Our dogs are trained for certain tasks such as initiating daily routine, from waking to medication reminders and other activities personal to the Veteran.
They are trained to respond to anxieties displayed by the Veteran in everyday life, and potentially challenging environments (including hyper-vigilance). They recognise, indicate and interrupt signs of anxiety, panic attacks and nightmares.
These behaviours allow the Veteran to break these cycles and regain emotional control by employing cognitive behavioural skills, engaging risk reduction behaviours and so reduce the debilitation of symptomology associated with PTSD.
We understand every mental health disability is different and unique to each individual, which is why our dogs are matched and then custom-trained for a Veteran's specific needs.
Once a dog has reached an appropriate standard, VWD brings the Veteran and dog together in a residential setting to begin the matching and transfer. This allows the Veteran to train under supervision with our team and learn how to work and train with their dog .