How do emotional support dogs help and what training is needed?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Female | spayed | 4 years and 9 months old
How does a emotional dog support work, and what kind of training does the dog have to go threw ?
2 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on August 6th, 2019
Emotional Support Animals are trained to help a person depending on that person's specific needs, and there is no one set rule or training program for them. Each dog is trained individually, assisting in tasks such as helping with panic attacks, anxiety, etc. These dogs are also not considered service animals in some cases, so may not have the same protections as a service animal such as Guide Dogs for the Blind. There is also no specific certification or designation for ESAs. That said, if you are interested in having an ESA, speaking with a trainer in your area that specializes in service dog training is a good place to start. They can work with you on tailoring training techniques, and get you into actual training certification programs such as Canine Good Citizen which can help teach basic obedience and social skills all service dogs should have.
2Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on June 2nd, 2018
Hi and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Service dogs and Emotional Support Animals (ESA) are two very different categories. Service dogs are animals that have been trained specifically to performed tasks for people with disabilities. To qualify as a service dog, the animal must be individually trained in that specific task by a qualified trainer and the animal should be able to perform the task in any environment/scenario. Examples of service animals and their tasks include: seeing eye/guide dog, mobility assistance (opening doors, pulling wheelchairs etc) and diabetes alert dogs. ESAs do not require specific task training. An ESA is a companion animal that a medical professional has determined provides a therapeutic benefit for an individual with a mental or psychiatric disability. Therefore, I recommend considering what exactly you would like Lucky to do for you. If there are specific tasks you would like Lucky to perform, given your disabilities, I would contact qualified trainers. If not, then I would talk to you a doctor or mental health professional about getting Lucky to be an emotional support dog for you. Good luck!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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