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Thank you for giving us wings and the freedom to discover new beginnings, at the other side of the world.
We love you ….
FLIGHT WITH YOUR SERVICE /ASSISTANCE DOG (PSD)
ESA certificate
Certify your animal as your personal ESA (Emotional Support Animal)
We train and certify dogs as companions for people with mental impairments who experience relief through their dog.
These dogs work in the bonding and relationship system and must therefore be protected and spared from separation from humans as well as negative experiences and trauma in order to maintain their function for humans and fulfill their tasks. We call these dogs Assistance Dogs (PSD).
What we do?
Assistance Dog (PSD)
– what is it?
Who we are?
Assistance Dog (PSD)
– for whom?
What we want?
Contact
Our challenge
Our organization
PSDeurope Training – Contents
The PSDeurope video
Some opinions from our customers
current customer base (Feb 23)
Interested parties and inquiries (Feb 23)
Completed PSD trainings (Feb 23)
PSDeurope Bulletin
PSD quick access bar
Quickly find the topic you are particularly interested in and click on the corresponding image
Your PSD test
Your dog as an Assistance Dog (PSD) or PSD (USDoT) ?
Find out if this is possible, take your personal test.
All information will be treated confidentially
Download
This is our Member Download Area.
Use the password sent to you to visit the page.
You will find many important tips and lists there.
Video examples
Here you will find examples of videos created for the basic skills and task list
Trainings - Progress
This checklist allows you to record and view your personal progress during the PSDeurope training.
PSDeurope Webshop
Visit our store.
Here you will find all PSDeurope trainings, products and offers to fly with your dog.
Online therapy booking
Book your online therapy session with our psychotherapist Dr. Beate Pottmann-Knapp
Data transmission
Please use this form to send us your data and information.
We need this for the creation of all PSDeurope documents, certificates and ID cards
Theory course access
After booking your specific PSDeurope training, you will find the link to our online training platform here.
What we do?
We train Service Dogs/Assistance Dogs (PSD) in Europe with a focus on MENTAL DISABILITY for traveling and flying
We train according to the general guidelines of the US Department of Transport (USDoT), or according to existing European and international guidelines for training service dogs / assistance dogs (PSD) for people with psychological and mental problems.
🐾 💝
PSD-europe training to become a PSD according to US DoT standards, or a Service Dog / Assistance Dog (PSD)
An Assistance Dog (PSD) should also accompany its owner when traveling (especially by air).
For flights and travel to/through/from the USA and Canada, the US DoT standards must be observed, which are taught in our PSDeurope training.
For global travel, we have developed and compiled specific guidelines and used them to form our training concept.
Service Dog / Assistance Dog (PSD) Training
If you are traveling with your dog, European airlines, airports, railroads and other travel companies often require you to complete Service Dog / Assistance Dog (PSD) training.
This differs in some respects from the US standards.
This training has therefore become the focus of our program in 2022 and is updated every 3 months.
The combination of theory and practice as a challenge of the PSDeurope training concept
A well-trained Assistance Dog (PSD) human/dog partner team requires theoretical and practical know-how for coping with mental limitations and problems in everyday life. Our focus is on strengthening the bond and relationship within the team. Your dog should provide you with the best possible support in your everyday life and lifestyle. 🍀
Who we are?
We work Non Profit, as NGO
PSDeurope is part of the Association for Bonding and Relationship in Animal Assisted Work, VFBB, based in Austria and operates as a non-profit institution.
NGO with the claim to represent the topic of Service Dog /Assistance Dog (PSD) globally in a serious manner
We are the first institute in Europe to deal intensively with the subject of Service Dog / Assistance Dog (PSD) training specifically for flying and traveling for people with psychological and mental problems and the associated requirements and challenges.
People from psychotherapy, management, law, dog training
We are a team of people who bring together experience from a wide variety of areas to create an optimal product for training and certifying a dog as a Service Dog / Assistance Dog (PSD) with its human
Cooperation with dog schools, service/assistance dog trainers and European clubs
PSDeurope can only work the global market through cooperation.
We know this and are therefore open to any kind of meaningful cooperation.
