Let’s talk emotional support dogs. I was wondering if anyone could share their journeys. I’m looking at the Labradoodle breed for their ability to train and affectionate temperament. I have CPTSD and I’ve read they’re great companions for owners with PTSD. Has anyone been prescribed an ESP and is the process tough?
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Emotional support Pet
- Post starter OceanEyes
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Sweetpea76
VIP Member
Hello @OceanEyes. I moved your post over to Treatment & Therapy so you would get the best engagement and advice.
arfie
Diamond Member
the prescription dog owners scare me and i steer a wide berth around those yellow dog vests, but i swear by animal therapy. i started animal therapy in the 80's, before the officials arrived and it is, hands down, the most important therapy tool i have encountered to date. i started with a dog and have since branched out to chickens and donkeys. the vested dogs are pre-trained and i hold the training as the most important part of the bonding. i can't imagine letting someone else train my dog for me. my donkeys, either. chickens are a might hard to train. gotta take them as they come. acceptance therapy?
T
Trid
Yes. I have but I can’t take her (ESA) on the plane or bus (legally) anymore because they changed the laws. I’m thinking of training her to be certified as a Service Animal. It’s $300 something dollars.
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Sideways
VIP Member
Mod Note:
@OceanEyes - please log in to your account to post.
@OceanEyes - please log in to your account to post.
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Sideways
VIP Member
Sorry @OceanEyes - my bad!
Pink Freud
Bronze Member
I don't have a lisenced emotional support animal. My dogs are a huge part of my life though and I'm as much of an emotional support human to my current dog than he is an emotional support animal to me.
Just a thought on dogs in general...
The breed doesn't matter that much. Dogs are in general affectionate and can be trained easily with positive reinforcement. Look for Zak George on Youtube if you're interested in positive training methods.
Chosing the dog with the right temperament that meets your needs and your lifestyle is way more important than the breed. Take some time, sit down take pen and paper and write down what you actually need and want in a dog. Not what breed, what he or she should look like but actually what you imagine your life with a dog. Do you want a companion who is active and is always up for another run after you just arrived home from the dog park, the next adventure, the next squirrel to chase... Or are you looking for a dog, who's rather calm and resilient to stress.
A lot of people who never had a dog before (and also those who did) chose the dog that is the most affectionate. Which means the most enthusiastic and active, the little go-getter who climbs your lap 10 seconds in. Those are often the active ones, those who can't wait for the next adventure and sometimes those who have higher stress levels themselves. I had one of those. I loved her to bits but her level of activity and need for a 'job' was not the last reason why we ended up training for search and rescue.
I've rarely heard anyone say I don't want an active dog. The problem with it is often that people underestimate 'active dog' and overestimate their own level of activity. I chose my current dog carefully. He's on the lower middle end of active. He's always happy to come for a walk but he's also ok with only short walks on rainy days without getting stressed out. He's also much easier to train because of this. He's able to pay attention, to wait, to process what is happening, to listen and he isn't as easily frustrated when I'm making mistakes or fail to communicate what I want from him and he can be motivated to do all sort of things very easily.
Most dogs were bred to do certain jobs. Hunting, protecting, herding... German Shepherds are known to be on the more neurotic side, most hunting dogs are more on the hyperactive, herding dogs as in Border Collie, well... let's not talk about them if you're not planning on getting sheep as well. There are crazy Labradors who are completely out of control because they are so f*cking happy all the time and Poodles were initially bred for hunging.
All dogs can be easily trained with the right method under the right circumstances. There will be cool German Shepherds, a couple of calmer Border Collies, very very few hunting breeds who aren't interested in chasing... The real question is, does the specific dog fit to what you want him or her to do and be and what will your life look like for the next 15 years.
For an emotional support dog, consider chosing the calm and stoic one, who's sometimes perceived as "slow" or "a little dumb" ;) Don't go for the active one if you're not 100% sure, you're on the high end of active yourself. Even consider getting a rescue dog who's already a year or older. You will know what you get when it comes to temperament and there are very good dogs who would probably be a good fit. The dog I trained for search and rescue was almost 3 when she moved in with us. It's absolutely not true, that they can't learn all the things you need them to know when they are not a puppy anymore. As long as they had good enough socialization, they'll be fine and it's often even easier to train them when they are over those cute but also difficult phases of puberty and chewing everything they can get their little teeth on.
Just a thought on dogs in general...
