How to Train a Dog to Be a Service Dog for Anxiety
How to Train Your Dog to Detect Anxiety
Introduction
Imagine a bride that suffers from anxiety attacks-- how does she manage on her wedding day, a day full of anxiety-producing triggers? The answer: with the help of her anxiety detecting service dog. Pictures of a bride and her anxiety service dog, Bella, comforting her on her wedding day, captured the hearts of many, when they appeared on social media. Bella helps her mistress by alerting to symptoms of a heightened anxious state in her owner, and allowing her owner, to take a moment, get help, adjust her environment, and receive comfort from her anxiety service dog. Bella helped her owner get through her special day with flying colors. Dogs like Bella can make a big difference in the life of people who suffer from anxiety attacks, heightened states of anxiety in response to stressors in the environment. Allowing people suffering from anxiety to function and conduct a normal life by participating in events, holding down a career and functioning in public settings are just a few of the benefits an anxiety detecting dog can provide.
Defining Tasks
People experiencing anxiety attacks are triggered by a stressor in the environment, however, the anxiety reaction can far exceed that of what a non-anxious person would experience. Symptoms such as shortness of breath,a racing heart, muscle tremors, foot tapping, or leg bouncing, or other involuntary movements may occur. These symptoms can act as triggers for a vigilant anxiety detecting dog to pick up on, before the person suffering the anxiety attack is even aware that their anxiety level is rising. The service dog can alert the person to their rising anxiety level, providing distraction, allowing owners to consciously engage in anti-anxiety activities to bring down their anxiety level, receive medication, or remove themselves from the anxiety-producing situation. In addition, some anxiety detecting dogs are also taught to provide comfort such as deep pressure therapy, or other anxiety relieving behaviors. An anxiety service dog may help guide a confused person to a safe place, alert a loved one, or put their body between the person and others to protect them and give them a sense of security.
Service dogs must have quiet, calm temperaments so they can be used in public, but be alert enough to pick up on small cues that an anxiety attack is occurring, and motivated to work to alert their handlers and provide comfort. Most dogs begin training at 1-2 years of age, and training can take several months to a year or more. Dogs are trained to alert their handlers with a predetermined alert such as a nudge of the leg or the hand, which gets the handler's attention and allows them to initiate steps to prevent their anxiety from escalating further.
Getting Started
Before training, you will need to determine what alert you will want to have your dog use to let you know that anxiety levels are rising. Frequently, a nudge with the nose is used as a signal. You will also need to identify what symptoms of anxiety you manifest that your dog will need to alert on. For example, increased heart rate, breathing rate, muscle movements, scratching, or touching your face are all possible signs people exhibit when their anxiety level starts to rise. Lastly, you will need to determine what actions you want your dog to take to help you reduce anxiety, lead you away from the situation, provide DPT, or fetch medication are all possible tasks your anxiety service dog can perform to help resolve anxiety conditions. All service dogs being used in public places will need to be well socialized and obedient in a variety of circumstances and around a variety of people, so a lot of work to establish the dog is comfortable working in various situations prior to training will be required. You should also investigate service dog certification requirements in your area.
Tech an alert behavior such as a nose nudge. Capture the behavior and reward with treats.
Now add a verbal cue, such as 'nudge'.
Change position train your dog to perform the alert in several different places and while you are sitting or standing.
Identify an anxiety symptom, for example scratching, touching face, or fidgeting.
Act out the anxiety symptom, and give the verbal cue for your dog's alert.
When your dog provides an alert in response to the command and anxiety symptom, reward. Ignore false alerts. Repeat for several weeks multiple times per day.
Now manifest the anxiety symptom without providing the verbal cue. Reward when your dog performs the alert behavior in response to the anxiety cue alone.
Practice in different places and positions.
Recommend training method?
Identify an anxiety symptom, for example scratching, touching face, or fidgeting.
Present the symptom in the presence of your dog. When your dog pays attention to what is happening, reward him with a treat.
Teach your dog an alert such as a nudge and put it on a verbal command.
Present the anxiety symptom and the verbal command for the alert. When the dog practices the alert while you are practicing the symptoms, reward your dog. Ignore false alerts.
