Service animals perform a variety of tasks to assist their handler. One of the specialized service animals you may encounter is tactile stimulation service dogs. Simply put, these highly trained dogs provide tactile stimulation to help the handler stay grounded and present during any kind of episode of anxiety, flashbacks, or other overstimulation.
Our article will cover everything you need to know about this type of service animal, going over what they are, how they help their handler, and how you can get a tactile stimulation service dog.
What Is a Tactile Stimulation Service Dog?
A tactile stimulation service dog, also known as a deep pressure therapy service animal, is a service dog trained to provide tactile stimulation.
As the name suggests, tactile stimulation service dogs stimulate the senses of the handler by licking, nudging, scratching, or by other means to help them stay in the present moment.
These dogs are commonly utilized by individuals with severe anxiety, panic disorders, or dissociation. During an episode, individuals with such disorders or conditions may feel detached from their surroundings or even reality. This type of service dog learns to pick up early signs of these episodes and provides tactile stimulation to bring the handler to the present and to calm them down.
While tactile stimulation service dogs are commonly associated with anxiety and dissociation, they can also help individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), sensory overload, and disorientation problems; their duties extend to anyone who might benefit from tactile stimulation regardless of the psychiatric condition.
How to Get a Tactile Stimulation Service Dog?
With everything these service dogs can do, they can significantly improve the life quality of people with a psychiatric disability. Here’s how to get a tactile stimulation service dog for yourself or someone you know.
Purchase a Tactile Stimulation Service Dog
The most straightforward and trouble-free way to get a tactile stimulation service dog is to purchase one. There are countless professional dog training companies and organizations that help people find service animals.
As you might expect, these dogs come with a fee – and a hefty one. A well-trained tactile stimulation service dog can cost anywhere between $20,000 and $30,000.
There are also non-profits that train and help people adopt service dogs with the benefit of only charging costs related to training and feeding. Buying a tactile stimulation service dog from these organizations is more cost-effective, but there’s often a long waiting list, and you must meet certain eligibility requirements in many cases.
Train Your Dog to Become a Tactile Stimulation Service Dog
One cost-effective way to get a tactile stimulation service dog is to train your dog to become one. There are countless courses you can enroll in to train your dog, such as convenient online service dog training.
The best part about these online courses is that they are affordable compared to buying a service dog, and you can finish it at your own pace. If you have a qualifying psychiatric disability and a dog, training your own tactile stimulation service dog is often a very good option to paying for a fully–trained service animal.?
Tactile Stimulation Service Dogs vs. Psychiatric Service Dogs
To conclude our article, let’s go over the differences between tactile stimulation service dogs and psychiatric service dogs in general.
First and foremost, not all psychiatric service dogs are tactile stimulation service dogs. A psychiatric service dog is trained according to what the handler needs. This may or may not include tactile stimulation as part of their training.
Tactile stimulation is simply the task the psychiatric service dog is trained to perform, like retrieving medication, pulling a wheelchair, or preventing a child with autism from wandering off.
Therefore, all tactile stimulation service dogs are psychiatric service dogs, but not all service animals trained to help an individual with a psychiatric disability are tactile stimulation service dogs.
Speak to your mental health provider or your doctor to learn more about incorporating a tactile stimulation service dog into your treatment plan.
