Service dogs for post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can help patients inside and outside the home with the management of their condition and the completion of tasks. They are a form of psychiatric service dog, trained specifically to provide assistance to partners with mental health problems. The exact services provided can depend on the nature of a patient’s PTSD but can include help with emotional overload, prompts to complete activities, and assistance with security concerns.
One benefit of service dogs for PTSD can be assistance with emotional overload. People with this condition can experience extreme stress in response to triggers that evoke fear and other emotions associated with trauma. The dog can remain watchful for signs of stress like shaking, rapid speech, or sweating. It can offer a tactile stimulus to distract the patient and break the cycle; this might include something like licking, pawing, or leaning on the partner to refocus attention.
The presence of a service dog can also help someone navigate unfamiliar or frightening environments. Some patients like to work with larger breeds to create an intimidating presence, which forces people to give them more personal space. While the dog is not trained for security purposes, it can help the patient feel more secure. Service dogs for PTSD can also perform tasks like house or room checks, confirming that an environment is safe for the handler.
Trainers can teach service dogs for PTSD to perform tasks like turning lights off or on, activating radios and televisions, and providing similar distractions for their handlers. Dogs can also wake their partners up if they appear to be in distress, or need to wake up to answer the door or attend an appointment. In an emergency, the dog can call for help by using a special canine phone, and can also perform tasks like leading paramedics to a handler who is unable to move. Service dogs for PTSD can also be used for bracing and stabilization if a patient feels dizzy or unsteady because of medication or emotional distress.
Service dog handlers can train their own dogs, a process which can be particularly beneficial for people with PTSD. Working with an experienced trainer, they can develop a connection with a dog while preparing it for public access and teaching it to perform specific tasks. It is also possible to partner with a dog trained by an organization. Typically the organization asks people matched with service dogs for PTSD to commit to several weeks of intensive training at the time of delivery so handlers can get familiar with their dogs.