Initial steps have been successfully implemented in Spain, Switzerland, Portugal, Austria, Germany, Indonesia and the USA.
What we want?
The recognition of the Assistance Dog (PSD) as a special status of a Service Dog for traveling and flying with a dog
Each Service Dog /Assistance Dog (PSD) is individually assigned to a specific person.
The assignment is based on the bonding phenomenon between mother and infant.
Teams are formed spontaneously or voluntarily.
Therefore, the same guidelines cannot generally apply to the Service Dog/Assistance Dog (PSD) as to assistance dogs in general.
According to our concept, training without the associated human is neither sensible nor possible.
Seriously helping people who need a Service Dog / Assistance Dog (PSD) to manage their lives
People with mental/psychiatric/mental impairments, who experience symptom relief through the bond with their dog, cope with everyday life and give their lives meaning and room for development, should also have the opportunity to take their dog with them on trips – without discrimination – and with any means of transport.
The special focus is on meeting all the necessary regulations to fly with the dog in the cabin.
Be a good and stable partner for airlines worldwide when it comes to Service Dog / Assistance Dog (PSD)
The behavior of the human/dog teams trained by us must contribute to flight safety.
We also expect exemplary behavior in the airport areas as well as at check-in and security control.
These are very important topics in our theoretical training as well as in the prescribed dog skills for acceptance as a Service Dog / Assistance Dog (PSD) team.
During the training and also during the leading of the dog all regulations of the animal protection must be fulfilled extensively.
to respect the standards of globally active institutions such as ESAAT, TAT or iaadp
The broadest possible acceptance of PSDeurope training would be promoted by accreditation with globally active dog training associations.
It is therefore our aim to discuss, agree and accredit the acceptance, scope and content of the PSDeurope training system with these institutions.
This also includes the companies that transport our human/animal partner teams on land, on water and in the air.
What is a Service Dog / Assistance Dog (PSD) or a PSD (USDoT)?
A dog that supports the psyche of a person and helps him to lead a normal life
Service Dogs / Assistance Dogs (PSD) are DOGS that offer their owners with psychological/psychiatric dysfunctions or context-related limitations (fear of flying, claustrophobia, etc.) therapeutic benefits through affection and companionship and at the same time are trained to reinforce these limitations not only through their existence, but also through individual skills
A dog that has and lives a special relationship and bond with its human
A Service Dog / Assistance Dog (PSD) takes on special tasks that are not only based on special abilities and skills, but also have a special bond and relationship with the assigned human as the basis for cooperation.
Any training can therefore not concentrate on the dog alone, but must take into account important elements of psychological cooperation.
Human and dog form a functioning whole
A dog specialized in psychiatric/ psycho-somatic complaints
When the Service Dog / Assistance Dog (PSD) is with its owner, he/she can and will be more relaxed, more confident and more present in the here and now.
He/she often feels less lonely, freer from constraints and other emotional restrictions, and more open to many activities in everyday life.
A dog that supports its owner with psychiatric impairments must not be separated from them under any circumstances.
Separation is very likely to trigger an acute crisis.
A dog that learns + carries out special tasks in dialogue with its human
A Service Dog / Assistance Dog (PSD) performs specially learned tasks.
A dog bonded to its human can learn the following tasks: warning of increased stress, increased discomfort, psychological seizures, psycho-somatic deterioration; recognizing emotional emergencies, fetching medication and aids; interrupting states of suffering, providing orientation, being an anchor, being the so-called “safe place”, providing concrete support during seizures, interrupting misbehaviour, stabilizing emotions, activating resources, promoting concentration, monitoring and demanding structure and much more
Who needs a Service Dog / Assistance Dog (PSD)?
A person with psychological / mental limitations who can make their life better with a dog
A person with psychological problems who is recommended an animal by a doctor or psychotherapist
A person who already owns a dog and can no longer imagine life without one
A person who would like to travel but cannot do so without animal help due to fears and insecurities
We have the opportunity to make a positive difference and give many people another piece of normal life.
Become a part of it.
The history of PSDeurope:
The realization and scientific confirmation that animals have a positive effect on the human psyche in many ways was first recognized in the USA.
