War can give military working dogs PTSD

A USA Today article about military working dogs and their vital role in the current military conflicts also talks about how the trauma of war can give these canines PTSD:

"...incidents of canine post-traumatic stress disorder are on the rise, said Lt. Col. Richard A. Vargus, chief of the law enforcement branch at CENTCOM.

"Our biggest issue that we have with canines is canine PTSD," he said. "We've seen a significant issue with that because when you're standing 10 feet away from an explosion, the dog has emotions and the dog is affected as well."

If the dog is fearful, it may bite the handler, run and hide, or cower behind the handler if it thinks the team is preparing to go on patrol, Vargus said.

Read more:
Canine programs expand to save more troops