Service Dogs for PTSD
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a very common disorder that affects about eight percent of our population at some point in their life.
Recently, organizations have been exploring the use of service animals to help lessen the symptoms of PTSD with positive results. What is PTSD, and how can service dogs be used in treating PTSD?
What is PTSD?
PTSD is a stress disorder that is usually caused by witnessing or experiencing a traumatic event. Symptoms can develop anywhere from weeks to years after the event, but the symptoms of PTSD can be debilitating.
Symptoms of PTSD can include:
- Intrusive memories
- Avoidance of the event
- Negative thoughts and feelings of hopelessness
- Physical or emotional reactions that can be destructive or self-defeating
People suffering from PTSD may have some or all of these symptoms. They may also experience these symptoms at varying levels.
While these symptoms can be minor, they can also be debilitating. This is where service dogs come in. These dogs are specially trained to help those who are suffering from PTSD.
Service Dogs for PTSD
While PTSD is a disorder that affects a person’s emotional state, they are certainly not emotional support animals (ESA). ESAs are meant to simply be with a person and provide that person comfort. They are not given any specialized training and as such do not qualify as a service dog under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
A psychiatric service dog is the kind of dog that would work with people who are suffering from PTSD. These dogs receive special training to help the individual deal with their disorder and mitigate stress-inducing situations.
Characteristics of Service Dogs
PTSD service dogs are a very special breed, or rather a mix of breeds. No one breed excels at being service dogs. Their ability to serve comes strictly from their personalities and their training. When trainers look for good service animals, they are looking for dogs who will be able to go about a normal person’s daily life without issue.
These dogs are normally very calm around other people or noisy environments. They should be able to focus on a task without being distracted by other stimuli. They should also be eager to please.
While most dogs could qualify as a service dog, it’s only the dogs who truly embody these characteristics that make it through the rigorous training to be a service dog. You’ve no doubt come across many dogs in your life that have a calm demeanor or get along exceptionally well with people and other animals. While that dog could possibly make a great service dog, they likely have not been trained to be one.
Psychiatric service dogs receive special training to learn the tasks they’ll have to accommodate. A dog trained to help those with PTSD may have to run into a room ahead of the person to turn the lights on for them. Or they may have to remind the person to take medication or break a repetitive behavior. Each dog receives specialized training to be the most helpful to its handler.
Benefits of Dogs to Treat PTSD
PTSD service dogs are meant to help their caretaker with everyday tasks and help them overcome their disorder, but it’s not a one-way street. The dog will help their caretaker get through their day, but the dog still relies on their caretaker for food and care. Because the caretaker has to also care for their dog, it creates a nurturing relationship. The person suffering from PTSD is accountable for taking care of their dog, and this obligation provides a sense of accomplishment.
Service dogs are also nonjudgmental. Service dogs do not tell their owners if they’ve done a bad job or if they said something wrong. Because dogs do not judge, many people suffering from PTSD can truly let down their guard and allow their true personality to come out. It is in this way that PTSD support dogs are not just there to complete tasks for their handler, the support dog actually assists in their handler’s recovery.