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Psychiatric

Deep Pressure Therapy (DPT) I

Prerequisite: None
Time: 1.5 weeks

Disability: GAD, Panic disorders, PTSD, depression/anxiety, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

Canine: Small-Med (10-65lbs)

DPT I is a service which can be trained for anyone with emotional regulation challenges.  The dog is trained to lay on the handlers lap for an extended period of time (up to 10 minutes) as a means to help the handler regulate their emotional state.  The command word we use for this is "Happy".  This essentially produces the same biological response a long comforting hug would give.

DPT II †

Prerequisite: DPT I
Time: 2.5 weeks (total 4)

Disability: Same as DPT I + fainting disorders, Seizures

Canine: Medium (35-67 lbs)

DPT II is a service which can be trained for anyone with severe emotional regulation challenges.  Like DPT I the dog is trained to lay on the handle, but with full body contact.  This is a much-exaggerated version of DPT I and can also be used in fainting disorders or in some seizure situations.

Tasking I

Prerequisite: None
Time: 1 week

Disability: GAD, Panic disorders, PTSD, Depression/Anxiety, ASD

Canine: Any

Tasking I is a service which can be trained for anyone with visual cues to a deteriorating mental state.  The dog is trained to interrupt a handler by pawing in response to a specific visual cue or repetitive behavior.

Tasking II †

Prerequisite: Tasking I
Time: 2 weeks (total 3)

Disability: Same as Tasking I + Dissociative disorders

Canine: Any

Tasking II is a service which can be trained for anyone with a non-visual precursor to an episode.  The dog is trained to interrupt a handler by pawing in response to non-visual cue(s).  These can include but are not limited to: dissociation, breathing patterns, heart rate variations.

Block

Prerequisite: None
Time: 1.5 weeks

Disability: Panic disorders, PTSD (assault), Extreme social anxiety

Canine: Medium-Large (35-120lbs)

Block is a service which can be trained for anyone with disorders requiring social barrier.  The dog is trained to lay down behind the handler or directly in-front of the handler to put an additional barrier between themselves and others.  Larger "ugly" dogs tend to enforce a proximity boundary better than small "cute" dogs.

DPT I
Tasking I
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