What is Deep Pressure Therapy?

A closer look at an important service dog task

Freedom Service Dogs can be custom-trained to perform more than 45 specialized cues to support veterans and first responders with PTSD or traumatic brain injuries, young adults with autism, and individuals with mobility issues. Deep pressure therapy, also known as DPT, is one of the tasks FSD Service Dogs and Professional Therapy Dogs are taught that can have a positive effect on those we serve by reducing stress, fear, and anxiety, among other benefits.

Woman sitting with a yellow Labrador Retriever wearing a service dog vest resting their head on her lap.

How DPT Works

DPT is a calming technique that uses gentle, consistent pressure by a dog on their handler’s body—similar to the feeling of being swaddled, hugged, or using a weighted blanket. A service dog or professional therapy dog performs DPT by leaning against their person or using their weight to lay across the lap or chest on cue.

The warmth and pressure of DPT can help regulate the nervous system during times of emotional distress, sensory overload, or anxiety. It can also ease acute symptoms related to anxiety and trauma disorders, such as panic attacks, meltdowns, dissociation, and overstimulation, by lowering heart rate and blood pressure.

By activating the parasympathetic nervous system (the “rest and digest” system), DPT helps counteract the fight-or-flight response. Research shows it can also aid in reducing cortisol (a stress hormone), while boosting feel-good, happy hormones like dopamine and serotonin. This helps with mood regulation, body awareness, and grounding.

Beyond offering a calming presence during DPT through purposeful touch, FSD assistance dogs can also be trained to interrupt unwanted anxious behaviors, thoughts, and feelings, which fosters a deeper sense of safety, focus, and recovery for those with disabilities.

A woman sitting on the floor with a black Labrador retriever wearing a Freedom Service Dogs service dog vest doing deep pressure therapy on her lap.

A blonde woman sitting on a chair smiling with a Black Labrador Retriever wearing a Freedom Service Dogs service dog vest performing deep pressure therapy on her lap.

Who DPT Helps

While anyone can benefit from DPT, this task is especially helpful for many of the people with disabilities we serve. For young adults with autism or veterans and first responders with PTSD, an FSD Service Dog can perform DPT to help interrupt anxious behaviors, create a grounding presence during moments of distress, awaken people from nightmares and improve quality of sleep, disrupt dissociation spells, and allow the handler to focus on the dog rather than a stressful environment.

U.S Navy veteran Ashleigh, who struggles with the effects of PTSD, reports that the DPT her Freedom Service Dog Montana performs for her has been nothing short of life-changing. She shares,

“Montana supports me through DPT, in which he gently lays across my lap to help ground me during moments of anxiety, panic, sensory overload, or black hole trauma. His weight and presence helps regulate my nervous system, slows my racing heart, and brings me back to the present. At night, he lays on me to help alleviate anxiety, reduce sensory overload, ease night terrors, and offer the reassurance that it’s safe for me to sleep. It may look like we’re just cuddling, but for me, it’s life-changing therapy in action. It’s an incredible feeling knowing that I’m not running the race of life alone anymore… I have my blessing—my Montana!”

A black Labrador Retriever wearing a Freedom Service Dogs red service dog vest sitting on an outdoor path. — Freedom Service Dog Montana

Woman sitting on a chair with a black Labrador Retriever wearing a red Freedom Service Dogs service dog vest performing deep pressure therapy on her lap. — Freedom Service Dog Montana

For those with mobility challenges, DPT performed by a Freedom Service Dog can help with blood circulation and aid in pain relief by putting pressure on specific parts of the body, such as the legs. This task may also make it easier for someone with mobility challenges to pet and interact with their dog in ways that might otherwise be difficult.

While DPT is a fantastic intervention used by service dogs, it is also useful for FSD Professional Therapy Dogs, who work alongside mental health and crisis support professionals to offer support for the community. This task is useful in creating a sense of comfort and assisting with emotional regulation, which may be especially helpful for clients during therapy sessions, those facing a traumatic event, witnesses during the stress of testifying in court, children having a hard day at school, and more.

A blonde woman sitting on a chair with a treat in her hand. A yellow Labrador Retriever wearing a red Freedom Service Dogs service dog vest is looking at her.

How We Teach FSD Dogs DPT

DPT might look like cuddling, but there’s a lot of skill and training behind the behavior. FSD dogs learn how to perform DPT through a progressive series of behaviors guided by our talented trainers using positive reinforcement methods.

First, dogs master the basics of DPT by learning how to place their head, paws, or full body on a person’s lap or chest when given a verbal cue. This sets the groundwork for the dog to ease into a gradual progression of learning how to perform these tasks in response to specific verbal or situational cues, such as heavy breathing or changes in body language. Our trainers tailor these cues uniquely to the client so that the dog can perform DPT as effectively as possible.

Once a dog has mastered when and how to perform DPT, we teach them how to generalize the behavior by practicing the task in a variety of different environments, such as in the home, at grocery stores, during large gatherings, and outdoors. This ensures the dog can perform DPT reliably during moments of distress regardless of where they may be with their handler.

Some dogs may be trained to perform DPT when given a verbal cue, while others learn to offer the behavior proactively during signs of emotional dysregulation, such as crying, hyperventilating, freezing up, or engaging in repetitive movements.

Final Thoughts

A woman leaning over to kiss a black Labrador Retriever wearing a Freedom Service Dogs service dog vest. The dog is performing deep pressure therapy.

For many of the individuals FSD serves, deep pressure therapy is a life-changing task that we custom train our assistance dogs to perform. Not only does it help individuals live with more independence and freedom, but it also brings them game changing comfort and grounding.

At Freedom Service Dogs, we’re committed to purpose breeding and custom training assistance dogs who empower people with disabilities to live with possibility. In order to provide the highest quality care and training to all our dogs, we count on the generosity of our community to further our mission and continue placing these pups at no cost to those we serve. You can help us leave more paw prints on those in need by giving a gift of any amount today!