Anxiety is a mental health condition that impacts millions of Americans across the country. Unfortunately, anxiety doesn’t usually show up alone, either, because depression, loneliness, and other mental health problems may come with anxiety. While medications and therapy are great methods for treating anxiety, sometimes, a service dog can be the icing on the cake for an anxiety treatment program.
That said, service dogs need a lot of training, and if you plan on training your own dog, it helps to understand the process. The good news is that this guide covers how to train a service dog for anxiety.
What Is a Service Dog for Anxiety?
A service dog for anxiety is a unique type of psychiatric service animal, which is a service animal that’s trained to help someone who’s struggling with mental health disabilities. Unlike physical service dogs, these service dogs are trained to help people remain calm, prevent panic attacks, and even to find help for people.
What makes a service dog special, compared to other pets, is the fact that they have protections from the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Fair Housing Act (FHA), and the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA). This ensures that service dogs can accompany you in public, on airlines, and in your home, even if it’s not pet-friendly.
How to Train a Service Dog for Anxiety: Our Five Expert Tips
Training a service dog for anxiety isn’t as simple as training a dog to behave in your home. You need to ensure that your dog is well-behaved in public, doesn’t bother people, and much more.
The good news is that it’s still possible to train a service dog for anxiety yourself, and we take you through some tips below.
1. Identify Your Training Need
First and foremost, it’s important to identify your training needs. If you need a dog that escorts you to safety or to find help, for example, this should be the foundation of your training program.
Once you’ve identified this need, you can come up with a plan to ensure that your service dog for anxiety is up to the challenge.
2. Choosing Between Service Dog Tasks
Next, it’s time to choose between the tasks that your service dog will help with. An example of this is choosing between alert and response tasks, or both. Response tasks include things like standing at your feet when you’re having a panic attack or providing deep pressure therapy.
Alert tasks, on the other hand, include making a hand signal when your anxiety is rising. This helps your dog learn more about your preferences and how to interact with you.
3. Socialize Your Service Dog for Anxiety
Next, it’s time for socialization. Make sure you socialize your dog to ensure that they don’t bark at everyone who passes by. This can be done by ensuring that your service dog is around people early and often, especially during their puppy years.
You’ll also want to form a bond with your dog, focus on basic obedience, and even teach them some basic commands, like “Sit” and “Stay.”
4. Practice Makes Perfect
To ensure that your dog is ready, you’ll want to test their abilities in public parks, around other dogs, and around other people in public.
Ultimately, your service dog for anxiety needs to be able to focus on you, regardless of external stimuli.
5. Consult with a Professional
Last but not least, don’t forget to consult with a professional. Training a dog is difficult, especially when it comes to a service dog, so there’s no harm in consulting with a professional.
This doesn’t mean you have to pay them the entire time or only work with them, but sometimes bringing them in is a good idea.
Our Final Thoughts on How to Train a Service Dog for Anxiety
Training a service dog for anxiety has never been easier. With plenty of online resources, you should be able to train them yourself, and with ease. That said, don’t be afraid to ask for a little help, especially if you don’t know how to train a service dog. Sometimes, working with a professional is worth the time and money, especially when it comes down to your health and wellness.
At the end of the day, if you follow the steps we outlined in this guide, you shouldn’t have any issues learning how to train a service dog for anxiety.
