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| Canine Good Citizen Training | Psychiatric Service Dog Training | Dog Running | Testimonials | Basic Training Options |
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The goals of Psychiatric Service Dog (PSD) training: Psychiatric Service Dogs are used for many reasons to help with a variety of mental illnesses, either from childhood, adult-onset, veterans returning home and many more psychological needs. Psychiatric Service Dogs have proved to be essential for persons disabled by severe mental illness, who wish to train a service dog to assist with the management of symptoms. The Psychiatric Service Dog Society has established valuable tools to help facilitate our community with the help of 'Dog Medicine'. You will learn to care for your dog properly, train your dog to a high standard, and operate within the laws that govern one's use of a Service Animal. If you decide to train a PSD for yourself, you will inevitably enter a new stage in your healing journey. Adding a well-trained dog to your treatment plan has shown great success with healing processes. Your ability to cope improves, because you are no longer alone in this painful journey. You have a soul mate in your dog that is ever-loyal and compassionate. STEP 1: A PSD should be trained in basic obedience (e.g., sit, stay, come, down, go, leave it, etc.). – Equivalent to STAGE 1 of Ruff 'N' Roll Dog Training STEP 2: Complete the requirements for The American Kennel Club (AKC) Canine Good Citizen – See "Canine Good Citizen Training" for program details STEP 3: Train for public access skills Common public access situations that will be covered in order to pass the Public Access Training Test through the Psychiatric Service Dog Society: - Car travel safety - Unloading from a vehicle without distractions - Unloading from a vehicle with distractions - Approaching a building - Entering a building - Moving through a store with distractions - Grocery Store - High-distraction behaviors - Mass transit - Restaurants - Bathrooms - Elevators - Escalators - Stairs - Off lead recall with distraction - Handling multiple surfaces STEP 4: Pass the Psychiatric Service Dog Society (PSDS) Public Access Test, administered by a professional Ruff 'N' Roll Certified Dog Trainer. STEP 5: Teach the dog a few disability-related tasks that include but are not limited to treat the following: - Major Depression - Bipolar (Manic phase) Panic /Anxiety - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) - Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) - Schizophrenia This may take the form of: - overt physical tasks performed by the dog on command (i.e., picking up dropped items); - work that engages the handler's cognitive behavioral skills (i.e., dog alerts to the onset of hypomania when handler has Bipolar Disorder) - work that leverages the dog's natural response to its immediate environment for the purpose of reality-testing (i.e., hallucination discernment when handler has Schizophrenia) - work that prompts the handler to engage mind/body regulatory approaches (i.e., controlled deep breathing exercises with the dog when handler has Panic Disorder) CONTACT RUFF 'N' ROLL DOG TRAINING FOR PRICING AND AVAILABILITY |