Emotional Support Dogs – How To Plan Ahead
“One reason a dog can be such a comfort when you’re feeling blue is that he doesn’t try to find out why.” – Unknown
Our trainers are frequently asked, “how do I train my dog to be an emotional support animal?” The fact remains, there are no hard and fast answers to that question. Emotional support animals, or ESAs, have been recently popularized to aid their people in managing their mental health through comfort so that everyone can live happily and confidently. How do you make your dog an ESA? Let’s see if we can help!
First, let’s define what an ESA really is. Many folks reach out looking for “service dog” or “therapy dog” training when their need is truly personal emotional support. Service dogs are classified by their ability to perform a task for their person, such as helping those with poor or no eyesight, for seizure detection, aiding with musculoskeletal disabilities, etc. These dogs are typically bred and raised by their trainers, immersed in training from the get-go, and then carefully paired with the person they serve. Therapy dogs are typically family pets who go through a separate certification process after obedience training that grades their ability to stay obedient and attentive to the needs of everyone around them, no matter what distraction they encounter, so they may travel within their communities to provide support to those in need, like our friends with K9 Caring Angels. ESA training, however, comes with no real certification in terms of training. ESAs are usually recommended by a physician, therapist, or counselor, who may be able to provide a sort of “prescription” to help aid their patients in taking their pet wherever they go, even overcoming housing exemptions in some cases.
Next, how do you pick a dog to be an ESA? We’ve helped clients reach their ESA training goals with a number of different breeds! It’s our experience that the most important thing in selecting the right dog is to make sure the breed itself is well-suited to be a companion and that its needs are compatible with your lifestyle. Some of our clients find their support in high-drive dogs that keep them active and engaged, while some prefer a low-key, even temperament that requires little stimulation. No matter what kind of dog you choose, the goal for emotional support animals is that they have a solid obedience foundation so that their people can rely on consistent behavior no matter what’s going on around them.
When getting a puppy, it’s important to find a breeder that selects their stock for the type of temperament you’re seeking. Even within specific breeds and separate litters, temperament can vary because every dog is an individual, but choosing the right breeder can help ensure that your new family member will be a good fit. Once you select a breeder and find out when your puppy comes home, we recommend enrolling in a puppy curriculum like ours which is designed for pups 8-16 weeks to build exposure and enrichment and set them up for long-term success. Once puppy class is over, our trainers will be familiar with your pup’s individual personality and can help guide you in the right direction if or when additional training is needed to help you toward your specific goals.
Adopting an adult dog is another route to finding the best emotional companion. Adult dogs over the age of two years have fully-fledged personalities and may better provide the right impression to move much more quickly toward ESA goals, as you don’t have to deal with the delightful yet tedious work that puppies demand. With an adult dog, it’s very important that you can rely on the experience of other folks who’ve regularly handled or fostered the dog to help you decide if it’s a good fit for your household. Many shelters and rescue groups have even found success with pre-adoption slumber parties or foster-to-adopt programs that give you a chance to spend some one-on-one time with your potential best friend before taking the full plunge into adoption. Provided their temperament and energy levels are a good fit, adult dogs can generally adapt to training more quickly due to their maturity levels and many will come with at least a baseline of housetraining and even obedience basics!
Bottom Line? Emotional support animals can play a big role in aiding those of us that struggle with anxiety, depression, and a plethora of other support needs and it’s critical that they can be counted on to mind their manners and remain calm despite crowds of people, loud noises, and tight spaces. Without that rock-solid obedience foundation, they can be disruptive in public situations and even amplify the anxieties in their people when that disruption occurs, which is why the age or breed isn’t as important as starting off on the right foot with training so that everyone can be happy and confident in every social situation. Training also provides ample opportunity to grow the relationship you have with your dog and to set and achieve goals that also promote mental well-being for both human and canine!