Emotional support dogs are a type of emotional support animal (ESA). These are animals that help people who struggle with mental health disorders like anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
Emotional support animals can help anyone relieve some stress and anxiety from daily life but it’s important to understand what dogs can be an ESA and which dogs can’t. In fact, the answer might surprise you.
If you’re curious about your dog and if it can be an emotional support animal, you’re in the right place. Read on to learn everything you need to know below.
What Is An Emotional Support Dog?
An emotional support dog (ESD) is a type of animal that helps someone with mental health disorders. While any animal can help someone with these types of issues, emotional support dogs earn their designation from a licensed mental health professional. Therefore, they’re legally known as an emotional support dog and that comes with a handful of benefits.
What’s the Difference Between an Emotional Support Dog and a Service Dog?
Emotional support dogs and service dogs are different. An ESD is there to help someone with mental health conditions by providing comfort. An ESD doesn’t require specialized training and doesn’t have as many protections under the law. The biggest protection that an ESD has is that an ESA letter will help you maintain housing in a place that doesn’t allow pets.
What makes service dogs different is their training. Service dogs need expensive training that can take a few years before they’re eligible to become service dogs. These dogs are also protected by many laws like the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which allows them to travel on planes and accompany people in public places.
ESDs may be allowed in some public spaces as well, but that’s up to the discretion of the business owner and is not a legal right.
What Are the Benefits of an Emotional Support Dog?
Emotional support dogs provide people with many benefits and they go beyond what a normal pet can offer you. While they don’t require training, an ESD can bond with their owner and offer comfort during travel, in homes, and even in public spaces.
We list some of the benefits of an ESD below.
- Reducing loneliness for people who live alone
- Improving pleasure and satisfaction
- Lowering blood pressure
- Helping with heart rate in high-stress situations
- Lowering anxiety
- Treating depression
These are only some of the benefits that an ESD offers. Depending on your unique situation, you may notice even more benefits. If you’d like to learn how to get an emotional support dog for yourself, check out US Service Animals’ ESD guide.
How to Register a Dog as an Emotional Support Dog
To register a dog as an emotional support dog you need to follow a few quick steps. Thankfully, with innovations in telemedicine, many licensed mental health professionals are available over the phone. Therefore, it’s possible to get your dog registered as an ESD online. Typically, you have to enter your information, and your dog’s information, and schedule a call with a licensed mental health professional.
The information you have to provide includes how big your dog is, their age, and their temperament. They’ll also want to know about your mental health conditions to determine if you’re eligible for an ESD. From start to finish, expect the process to take about one week.
Can Any Dog Be an Emotional Support Dog?
Yes, any dog can be an emotional support dog (ESD). The type of breed of dog isn’t relevant, so you can have a Great Dane or even a Poodle as an emotional support dog.
The primary factor in determining if a dog can be an ESD is if the dog has a calm or mild temperament. Dogs that are aggressive and pose a risk to other people or animals, for example, can’t be emotional support dogs. Otherwise, any dog of your choosing is eligible as long as they’re approved by a licensed mental health professional.
What Are the Best Dog Breeds for an Emotional Support Dog?
Several breeds make great emotional support dogs. Plus, you can choose any breed to help you along your mental health journey. That said, some dogs are better than others at being ESDs.
Below we list some of the best emotional support dog breeds.
- Poodle
- Golden Retrievers
- Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
- German Shepherd
- Pug
- English Bulldog
- Beagle
- Border Collie
- Yorkshire Terrier
- Shih Tzu
- Bernese Mountain Dog
- Dachshund
- Havanese
These are some of the best breeds for emotional support dog purposes. Still, these are only some of the best breeds and you can always choose the dog that best suits your needs.
What Are the Worst Breeds for an Emotional Support Dog?
There are good and bad choices for an emotional support dog. We’ve covered the best breeds for ESD proposes but it’s also important to cover the worst breeds. Keep in mind that these breeds can still be ESD and a lot of it comes down to the temperament of the dog.
We list some common breeds to avoid below.
- Old English Sheepdogs
- Bernard
- Newfoundland
- Great Dane
- Cane Corso
- Irish Wolfhound
- Neapolitan Mastiff
- Great Pyrenees
- Chow Chows
- African basenji
The list of the worst breeds for an ESD is made up of dogs that are too big to travel with and dogs that have a bad temperament for providing emotional support.
Get the Comfort You Need with an Emotional Support Dog Today!
An emotional support dog will help you remain calm and can even treat mental health conditions. If you want to try a new type of treatment that doesn’t have side effects, like some medications, why not give an emotional support dog a chance?
These companions can sometimes go with you to places that other animals cannot. Plus, with an ESA letter from a licensed mental health professional, you can have an ESD in housing that doesn’t usually allow pets.
Remember, while any dog can be an ESD they still have to have the right temperament. Always consider which dogs make a good ESD and which dogs don’t before running out and getting a new companion.
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