Psychological Assistance Dogs
Guide Dogs Queensland is committed to providing high-quality support for people living with PTSD, helping each client achieve greater confidence, independence and wellbeing.
Guide Dogs Queensland (GDQ) is currently developing a new service to support members of the community with a formal PTSD diagnosis. The service builds on our 65-year history of breeding, raising, and training as well as its commitment to co-design and client-centric care.
Skills to alleviate symptoms
PTSD Assistance Dogs can perform a large array of skills to address clients’ symptoms, enhancing our client’s independence and allowing them to navigate the world with confidence. These range from the preservation of personal space and grounding during flashbacks through touch, waking their handler from a nightmare to the interruption of distress.
Best in class support
GDQ goes above and beyond to provide the best support possible to clients with PTSD.
There are four specific advantages we offer:
Purpose-bred dogs
Our world-class dog breeding centre uses insights from our colony and the international working dog registry to maximise the likelihood of good health, behavioural suitability and a successful client match. This reduces long-term medical costs and provides a strong foundation on which to raise a wonderful, highly trained dog.
Early socialisation and education
Our dogs receive their own version of early years education through our puppy socialisation and education program. This ensures that our dogs remain calm and well-disciplined around distractions such as other dogs and crowds. Our dogs are a constant, not a variable.
World-class training and animal welfare
While many assistance animals are trained to complete 3 tasks, ours are trained to understand 25-30 skills using positive reinforcement. These range from high-level obedience to symptom alleviation and life skills support. Importantly, we work with psychologists to understand the best skillset for each client, enabling co-design during the training process.
Client support
Each dog has its own unique personality and physical attributes, so we take the client-dog matching process very seriously. Our aim isn’t just to place dogs, but to ensure a successful long-term match. To achieve this, we spend time with each client, and their supporting psychologist to co-design the best skillset required. Our clients become part of our community and we provide extensive, post placement support.
Applying for a PTSD Dog
A PTSD Assistance dog can help to alleviate your symptoms once the partnership is established, and a great working partnership can take a significant period to adjust and take shape. Having a PTSD Assistance dog isn’t an instant ‘fix’, it is an adjunct to ongoing psychological treatment and sessions with your mental health professional.
The relationship between a dog and the handler is key to creating a solid team. As there are a range of skill sets that the dog may be able to assist with, we tailor and co-design the training with each applicant. This is a significant part of the matching process and can mean that there is a delay whilst we find you the best match for your individual needs.
We will prioritise clients based on the best match to our PTSD Assistance Dogs. Client’s need to meet the following criteria to progress with an application:
- A formal diagnosis of PTSD from a registered psychologist, who has provided ongoing support for more than 6 months.
- Physical and mental capacity to handle and work with a large breed dog (Labrador).
- Be located in Queensland with a supportive home environment.
- The ability and willingness to undertake a training program and learn new skills/tasks.
To start the four step process, please complete the application form.
Exclusions
GDQ provides a full-service PTSD Assistance Dog program but does not act as a contract dog trainer for 3rd parties. As such, we do not:
- Accredit owner-trained dogs
- Work with dogs/breeds outside our colony of Labradors
- Place any other types of Assistance Dog e.g. autism, medical alert, hearing, etc.
If you are looking to have a companion dog placed at your organisation, please contact us for further information.
Resources
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PTSD Dogs BrochureDownload
Find out more about our Psychological Assistance Dogs.