Dachshund Service Dog

[love'laska]

Hello all!

I've recently been informed that Alaska and I qualify as a service dog team, once she is fully trained to do so (which I'm anticipating to be in about a year or a year and a half). She'll be a psychiatric service dog, equipped to help me through anxiety and panic attacks caused by my PTSD.

Just out of curiosity, has anyone ever heard of doxies being service dogs?

 

[nola]

Nola's full sister (same parents, different litter. She's 2 years older than Nola) is a seizure alert dog. She's incredible.

When I first got Nola, I was going through a very difficult and painful time in my life. I had panic attacks everyday, several times a day. Nola would alert me to them starting by whining and pawing at me. While they happened, she'd sit on my lap and press her head against my chest. It helped, immensely so. No training at all to make her do that, which I think's really cool!

 

[love'laska]

Nola's full sister (same parents, different litter. She's 2 years older than Nola) is a seizure alert dog. She's incredible.

When I first got Nola, I was going through a very difficult and painful time in my life. I had panic attacks everyday, several times a day. Nola would alert me to them starting by whining and pawing at me. While they happened, she'd sit on my lap and press her head against my chest. It helped, immensely so. No training at all to make her do that, which I think's really cool!

That sounds amazing! The three tasks I want her to learn to start with (after basic obedience) is fetching my phone when I ask because sometimes during a panic attack I need to make a call but can't get to my phone, licking my leg when I start getting antsy in class (usually I start tapping my foot really fast right before anxiety hurts), and "pressure on"- essentially laying on my chest really still as a grounding exercise for me during attacks.

 

[sherlock]

That sounds amazing! The three tasks I want her to learn to start with (after basic obedience) is fetching my phone when I ask because sometimes during a panic attack I need to make a call but can't get to my phone, licking my leg when I start getting antsy in class (usually I start tapping my foot really fast right before anxiety hurts), and "pressure on"- essentially laying on my chest really still as a grounding exercise for me during attacks.

Sounds like a good plan!! I do the foot tapping (or leg shaking) thing, too.