Service Dogs
July 27, 2020
Science has shown that service dogs can benefit some veterans with PTSD. But the exact role service dogs play in the day-to-day lives of veterans — and the helpfulness of the tasks they perform — is less known.
A recent study led by Purdue University’s College of Veterinary Medicine shows what trained tasks service dogs perform the most often and which ones are the most helpful to veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder. The study found that the task of disrupting episodes of anxiety ranked among the most important and most often used.
“There has been some debate on what kind of training PTSD service dogs need to be effective and how their assistance may be different than what a pet dog can provide,” said Kerri Rodriguez, a human-animal interaction graduate student and a lead author on the study. “This study suggests that veterans are, in fact, using and benefiting from the specific trained tasks, which sets these dogs apart from pet dogs or emotional support dogs.”
Rodriguez led the work with Maggie O’Haire, associate professor of human-animal interaction. Their research was published in Frontiers in Psychology. The study was done in conjunction with K9s For Warriors, with support and funding from Merrick Pet Care, and is in preparation for an ongoing large-scale clinical trial that is studying veterans with and without service dogs over an extended period of time.
The study found that, on average, the dog’s training to both alert the veteran to any increasing anxiety and providing physical contact during anxiety episodes were reported to be the most important and the most often used in a typical day. Veterans with a service dog also rated all of the service dog’s trained tasks as being “moderately” to “quite a bit” important for their PTSD.
Some trained tasks include picking up on cues veterans display when experiencing distress or anxiety and consequently nudging, pawing or licking them to encourage the veteran to focus on the dog. The service dogs also are trained to notice when veterans are experiencing anxiety at night and will actively wake up the person from nightmares.
The dogs also are trained to perform tasks in public – such as looking the opposite way in a crowded room or store to provide a sense of security for the veteran.
The study also found that trained service dog tasks were used on average 3.16 times per day, with individual tasks ranging from an average of 1.36 to 5.05 times per day.
Previous research led by Rodriguez showed that the bond between a service dog and the veteran was a significant factor in the importance of untrained behaviors. Although all trained tasks were reported to be important for veterans’ PTSD, those with a service dog actually rated the importance of untrained behaviors higher than the importance of trained tasks.
This suggests that there are some therapeutic aspects of the service dog’s companionship that are helping just as much, if not more, than the dog’s trained tasks, Rodriguez said.
“These service dogs offer valuable companionship, provide joy and happiness, and add structure and routine to veterans’ lives that are likely very important for veterans’ PTSD,” she added.
The study surveyed 216 veterans from K9s For Warriors, including 134 with a service dog and 82 on the wait list. The study complements a previous publication published last year that focused specifically on the service dogs’ training, behavior and the human-animal bond.
While service dogs were reported to help a number of specific PTSD symptoms such as having nightmares, experiencing flashbacks, or being hyper-aware in public, there were some symptoms that service dogs did not help, such as amnesia and risk-taking.
“Both this research, as well as other related studies on PTSD service dogs, suggest that service dogs are not a standalone cure for PTSD,” O’Haire said. “Rather, there appear to be specific areas of veterans’ lives that a PTSD service dog can help as a complementary intervention to other evidence-based treatments for PTSD.”
Veterans on the wait list to receive a service dog expected the service dog’s trained tasks to be more important for their PTSD and used more frequently on a daily basis than what was reported by veterans who already had a service dog.
“Veterans on the wait list may have higher expectations for a future PTSD service dog because of feelings of hope and excitement, which may not necessarily be a bad thing,” Rodriguez said. “However, it is important for mental health professionals to encourage realistic expectations to veterans who are considering getting a PTSD service dog of their own.”
The work was funded by Merrick Pet Care, Newman’s Own Foundation and the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine.
Check Out Our Store
Recent News
2025 Service & Support Dog Cards (Sneak Peak)
September 21, 2024
2025 Card Designs Have Arrived Early! ADA Members Take A Early look at our new designs. Click For More Info & Where To Purchase EarlyArtificial intelligence Service Dogs
August 13, 2024
Artificial intelligence (AI) can be used in service dogs in a variety of ways, including helping visually impaired people navigate, automating training center tasks, and monitoring a dog’s health: Navigation Researchers at the University of Glasgow and other partners have developed RoboGuide, an AI-powered robot dog that can help visually impaired people move independently and […]Dog killed, 1 injured in two bear attacks .
May 16, 2024
A man who went into the water on Long Island to rescue his service dog ended up needing to be rescued himself. It happened on Sunday night in Oyster Bay. The 34-year-old man was walking his dog when it entered the water to swim around 8:23 p.m. The dog suddenly began to struggle while swimming […]Walmart customer denied her access to service dog
March 10, 2024
Walmart customer with POTS says employees denied her access to service dog. customer can ruin everything. One Walmart shopper whose service dog alerted them to sit down on the ground due to a postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, or POTS, which is a fainting disorder, says that not only did the store’s staff attempt to deny her access […]2024 Assistance Dog ID Cards Are Here!
January 2, 2024
Hello From Assistance Dogs Of America 2024 ID Cards Are Here! Wishing all of you a Happy New Year! ADARegistry.comCyber Monday Service Dog Kits
November 16, 2023
CYBER MONDAY SPECIAL! (While Supplies Last) Complete Kits Include The ID Card Created Upon Registration, ID Card Holder, QR Coded Patch, Choice Of Vest, Extra Patch Of Choice, Bandana, Retractable Leash With ADA Logo, Tag & Registration Letter. Also All Included Is The All New Metal QR Coded Registration Card That Links Direct To Your […]Airbnb Host Canceled Over Veteran’s Service Dog
September 28, 2023
While Boston couple Lauren Laliberte and Steve Bohn were busy preparing for their Cape Cod wedding, they were looking forward to celebrating alongside Bohn’s service dog — a yellow labrador named Orion. The plan was simple: They would make the trek from Boston to the Cape, and stay in an Airbnb the nights before and after […]Make A QR Code With Your Dogs Picture & Link To Your Registration
July 6, 2023
Make A QR Code That Links To Your Dogs Registration Click Here It’s easy Click or Scan The Code & Add Your Dogs Photo Then Add Your Dogs Registration Link. Click Or Scan The CodeOver 100 Instant ID Cards!
For Owners & Dogs
Smart Cards
Complete Kits
High Quality Bandanas 
High Visibility Vests
Custom Stainless Steel Tags
Instant Registration Letters
Instant Housing Certificates
Canadian Registration Letters
