Psychiatric Service Dog Tasks: Deep Pressure Therapy

Teach your dog a calming psychiatric service dog task

Deep Pressure Therapy teaches your dog to apply steady, calming pressure to help with grounding, relaxation, and emotional regulation. Research on deep pressure therapy suggests that calming pressure may help reduce anxiety-related body signals and support a calmer state.

Problems You’ll Solve

• Handler needs a clear, repeatable task for anxiety, panic, dissociation, PTSD symptoms, sensory overload, or emotional overwhelm
• Dog does not know where or how to apply pressure
• Dog gets too excited, wiggly, or pushy during close contact
• Dog gets into position but will not stay there
• Pressure feels too light, too heavy, or inconsistent
• Dog does not understand when the task starts or ends

What You’ll Learn

• Pressure Position: Teach your dog where to place their body for safe, helpful pressure.
• Cue Word: Add a clear cue such as “pressure,” “press,” “lap,” or “cover.”
• Calm Contact: Reward stillness, relaxed body language, and steady pressure.
• Duration: Build from a few seconds to longer holds at your dog’s pace.
• Release Cue: Teach your dog when to get off and end the task calmly.
• Pressure Adjustment: Use cues like “more” or “easy” to fine-tune the amount of pressure.
• Real-Life Practice: Build reliability in different rooms, settings, and mild distractions.

Why This Course?

• Clear step-by-step lesson format with a companion demonstration video you can use at home
• Includes breed-specific training tips for Golden Retrievers, Labrador Retrievers, German Shepherds, Poodles, Boxers, and Corgis
• Designed to support handlers working on psychiatric service dog skills
• Focused on one practical psychiatric service dog task
• Gentle, positive training methods
• Helps build calm, predictable task work
• Includes safety reminders for handler comfort and dog stress signals

Great For:

• Handlers who experience anxiety, panic, dissociation, PTSD symptoms, sensory overload, or emotional overwhelm
• Dogs older than ~16 weeks
• Dogs who are comfortable with touch and close body contact
• Teams who already have basic obedience skills and are ready for task training

What You’ll Get

• Access to this online training course and video lesson for 1 year
• Downloadable Training Log PDF
• Custom digital training course completion certificate emailed to you at completion of the course

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