I finally got my letter from health Dept. scanned

[yooperbug]

I really hope no one bites my head off for this comment but it's a thought. I was dignosed with ADD, depression, anxiety, agoraphobia, dysthymia, and personality disorder. Could my dog be considered a psychiatric dog if she was trained to do tasks? I been doing lots of reading on these sites http://www.psychdog.org/tasks.html   http://www.iaadp.org/psd_tasks.html let me know what you all think. Please remember I'm not tryin to upset anyone. This is all a learning experience for me.

Thanks,
Amanda

[Kirsten]

Amanda, it's not upsetting us.  It's what we've been trying to suggest to you for a while.

I'd skip the psychdog site.  There's a lot of misinformation on there in addition to the accurate information.  IAADP is reasonably accurate, but note the tasks they say would not hold up in court.  We also a good section on PSDs on this site starting at:  http://servicedogcentral.org/content/node/74

I know that some groups are hostile toward PSD users.  This site is not.

Remember that it isn't the diagnoses that make you disabled, it's the extent to which these illnesses prevent you from performing "activities of daily living" or being able to function at a basic level.  Discuss this with your medical caregivers and see if they agree you are substantially limited in your ability to function on ordinary tasks.  If they agree you are, discuss PSDs with them.  Print off the info from IAADP and from this site to share with them.  Ask them to make note in your records that you've had the discussion, that they consider you disabled, and that they think a PSD would be helpful to you.  Discuss with them what sorts things you can't do for yourself and what sorts of help you need to get around and do ordinary things and make a list.

You can bring your list here for advice on whether a dog might be trained to give that kind of help, or take it to a local trainer (preferable) and discuss it with them.  You'll need to find a trainer to work with, so pick one who is willing to work with a person with a mental illness and is confident they can do the required training.

[Roxie]

Consider me chilled. Sorry!

Roxie

[bj2circeleb]

You also need to consider whether the dog has the temperament necessary to be in public places, and whether you have the money to pay a trainer to get the dog up to service dog level. Tasks are actually the easiest thing to train, it is the high level of obedience and public access skills which are the hard part. Public access is the most expensive and time consuming part of training. It is not something you can train on your own, and it needs to be incredibly carefully planned and carried out. You do not train dog for public access by simply dragging it everywhere with you, infact this is the best way to ensure that the dog washes out.

I believe that you would benefit from a PSD, but whether the dog you currently have is suitable is unknown. They need to be trained to such a level that you can stake your life on them. It is not simply a matter of having a well behaved dog. If you are your medical team feel that you would benefit from a PSD, and if you feel that your current dog cannot be trained to the required level, then you would be better off contacting a program, and trying to get a dog from them. This site also has some great articles on how to find good programs and good trainers.

[yooperbug]

I honestly don't know if she would be a good PSD. She is timid and scared of things but I'm working on that with her and she's getting better but I don't know if she could do it. She's a very sweet dog and when I have her with me when I do go someplace she is completely focused on me and always right by my side. That still don't mean she will be able to be trained to be a PSD. My best bet is to find a trainer and see what they think. Now, finding a trainer where I live that trains in this sort of thing is the hard part.

Amanda

[Kirsten]

Yes, finding a good trainer is your best bet.  There's an article on SDC about how to find a trainer.

http://servicedogcentral.org/content/node/262

[yooperbug]

Someone from an organization told me to build a website asking the public for help in funding my dog's PSD training. I can't remember the organization she was from but I'm sure I'll stumble across the site again. So, I built a website. It's not great but it's to the point. I hope no one looks down on me for this but I'm running out of options. I did put this site on their under my useful links page. I hope that's ok.

Amanda

[Kirsten]

It's fine to link to us.  You can also put a link to your site on your profile here.  A little symbol of a the world will appear under your avatar that people can click on to go to your website.  If someone reads a post of yours and is interested in seeing more of what you have to say, they may like having that link.

There should be a site link to the left of this message, but if you click on it you'll just go to the main page of Service Dog Central, because that's what I've set as my home page.

[Kirsten]

You might also want to include a link to http://www.iaadp.org

It's a really good site on service dogs.

[yooperbug]

Wow, there is a lot of information on that website. I just worry people might get offended that I'm seeking help for funds to have my dog trained to be a PSD, but I added my site.

Amanda