Although emotional support animals do not have to be as highly trained as a certified service dog, there are some things you will want to consider when choosing a dog intended for emotional support or training one you already pet parent. Emotional Support Animals are pets that a licensed therapist or doctor recommends for an individual. Before you dive into training, you should first see if you qualify for an Emotional Support Animal.

If you do, please read on as we delve into the realm of emotional support dogs. We will include the qualities your dog should possess and how to train your canine to perform a specific emotional support technique.

See if you qualify for an ESA letter today!

What Qualities Should an Emotional Support Dog Possess?

Most dogs possess the natural tendency to be devoted to their pet parent, after all, that’s what makes them man’s and woman’s best friend. However, there are some dogs that may be too rambunctious, overly-excitable or just too timid to help people in their darkest moments. That isn’t to say that these pup-personality-types can’t or will never be able to be an emotional support animal, it just means they may take more training to do so.

If your therapist has recommended an emotional support dog to help with your diagnosis, you will want to look for a canine around a year-old and is calm/laid-back in nature, as well as responsive to you. Making a true connection or an instant bond with any pet is one way to ensure your dog will be there when needed the most.

Puppies and Emotional Support

Some people want to take a puppy and teach it to be an emotional support animal. This is a great way to train the dog up “in the ways” of this important duty.

For this you will, once again, want to find a breed of dog that tends to be more people-orientated and eager to learn. Such breeds include the Labrador/Golden Retrievers, Poodles and the ever-gaining in popularity Goldendoodle. Of course, any breed or mixed breed can certainly offer the qualities you are searching for, just be willing to do some research and visiting of individual puppies to find the best candidate.

Once you have chosen your puppy start him off with the basics of obedience training; sit, stay, down, come, heel etc. The younger you start with these lessons, the more likely your dog will be a suitable emotional support companion.

In addition to obedience, your dog will also need to be well socialized. This means no barking, jumping, lunging, begging for food and other annoying habits some dogs can exhibit when out in a public setting.

This is not only for your own benefit – it’s hard to be unstressed if you have to be constantly looking out for your dog’s unruly behavior – but your dog will be expected to be well-behaved when out-and-about.

If you feel you are not up to the task of training your dog, enlist the help of a professional trainer, or a family member/friend that may want to do the training or go to the training classes for you.

A Quick Trick to Teach Your Dog to Calm Your Anxiety

Studies have shown that a technique called, Deep Pressure Therapy (DPT) can help calm those who suffer from anxiety, autism, self-harming behaviors and stress in general. This type of non-medicated treatment has been proven to help reduce the duration of the situation and makes it easier to bear.

The principle behind DPT is to have the dog apply gentle pressure to your body, chest or body part (as in self-harming) depending on the size of the canine. For smaller dogs, you can teach them to lie directly across your chest or along the front of your body, while those larger breeds can be taught to place their heads or feet across your lap or legs (whatever is most comfortable for you).

Here are the steps to teaching your dog DPT.

Step 1 – On the Sofa & Paws Up Command

If your dog isn’t used to being on a sofa, you may have to coax him up using some treats. This is as simple as showing your dog the treat, then slowly moving it to the back of the sofa, while excitedly saying his name and “paws up” (example, Toby, paws up!)

Depending on your dog’s reluctance to join you on the sofa, you may have to reward him each time he get’s closer to being on the sofa.

Step 2 – Practice

If you have a smaller dog, the main goal is for your pooch to have all four paws on the sofa, then be in a “down” position. If your dog is larger in nature (one that you don’t want to or can’t bare his weight) this “paws up” command will actually be with his front paws or head on the sofa.

Keep practicing the “paws up” command with treats until your dog knows what it means. Once this is accomplished, you can practice it without the aid of treats – you want your dog to do this because you need him to, not because there is a food reward at the end of the session.

Step 3 – Paws Off Command

Next you will want to teach your dog the “Paws Off” command. This is the same as paws on, but in reverse. To practice this call your dog off the sofa with the command ‘paws off.”

Remember to reward each time he follows through.

Step 4 – Laying/Sitting on Sofa

In order for the DPT to work, ideally you will want your small to medium-size dog to lie vertically along your body with his paws on your shoulders and his head next to yours. If you have a large dog, he will put his paws across your legs or lie his head on your lap when you are in a sitting position.

To train your dog to do this, use the paws up command, then the down command once he is vertically in place or along your lap. When your dog accomplishes this task, give him a treat then give the paws down command.

You may have to practice this back-and-forth training in order for your dog to do it on command, without the end result of a food reward.

If you are teaching a larger dog the DPT technique, he will have to lean into your lap in order for the pressure to be applied properly; however, once your dog relaxes, he should naturally put his weight on your lap.

Step 5 – The Signs of Anxiety Training

Once your dog has mastered the above techniques take the training further my mimicking the types of symptoms you experience during a stressful situation. By practicing this while you are calm and able to reward your dog for following the commands, the better able he will be when you really need him.

Emotional Support Dogs Help

Emotional support dogs have a special way of calming people down. Whether your dog instinctively picks up on your needs, or he requires a little training along the way, this type of support is a true step in healing for those who may otherwise suffer in silence.

Start to qualify your dog as an emotional support dog.

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