Recruiting

Dog Training Program

Sponsor:

Florida Atlantic University

Code:

NCT07542431

Conditions

Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms

Mental Health Conditions

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Interventions

Dog training

Study Details

Brief summary:

The goal of this single-arm study is to learn if a dog adoption and training program can treat, prevent in \[describe participant population/primary condition; could include any of the following: sex/gender, age groups, healthy volunteers\]. The main questions it aims to answer are:

  • Does the dog adoption and training program decrease posttraumatic stress symptoms in veterans with self-reported posttraumatic stress symptoms?
  • Does the dog adoption and training program decrease stress and improve psychosocial health in veterans with self-reported posttraumatic stress symptoms?
  • Does the dog adoption and training program decrease inflammation, increase oxytocin, and change the structure and resting-state function of specific brain regions in veterans with self-reported posttraumatic stress symptoms?

Participants will:

  • Attend eight one-hour professional dog training sessions within a 10-week period.
  • Visit the clinical research unit four times during the study for data collection.

Conditions

Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms

Mental Health Conditions

Study ID

NCT07542431

Start date

Feb 9, 2026

Status verified date

Apr, 2026

Completion date

Dec, 2030

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Dec, 2030

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Military veteran with self-reported posttraumatic stress symptoms and/or other mental health conditions
  • Over 18 years of age
  • Applied and approved to adopt a shelter dog for training through the Humane Society of Broward County in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
  • English speaker (written and spoken)
  • Home internet access via tablet, computer or smartphone.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Fear of dogs
  • Allergies to pet dander
  • Uncorrected hearing or visual impairment.

Study Design

Enrollment

120 participants

Anticipated

Intervention Model

Single group

Primary purpose

Other

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

experimental: Study Intervention

Within-subjects design

Interventions

Dog training

Eight, one-hour professional dog training sessions over 8-10 weeks

Primary outcome measure

  • Change in self-reported posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms from baseline to 4 weeks post-intervention [ Time Frame: From enrollment to 4 weeks post-intervention ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Beth A Pratt, PhD

561-297-4912bpratt4@health.fau.edu

Locations

Florida Atlantic University

Recruiting

Boca Raton, Florida, United States, 33431

More Information

Sponsor

Florida Atlantic University

Last update posted

Apr 24, 2026

Last verified

Apr, 2026

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-08. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by Florida Atlantic University on 2026-04-24.