Animals that bring relief to people with mental/psychiatric disabilities may not be separated from their owners by law – they are animals with special rights.
They are called emotional support animals.
This status is obtained when a specialist (GP, specialist in psychiatry/neurology, psychologist, psychotherapist) checks and confirms that the animal’s owner is suffering from a mental/psychiatric illness (diagnosis according to ICD or DSM) and alleviation of symptoms and complaints through the special bond and relationship with his animal.
Due to undisciplined behavior, the complaints became more frequent and there were ever louder demands for regulations and training of the animals.
The US Department of Transportation (DoT) took a close look at the issue.
In December 2020, the results of the investigation were published in the US DoT Final Rule.
Dogs that provide mental support to their owners, are trained in prescribed behavioral rules, and have learned specific tasks that support their owner’s psyche must continue to be allowed in the cabin.
These dogs receive the title PSD.
These regulations apply to all dogs in the USA, regardless of age, breed, size or other characteristics.
The EU is working on a corresponding law for assistance dogs.
We expect the first announcements in 2024.
Currently, only trained Service Dogs / Assistance Dogs (PSD) are allowed in the cabin in Europe and other parts of the world.
This is the background and motivation for the PSDeurope Assistance Dog Training.
Would you like to book Service Dog / Assistance Dog (PSD) training for your dog?
You have further questions?
You want to test if you can do a PSDeurope training?
Our top priorities
The PSDeurope project is currently at the forefront of all other projects at VFBB.
The background to this is the clear desire to fly (travel) with one’s own dog if it is prescribed as a necessary PSD (psychiatric service dog) by a suitable doctor or psychotherapist.
It is therefore the task and goal of PSDeurope to optimize PSD training for dogs and humans.
Customer service
We are not a profit-oriented organization that is concerned with generating new revenue and selling our services and products at any cost.
We truly want to help you train your dog to be a valuable service dog and understand that this is not easy for all people with mental disabilities.
We are here to help.
We will not leave you alone.
theory training
Theory training is one of the main pillars of our Service Dog / Assistance Dog (PSD) training.
The aim is to provide you as a dog owner with the best prerequisites for managing and training your service dog and also to provide you with all the information you need to manage your dog in a wide variety of situations (shopping, flying, visiting) without any problems.
Special: Traveling in Europe
We have designed our training according to USDoT standards so that it is accepted by European organizations, tour operators and official bodies and our customers can also travel in Europe with their Service Dog / Assistance Dog (PSD) without any problems.
This is currently a major customer wish that we have come very close to fulfilling in 2022.
Many satisfied customers can and will confirm this.
Flying with the Service Dog / Assistance Dog (PSD)
Airlines are particularly interested in keeping their flights, their crews and their passengers absolutely safe.
A Service Dog / Assistance Dog (PSD) can pose a certain risk if the dog fails or the human/animal team does not harmonize well.
It is therefore our job to make the airlines understand that we do not compromise on safety, that our dogs are well trained and that our customers take the same values for granted.
We have set up a WhatsApp group specifically for this purpose to enable permanent communication between our customers even after training has been completed.
PSD Project: Accreditation
We are currently working on putting the VFBB and its projects PSDeurope and EURO-DOGS.eu on a broader footing.
This requires the accreditation of the developed training courses with supra-regional organizations such as ESAAT for the therapy dog complex and IAADP for the service/assistance dog (PSD) training content.
This is the specific goal for 2023
We currently have no plans to accredit our training courses publicly and state-accredited.
This is for two reasons.
Firstly, our ideas differ and secondly, there are too many national differences.
This may change if Europe adopts and demands a standardized regulation.
Support us – share your story
In the past we have been repeatedly confronted with the importance of animal-assisted work in various areas. The topic fascinates us and is now much more than a hobby and an idea. We feel more than connected to our customers
Our partners & supporters
Do you have any questions - contact us?
Project by VFBB (Association for Bonding and Relationships between Humans and Animals)
Wörthersee Süduferstrasse 181
AT 9081 Maria Worth
Carinthia, Austria
Phone: +43 664 9654601
service@psd-europe.eu
