Our PTSD Service Dogs

Training such a highly specialized service dog takes time. So we start early. Our service dogs begin their training as early as 8 weeks old. We say full Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) training takes 18 months, but really that depends on the dog and its veteran partner.

But until our dogs meet their new life partner, they live with our professional trainers. They learn far more than basic obedience. By the time our PTSD service dogs meet their veteran partner, they are already completely trained with anxiety alerts. And they’ve learned other tasks, such as turning on lights, opening and closing doors and drawers and retrieving dropped objects. Ultimately, the service dogs will assist their veteran partners not just with anxiety alerts, but also with the whole healing process, providing constant companionship that supports the journey to recovery.

Our PTSD service dogs help assist veterans:

  • Re-integrate and socialize
  • Recognize early symptoms of anxiety or emotional distress
  • Interrupt nightmares
  • Increase confidence and a sense of belonging to civilian society
  • Assume leadership responsibilities
  • With mobility issues, including bracing and stabilization