I often advise against looking up service dog tasks online because you will wind up teaching your dogs tasks that are perfect for other peopleābut not for you. Then, people inevitably say āI canāt make my own! I donāt know!ā Here is a simple guide to constructing a task for a psychiatric service dog.
Note that this is not meant to encompass all psychiatric tasks, but rather to give people an idea as to how they should approach this puzzle.
Letās start by coming up with some terms.
1. Symptom. This is the symptom that you wish to relieve. It can be sensory overload, panic, dissociation, skin picking, sadness, forgetfulness, or any other symptom that is bothering you.
2. Action. This is an action that a dog takes. It can be pawing, licking, nudging punching (forcefully nudging), barking, leaning, sitting on, bringing something, etc.
3. Tell. This is a sign that your symptom is flaring up. For example, I bounce my leg when my anxiety rises. Some common tells are hair twisting, skin picking, sighing, nail biting, hand wringing, toe tapping, a command word, and cursing. If you cannot identify your own tells, ask a friend, family member, or therapist. Youāll probably be surprised how many they can list.
4. Result. These are the end result of a task. What do you need? A Jolt like a cold or unpleasant sensation can be good for snapping out of dissociated states. A Calming or pleasant sensation can be good for soothing. Distractions can be good for pain or intrusive thoughts while a Focus can be good for sensory overload.
I need my dog to [Action] when I [Tell] so that I have [Result] to relieve [Symptom].
Example: I need my dog to [bring my medication] when I [start to cry] so that I have [medication] to relieve [depression].
Example: I need my dog to [lick my ear] when I [stop moving] so that I have [a starling sensation to bring me back to myself] to relieve [dissociation].
It can even be helpful to do this exercise backwards. Identify the problem (exĀ āscarringā). Decide what you need (ex. āI need to knowā), your tell (ex. āWhen I pick my skin.ā) and then finally decide what your dog can do about it (ex. āMy dog can nudge meā).
Some people get very hung up on calling their tasks important sounding names like Deep Pressure Therapy, Tactile Stimulation, or Grounding. What you call it is the least important part of a task. Figure that out last (and do some research because these are all technical terms that should be used correctly).
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