Service Dog Final Paper

AN INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHIATRIC SERVICE DOGS Glebavicius 1
An Introduction to Psychiatric Service Dogs
Cassandra Glebavicius
University of Alaska Fairbanks

Abstract
Service dogs have been present in society for years to include guide dogs assisting the blind, or
service dogs to help the physically disabled to achieve increased mobility. The emergence of
new psychiatric disorders and the acceptance of these disorders have introduced the use of
service dogs to aid those with psychological disorders. These are psychiatric service dogs, and
are becoming increasingly present in modern day society. Psychiatric service dogs are beneficial
in many aspects to their handlers such as through regulating hormones, promoting socialization,
or alerting to episodes of psychological stress. There is an increased stigma regarding service
dogs in society, additionally so in response to psychiatric service dogs. This paper ventures to
provide an introduction to service dogs and the assistance they provide to their handlers, and to
advocate for educating the public on discrimination in society toward service dogs.

Introduction: What is a Service Dog
ADA. The Americans with Disabilities Act is the main determinant of an animal to qualify as a
service animal. The law defines “service animal” as “any dog that is individually trained to do
work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical,
sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability” (“Rules address use of”, 2011).
Many individuals are familiar with service dogs as guide dogs, but there are many different
service dogs for different disabilities both physical and psychological. The ADA does not require
the training of the service dog to be done by a professional trainer, nor does it require any
documentation of the dog’s training. This means it is not necessary to have one’s service dog
certified or registered by any organization, though it may be beneficial in some given
circumstances. To determine if a dog is ready to serve a disabled individual there are many
organizations one could go to for guidance. There are also tests given to service dogs in
organizations to judge accessibility. Popular ones include the Canine Good Citizen and the
Public Access tests for service dogs. Additionally, there are also behavior standards written into
the ADA for public access. The dog is expected to behave in a mild manner and to quietly
remain in its working position to gain public access. The dog should not display any signs of
aggression or create a disturbance to others (“Rules address use of”, 2011).
Disposition. Disposition can potentially be another important aspect in picking or training a
service dog. Some breeds may be better for specific disabilities than others (Fritz, 2011). As an
example, breeds with high energy may not be great candidates for service dogs because handlers
may find it difficult to train a high energy breed to be calm and focused for an extensive period
of time. Additionally, small breeds may not make for good mobility assistance dogs in case the
dog is not able to balance with the majority of their handler’s weight upon them. Ideally, the

service dog’s disposition should be “calm, well socialized, people-focused, and eager to please”
(Fritz, 2011). Some breeds may work better for certain disabilities, but any breed of dog of any
size can be a service dog, so one should not make assumptions.
Types of assistance dogs. The definition given now clarifies what qualifies as a service dog, but
there are also other types of assistance animals that don’t necessarily qualify as service dogs, and
psychiatric service dogs which differ from other service dogs for physical disorders. Service
dogs provide a variety of tasks, and some dogs do not clearly fit into the category of service dog,
and not all are granted similar rights. A service dog is one that is individually trained to perform
tasks for a specific disability and is protected under the ADA which means they have public
access rights into most locations. A psychiatric service dog is a service dog but differs in that it
may also be trained to perform “work” for the handler. Work is a practice of the dog that is
intuitive in that it must understand their handler’s hormones and mood at a given time and thus
must have a baseline of their handler’s mood on average. A type of work provided by a
psychiatric service dog is alerting its handler to psychological episodes (anxiety attacks,
disassociation, flashbacks, etc.), this is not something service dogs for physical disabilities
usually perform, but both have the same rights under the ADA. Therapy dogs are trained to
provide comfort to others who may be in need of affection or interaction, and are not granted any
of the privileges of service dogs. An example of an application for therapy dogs would be trained
dogs visiting hospitals, nursing homes, or schools to comfort people such as college students
during finals week. Lastly, emotional support animals (ESA) provide comfort to an individual
with a disability by being present. These dogs are not individually trained to perform work or
tasks like a service dog. They are granted some of the same rights though, such as being allowed
in all housing, and in airplane cabins but with documentation. They are not entitled to enter

businesses or public places where animals would otherwise be prohibited. One may understand
how such assistance dogs differ from one’s pet, which may be trained in obedience only and
lacks the privileges granted to assistance animals (Coile, 2012).
Service Dog Uses
Service dogs can be used for many different physical and psychological disabilities and
in various situations. Mental health professionals are increasingly using the help of service dogs
when communicating with children (Fritz, 2011). In 1969, Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT)
advocate Boris Levinson reported that children were better equipped to communicate effectively
and express their feelings with a therapy dog in psychotherapy sessions (Roux & Kemp, 2009). It
was also found that “negative behavior patterns or tantrums may be interrupted with the
appearance of a dog” in children (Fritz, 2011). Research has shown that children with learning
disabilities are sometimes more comfortable reading to a dog than an individual (Fritz, 2011).
Service dogs can also be used for many other individuals with disabilities ranging from
children and adults with Autism, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Anxiety, Depression,
and more. Service dogs can be especially useful for these disorders in alerting to disturbing
psychological episodes such as flashbacks, rumination, anxiety attacks, or disassociation to list a
few (Roux & Kemp, 2009). Upon returning from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, 40 percent of
veterans treated at health centers in America were diagnosed with PTSD, depression, or other
mental health disabilities. Service dogs are becoming increasingly popular in the military for use
with soldiers and veterans who suffer from psychological disorders such as PTSD (Yount et. all,
2012; Hemmerly-Brown, 2011). Research findings suggest that training service dogs decreases
symptoms of PTSD in soldier trainers. There are many possibilities that explain the benefits of

