FAQs about Psychiatric Service Dog (PSD)

1. What is Psychiatric Service Dog?

Psychiatric Service Dog is a dog of any breed or size, trained specifically to do work or tasks to assist with a person’s mental health disability, and prepared to behave in public. PSDs are trained to assist in medical crises and provide treatment and security to their owners, including managing anxiety and panic attacks and preventing their handlers from reacting unfavorably in stressful situations. 

2. Who can have a PSD?

To qualify for a service dog, an individual must have a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. Psychiatric Service Dogs (PSDs) are specially trained dogs that help people with psychiatric or mental health problems.

3. What kinds of things do PSDs do to help their handlers?

PSDs can be trained to do a variety of work and tasks to suit the individual needs of the disabled partner. Tasks are intentionally requested by the handler, such as turning on the lights or doing a non-aggressive room sweep. Work is not intentionally requested by the handler, but is available when the dog is cued by the environment or changes in the person’s body. One example of work includes alerting to an oncoming panic attack so the handler can take medication or exit the situation. Another work example includes hallucination discernment, where the PSD is trained to non-aggressively react to cues in the environment so the handler can know when what they see is real or a hallucination. Sometimes the line between work and tasks isn’t clear, but what’s important is the person gets needed help. Some dogs can be trained to guide the handler to a safe location on command (guiding can require independent reactions to the outside world), which can help a person who sometimes becomes cognitively impaired and has difficulty navigating. The types of assistance are as varied as the people who need them!

4. How can I get a PSD? Can I make my current dog a Psychiatric Service dog?

You can get a PSD from the programs that specialize in training PSD dogs and have the specific requirements they have for applicants, which can be expensive and the waiting lists for a perfect match can be as long as years. 

You can also train your own PSD. If you already have a dog that you want to train to become a service animal, it makes sense financially and in terms of time that you train your own service dog with the help of specific instructions.

5. Hong long will it take to train your own PSD?

Properly training your dog to be a service dog takes about six months to a year, but with the help of EduPet Academy and our professional trainer tutor, you can usually do it in less time. PSD dogs are trained both privately with the handler he will assist and publicly to ensure he is comfortable and obedient around people.

6. Do PSDs have to be registered, licensed, and vaccinated like pet dogs?

Yes, if the local law requires pet dogs to be licensed and registered, then psychiatric service dogs must be as well. Local law requiring vaccinations for pets also applies to service animals.

7. Are there limitations to where a PSD can go?

Generally, service animals must be allowed to accompany their handlers in all areas that members of the public may go. A handler is entitled to bring their service animal into these areas even if it won’t perform its service during the visit. Service animals may be excluded from certain areas of an otherwise public-serving facility. To learn more, please go to Frequently Asked Questions about Service Animals and the ADA.

8. Psychiatric Service Dog Access Rights

Psychiatric service dogs have the same access rights as other types of service dogs. Under the ADA, state and local governments, businesses, and other organizations that serve the public have to let psychiatric service dogs accompany their owners in all areas where the public is allowed to go. 

PSD handlers also have the right to live with their dogs in most types of housing under the Fair Housing Act. Owners of PSDs do not have to pay fees or deposits to their landlord or housing association in order to have a PSD in their residence. In addition, under the DOT’s air travel rules, PSDs are also allowed to fly in the cabin with their owners, free of charge. In order to fly with a PSD beginning on January 11th, 2021, airlines are allowed to ask PSD owners to submit a signed DOT Form form prior to departure. The form requires the owner to make various certifications, including that their psychiatric service dog has been trained to assist with a disability and is capable of behaving on a flight. 

Below are examples of places a psychiatric service dog has access to:

 ⊛  Housing – apartment buildings, condos, rentals, hotels, college dorms, short-term rentals (Airbnb)

 ⊛  Transportation – airplanes, taxis, and trains

 ⊛  Public spaces – restaurants, offices, beaches, stores, parks, markets

No matter where you take your PSD, it’s always important to keep in mind that if your PSD is misbehaving it can be asked to leave the premises. Service animals can be denied entry if they are acting aggressively, barking or growling repeatedly, or causing an unsanitary condition. A psychiatric service dog must be under the handler’s control when out in public. 

Upon successful completion of this service dog training course, you will:

Be in possession of a very well-behaved service dog and your dog partner will be Certified as a Service Dog with all the training records at EduPet Academy and an online registration from US Service Animal Registrar

What Does It Mean To Be Certified?

It means your dog has been trained to perform the work or tasks as a psychiatric service dog.

The primary purpose of certification is to ensure that your dog is fully trained and able to perform psychiatric service dog work and that you, the handler, understand how to lead your Assistance Dog/Service Dog through everyday situations, such as going to a store, a park, a hospital, a care home or any other public place.

Module 1: Psychiatric Service Dogs: What They Are and Why They’re Important

Module 2: Understanding the Importance of Basic Training

Module 3: Beyond Basic Training

Module 4: Building on Basic Training

Module 5: Psychiatric Disabilities and Common Misconceptions

Module 6: Training Psychiatric Service Dog Tasks

Module 7: What is the Public Access Test

Module 8: Psychiatric Service Dog Training Course Review