Practice the symptom without providing verbal command. When the dog alerts to symptoms or cues for anxiety, provide your dog a reward.
Practice in a variety of situations and environments with distractions.
Recommend training method?
Capture an alert behavior, such as nudging your hand. Mark with a clicker and provide a treat as a reward.
Associate a verbal command such as "nudge" when the dog nudges. Mark with clicker and provide treat.
Manifest an anxiety symptom, use the verbal command for the alert, and mark alert with the clicker when the dog alerts appropriately.
Remove the verbal command, manifest the anxiety symptom, and continue to mark successful alert behavior with clicker and reward.
Remove clicker command, manifest anxiety symptom and reward alert behavior that occurs with anxiety cue only.
Practice in lots of different places, positions and with distractions. Go back to step 3 if necessary in different distracting situations and proceed through steps until the dog is able to alert to anxiety cues in a variety of circumstances.
Recommend training method?
Written by Amy Caldwell
Published: 10/10/2017, edited: 01/08/2021
Success Stories and Training Questions
Training Questions and Answers
My dog is having a hard time recognizing my symptoms (bouncing leg, fidgeting my hand, raise in heart rate), any tips?
Hello Kobi, It sounds like you may need to backup the training and go a bit slower. I would start by teaching pup an alert cue, like "Sit", "Nudge", ect... and just work on pup doing that command on cue when you say the word. I would then pick just one anxiety cue at a time, give the alert command, like "Nudge" while doing your anxiety cue, like wiggling your leg, and rewarding pup when they obey. You are then going to need to do over a couple hundred repetitions of this for pup to really link those two things with him nudging and the word nudge and the leg wiggle. Once you are fully confident pup really knows this, then start wiggling your leg, count to seven in your head, then say nudge if pup didn't nudge you. Reward when pup nudges you, reward even more if pup nudged you before you had to say the word. Practice this until pup starts to anticipate that you are going to say nudge when you wiggle your leg, and nudges consistently before you say nudge when they see your leg. Again, this will take a lot of repetition before pup is nudging consistently without the "nudge" word hint following at least part of the time. Do all of this in a single calm location. When pup is a pro at that, the next step is changing location, very, very gradually working up to distractions. I would start by just changing rooms, then going outside somewhere calm, then other locations in your neighborhood, then calm parks, friends homes, busier parks, pet stores, farmer's markets, ect...You will have to proof this in a lot of locations to expect consistency. Once pup is consistent, then you will need to practice this at times when pup isn't already looking at you and knows you are training. When you start to do the wiggles "randomly" I would go back to your calm location, like that room you originally taught it in, and work up slowly again. Anytime you add a new variable that makes the training harder again, expect to have to back track with other things and work up again. Once pup is great at recognizing the leg shaking, you would practice with another anxiety cue, repeating the entire process over again. The average service dog is taught manners and commands for a year, and works on task training for an additional year - so this ends up being about a two year training process on average from when you start, with very regular practice. For the heart rate raising, how are you teaching that? Typically that part of the training would be done using saliva samples taken during times of a higher heart rate, and teaching pup to do their alert when they sniff the high heart rate saliva sample that is kept in your freezer on something like a piece of gauze in a ziploc bag or sealed container. You would work pup up to alerting to that similarly to how you with the command and nudging for the leg fidget, expect you would offer the scent sample along with the command, then reward. As pup improves, you would proof that by having a second sample without your scent on it, that looks similar, and rewarding pup only when they alert to the correct one. You would then use a second normal saliva sample that smells like you but isn't a high heart rate sample and reward pup for choosing the correct one - this will make a lot of repetition often at this step for pup to discover through trial and error and being rewarded for the correct alert, what's different about the two samples via smell, so pup can remember the correct one to alert to in the future. This sample would then be planted on you, like in your pocket and you would practice with the sample on you and pup being rewarded for alerting when they smelled the correct pocket. Eventually you would also work up to pup alerting to this in various locations, then randomly when pup wasn't in training mode and you planted it without pup knowing. This takes baby steps and gradual progression. If pup seems stuck at any point, you may need to go back a step and work on pup improving at the previous skill, before progressing, so the training can build on itself. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
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my dog has seen me cry before. he tries to sit next to me in hopes that ill get better. but i want to be able to teach him how to comfort me before i begin to have a panic attack. he is very hyper and easily distracted so its hard to teach him even simple commands
