I deal primarily with pet dog training and behavior, but also get TONS of questions about service dogs, including dogs for helping people deal with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). So I was immediately drawn to this new Hal Herzog Psychology Today write-up of a recent PTSD service dog study with more than 100 Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans.
Let’s break down the key points and I’ll also add my own thoughts where applicable.
Importance of PTSD psychiatric service dogs
Some of you may be wondering: I know my dog helps me, what use do I have for studies telling me things I already know?
First, studies are important because they can be used to support funding for service dogs. (They can also help YOU decide where to best put your money.) According to the article, it’s not unusual for a PTSD service dog to cost $20,000-$30,000. The handlers also have to be trained, which requires time and resources. We want to put our attention toward the approaches that help people the most.
Second, studies can help us implement training and treatment in the most effective manner. I’m constantly looking for ways to refine my approach, and most advanced trainers feel the same way. Rigorous information supplements experience.
Third, studies can help us identify what will work for the largest number of people. There is a lot of suffering out there. The more we know, the better we can help.
So good studies are worth quite a bit.
Implications of the recent PTSD service dog study
Participants in the study improved by 12 points on the 85 point PTSD scale. (Those not familiar with the measurement scale can find more details in the quoted article.) This is a notable, statistically significant improvement, though it is not a “cure.” Even those with the service dogs still qualified as having PTSD at the end of the study. From the article:
The veterans in the dog group also missed work less and show fewer impairments on their jobs. Impressively, many of these differences had, in stat-speak, “large effect sizes.” This means that having a service dog was associated with big differences in the lives of the participants.
So that’s good. Notable improvements in a number of VERY important areas: depression, coping with adversity, psychological well-being, lower social isolation.
That said…
There is still much to be learned about PTSD service dogs
There are limitations to the study (which is being called a “pilot study,” meaning it should be viewed as a FIRST step toward deepening our understanding in this area, rather than definitive “proof” regarding PTSD service dogs):
Indeed, the researchers regard their efforts as a pilot study, and in their article, they discussed some of the limitations of their research. Among these are the lack of random assignment of veterans to conditions, the fact that the changes observed in PTSD symptoms could be due to maturation rather than the presence of the dogs, the reliance on self-reports, and the lack of a true control group.
These types of complicated issues are not resolved with single studies. But we’re moving in the right direction.
…based on these preliminary results, the Purdue researchers were able to convince the National Institutes of Health to provide funds for a clinical trial. Their study is currently underway with the results expected in 2019.
Other interesting service dog takeaways from the article:
- “it can cost $20,000 or $30,000 to train a single psychiatric service dog”. The most difficult part of service dog training is usually NOT training the tasks; it’s preparing the dogs to handle a wide variety of environments, with good consistent behavior. This cost can be reduced by having the owners do the bulk of the training under a professional trainer’s guidance, but service dog training is not a quick couple-hundred dollar activity. (Sorry!)
- A previous study fell apart when “the researchers had problems recruiting subjects for the control group. Then dogs bit two children. Finally, several of the dogs developed hip dysplasia, one died from heart disease and another from cancer. In short, the pilot project was a disaster, and it was halted in 2012.” This reminds us that service dog work is difficult, and that people need to be cautious in how they handle (and select) their service dogs. Simply declaring a dog a “service dog” does not prepare them for this VERY DIFFICULT work.
- Another interesting study in the works: “a randomized control trial involving both trained psychiatric service dogs and untrained emotional support dogs. The project is slated to last 18 months, and you can read about it here.”
Finally, for those who are local to Fresno or Clovis…
Fresno-area service dog training
**Disclaimers: We do NOT sell or place service dogs. We do not have any access to training grants. There is no such thing as a legally “certified” service dog, so we do not sell those either.**
We do have training programs that can prepare your dog for this work, however. For those interested, we recommend starting with one of our foundational programs. If you’re interested in learning more about training your dog, feel free to contact us below.
Nate Hess is a dog behavior specialist and the owner of Dogspring Training, which provides premium dog training and behavior services in Fresno and Clovis, California. He is a graduate of Stanford University and the Karen Pryor Academy, a member of the International Association of Animal Behavioral Consultants (IAABC) and Association of Professional Dog Trainers (APDT), and an evaluator for the AKC’s Canine Good Citizen (CGC) and S.T.A.R. Puppy programs. He lives in Clovis, CA, with his wife and some lovely dogs.