Psychiatric
service dogs are dogs that are trained to assist people with
psychiatric disabilities, like major depression, bipolar disorder,
post-traumatic stress disorder and schizophrenia. Not all people with
mental illnesses such as these are disabled by their conditions, of
course. To qualify for a service dog, you must be disabled by your
psychiatric illness.
Psychiatric
service dogs are trained to perform specific tasks for disabled
people; for instance, they might bring medication to someone
suffering an anxiety attack or wake someone with post-traumatic
stress disorder from a nightmare. Simply providing comfort is not
considered a trained task and does not make a dog a service dog.
If
you think you might benefit from a psychiatric service dog, discuss
it with your treatment providers, such as your psychiatrist and
therapist.
Psychiatric
Service Dog Programs
Unless
you have extensive experience training dogs, including working dogs,
your best bet is to find a psychiatric service dog program and apply
for a fully trained service dog. When you get a service dog from a
reputable program, you get a dog that is well-trained and that has
also been screened for potential health issues that might affect his
ability to work. You should also receive training in how to work with
your dog and have access to a trainer in the future for advice or
assistance when needed.
Most
service dog program charge a fee for trained service dogs, which can
range from $1,000 to $10,000 or even more, but they often have
scholarships that cover part of the cost for low-income applicants
and they usually provide assistance with fundraising, so a service
dog may be more affordable than you think. A program dog usually ends
up being less expensive than training your own dog in the end.
Unfortunately,
there is more demand for psychiatric service dogs than there are
program-trained dogs available currently. You may have trouble
finding a program in your area that trains dogs for the sort of tasks
you need a service dog to do for you. Consider traveling to another
area of the country if necessary to get a service dog. Most programs
have one to two year waiting lists, but keep in mind the fact that it
would take that long to train a service dog yourself, too, and if you
train your own dog, there is no guarantee the dog will work out in
the end.
Psychiatric
service dog programs all have their own policies and procedures, but
typically they will require you to complete an application, to
provide documentation from your doctor verifying that you are in fact
disabled and could benefit from a psychiatric service dog, to provide
reference letters from people that know you verifying that you will
provide a good home and care for a dog, and to attend a face-to-face
interview. Most programs provide a period of training, sometimes done
in a group format, in which recipients of their service dogs learn to
work with their dogs.
Training
Your Own Psychiatric Service Dog
If
you have experience training dogs and you want to try to train your
own service dog, you must start by finding an appropriate dog to
train. An animal behaviorist or a professional dog trainer, one with
experience training service dogs, can help you select an appropriate
dog.
It
takes about 18 months to train a service dog. Your dog will first
need to be trained in basic obedience. Then he’ll need to learn to
obey even in very distracting circumstances. In order to be allowed
to take your service dog into public places with you, like grocery
stores and restaurants, he’ll need to learn to heel closely, not to
sniff people or objects, not to attempt to get to food or to eat food
even if it’s dropped on the floor in front of him, and to ignore
distractions like people calling him or attempting to pet him.
Finally, he’ll need to be trained to perform specific tasks that
mitigate your disability. For best results, work closely with a
professional trainer during the training process.
Can
Your Pet Become a Psychiatric Service Dog?
Your
pet dog might be able to become a psychiatric service dog, but it’s
unlikely. Most dogs simply do not have the temperament to be good
service dogs. You can have your dog evaluated by an experienced
professional trainer to see if he might have the right temperament.
If he does, he’ll need about 18 months of training in order to
become a service dog.
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