Training service dogs slows aging and stress in veterans

Dogs do more than offer companionship – they can change how our bodies handle stress. A new study finds that training service dogs may help slow down biological aging in women, especially those who served in the military.

Researchers discovered that such work affects more than mood – it can reach the body’s cells. The project focused on female veterans, a group often left out of major PTSD studies.

Forgotten voices in PTSD science

Women have been part of the U.S. military for decades. Their duties expanded after 1948, moving beyond clerical and medical roles into combat and leadership. Yet, most military research still focuses on men.

This leaves many questions about how service and trauma affect women. Female veterans also report higher PTSD rates than men, often due to sexual assault or domestic violence. That research gap drove a team of scientists to explore something new.

Dogs offer new route to healing

Traditional PTSD treatments use therapy, medication, or both. Those approaches help many people, but not all. Female veterans often describe their recovery as incomplete.

Researchers from Florida Atlantic University and multiple other universities wanted to try a different route.

They used the biopsychosocial model – a framework that links body, mind, and environment. Their question was simple: Can working with animals ease stress inside the body as well as the mind?

The science of companionship

Animals don’t judge. That’s part of their power. Many veterans returning from service struggle with connection. A dog listens, trusts, and asks for nothing but care. These simple exchanges build safety.

Research shows that women often form stronger attachments to pets than men do, likely because of empathy and nurturing instincts.

For veterans cut off from family or old networks, those animal bonds can fill painful gaps.

Veterans heal through helping dogs

Instead of receiving a service dog, each veteran trained one for someone else. That choice mattered. Training gave each participant a sense of mission – something the military once provided but civilian life often lacks.

Volunteering also has proven mental health benefits. It shifts attention away from personal distress and replaces it with meaning.

In this program, every woman helped another veteran regain independence, and in doing so, regained some of her own balance.

Healing at the cellular level

Twenty-eight women between 32 and 72 years old joined the project. All had PTSD. Half trained service dogs for eight weeks, while the rest watched dog-training videos.

Each weekly session lasted about an hour. Researchers tracked biological stress by analyzing saliva samples to measure telomere length – a marker of cellular aging.

They also monitored heart rate variability to gauge nervous system balance, and questionnaires measured PTSD symptoms, stress, and anxiety.

Aging in slow motion

The results stood out. Women who trained dogs showed longer telomeres after eight weeks. That means slower cellular aging. The control group’s telomeres shortened, a sign of faster aging. Combat experience shaped this pattern.

Veterans who had seen combat and trained dogs showed the strongest improvement. Those who had seen combat but only watched videos aged the fastest at the cellular level. Helping another veteran, it seems, can also help the body heal.

Stress reactions and recovery

Heart rate results told a different story. The dog-training group had slightly lower variability – normally a sign of stress. Researchers believe this may have stemmed from pandemic-related adjustments.

Training took place outdoors, with masks and limited contact. Those disruptions likely added tension.

Still, both groups showed clear mental gains. PTSD symptoms, anxiety, and perceived stress dropped sharply. Simply having routine and human attention may have helped calm emotions.

What dogs connection offers

“Female veterans face unique reintegration challenges that are often overlooked, and traditional PTSD treatments don’t always meet their needs,” said Cheryl Krause-Parello, Ph.D., first author and director of C-PAWW.

“Nontraditional approaches like connecting with animals can offer meaningful support. These relationships provide emotional safety and stability, which can be especially powerful for women.

“But not all veterans can care for a service animal, so animal-related volunteerism may offer similar healing benefits without the burden of ownership.”

From training dogs to people

The veterans who trained dogs also learned communication skills that carried into daily life. Reading body language, practicing patience, and rewarding good behavior built empathy.

Those lessons may strengthen relationships with people too. Researchers suggest that this type of learning could improve emotional control and trust long after the training ends.

The role of trauma

Some participants said their PTSD stemmed from military sexual trauma. The study did not focus on trauma types, but the researchers note it’s an important question for the future.

The source of trauma may influence how a person responds to service dog programs. Because many female veterans experience harassment or abuse, future projects may tailor programs to those experiences.

Biology meets empathy

This study used science to measure compassion. Teaching a dog to help others did more than lift mood – it slowed a physical sign of aging.

That connection between biology and empathy supports a bigger idea: emotional support and social purpose can affect health at the deepest level. The mind and body are not separate, and neither are healing and helping.

Expanding compassion research

Researchers call for larger studies. The current trial had only 28 participants, too few for firm conclusions. The eight-week timeline was also short. More time might show stronger results.

Future work could measure telomerase activity, which repairs telomeres and provides a clearer view of long-term change. Even so, the early findings point toward a simple truth – caring can restore balance.

Serving others, healing self

“This research underscores the power of service dog training as a meaningful, non-pharmacological intervention to support the health and healing of female veterans with PTSD,” said Krause-Parello. “It opens the door to more personalized approaches that nurture both the mind and body.”

Each woman who trained a service dog gave more than time – she gave attention, stability, and empathy. In return, her body showed signs of healing.

This exchange of care captures a powerful idea: support is circular. By helping others, we help ourselves. The study didn’t just track biology; it revealed the strength that appears when purpose, compassion, and science meet.

Researchers at the the University of Maryland, the Medical College of Georgia, and Warrior Canine Connection contributed to the findings.

The study is published in the journal Behavioral Sciences.

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