service dogs for PTSD victims, one being that “mastering the skills and patience required to train
a service dog helps the [soldier] trainers to regain control of their emotions, focus their attention,
and improve their social competence and overall sense of wellbeing” (Yount et. all, 2012).
Clinical observations and participant testimonials from Yount et. all’s study also concluded that
veterans and service members who trained service dogs exhibited improvements in the following
areas: increase in patience, impulse control, and emotional regulation, improved parenting skills,
family dynamics, and ability to display affect, decrease in emotional numbness, startle responses,
stress levels, and the use of pain medications, and an increase in positive sense of purpose,
belongingness, and acceptance (P. 65).
Yount argued that the majority of combat traumatic injury is caused by humans and
therefore humans may be a trigger of PTSD symptoms and events. This being said, service dogs
then are perceived as “trustworthy and create a sense of security” (Yount et. all, 2012). This
study also found that service dogs resulted in hormonal effects that reduce symptoms of
depression and stress responses measured by cardiac reactivity, serum cortisol, oxytocin,
prolactin, dopamine, and heart rate. The soldiers also felt an enormous improvement in their
everyday lives such that their marriages and relationships improved, as did their parenting
abilities. Trainers were provided a sense of purpose in their lives when presented with the
responsibility of training and caring for a service dog. One individual stated “Learning to train
this dog taught me how to give praise and how to connect with my 3-year-old” (Hemmerly-
Brown, 2011).
An added benefit of therapy dogs and service dogs is their use to comfort individuals in
various situations. One prominent example is therapy dogs assisting stressed out college students
during finals, which is what Georgetown Law School has done for the past three years in the

hosted event “Pause for Paws” (Naseem, 2014). Naseem states, “Law schools are known as high-
stress environments, especially during exam week” and research has shown that visits from
therapy and service dogs assist in lowering these stress levels (Naseem, 2014). Interacting with
service and therapy dogs may reduce cortisol, a stress-response hormone, and increase oxytocin,
which encourages social behaviors (Naseem, 2014).
Initiating Change
Though there are numerous benefits associated with the use of service dogs and therapy
dogs, there are mixed feelings about service dogs in public. There are still many forms of
discrimination toward service dogs and their handlers in society today, which has been a
consistent problem since the introduction of psychiatric service dogs in public settings. Many
people are confused regarding the ADA laws about service animals and what constitutes a
service dog, and the result is misinformation spreading through organizations and the
mistreatment and discrimination of those with psychiatric disabilities utilizing service dogs.
Possible Solutions. To counteract this ignorance in society, people and organizations should
promote educating the public on service dog uses and criteria. Possible avenues for
understanding more about service dogs could include providing lectures to the public that
emphasize that any dog can be a service dog regardless of size or breed, the only way to know if
a dog is actually a service dog is to ask the handler, “Is this a service dog” and “What tasks does
it perform to aid a debilitating disability?”, and an individual with a service dog should be treated
no differently than someone without a disability nor should they experience discrimination. It
would be equally effective to introduce the topic of service dogs to individuals at a young age,
such as involving school age children in activities or events with exposure to therapy dogs or

working with a service dog volunteer organization to bring service dogs into schools more
regularly. An important point to discuss with younger children is service dog etiquette. Any
individual should always ask the handler before petting, talking to, or approaching a service dog.
One should not feel offended if the handler asks to not distract the service dog or state that the
dog is “working” at the moment. Individuals should be especially cautious when asking
questions regarding a handler’s service dog or disability as he or she may become anxious or
uncomfortable discussing the details of their disability with others, in which inquirers should
always respect the handler’s right to privacy. People can make a great difference in the lives of
those with disabilities by becoming educated on the matter of service dogs and not enabling
discrimination to take place in society or within one’s organization. It is helpful for people to
understand the necessity of a service dog’s presence for some disabled individuals, and the
tremendous affect it can have on an individual’s ability to interact with others and function at a
higher level.
Conclusion
Overall, service dogs can be extremely beneficial in many different situations and with
individuals of varying disorders. They are primarily dogs which are individually trained to
provide work or tasks for an individual with a specific documented disability, and must be
obedient and well-mannered to allow for public access. These dogs are very different from an
individual’s household pet. They may be trained for a variety of disorders including but not
limited to learning disabilities, Autism, Depression, Anxiety, PTSD, and other physical and
psychological disabilities. They differ from therapy dogs and emotional support animals because
they are individually trained to do tasks or work for a disability. Acceptance of service dogs in

society is extremely important, and helping the disabled population to comfortably enter
facilities with the aid of their service dog and socialize without excessive anxiety and self-
monitoring creates a positive and comfortable environment for all involved. This result can be
significantly changing and improving one’s quality of life.

References
(2011). Rules address use of psychiatric service dogs in the workplace. HR Focus.
Alers, E., & Simpson, K. (2012). Reclaiming identity through service to dogs in need. U.S. Army
Medical Department Journal, 70-74.
Coile, C. (2012). Imposter. Dog World. 42-45.
Esnayra, J., Terry, S., Edelson, V. (2012) Psychiatric service dog partnership. Exceptional
Parent.
Fritz, G. (2011). The special talents of psychiatric service dogs. Brown University Child &
Adolescent Behavior.
Hemmerly-Brown, A. (2011). Paws of healing: service dogs help soothe wounds of war.
Soldiers, 22-25.
Naseem, S. (2014). Better than a massage. Washingtonian.
Roux, C., & Kemp, R. (2009). Effect of a companion dog on depression and anxiety levels of
elderly residents in a long-term care facility. Psychogeriatrics, 23-26.
Yount, R., Olmert, M., & Lee, M. (2012). Service dog training program for treatment of
posttraumatic stress in service members. U.S. Army Medical Department Journal, 63-69.

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