I asked this question to Ian McClellan, professional dog trainer at Set Free Dog Training, and his answer was, “Absolutely! But with anything, it takes work, time and patience, on your part and the dog’s.”

Which breeds are best to work with people with trichotillomania, tics or other obsessive-compulsive disorders?

“I love Labs, Golden Retrievers, and German Shepherds. Any sort of doodle mix with a Lab or Golden Retriever is a good match for a service dog. I’m not saying there’s not more breeds that could be used, these are just where I’ve had the most experience and best success.”

When should training a puppy for serving someone with trichotillomania or OCD begin?

“The training needs to start the moment the puppy is taken away from the mother. It takes dedication, time, and hard work to shape the behaviors of a puppy to have the obedience, impulse control, and appropriate social behaviors to be a service dog.

There are certain traits to look for (calm, not overly excited, firm body structure) but generally speaking most any puppy with the correct approach and training can be a service dog.”

Does a service dog have to begin training as a puppy?

“Not necessarily but you have to have a dog that behaves well to be a service dog. A dog will be a dog at times, of course, but it’s all about shaping behaviors, setting guidelines and boundaries. The dog needs to be socialized from a very young age. 

Reshaping an older dog’s behaviors and socialization attitudes is possible but it takes longer because you have to undo bad habits and shape new good habits.”

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Can a dog be sent away for this type of training?

“I prefer to teach the owner how to handle any situation that may arise together, rather than the recipient getting a great dog back from a trainer, not recognizing some behavior or response and thinking their amazing dog is broken or stubborn. It’s all about knowing how and what to do when situations arise, and that will happen best in the home between the dog and owner.

That’s the beauty of having a trainer come to you. You will learn all the ins and outs of your puppy and the puppy will learn about you, too.” 

How does a trainer go about training a puppy to interrupt trichotillomania?

“I only use and recommend positive reinforcement, bond-based training methods. These methods build a relationship between the owner and the dog. Other methods install fear as the driving force to get the desired behaviors. I’d much rather have a dog who does the things I desire out of love rather than fear. 

The dog is trained to recognize the behaviors and it becomes a cue for the dog to interrupt the person when they do it. The dog is trained to redirect the focus of the person towards the dog rather than the unwanted behavior.

For trichotillomania, we would sit with the dog, imitate the hair pulling action (or whatever the behavior correction needs are) and teach the dog to nudge the person in some way to interrupt their behavior.”

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As I look forward to getting a puppy this fall, I’ll be working with Ian to train the pup in other ways (um, ya know, to not pee in the house or bite people!) but will also be documenting our methods and ways of training the dog to interrupt my trichotillomania.

Since trich is such a sensory related behavior, a dog may be the perfect companion for me on so many levels. I’ll be able to recognize when I’m pulling my hair and be able to pet her soft hair instead, giving me the sensory fulfillment I crave. And the love she’ll crave. A mental health win, win!

I can’t wait to get Milly (yeah, we’ve totally already named her) and share more with you about this process. If you’re thinking of getting a service dog, or a dog of any kind, comment below with any questions you may have for Ian or follow his Facebook Account for more dog training tips and tricks!