The breed doesn't matter that much. Dogs are in general affectionate and can be trained easily with positive reinforcement. Look for Zak George on Youtube if you're interested in positive training methods.
Chosing the dog with the right temperament that meets your needs and your lifestyle is way more important than the breed. Take some time, sit down take pen and paper and write down what you actually need and want in a dog. Not what breed, what he or she should look like but actually what you imagine your life with a dog. Do you want a companion who is active and is always up for another run after you just arrived home from the dog park, the next adventure, the next squirrel to chase... Or are you looking for a dog, who's rather calm and resilient to stress.
A lot of people who never had a dog before (and also those who did) chose the dog that is the most affectionate. Which means the most enthusiastic and active, the little go-getter who climbs your lap 10 seconds in. Those are often the active ones, those who can't wait for the next adventure and sometimes those who have higher stress levels themselves. I had one of those. I loved her to bits but her level of activity and need for a 'job' was not the last reason why we ended up training for search and rescue.
I've rarely heard anyone say I don't want an active dog. The problem with it is often that people underestimate 'active dog' and overestimate their own level of activity. I chose my current dog carefully. He's on the lower middle end of active. He's always happy to come for a walk but he's also ok with only short walks on rainy days without getting stressed out. He's also much easier to train because of this. He's able to pay attention, to wait, to process what is happening, to listen and he isn't as easily frustrated when I'm making mistakes or fail to communicate what I want from him and he can be motivated to do all sort of things very easily.
Most dogs were bred to do certain jobs. Hunting, protecting, herding... German Shepherds are known to be on the more neurotic side, most hunting dogs are more on the hyperactive, herding dogs as in Border Collie, well... let's not talk about them if you're not planning on getting sheep as well. There are crazy Labradors who are completely out of control because they are so f*cking happy all the time and Poodles were initially bred for hunging.
All dogs can be easily trained with the right method under the right circumstances. There will be cool German Shepherds, a couple of calmer Border Collies, very very few hunting breeds who aren't interested in chasing... The real question is, does the specific dog fit to what you want him or her to do and be and what will your life look like for the next 15 years.
For an emotional support dog, consider chosing the calm and stoic one, who's sometimes perceived as "slow" or "a little dumb" ;) Don't go for the active one if you're not 100% sure, you're on the high end of active yourself. Even consider getting a rescue dog who's already a year or older. You will know what you get when it comes to temperament and there are very good dogs who would probably be a good fit. The dog I trained for search and rescue was almost 3 when she moved in with us. It's absolutely not true, that they can't learn all the things you need them to know when they are not a puppy anymore. As long as they had good enough socialization, they'll be fine and it's often even easier to train them when they are over those cute but also difficult phases of puberty and chewing everything they can get their little teeth on.
EveHarrington
VIP Member
A psychiatrist or therapist writes a letter saying you need an emotional support animal.
And that’s it.
They only really matter when it comes to housing. Otherwise there’s no point in even getting the letter.
They pretty much hand out the letters easy peasy. It’s not like there’s a significant barrier to entry.
And that’s it.
They only really matter when it comes to housing. Otherwise there’s no point in even getting the letter.
They pretty much hand out the letters easy peasy. It’s not like there’s a significant barrier to entry.
The biggest misconception about service animals is that they need to be registered somewhere and you have to pay money to do that.
There is no such thing as service animal registry anywhere in the world. And no one is required to pay for having a service animal. They do need to be trained to perform a specific task/service for the owner though. And the training should be done by the owner and not some training facilities. You can have a trainer for the basic puppy train but the real training should be done by the owner because it is very specific to the owner and no one else.
The bond between the owner and the service animal is the most important thing. And I believe that they just come into your life when it's time. You don't need to look for a specific breed or anything. You just know when you meet. That's how it happened for me and my special boy.
There is no such thing as service animal registry anywhere in the world. And no one is required to pay for having a service animal. They do need to be trained to perform a specific task/service for the owner though. And the training should be done by the owner and not some training facilities. You can have a trainer for the basic puppy train but the real training should be done by the owner because it is very specific to the owner and no one else.
The bond between the owner and the service animal is the most important thing. And I believe that they just come into your life when it's time. You don't need to look for a specific breed or anything. You just know when you meet. That's how it happened for me and my special boy.
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- #11
Sideways
VIP Member
*cough* Yeah there is. They have to be certified and registered where I live.
Where do you live? I have had mine in NY and now we live in WA. Never required.
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