How DPT Works
DPT is a calming technique that uses consistent pressure by a dog on their handler’s body—similar to the feeling of using a weighted blanket. An assistance dog performs DPT by leaning against their handler or laying across the lap or chest on cue.
The warmth and pressure of DPT can help regulate the nervous system during times of emotional distress, sensory overload, or anxiety. It can also ease panic attacks, dissociation, and overstimulation, by lowering heart rate and blood pressure.
By activating the parasympathetic nervous system, DPT helps counteract the fight-or-flight response. Research shows it can also aid in reducing cortisol, while boosting feel-good, happy hormones like dopamine and serotonin, which help with mood regulation, body awareness, and grounding.
Assistance dogs are often introduced to the basics of DPT by learning to place their head, paws, or full body on a person’s lap or chest when given a verbal cue. This introduction sets the groundwork for the dog to ease into a gradual progression of learning how to perform these tasks in response to specific verbal or situational cues, such as heavy breathing or changes in body language.
Once a dog has mastered when and how to perform DPT, they learn how to generalize the behavior by practicing the task in a variety of different environments, which ensures the dog can perform DPT reliably in any setting.
Who DPT Helps
DPT is especially helpful for individuals with PTSD, anxiety and trauma based disorders, and autism, as it can be used to help mitigate common symptoms associated with these disabilities. DPT can also be helpful for those with mobility challenges, as it can help with blood circulation and aid in pain relief.
Freedom Service Dogs, a Colorado-based organization that custom-trains assistance dogs for people with disabilities and mental health professionals, has received incredible feedback from clients whose assistance dogs perform DPT.
Freedom Service Dogs graduate Ashleigh, a U.S. Navy veteran who struggles with the effects of PTSD, reports that the DPT her Freedom Service Dog Montana performs for her has been nothing short of life-changing. She shares,
“FSD Service Dog Montana supports me through DPT, in which he gently lays across my lap to help ground me during moments of anxiety, panic, or sensory overload. His weight and presence helps regulate my nervous system, slows my racing heart, and brings me back to the present. At night, he lays on me to help alleviate anxiety, reduce sensory overload, ease night terrors, and offer the reassurance that it’s safe for me to sleep. It may look like we’re just cuddling, but for me, it’s life-changing therapy in action.”
While DPT is a fantastic intervention used by assistance dogs, it is also an important skill for therapy dogs. DPT is useful in creating a sense of comfort and assisting with emotional regulation, which may be especially helpful for community members in need.
Final Thoughts
For many individuals with disabilities, DPT is a life-changing task that assistance dogs can perform. Not only does it help individuals live with more independence and freedom, but it also brings game-changing comfort and grounding in the home or on the go.
If you or someone you know are a person with disabilities who may benefit from an assistance dog who performs DPT, use Assistance Dog International’s Member Search tool to find an accredited organization that suits your unique needs.
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Kendle Frank is the Content Coordinator at Freedom Service Dogs of America, as well as the handler of the Colorado Avalanche Team Dog. She boasts years of experience working with animals professionally, and started her journey in the world of assistance dogs as a puppy raiser and guardian home in 2020. Kendle is dedicated to using her passion for dogs and storytelling to enhance the health, happiness, and wellbeing of companion animals and the humans who love them.
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