TASK TRAINING
Psychiatric service dog tasks vary to mitigate specific disability needs. Here are a few examples:
Deep Pressure Therapy
Prevent or recover from panic attacks.
Tactile Stimulation
Licking or pawing can ground handler in extreme distress.
Blocking
Creates more space for their handler.
Interruption of Self Harming
Licking, pawing, or barking.
Guide Work and Mobility
Helps with disassociating, during panic attacks, and when disoriented.
A Psychiatric Service Dog is specifically trained to assist their handler with a disability as defined by the ADA such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), schizophrenia, depression, anxiety, or bipolar disorder. An exceptional psychiatric service dog is individually trained to do work and perform tasks that mitigate their handler’s disability.
- You must be in therapy for a minimum of one year and believe a service dog could drastically improve your life,
- You must be between the ages of 12-22,
- You must be able to easily travel to Newtown, CT multiple times a week for up to a year of training,
(source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
The Exceptional Sidekick does not train balance dogs, seizure alert dogs, or guide dogs for the blind. We are only accepting applications for Psychiatric Service Dogs at this time. Once those needs are met we will accept applications for other disabilities.

