An emotional support animal is an animal that provides comfort and support to help people cope with life challenges. It’s not a working or maintenance dog only a pet, but he may live with the owner even where pets are not allowed. Unlike service dogs, ESA dogs cannot accompany their owners to shopping centers and restaurants. They also require no training or registration and include several small breeds. dogs make animals the best emotional support because of their loyalty, affection, trainability, confidence, gentleness and composure, and certain breeds are better dogs for emotional support than others. Here’s the scoop on eight different types of emotional support dogs out there.
1. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
According to the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act), disabled people have a legal right to emotional support animals. PTSD and C-PTSD (Chronic Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) take their toll on a person’s relationships, emotions, energy and quality of life. PTSD or C-PTSD can be a temporary or permanent condition with nightmares, flashbacks, intense anxiety, and other symptoms. An ESA dog can provide the companionship and unconditional love that someone with PTSD or C-PTSD needs in their daily lives to be positive, while the physical contact and caring for the dog will help ground them.
Best Breeds for PTSD
Some of the small breeds can be more energetic than medium and large breeds.
2. Fear
People with anxiety disorders experience intense fear, worry, or panic that may or may not be caused by a health problem. An ESA Anti-Anxiety Dog can help calm the owner and provide him with reassurance, folly, adventure and entertainment to make him laugh. By being the companion that the owner will definitely look out for, the ESA Dog distracts itself from undue worry.
Best Breeds for Anxiety
It turns out that for people with anxiety disorders, larger dogs are generally better because large dogs provide a unique sense of security. Therefore, the best breeds are similar to those for PTSD, but with the addition of the following:
3. ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)
People with ADD or ADHD find it difficult to maintain a long attention span and have problems sitting still and self-control, such as the consistency of getting things done quickly. They are easily distracted and may have difficulty socializing. People with ADD or ADHD are often diagnosed as children, so ESA dogs for ADHD are especially helpful for their development. For adults, ESA dogs provide a healthy distraction and encourage consistency.
Best Breeds for ADHD
These dogs are not hypoallergenic and usually have a long coat, brushing of which makes for a comforting, healthy daily routine.
4. Depression
For people who suffer from chronic depression, the condition is like a huge black hole that threatens to swallow them up. Sometimes it’s like a pit they can’t climb out of. Depression can appear under the guise of anger, anxiety, stress, fatigue, or nausea. ESA dogs provide the unique unconditional love and companionship that another human cannot, and breeding for depression can be uplifting enough to alleviate feelings of loneliness and help them see beyond the dark clouds.
Best Breeds for Depression
5. Autism
Autism is a spectrum that can range from high-functioning to severe. Individuals with autism may have difficulty managing emotions or socializing. ESA dogs can provide the emotional support and deep connection they need to live a more balanced, fulfilling life.
Best Breeds for Autism
6. Learning Disability
A learning disability is a disability in a subject such as reading or math. It is a struggle when dealing with everyday tasks, leading to stress and upset. ESA dogs for learning disabilities can encourage their owners to persevere.
Best Breeds for Learning Disabilities
7. Intellectual disability
An intellectual disability is when someone has a lower than average IQ and a lack of skills in daily life. It can influence their reasoning, learning, decision making and problem solving. Like a learning disability, it can lead to stress and upset, and ESA dogs can help them get their bearings.
Best Breeds for Intellectual Disability
8. Motor Disorder
Motor skills disorder results in poor physical coordination because the brain cannot properly send the messages to the body. It leads to problems feeding, walking and running on oneself. Friendly, caring, easygoing and patient, an ESA Motor Disorder Dog is eager to accompany his owner on a walk, run or while eating a meal.
Best Breeds for Motor Disorder
Hypoallergenic ESA Dogs
The Bichon Frize, schnauzer, Maltese, and Poodle are all hypoallergenic. They shed little to none, so they don’t cause or exacerbate allergies for those sensitive to pet dander. They are good choices for people who need ESA dogs but don’t have a lot of energy or ability for day to day grooming.
ESA Dogs vs. Therapy Dogs vs. Service Dogs
With the different types of emotional support dogs out there, it’s easy to think that they, therapy dogs, and service dogs are the same. They are not. ESA dogs are pets, requi
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no training or registration and include more small breeds. Therapy dogs and service dogs are types of working dogs that require training and registration, but therapy dogs are considered pets in places other than where regular dogs and therapy dogs are allowed. Some service dogs are psychiatric dogs for people with mental health issues, and all service dogs work with individual handlers who have some type of disability. Therapy dogs work with different people in public places.
Emotional support dogs are important as pets, especially for people with disabilities or conditions. The different types of emotional support dogs show that certain breeds are better for certain disabilities or conditions. ESA dogs don’t need training and registration because they are not service, therapy or working dogs, rather relying on their natural instincts and personality traits to comfort their owners.
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