# Is this common untrained behavior?



## Splendid (Aug 1, 2014)

This popped up on my newsfeed this afternoon and I found it interesting that a PTSD dog has been trained to do exactly what my dog naturally does. 

I'm just curious if this is common or if my dog has some not-so-common gift? I've always joked that he's like my service dog and if people in the house see him jumping into my lap that way, they should probably stop talking, I had no idea that's how PTSD dogs actually worked (I guess it makes perfect sense though). 

I've only had one other dog that did this, so if this is some sought after trait, I almost feel guilty having him to myself. 

(There is a demonstration at 1:50 if someone doesn't want to watch the whole thing) 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0y_a_V1QD3U


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## RebGyp (May 24, 2006)

Dogs are amazing. No doubt about it.


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## ILGHAUS (Nov 25, 2002)

What the dog showed was a concerned reaction to the stress being shown by his owner. A dog can pick up on anything out of the norm in his owners speech patterns, body movements and possibly the change of scent as the owner becomes stressful. This bond thread between two members of different species is a wonderful thing that happens thousands of times a day between dogs and people. 



> "I'm just curious if this is common or if my dog has some not-so-common gift? I've always joked that he's like my service dog ... "


But just that one feature is not what makes a SD. It is a special wonderful bonus that is very common.




> ... so if this is some sought after trait, I almost feel guilty having him to myself.


Don't feel guilty that your dog reacts like this -- it is one of the reasons that man has continued sharing his life with dogs. 

Please understand that what makes a dog a SD is what it is trained to do. The DOJ states that comfort is not considered a task -- that tasks must be trained. 

The following video shows a bonus (not a task but something that is still helpful) the dog waking his owner up from a flashback. It is then the additional next action of the dog which was the trained part.

Besides this task, a PSD can be trained for many other tasks. And remember a PSD is a true working SD and is so under Federal and most State Laws. And another important note is that not all suffering from PTSD is a result of a military action. Some people with PTSD have gone through accidents, abuse or witnessed something horrible and life changing.

WARNING -- the following video may be a trigger for some viewers // shows a scene after a battle.

This Powerful Ad Will Give You The Chills – Guaranteed | Superstar Magazine


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