Introduction. Military veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are increasingly seeking service dogs as a complementary therapy. After initial placement, veterans are often expected to continue training their service dog at home. This study’s objective was to explore the associations between veteran’s usage of different training techniques, service dog behaviors, and the veteran-dog bond.
Methods. Military veterans with a service dog were recruited from a national PTSD service dog provider. A total of 120 veterans (M = 40.1 ± 8.2 years, 80% male) participated in an online survey regarding training techniques, service dog behaviors, and the human-animal bond. Service dogs (66% male) were of various breeds (37% Labrador Retrievers) and a majority were rescued from shelters. Training techniques were divided into five categories: positive reinforcement (e.g. physical praise), negative reinforcement (e.g. ignoring a behavior), positive punishment (e.g. verbal correction), dominance (e.g. eating before the dog), and bond-based (e.g. co-sleeping). Data were analyzed using general linear models.
Results. All five categories of training techniques were used by veterans. More frequent use of positive reinforcement was associated with increased attention behaviors (F(1,108) = 6.1, p = 0.02), playfulness (F(1,108) = 11.0, p = 0.001) and a closer bond (F(1,103) = 5.8, p = 0.02). More frequent use of negative reinforcement was associated with more overall problem behaviors (F(1,104) = 4.0, p = 0.04). More frequent use of positive punishment was associated with higher fear (F(1,103) = 6.2, p = 0.01) and less eye contact (F(1,109) = 12.3, p = 0.0007). More frequent use of bond-based techniques was associated with a closer bond (F(1,103) = 7.0, p = 0.01) and more eye contact (F(1,109) = 4.0, p = 0.04).
Conclusion. Military veterans with PTSD service dogs reported using many training techniques that were associated with different outcomes. In general, the use of positive reinforcement or bond-based training techniques were associated with more positive outcomes while the use of positive punishment or negative reinforcement were associated with more negative outcomes. Educating service dog organizations and recipients about the impacts of training techniques could be beneficial for service dog efficacy and welfare.