How to Train a Psychiatric Service Dog

Helping your dog learn via gradual desensitization, counterconditioning techniques, management of her exposure to stressors, and confidence-building exercises can be of great help.

Encouraging your dog to learn by using scent work to improve her mental and physical state is a way of utilizing her sense of smell to encourage her to perform tasks that enrich her life and help her overcome any emotional issues she may have.

Find what motivates your dog and use this while teaching.

The physiological impact of stress on dogs can be significant, so it’s critical to stay attuned to your dog’s emotional responses and prevent any seemingly harmless quirks from developing into potentially damaging obsessions or anxieties.