Canine Connection Therapy: Finding Purpose and Healing Through the Training of Service Dogs

Abstract

In 2009, Walter Reed began offering a complimentary service dog training therapy program (SDTTP). This program is offered as part of a rehabilitation treatment for patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). SDTTP offers a structured program teaching patients with PTSD to train mobility service dogs for fellow wounded warriors. The SDTTP focuses on reducing the three main symptoms of PTSD: reexperiencing, avoidance/numbing, increased arousal, while also improving social competence and family dynamics. Volunteers for the SDTTP are taught service dog training skills. These skills encompass a wide range of standard PTSD therapies such as cognitive behavior therapy and prolonged exposure. This chapter discusses two case studies of patients in treatment at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC) who participated in the SDTTP. These accounts are compiled from excerpts obtained from medical documentation, occupational therapy (OT), recreational therapy (RT) clinical notes, and service dog instructor (SDI) observations. Both patients voluntarily participated in interview sessions at WRNMMC in December 2014 to share their recollections and perceptions of the program and how it affected them. Together, these accounts offer promising evidence supporting clinically based service dog training program as a safe, popular, and effective complementary treatment for PTSD.