Van Hendrix K-9

PSYCHIATRIC SERVICE DOG

PTSD; TBI; AUTISM; ADHD; ANXIETY; PANIC; DEPRESSION; OCD

PSYCHIATRIC SERVICE DOG Training

Every VHK9 psychiatric service dog is for a specific handler. Before we choose a dog, we learn about your diagnosis, daily routine, home, and the moments when trained help would make the biggest difference. Then we match you with a dog whose temperament, size, and drive fit that picture. Sometimes the right match is a puppy we've raised. Sometimes it's a rescued dog who was waiting for a job worth doing.

Two paths, one standard. Some of our dogs are raised and trained in-house from puppyhood, so we shape their confidence, stability, and manners from their first weeks. Others are rescued dogs, selected through a careful temperament and health evaluation before they enter training. Only a small number of dogs have what service work demands, and we accept only those who do. Our evaluation draws on 25-plus years of professional canine behavior work.

No matter where a dog comes from, the training and testing are the same. We train in the places you actually go: stores, restaurants, medical offices, crowds, and travel. Before placement, each dog is tested repeatedly for steadiness in public and for reliability in the tasks you need.

What our dogs are trained to do:

• PTSD: interrupting nightmares and flashbacks, creating space in crowds, deep pressure therapy, grounding during panic, checking a room before you enter

• Traumatic brain injury: routine and medication reminders, grounding during disorientation or emotional overwhelm, leading you to an exit or a safe person

• Autism: deep pressure during sensory overload, interrupting repetitive or self-injurious behavior, a steady anchor in overwhelming places

• ADHD: routine cues, interrupting and redirecting, grounding

• Anxiety: alerting to rising anxiety before it peaks, interrupting fidgeting, skin picking, or leg bouncing, deep pressure therapy, leading you out of an overwhelming place

• Panic disorder: alerting to the early signs of a panic attack, deep pressure therapy during an attack, grounding through touch, leading you to an exit or a quiet spot, staying with you until it passes

• Depression: waking you at a set time and getting you out of bed, medication and routine reminders, interrupting long periods of withdrawal, prompting daily activity such as meals and getting outside

• OCD: interrupting compulsive or repetitive behaviors, redirecting you during a ritual loop, deep pressure therapy during intrusive thoughts, grounding

You're trained too. We provide hands-on handler training, so you and your dog work as a team from day one. We hope you’ll let us stay with you after placement: follow-up check-ins, refresher sessions, and support for your dog’s working life.

Tell us what you need. Schedule a free consultation / start your application, and we'll talk honestly about whether a VHK9 psychiatric service dog is the right fit for you.