Hello! The process of training a dog to detect anxiety is a long one. But it is definitely possible! There is no real short answer, so I am including a link which will provide you with info on the "how to". If you have any additional questions outside of this article, please feel free to send another message. https://wagwalking.com/training/detect-anxiety
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i would like him to identify when i'm nail biting and pacing and calm me down
Hello Jada, First you would teach pup whatever task you want pup to perform automatically on command. So if you want pup to nudge you when you are nail biting, lean against you while pacing, or climb into your lap to give pressure therapy, then you would first just teach that behavior on cue like you would when teaching a trick with lure reward or shaping training using treats. Once pup can do that behavior on cue, then begin pacing or pretending to nail bite while also saying the cue for pup's new behavior that helps with that. Praise and reward pup with a treat when pup obeys your command and pretend cues. Practice for a while with both the pretend anxious cues and verbal commands. Once pup is really reliable at alerting at those times, then do just the nail biting or pacing without saying the cue. Wait seven seconds then, to see if pup will do their comforting behavior without having to be given the verbal command. If pup does, praise and reward. If they don't, give the verbal cue also and still reward if pup obeys. Practice until pup starts to anticipate the verbal cue that follows and does their new helpful behavior before you have to tell them the verbal cue, just in response to your pretend anxiety actions. Practice that then until pup is consistently doing their behavior when you pretend without needing the "hints" of the verbal command anymore. Once pup can alert, then begin practicing around distractions, starting with minor distractions like your front yard on leash, and working up to gradually harder and harder distractions like your neighborhood, calm parks, busy parks, friend's homes, outside shopping centers, inside stores like pet stores and hardware stores. If pup is being trained as a service dog, then you would also work on pup's overall manners and behavior in public, so pup would be allowed public access places without being a nuisance. Assuming you would be working on that part of the training also already, then you could start incorporating pup doing their tasks in those locations too, to alert for things like nail biting and pacing and other anxiety signals. At this point in the training it will just be a whole lot of repetition to gain reliability and focus from pup no matter the location you are in. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
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Hi. I was wondering how to train a dog to recognize fainting before in happens. As well as is it possible for my dog to sense another personality coming out?
Hello Katharine, What is the fainting associated with in this case? Generally fainting is associated with something happening in your body, such as a panic attack, low blood sugar, low blood pressure, ect...So in this case, what's the underlying cause for the faining? Often a person's body chemistry changes before the fainting occurs because of whatever is causing the fainting. That change in body chemistry can often be detected through scent for a dog with a good nose. I would certainly not allow the episodes to happen intentionally, but when you do wake up when they do happen, you can collect saliva on pieces of gauze and freeze those samples, to use in the future to train pup to detect the smell of your body chemistry at those times. You can also take samples of saliva at times when you know those changes are occurring in your body but you are not at the point of fainting yet - like when you notice blood sugar is getting low and you are about to eat something to improve it, when you realize you are feeling very anxious, when you feel the need to sit down before getting too light headed with low blood pressure, for example. You don't have to wait until you are at the point of fainting or after fainting to collect samples. Whatever you do, don't intentionally put yourself at risk to collect samples though. You can also pretend to faint and teach pup give you a cue like sitting, and have pup sit then faint right after, rewarding pup at the end of the sequence. At first this will be insignificant to pup as far as connecting it to a real episode, but as they learn on their own that a certain smell precedes the fainting in real life, many dogs will learn to alert on their own before a faint happens, sort of like the dog who sits before you tell them to sit because they notice the changes in your body language and interaction that always precede you telling them to sit, so they sit on their own to earn your treat pre-emptively. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
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I want to start teaching my dog to be an anxiety support dog but I have no idea we're to begin or how to start. What commands should she have down before starting this type of training and how do I let her know which anxiety spell to look for when I start her training when I don't know exactly which spell I do that indicates I'm starting to have an anxiety attack. I'm also currently 27weeks pregnant so my anxiety spikes up and down randomly and gets worse quicker than normal. How should I go about with starting her training?
