Service Dog – Psychiatric

Types of “Direct-Service” Assistance Dogs

Service Dog – Psychiatric [SD-PSY] – [Level 3]
A pKTI Service Dog – Psychiatric [SD-PSY] is an Assistance Dog specially trained to enable individuals with disabilities to lead more independent lives by performing 1 or more tasks that the person otherwise could not do, or would have extreme difficulty doing for him/herself. The Private Placement Clients (PPC) for these dogs are generally under medical care or have been diagnosed with a psychological or neurological condition, with the most common diagnosis being: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Complex-Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD), and/or Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).
A pKTI Service Dog [SD-PSY] receives within a pKTI K-9 Training Program/Venue:
a MINIMUM of 480 hours of training against the pKTI Service Dog Command Set Matrix, over a period of at least 12 months,
a MINIMUM of 240 hours of General Obedience Training, over a period of at least 12 months,
a MINIMUM of 120 hours of “socialization” Training, over a period of at least 12 months, and,
a MINIMUM of 60 hours of “Client Specific Custom” Command Set Training during its final 3-months of training, or,
a MINIMUM of four years, or more, of service as an Educational or Rehabilitative Assistance Dog, with a minimum of 15,000 student/patient contacts and a minimum of 1,000 facility visits.
At the completion of these training requirements all pKTI Service Dogs [SD-PSY] must pass the pKTI Service Dog Certification Test, the Private Placement Client / Private Placement Handler Service Dog Transition Training Course, and the pKTI Public Access Evaluation Test. Once the pKTI Service Dog [SD-PSY] has successfully completed these Tests / Courses, it is then designated as a “Certified” Service Dog [SD-PSY]. [Note: A pKTI Service Dog [PSY] has full “Public Access” as defined by the ADA.]
pKTI Service Dogs [SD-PSY] are acquired from:
the paws4peopleTM Assistance Dog Breeding Program. A custom blood-line breeding program specifically developed to produce dogs with the personality, temperament, and disposition suitable for Assistance Dog work,
a specially chosen breeder (either via donation or purchase) whose blood-lines and pedigrees have been carefully researched to produce dogs with the required personality, temperament, disposition, and confirmation suitable for Assistance Dog work, or,
the pKTI Shelter/Rescue Program.
Upon successful completion of this testing and evaluation process the pKTI Service Dog [SD-PSY] shall be eligible to wear the corresponding logo of the respective training program / facility where the dog completed its training.