Training your emotional support dog (ESA) is crucial to fully enjoy the rights and privileges that come with having an ESA. Whether you live in a no-pet housing situation or need to fly with your dog, basic obedience training can make all the difference.
As an ESA owner, your rights are protected under the Fair Housing Act and the Air Carrier Access Act, ensuring you don’t have to pay extra fees to live or travel with your dog. Training not only builds this trust but also strengthens the bond with your furry companion.
It’s essential to understand that having an ESA dog isn’t enough. Proper training is necessary to ensure your dog behaves well and supports you during stressful situations. However, you should avoid being too harsh in training. Gentle yet firm methods work best, as dogs respond poorly to overly strict or aggressive training techniques.
What Is an Emotional Support Dog?
An emotional support dog (ESA) is prescribed by a licensed mental health professional to help individuals dealing with mental health conditions. The primary purpose is to offer emotional comfort and support.
Advantages of having an ESA dog include:
Access to all types of housing, including no-pet buildings
Permission to fly with your dog in the cabin without extra charges
No additional fees for housing or travel
It's important to distinguish between ESAs, therapy dogs, and service animals. ESAs offer more rights than therapy dogs but less than service animals, which are specifically trained to assist with physical disabilities.
Who Qualifies for an Emotional Support Dog?
To qualify for an ESA, a person must suffer from specific mental health conditions, including:
Depression
Postpartum depression
Anxiety disorders
PTSD
Phobias or fear-based conditions
Bipolar disorder
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
A licensed mental health professional must provide an ESA letter to individuals diagnosed with these conditions. Family doctors cannot prescribe an ESA letter.
Why Emotional Support Dog Training Is Crucial
Can you rely on an untrained dog? Not really. A well-trained dog is dependable, especially for people managing anxiety or PTSD. These dogs help mitigate panic attacks and manage stress in various situations, making them invaluable companions.
When traveling with your ESA, training ensures that your dog behaves well in public spaces and on airplanes. In some cases, trained dogs can even detect anxiety symptoms in their owners and act accordingly, such as moving to create space when the person feels overwhelmed.
Essential Emotional Support Dog Training Commands
Training your ESA involves teaching key commands, whether you train your dog yourself or seek professional help. Below are five critical commands:
Recall: Teaching your dog to come to you no matter the distance is crucial for safety and convenience.
Stay: This command ensures your dog stays in place until you signal them to move. Practice with varying distances and distractions.
Sit: The most basic command, ensuring your dog listens when told.
Down: Similar to “sit,” this command helps your dog transition into a lying position, which can be important in public settings.
Leave It: A critical command to stop your dog from interacting with dangerous or unpleasant objects.
How to Train an Emotional Support Dog
There’s no single “best” method to train an ESA, but the process generally involves consistency, patience, and positive reinforcement. You can start training your dog as soon as you bring them home, or if your dog is already older, it’s never too late to begin.
Can Any Dog Be an ESA?
In short, yes—any dog can be an ESA, as long as they provide emotional comfort to the person in need. Whether you choose a small breed like a Chihuahua or a large breed like a Labrador, the key is getting a licensed ESA letter from a medical professional to make it official.
ESA vs. Service Dog Training
It’s essential to differentiate between an ESA and a service dog. While both provide emotional support, service dogs undergo extensive training to perform specific tasks for individuals with physical disabilities, such as guiding the blind or assisting with mobility issues.
Training for service dogs can take up to two years, while ESA training is typically much shorter—usually a few weeks. Moreover, service dogs require official certification, while ESAs do not.
Get Your ESA Letter Online
If you need an ESA, obtaining a valid ESA letter is a straightforward process. If you’re unable to visit a medical professional in person, you can get your ESA letter online through trusted services that connect you with licensed mental health professionals..
The process is simple: fill out a form, wait for an assessment, and if eligible, receive your ESA letter. With a valid ESA letter, you’ll be able to take your emotional support dog wherever you go, ensuring they’re by your side when you need them most.
