How bad does your anxiety have to be to get a service dog? A Comprehensive Guide

Specific Tasks Service Dogs Can Perform to Support Their Owner

The various types of anxiety disorders carry with them many similarities between them but also some distinct differences in how they arise and affect the afflicted handler.

We have several articles on our website’s blog page to help gain greater understanding about the lengths service dogs can go towards improving your well being. Here’s a particularly good one.

Here are just some of the many ways that a PSD can help their owner:

Ease Claustrophobia – in crowded situations or tight quarters, a psychiatric service dog (PSD) increases the size of your personal bubble by standing between their owner and others. Also, a trained service dog can sense its owner’s subtle signalling of a triggering event and knows to immediately lead the owner to a more spacious area.

Assess Any Threats – For some, just turning a corner and seeing an area full of people can trigger an anxiety reaction; requiring the instant assistance of a service dog. Certified service dogs will enter those types of spaces before the owner and carry out a room search efficiently and completely.

Therapeutic and Tactile Distraction – Tactile stimulation and pressure therapy can help ground a person and offer a therapeutic distraction from anxiety, depression, or a pending panic attack from PTSD. Therapy dogs can be trained to place pressure on their handler’s chest or lap to encourage emotional regulation and bring calm to a situation.

Medical Assistance or Reminder – A psychiatric service dog can remind their handler when it’s time for medication and continue to pester them until they take their drugs. If an individual cannot retrieve the medication due to nausea or lethargy, they can train their service dog to fetch it for them, along with a bottle of water.

Retrieve Help – Individuals who suffer from certain psychiatric disabilities can find themselves in situations where crippling fears and escalating symptoms could necessitate medical assistance. This is sometimes seen in those with PTSD or anxiety disorders. Service dog handlers can signal to their service dog that they need to fetch help.

Service dogs and therapy dogs, of the appropriate, desired breed, require training to hone their natural gifts, to best serve their owners during all points of their lives. Thankfully, there are a few options when it comes to training a service animal or service animals.

Self Training – The ADA and DOT provide specific guidelines for those in need of a service dog, allowing owners to train the service animal themselves. However, many who require the services of a PSD understandably may not have the time, energy, or desire to research training methods and best practices specific to PSDs in order to best teach their new assistance animal.

Adopt from a Service Animal Organization – This option removes the burden of the training of service animals from the owner and places it in the capable hands of certified service dog trainers. The only downside is the cost, which can reach upwards of $30,000.

Working with a Professional Dog Trainer – The downsides of the above two options are non-existent when the therapy dog is allowed to train with both the owner and a licensed professional simultaneously. Which is why this option is the most popular route taken. Both you and your anxiety service dog will be learning the distinct roles, best practices and how to manage your anxiety together; at all times.

Standards and Training for Service Dogs

As stated above, service dogs must meet certain criteria to qualify. A registered service dog will need to meet the following criteria:

Service dogs must be well-tempered. This means that they are not quick to anger, and do not get stressed out easily. They should enjoy being touched, and not react aggressively if a patient mishandles them. While some of these behaviors can be trained, dogs will need to be inherently calm to some degree.

Service dogs should not shed excessively. Shedding can be a major problem for people with allergies, and it creates an extra mess that owners would need to clean up. Service dogs exist to brighten people’s day, not cause more problems.

Service dogs MUST be social and friendly. This is perhaps the most important requirement, as they will need to cheer people up when they need it the most. However, dogs that are overly energetic can be too rough with certain individuals (especially the elderly), so service dogs must be social, but not overly-enthusiastic.

Service dogs will need to adapt to various environments. Sometimes they may need to provide support while there is a lot of noise going on, and other times they may need to help patients in cramped living spaces. In any case, they will need to be comfortable, no matter the setting. A dog that is uncomfortable might become shy or even aggressive, which could cause unnecessary harm to their owners.

However, these are not the only criteria that service animals must meet. Once it is determined that a given animal checks all the boxes listed above, they will need to undergo training.

What Breeds Are Best for Service Dog Work?

Technically, any breed be a service dog for anxiety, as long as they personally have the right temperament and physical traits to perform whatever tasks you need. For instance, if you need a dog who is able to guide you out of a crowded building, you’ll want one that is independent enough to find their own way, and large enough to pull you out if needed.

For a deeper dive into the best breeds for anxiety service dog work, you can check out our detailed guide.

How to Get a Service Dog for Anxiety or Depression And How Much It Costs

For a person living with anxiety or depression, even the most trivial tasks can feel exhausting. To deal with their mental illness, some take medication or schedule consistent therapy sessions. But it’s not widely known that anyone with diagnosed anxiety or depression also qualifies for a psychiatric service dog.What is a psychiatric service dog?

A psychiatric service dog is a dog that assists a person with a mental illness with their everyday activities. According to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), these dogs perform tasks for their handlers which relate directly to the disability. These dogs typically accompany their handler both inside and outside of their homes and will spend the majority, if not all day, assisting, alerting, and supporting.

Having a service dog does come with some dismay from other individuals who may not understand the handler’s needs. Thus, some handlers decide to also register their Service Dog in order to make the dog’s purpose more transparent. Who qualifies for a psychiatric service dog?

Potential handlers must undergo a psychiatric evaluation from a healthcare professional. This may be a: PhysicianNurse practitionerLicensed social workerPsychologistPsychiatrist

The professional will discuss the mental experiences and evaluate the particular symptoms. They will provide a diagnosis that is most closely related to what their patient is experiencing.

The most common mental illnesses that service dogs can assist with are:

In order to get a psychiatric service dog for anxiety or depression, these steps need to be taken:1. Get an official diagnosis.

To comply with the ADA, each individual with a disability needs to have a recorded diagnosis from a healthcare professional. Make an appointment with your general practitioner to discuss your symptoms. Your general practitioner may be able to diagnose you, or they may refer you to a mental health professional. If you already see a mental health professional, obtain written proof of your diagnosis and keep it for your records. Common symptoms of anxiety and depression include:Feelings of helplessnessLoss of appetiteLoss of interest in daily activitiesStressing or obsessing that is out of proportion to the actual eventFeeling nervousIncreased heart rateTrouble concentrating 2. Obtain your new service dog.

The ADA doesn’t have requirements for where you get your dog. You may purchase a dog from a breeder, from a site that trains service dogs, or you could rescue one from your local shelter.

When selecting a dog, be sure to look for one that has the temperament needed to be a service dog. They must be calm, patient, eager to please, a fast learner, determined, and have no history of aggression. Without these particular traits, your dog may struggle and become distressed and unhappy. 3. Train your service dog to complete tasks relevant to your particular symptoms.

The ADA requires that all service dogs must be trained to perform tasks that will assist you directly with your mental illness. Service dogs for anxiety and depression may complete the following tasks:Detecting panic attacks before they happenProviding grounding and physical stimulation during panic attacks Fetching medication and water Accompanying their handler outside Fetching a phone during emergencies

In addition to being task trained, service dogs must also pass a Public Access Test in order to demonstrate the necessary skills for any public setting they may be faced with. Start your new life

A person with anxiety, depression, or any other mental illness could greatly benefit from a service dog. These dogs can help individuals navigate through their day-to-day lives, and provide the extra support needed for them to feel more comfortable. With the support of a psychiatric service dog, a person has the potential to live a happier, more fulfilled life.