Lavender's Future PSDiT

Two school age kids: “Oh look at the big white puppy!”

Their mother: “Come here, let me explain something to you. That dog is a Service Dog. Whenever you see a dog in a store like this you can’t distract it cause it’s working.”

Two kids: “What do you mean he’s working?”

Mom: “He helps that girl. You know how at school your teacher tells you to be quiet so you don’t get distracted doing your work? It’s the same thing with that dog. You can’t distract him.”

Two kids: “What does he help her with?”

Mom: “That’s her business. Your business is to not distract him so he can work.”

I often advise against looking up service dog tasks online because you will wind up teaching your dogs tasks that are perfect for other people–but not for you. Then, people inevitably say “I can’t make my own! I don’t know!” Here is a simple guide to constructing a task for a psychiatric service dog.

Note that this is not meant to encompass all psychiatric tasks, but rather to give people an idea as to how they should approach this puzzle.

Let’s start by coming up with some terms.

1. Symptom. This is the symptom that you wish to relieve. It can be sensory overload, panic, dissociation, skin picking, sadness, forgetfulness, or any other symptom that is bothering you.

2. Action. This is an action that a dog takes. It can be pawing, licking, nudging punching (forcefully nudging), barking, leaning, sitting on, bringing something, etc.

3. Tell. This is a sign that your symptom is flaring up. For example, I bounce my leg when my anxiety rises. Some common tells are hair twisting, skin picking, sighing, nail biting, hand wringing, toe tapping, a command word, and cursing. If you cannot identify your own tells, ask a friend, family member, or therapist. You’ll probably be surprised how many they can list.

4. Result. These are the end result of a task. What do you need? A Jolt like a cold or unpleasant sensation can be good for snapping out of dissociated states. A Calming or pleasant sensation can be good for soothing. Distractions can be good for pain or intrusive thoughts while a Focus can be good for sensory overload.

Now put them together.

I need my dog to [Action] when I [Tell] so that I have [Result] to relieve [Symptom].

Example: I need my dog to [bring my medication] when I [start to cry] so that I have [medication] to relieve [depression].

Example: I need my dog to [lick my ear] when I [stop moving] so that I have [a starling sensation to bring me back to myself] to relieve [dissociation].

It can even be helpful to do this exercise backwards. Identify the problem (ex “scarring”). Decide what you need (ex. “I need to know”), your tell (ex. “When I pick my skin.”) and then finally decide what your dog can do about it (ex. “My dog can nudge me”).

In order to have a service dog, you must be legally disabled. Disabilities can be visible (blind, wheelchair-bound, you need a cane to walk, etc) or invisible (anxiety, depression, hearing impaired, chronic pain, seizure disorders, allergies, etc, etc). A disability is defined as a condition which substantially limits or prevents one or more major life activities. Major life activities as defined by the ADA include, but are not limited to, caring for oneself, performing manual tasks, seeing, hearing, eating, sleeping, walking, standing, lifting, bending, speaking, breathing, learning, reading, concentrating, thinking, communicating, and working. If your doctor can attest to this, then you qualify for a service dog. If not, I’m sorry, you do NOT qualify and should not get a service dog.

The next step to obtaining a service dog is to talk to your doctor and get his approval. If you are going through a program, your doctor will most likely have to write a recommendation for you stating why you need a service dog. This is not needed if you are owner training, but it is needed if you plan to attend private schools/universities with your service dog or live in non pet friendly housing. Once you and your doctor are on the same page about you getting a service dog, you need to think about what the service dog would be trained to do. Think about what you cannot do for yourself, or all the ways that your disability limits your life. Once you have that list, next to each item write a task that a service dog could be trained to help. For example, if you have a seizure disorder, a service dog can be trained to alert you to oncoming seizures so you have time to make it to a safe place or take medication. If you have an anxiety disorder a service dog can be trained to alert to oncoming panic attacks, provide tactile stimuli for grounding, guide you out of a certain location, etc. The possibilities are endless! Be creative, but also be realistic.

Once you have your list of tasks down, it’s time to start searching for a dog! If you have never owned a service dog before, or do not have EXTENSIVE dog training knowledge/experience, then I highly recommend going through a program. Programs typically have a 1-3 year wait list, and prices range from $7,000-30,000 depending on the program and the tasks you need to be trained. If however, you feel confident that you can train your own service dog, then you can explore the option of owner training. Even owner training requires help though. It is always best to enroll in obedience classes and work with a professional service dog trainer. Keep in mind though that the cost to buy, train, and care for your service dog prospect will usually equate to the same (or sometimes more!) as purchasing a program trained dog. Seeing as it takes 2-3 years minimum to fully train a service dog, the wait time will also be the same or more as a program dog. The only difference is the heartache involved. VERY few dogs have what it takes to be a service dog. It’s always best to prepare for one or more washout candidates before you end up with “the one.” What are you going to do with the dog(s) that couldn’t make it through training and have had to be washed out from service work? Can you keep them? Will you have to rehome them? If so, where would they go?

Please note that I am NOT trying to discourage anyone from owner training, I’m just trying to state the facts and help you in whatever path you decide to take. Faith was owner trained on my first attempt, but I was very lucky. Several service dog handlers can attest to this. I know more handlers than not that were not so lucky and have ended up with multiple washout candidates that have had to be re-homed, surrendered to the shelter, or kept. 

Besides it being a major breach of privacy you don’t always in what it does to the handler. I have a lot of issues with paranoia and that can sometimes be a problem in public.

Just the other day my friend and I were walking through the mall and I turn around to be surprised by a girl taking a picture of me 10 feet away. I speed walked a little ways off and had a panic attack while my dog gave me dpt to try and calm me down. Now I know this girl didn’t mean to freak me out like that but you should NEVER assume someone will be okay with you taking their picture. Especially someone with a disability that you know nothing about.