[RyuB]

I have just found out there are therapy dogs for people with bipolar. i'm hunting on the internet, but there's not a lot, and the websites for the places that train them don't say much.

does anyone know anything at all about this?

I've had dogs before. the thought of a dog who was not only my loving best friend but could help me cope with my bipolar is practically overwhelming.

one of the things i'm wondering is what a bipolar therapy dog does that an 'ordinary' well trained, well behaved dog doesn't do? except of course, as a trained service dog, they can go into stores and whatnot with you.

[blueoctober]

Hi RyuB; I haven't heard of a therapy dog for a person with bipolar specifically, but I did see a Cesar Millan episode where he helped a woman train her dog , so he could be used as a therapy dog for her anxiety. For her the dog helped decrease the amount of anxiety attacks she had because she felt calmer/safer when she was with the dog.

I know for myself my horse has been the best therapy for me. He lifts me mood when I'm depressed and calms me down when I'm too up.

[Merlin]

http://www.psychdog.org/

There is a lot of information to be found here.

[RyuB]

thanks. i've been googling for a few hours now, and it doesn't look like i can get what i want in canada, but i've found a place in the usa that supervises you training your own pup.

and yes, some of the sites mention specifically bipolar.

and merlin, that's the site i'm getting most of my good info from. thank you.

[blueoctober]

I found this group that's based in Ontario, Canada. They actually train and place the dogs: http://www.k9helpers.org/k9/

This is a great article on a person that uses a service/ therapy dog for a mental health concern: http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/20...ealth-problems

[RyuB]

well, so far i'm finding bugger all in canada. they either only provide to their own area, don't do bipolar (they usually just do autism and seizures) or in the case of the only one that's in my province, don't supply to individuals, just institutions.

but i have found an organization in the us that is certified, where you provide and train your dog yourself.

and i have found a lady in canada who is letting me ask a zillion questions.

and now i'm going to look at the place october has given me.

-----

edit - i've already looked at the place october said, and contacted them. no reply yet, though.

[Merlin]

If you find a good place in Western Canada, I'd love to know about it, since I am considering training a service dog.

[Vibe]

I did some research on this awhile back and found several people who trained their own animals. I also found there to be a major difference between a service animal and an emotional support animal. An ESA is usually not specially trained, but provides benefits just by being a good companion. These animals can not accompany you in special public places, but you can get special exemptions when it comes to housing restrictions. Or rather, housing which usually does not allow animals can not discriminate against you by demanding you either get rid of the animal or find another place to live. (There may be loopholes to this if the animal is aggressive, destructive, or generally disruptive though. I'm not sure. You'd need to look into that.)

These categories are both also different from therapy animals, which are usually trained by an outside handler, and brought into places like hospitals, nursing homes, etc. to provide comfort to the residents. They go home with their owner/handler at the end of the day though, and only visit with those needing aid. There's also some issue about cross training between these three categories not being allowed or something like that, although I can't remember precisely how that goes so don't quote me on it. It also seems more organized in a way, so there might be more specific criteria for these animals. Hmmm, now I wanna double check on it.

A service animal, on the other hand, must be trained to do specific tasks which aid you in overcoming your illness. There is no registry or uniform training the animal must go through, but other than these tasks, the animal should be VERY well trained so it conducts itself properly in public and very well groomed since nobody wants a dirty or allergen ridden animal in places like restaurants and planes. For a dog, I'd get a Canine Good Citizenship (CGC) certificate and go from there. Really, what constitutes 'tasks' is kind of a gray zone right now. There are many who say these should be tasks the dog would not otherwise perform and you could not easily get elsewhere. (For instance, training a dog to walk up and sit for pets might not count because this is an action most dogs will perform anyways. Also, using a dog to wake you up seems somewhat superfluous when you could just as easily use an alarm clock. If the dog is literally pulling you out of bed, this might be a different story though.) I have read about some who will include these on their lists of tasks the dog performs, but it's a bit iffy and not all I'd train my dog to do. You might also read up on service dogs in general and how psych dogs fit into this to get a better view on the issue, although be prepared for some controversy if you do.

I can also try to think of some tasks a dog could possibly be trained to do for someone with bipolar, although a lot of it really is specific to how the condition effects you and what areas of your life you need help with. An obvious task would be to alert the owner at the start of a manic or depressive episode. This would allow the patient to catch it early and get the help they need. There are also people who have problems with money during a manic cycle, so a dog could be trained to perform some task attending to that issue. What task would depend on what would work for the dog's owner though. A simple reminder in public by having the dog grab the owner's hand when they pull out the wallet could be enough to help some people avoid catastrophe. For others, this wouldn't work at all, so they obviously wouldn't train their dog to do it. I think rather than trying to check off a premade list of what these dogs should be trained to do, it'd be better to first make a list of your own issues that you need help with. Then next to it, a list of how a dog could help with these issues. (You might be able to get help from others here and with service dogs in thinking up this second list.) In the end, it could be that a service animal may not be of much help and an emotional support animal would be more appropriate - or alternatively that you find just what you need in one. It really is very individual though.