Tails for Wonderland
Healing PTSD with service dogs
Healing with Service Dogs
We help individuals with chronic PTSD and CPTSD to heal through raising, training, and working with their own service dog. Our program is best suited for individuals who have spent one or more years in active treatment with a psychologist or therapist and a psychiatrist with minimal improvement or worsening of symptoms.
Service dog placement and training is aligned with the treating psychologist and psychiatrist, integrated as part of treatment, and tailored to the individual’s disability, medical, and lifestyle needs and goals.
Our approach especially focuses on helping clients to re-wire their brain through working with a service dog and training in a way that helps creating and practicing shifts in beliefs and visceral responses when triggered. Clients also learn to manage their condition with the help of their service dog.
Clients typically experience a significant drop in severity and frequency of symptoms to the point of remission over the course of training and working with their service dog with our approach. Through this they are able to live more independent and fulfilling lives.
And over 90% reach international service dog team standards within 2 years of training.
Our innovative holistic approach to service dogs for PTSD and CPTSD is the first of its kind.
> 90% service dog team success rate
Training
Over 90% of our clients and their dogs become fully qualified service dog teams within 2 years of training.
Our service dog teams are trained to exceed Assistance Dogs International (ADI) standards, to confidently navigate numerous types of public and private environments and situations together, and reliably perform 3 or more service tasks to mitigate the handler’s unique C/PTSD symptoms. All training is in accordance with federal and local laws, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
We work with a maximum of 10 clients at a time over a 2-3 year period.
First, we seek to understand the client’s disability, medical, and lifestyle needs and goals and align with relevant medical providers, including the treating psychologist and psychiatrist. We then work with reputable breeders and organizations to place the client with a dog (often a puppy) that has been tested and matched to the client’s unique needs and goals.
Once matched, the dog lives with the client.
We tailor each team’s training plan to their unique needs, the individual and the dog. Most training consists of 1-1 sessions held regularly (often 2-4x per month). And the client practices with their dog between sessions.
25% more effective and efficient than any other training method
Positive Methods
We use exclusively positive training and working methods, which are proven to be 25% more effective and efficient than any other training approach or method. And it prevents the development of unwanted and reactive behaviors which often develop out of the use of aversive methods.
We keep training fun for everyone, people and dogs. We focus on helping our teams learn to build trust and effective and positive communication and ways of working and playing together. So there’s a lot of treats, toys, games, and praise involved as well as learning to recognize, respect, and honor each other’s needs and wants.
We never use any tools, methods, or techniques that are aversive to the dog or person, including but not limited to shock collars, e-collars, prong collars, raised voices, punishment, corrections, or anything else either the dog or person find aversive. We don’t even use the word “no” or any “no” sounds.
Integrated as part of medical treatment
Medical Integration
We align and collaborate with your medical team (psychologist, psychiatrist, and any other relevant providers) to align placement and training with your treatment plan.
The training plan, process, and approach is tailored to each team and integrated as a key part of the individual’s treatment and healing process. And we regularly adjust and adapt as needed. No two teams will have the same training plan or journey.
Our approach is trauma informed and uniquely tailored to support each client in managing daily symptoms and working towards reaching remission.
Gear
One set for life.
Tailored to you and your dog.
All proceeds help support service dogs for PTSD.