Hello Kenzie, Where you would start depends a lot on whether you are wanting pup to become an emotional support animal or service dog. The training for a service dog will require more general training for public access. With either training you can teach specific tasks to support you. For a service dog, first, pup needs to be allowed public places - this means working on pups general obedience, socialization, and manners, so that pup can go places, get along well with everyone, and be well mannered enough not to disturb others. Joining a Canine Good Citizen or Intermediate obedience class is a good way to work on those things. How is pup around kids, various ages, races, and personalities of people, new objects, noises, other animals? Pup needs to be able to be calm and not distracted by those things. Pup should be able to handle a child or adult suddenly running up and hugging or petting them (although someone should never do that to a service dog - it probably will happen at some point when in public with pup so often). The socialization and manners part of Service Dog training is actually the hardest part many times. Without it a dog can be asked to leave places by restaurant and building owners for causing a disruption and they won't qualify as a service dog. Pup will always be a dog still, so will never be perfect at all times but should do very well! To qualify as a Service Dog a dog needs to be well mannered in public as mentioned above, and be able to perform at least one specialized task that directly assists with the medical or psychological condition they are trained to help with. The person also has to have a doctor approved medical or psychological condition that qualifies - anxiety attacks, depression, PTSD, ect.. should qualify. For the task training, you can teach an emotional support animal and a service dog the same tasks. Some dogs are able to detect anxiety based on scent. This is done using saliva samples taken during times of high anxiety. The dog is taught an alert, such as Sit, paw, bark, or nose. You then practice having the dog sniff the sample, tell them their alert cue, and you reward with a treat. Practice this until you don't have to tell the dog to alert but they will simply alert when they smell the sample if you wait, then you reward. Once pup can alert really well on the sample, then Saliva samples taken during anxious times and saliva samples taken during normal times are practiced together - with the dog only being praised and rewarded for alerting to the anxious sample, and not the normal sample. Ignore incorrect alerts and don't reward them. Practice this until pup can reliably alert to the correct sample only. Once pup alerts consistently, you plant the sample on yourself and practice with the scent somewhere like your pocket - rewarding alerts. You then plant the scent on yourself at random times during your day and in different environments to help pup do the alert when they aren't in "training mode" to teach them to pay attention to you in various environments and be ready to alert at all times. You can also teach pup to alert to your anxious "cues", finding things you tend to do while anxious, like bite nails, rub arms, wiggle a leg, ect...Those cues will be unique to you and probably subtle. Pay attention to what yours are. Ask those who know you well if they notice any patterns. Once you know them, tell pup to alert you whenever you act out those behaviors so that pup will also alert when you do them subconsciously while anxious. Typically that's the initial anxiety alert task trained to qualify pup. You can also teach additional things that benefit you, such as pup doing pressure therapy - like pup laying on you. Leading to exits during times of high anxiety. Helping initiate social interactions for those with social anxiety. Laying under your legs and chair to provide a comforting presence and stay out of the way in public places, as a few examples. Social media, such as instagram and facebook is actually a good resource to connect and follow other owner-trainers who are teaching their own pups tasks too. It can be a good place to meet others in your city doing the same thing to connect for practicing things with people doing similar training with their dogs. There are trainers who offer remote and in person service dog training assistance - whose role is not to take the dog and train it entirely themselves (which is great but much pricier), but who can guide you in training your own dog as needed for a lower price. Youtube is also a resource to find service dog trainers who share some how to videos on teaching specific tasks to help you trouble shoot as you go. For now, I suggest starting with pup's public access - with socialization, manners, and obedience. You can work on task training at the same time if you have time, but obedience and socialization is often more time sensitive. In the United States there is no official certification required for a dog to pass as a Service Dog. A qualifying medical or psychological condition, great behavior while in public, and at least one task that directly helps with your condition is all that is required. Carrying a copy of ADA law regarding service dogs, pup's vet papers, a note from your doctor simply stating your need for a service dog (you don't have to disclose what condition you need help with to anyone), and a vest for pup letting people know pup is a working service dog can help people allow pup into places more easily though. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
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I hope you received my video What do you think of the "interaction" between my 2 Aussies?
2 years, 9 months ago
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How to Train a Dog to Be a Service Dog for Anxiety
Source: https://wagwalking.com/training/detect-anxiety
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