Service Dog – Psychiatric Treatment Facility Dog

A pKTI Service Dog – Psychiatric Treatment Facility Dog [SD-PTFD] is an Assistance Dog specially trained to work within the confines of a psychiatric treatment facility, to work with Psychiatrists and Psychologists assisting in the psychoanalysis and/or psychotherapy for patients who have been diagnosed with a wide-spectrum of physiological and/or neurological conditions/illnesses. These dogs provide therapeutic interventions, methodologies or protocols to patients with physical, neurological, psychological and/or emotional disability or disabilities. These Assistance Dogs are assigned to work with individual patients as part of their psychological treatment team, and work under the orders of a medical doctor or other licensed mental health care provider. These dogs are specifically trained and highly experienced enabling them to establish and maintain a working relationship with multiple patients while working in very high stress environments.
Unlike other Service Dogs, SD-PTFDs are either assigned to senior and very experienced handlers or mental health professionals, who control and utilize these dogs as they work with patients. This individual is also known as a Private Placement Handler (PPH).
When in “working” status these ADs operate under the medical orders of the patient’s medical treatment team, and therefore qualify under the ADA for “Full Public Access” when the therapeutic interventions with the patient require activities outside the confines of the Psychiatric Treatment Facility.
pKTI Service Dog [SD-PTFD] receives within a pKTI K-9 Training Program/Venue:
a MINIMUM of 480 hours of training against the KTI 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-PTFD] 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-PTFD] has successfully completed these Tests / Courses, it is then designated as a “Certified” Service Dog [SD-PTFD]. [Note: A pKTI Service Dog [SD-PTFD] has full “Public Access” as defined by the ADA, when in the presence of, or accompanied, one of its patients.]
pKTI Service Dogs [SD-PTFD] 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-PTFD] shall be eligible to wear the corresponding logo of the respective training program / facility where the dog completed its training.