The Life-Changing Benefits of Psychiatric Service Dogs

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Psychiatric service dogs (PSDs), also known as mental health service dogs, are specially trained to assist their human partners with the symptoms of disabling mental illness and neurodevelopmental disabilities. These canine superstars provide invaluable support and assistance by improving their partners’ stability, safety, and independence as they navigate daily life.

Psychiatric service dogs should not be confused with emotional support animals (ESAs), which provide comfort and companionship but are not required to undergo training and do not perform specific tasks. Emotional support animals can be of any age or species. They are not recognized as service animals under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and do not have the same legal protections as service dogs. They can, however, be admitted into "no pet" housing as a reasonable accommodation for a person with a disability under U.S. law.

Best Breeds

Any suitable dog, from the tiny chihuahua to the giant mastiff, can become a PSD. However, the four most common and popular service dog breeds include golden retrievers, Labrador retrievers, poodles, and rough or smooth-coat collies. These are favored because they are known for their agreeable temperament, intelligence, and work ethic. They also tend to be biddable, accepting human leadership and prioritizing human companionship. All these favorable traits improve a dog’s chances of completing rigorous training, then serving its handler as a legally recognized canine partner.

How PSDs Are Trained

Psychiatric service dogs undergo meticulous training to ensure they are fully prepared to support their partners. They can be professionally trained, owner-trained, or both. The evaluation and training process typically includes several stages.

• Professional evaluation of temperament and suitability. These evaluations are necessary for all potential PSD prospects. The evaluator assesses the dog’s general temperament, including his freedom from aggression, confidence in unfamiliar situations and settings, biddability, task aptitude (willingness and motivation to learn new behaviors), and physical health.
• Basic obedience. Like all service dogs, PSDs must demonstrate mastery of basic obedience skills to ensure that they will reliably follow essential commands and behave appropriately in public.
• Task training. In addition to basic obedience, PSDs receive specialized training in the particular tasks they will perform to assist their partners. For example, if a handler becomes disoriented due to PTSD flashbacks, the dog may lie across their legs or lick their hands or face to ground them in the present and distract them from the memories of a traumatic event.
• Public access training. PSDs and all service dogs are trained to navigate public spaces confidently and safely. They should be calm and relaxed in crowds. Most learn to tuck into small, unobtrusive spaces, such as under the handler’s seat, in restaurants and on public transportation. They must be patient, quiet, and mild-mannered around people and other animals.

What tasks can PSDs perform?

According to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a service dog must perform at least one task to mitigate their handler’s disability. A task is a trained behavior the dog performs in response to a specific cue. Notably, a task cannot be something almost any dog naturally does, such as providing comfort or companionship.

For example, if a person has trouble following a daily schedule due to mental illness, the dog can be trained to respond to alarms reminding them to wake up, shower, eat, or take a walk. He can deliver snacks, interrupt self-injurious behavior, and guide the handler to a safe place if they are overwhelmed during a mental health crisis. He can also alert the handler to the presence of others, seek help from others, or provide deep-pressure therapy, which one handler described as “laying under a warm, living, weighted blanket” in response to episodes of incapacitating anxiety.

How to Obtain a PSD

Two primary avenues for obtaining a PSD are receiving a trained dog through a program or self-training. Neither option is fast, and both can be expensive. Assistance Dogs International is a first stop when searching for program-trained PSDs, an alliance of programs that have established competency standards for organizations that train and place service dogs for people with sensory, physical, neurodevelopmental, and psychiatric disabilities.

Although many reputable and well-established service dog organizations exist, caution and due diligence are essential when exploring programs. Unfortunately, fraudulent organizations have been sued for placing ill or untrained dogs with disabled children and adults.

Program-trained service dogs can be costly, and a prospective handler’s health insurance is not likely to contribute to or reimburse associated expenses. Although some organizations offer sliding-scale fees or scholarships, handlers can expect to pay as much as $20,000 for an extensively trained dog that performs personalized tasks to improve the handler’s independence and daily functioning. The cost varies depending on the training organization and the complexity of the dog’s tasks. Finally, the wait for a program-trained service dog can be years-long, depending on the organization’s size and the specific tasks the handler needs.

Owner-training is another option, although it may not be faster or significantly less expensive than obtaining a program-trained dog. Handlers who have prepared their own PSDs typically spend several years and up to $15,000 on practice activities and professional consultations throughout the dog’s life. Self-training should not be undertaken lightly. It can be extraordinarily challenging for people with mental health struggles to focus on and persist with the advanced instruction needed to prepare their dog for successful tasking and public access.

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Legal Rights and Protections

Service dog teams are afforded rights and protections under the ADA. These include access to public places, including restaurants, hotels, and stores, where pet dogs are prohibited. They are entitled to accommodation in rental properties or condos with a "no pet" policy. Also, they are eligible for academic and employment accommodations that, in most cases, permit handlers to bring their PSDs to college or work.

Perspectives of a PSD User

Rebecca, from Canada, reports that she only left home once or twice a year before she received her psychiatric service dog. Recognizing the severity of her symptoms, Rebecca’s healthcare providers suggested that she might benefit from a service dog. After joining an assisted training program, she accepted the responsibility and labor of raising and training a puppy with professional support.

Eventually, she achieved greater independence and increased confidence due to working with her canine partner, who became accomplished enough to join her on excursions away from home. Her dog performs several tasks, including retrieving needed items, hyperventilation response, and interrupting nail-biting and skin-picking.

Rebecca identifies some disadvantages of working with a service dog, however. She notes that service dogs attract unwanted attention when working in public. People often intrude on her personal space and fail to respect her boundaries due to their curiosity about her dog. This can be triggering, especially when people startle her by approaching too quickly or touching her without permission.

How to Help

Rebecca’s experience is a good reminder that we should carry on with our activities when we notice a service dog team at the store, library, and other locations. Most importantly, don’t speak to the handler or attempt to draw the dog’s attention, even to offer a compliment; distractions might jeopardize them. Giving them space and privacy is the best way to demonstrate respect for the effort, expense, and courage they expend to become a team. Because service dogs are far more than furry friends, they and their handlers deserve the public’s full support and understanding.