What are all of the tests that Psychiatric service dogs have to pass.?

Answer 1

Technically, there are none. No certifications are technically required of Service Dogs (at least in my state). However, for the dog to qualify for public access, several things must be met.

1 - The human partner of the dog, must be disabled in such a way that it inhibits normal activities.

2 - The dog must be trained in tasks to mitigate the disability.

3 - The dog must be obedience trained to handle public access situations.

I am training an Autism Assistance Dog for my daughter. Serenity qualifies here because she cannot safely walk without an adult holding her hand. She does not respond reliably to directions, so she's apt to run up to a moving car to touch it. (She loves to pet cars, weird). She's also apt to vanish in a store. Jenna, the dog is being trained to work as an anchor so Serenity has a certain amount of freedom, but is not at risk for running off. Jenna is also being trained for blocking her from disturbing merchandise (she's especially bad for this when candy is near by), apply deep pressure on Serenity to calm her, and in Search and Rescue style tracking.

There are many groups on the internet which focus on Owner Training of Service Dogs. I recommend doing more research on your own and joining them verses asking in a public forum such as this.

Please, don't use this information to fake a disability just so you can take your dog with you. That is a serious offense and you can be prosecuted. What's worse, is you can make it even more difficult for people to utilize the dogs they need.

Answer 2

I'm not sure. Sadly, I do know that not all states recognize Psychiatric service dogs as having access rights.

http://www.psychdog.org/
http://www.iaadp.org/psd_tasks.html

Interestingly enough, the author of the second article was who introduced me to the concept of non-traditional breeds of Service Dogs.

Answer 3

First, a PSD should be trained in basic obedience (e.g., sit, stay, come, down, go, leave it, etc.).

Second, teach the dog a few disability-related tasks (go to http://www.psychdog.org/tasks.html for tasks).

Third, train for public access skills (i.e., behavior in public places such as restaurants, theaters, library, buses, subway, etc.)

Answer 4

Look for the canine good citizen test