

These tasks can help alleviate symptoms of mental health conditions, such as PTSD, Panic Disorder, and Depression. By providing assistance and support, Psychiatric Service Dogs can help their handlers navigate everyday challenges and improve their overall quality of life.

Emotional support and calming are crucial aspects of a PTSD service dog's tasks. A service dog can be trained to provide deep pressure therapy during a panic attack, which can shorten the duration of the attack and prevent symptoms from escalating.

This technique, also known as "deep pressure therapy", can be performed by having a medium-sized dog lie atop the handler or by having a large dog drape its body weight across the handler's abdomen. The weight and warmth of the dog can be calming and reassuring.

A dog can be trained to provide deep pressure therapy in various locations, including a vehicle's front seat or on the ground, as long as the dog's entire body is supported. The dog must be trained to promptly get off the person on command.

In addition to deep pressure therapy, a service dog can be trained to nudge the handler during freezing behavior, such as in fear paralysis or dissociative episodes. This can help the handler break the spell and resume movement.

Deep pressure therapy is a calming technique that involves the weight and warmth of a dog's body. This can be especially helpful during panic attacks.

A medium-sized dog or a large dog lying on top of someone can provide a significant calming effect. This is because the pressure of the dog's weight on the person's abdomen and chest can help shorten the duration of the attack and prevent symptoms from escalating.

In fact, service dogs have been trained to provide this type of deep pressure therapy to help children and adults with autism and prone to panic attacks. One way they do this is by lying atop the person, with their forepaws over the shoulders.

A large dog, however, may be too heavy for this position, and some dogs may not like it either. An alternative is to have the dog approach the person from the side and stand on their hind legs, draping their body weight across the person's abdomen.

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This "Lap Up" command can be trained to last up to five minutes, and can be adapted to any chair, couch, or bench seat the person sits on. The dog should be given a rest break for at least a minute before repeating this task.

The weight and warmth of a dog lying across the person's lap can also be used in a vehicle or on the ground, as long as the dog's entire body is supported.

A service dog can be trained to perform specific tasks to assist with emotionally disabling symptoms, such as providing a calm and stable presence.

These tasks can help prevent feelings of panic from escalating and empower the individual to do something constructive about unwelcome emotional reactions.

Dogs who initially show avoidance behavior can often be desensitized to emotional reactions if highly food motivated and then learn a task.

Tasks like this can be practiced on a regular basis to help the individual cope with emotional overload.

Here are some strategies a service dog can be trained to perform:

• Nudge the handler during freezing behavior to rouse them from a dissociative state or fear paralysis

• Respond with nudging and/or pawing whenever they hear the beeping from a wristwatch with an alarm clock function

• Provide deep pressure therapy during a panic attack by lying atop the partner or standing on their hind legs and draping their body weight across their abdomen

These tasks can be adapted to the individual's specific needs and preferences, and can be performed in a variety of settings, such as at home, in the workplace, or in public.

By training a service dog to perform these tasks, individuals can gain a sense of control and empowerment over their emotions, and develop more effective coping strategies.

A Psychiatric Service Dog can be trained to respond to a smoke alarm if their partner is unresponsive, helping to prevent accidents and save lives.

Someone with dissociative episodes may be an excellent candidate for this training, as they can learn to respond to the sound by nudging their partner persistently until they're aware enough to reward the dog and dial 911.

A Service Dog can also be trained to respond to a smoke alarm like a hearing dog, jumping on the bed and licking their partner's face until they wake up and give the dog a reward.

In situations where a partner is sedated or unresponsive, a Service Dog can be trained to lead them to whoever is calling for help.

A Psychiatric Service Dog can be trained to perform various tasks to ensure their handler's safety, such as responding to a smoke alarm, leading their partner to safety, or even alerting others to a crisis situation.

Here are some specific tasks a Psychiatric Service Dog can be trained to perform:

By performing these tasks, a Psychiatric Service Dog can provide their handler with a sense of security and safety, helping them to feel more confident and independent.