Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat Service Dogs DoBenefitsResearchCostTrainingPicking a DogBuyingFrequently Asked Questions
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
What Service Dogs Do
Benefits
Research
Cost
Training
Picking a Dog
Buying
Frequently Asked Questions
Service dogs for anxiety are like other service dogs because they are trained to do certain tasks depending on a person’s needs.
That said, service dogs don’t just help people with physical disabilities like hearing orvisual impairments.Psychiatric service animals are trained to help people with mental health conditions likeanxietyparticipate fully in their day-to-day lives.
This article will go over what you need to know about getting, training, and certifying a service dog for anxiety.
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What Is a Service Dog?
According to the last update to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), service animals are defined as animals that are “individually trained to do work or perform tasks for a person with a disability.”
Psychiatric service dogs are working animals that do tasks for their owners. Service dogs for anxiety are trained specifically to help people with mental health conditions in their daily lives.
What Is a Psychiatric Service Dog?
Service Dog vs. Emotional Support Animal
A service dog for anxiety is not the same as an emotional support animal.
According to the ADA, emotional support, therapy, comfort, and companion animalsdo notqualify as service animals.While these animals do provide emotional support, they are not trained to perform specific tasks for their handler.
Emotional support animals are not protected under the ADA. That means you may not be allowed to travel with them and you can’t take them into some public places. You will need to check the laws about emotional support animals in the state where you live.
Emotional Support Animals for AnxietyAccording to the ADA, if your dog is trained to perform specific tasks during an anxiety attack—such as getting help or providing tactile input to calm you—it is considered a service animal.However, if the simple presence of your dog provides comfort and calms your anxiety, then it is considered an emotional support animal and is not a service animal.
Emotional Support Animals for Anxiety
According to the ADA, if your dog is trained to perform specific tasks during an anxiety attack—such as getting help or providing tactile input to calm you—it is considered a service animal.However, if the simple presence of your dog provides comfort and calms your anxiety, then it is considered an emotional support animal and is not a service animal.
According to the ADA, if your dog is trained to perform specific tasks during an anxiety attack—such as getting help or providing tactile input to calm you—it is considered a service animal.
However, if the simple presence of your dog provides comfort and calms your anxiety, then it is considered an emotional support animal and is not a service animal.
Benefits of Service Dogs for Anxiety
Like other service animals, service dogs for anxiety are trained to perform tasks or otherwise provide assistance to their owners that help them engage safely and fully in everyday life.
Verywell / Hilary Allison
However, a service dog can’t just be trained for any task. According to the ADA, the tasks must be directly related to the owner’s disability.
Most of the research that’s been done on service dogs for anxiety has been on veterans with PTSD, which is one type of anxiety disorder.
One study found that for a group of veterans with PTSD, using psychiatric service dogs and having intensive trauma resilience training for three weeks reduced their PTSD symptoms and improved their overall quality of life.
Another study looked into how service dogs were able to provide these benefits. The participants with PTSD who used service dogs reported that the animals helped:
How to Get HelpIf you are struggling with anxiety or suicidal thoughts, contact theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helplineat1-800-662-4357for information on support and treatment facilities in your area.For more mental health resources, see Verywell’sNational Helpline Database.
How to Get Help
If you are struggling with anxiety or suicidal thoughts, contact theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helplineat1-800-662-4357for information on support and treatment facilities in your area.For more mental health resources, see Verywell’sNational Helpline Database.
If you are struggling with anxiety or suicidal thoughts, contact theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helplineat1-800-662-4357for information on support and treatment facilities in your area.
For more mental health resources, see Verywell’sNational Helpline Database.
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How Much Does a Service Dog for Anxiety Cost?
It can cost up to $25,000 to purchase a service dog from specialized organizations.This cost covers the selection or breeding, veterinary bills, food, and extensive, rigorous training from service dog experts. You may have to pay even more if your animal needs to learn specific skills.
Many service dog breeding and training organizations, such asNEADSand theAmerican Humane Society, offer financial aid and even provide service dogs for free or subsidized rates through grants and funding.
Certain protected groups may also have access to special funding for service dogs.
There is also no requirement to buy a service dog from one of these organizations. Technically, you could train an existing pet, breed your own dog, or adopt a dog from an animal rescue for a low cost.
How to Train a Service Dog for Anxiety
Can I Train My Own Service Dog for Anxiety?
If you want to have a service dog for anxiety, the first step is training. The ADA does not require that service animals undergo a professional service dog training program.
That said, there are many of these programs available. Working with an expert helps ensure that your dog is highly and effectively trained.
While you do have the option of training your service dog for anxiety on your own, you should know that it can be a very time-intensive process—especially if you have never trained a dog before.
Even though training a service animal can be frustrating and challenging at times, many people also find it very rewarding.
How Do I Start Training My Dog?
The American Kennel Club (AKC) recommends that service dog training starts with:
Once a dog has mastered the basic skills, it will need to be trained to perform specific tasks to assist with its owner’s anxiety. This training step is essential because it is what qualifies the dog to be a service animal.
Dog trainers use certain techniques to teach a dog to perform tasks. In a study on veterans with PTSD who trained their own service dogs, they used techniques like:
The study also showed that bond-based and positive reinforcement techniques had the most positive training outcomes, while positive punishment had more negative outcomes.
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How Do I Get My Service Dog for Anxiety Certified?
The ADA does not require that service dogs receive any documented certification. Some states, counties, colleges, and universities offer voluntary registration programs, but they are optional. There are also many organizations that sell and provide service animal registration or certifications.
Which Breed Is Best to Train as a Service Dog for Anxiety?
If you want to get a service dog for anxiety, you may wonder if you can choose any dog or if a specific breed would be a better choice.
Any breed of dog can be a service dog, but certain dogs tend to make better service animals than others.
You’ll want to think carefully about the tasks your service dog for anxiety will need to do for you. For example, if your dog will be opening doors or turning on lights, you’ll need to pick a breed that will be big and strong enough to do these tasks safely.
Other qualities to look for in a service dog include:
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Where to Buy a Service Dog for Anxiety
Training is what makes a dog a service animal, not where you bought it. While you can buy any dog or even breed dogs on your own to be trained, there are also organizations that breed and train service dogs specifically.
These organizations are highly specialized and offer expert training—in some of them, only the top 30% of the dogs will pass the training program.
Two of the most well-known service dog groups areNEADS World Class Service Dogs(which gets its dogs from animal shelters and trains them) andCanine Companions for Independence.
You may want to buy a service dog for anxiety directly from one of these organizations; however, just know that they can have long waiting lists or expensive fees.
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Summary
A Word From Verywell
Not all disabilities are visible. Thankfully the ADA is inclusive of psychiatric service animals for people with mental health conditions. Service dogs for anxiety are just one example of how these specially trained animals can help disabled people.
If you have an anxiety disorder and have a hard time with your daily tasks, a service dog might be helpful. Your dog can be trained to do tasks that will help you can engage more fully in your life and manage your anxiety more effectively.
Research has shown that dogs can sense when humans are anxious. Part of this is because of the chemicals we give offwhen we’re stressed(which dogs can pick up on) as well as our behavior, which our dogs watch closely to figure out how they should react to a situation.
According to the ADA, a dog cannot be a service dog if it does not perform certain tasks for its owner that are related to its owner’s disability.
Many service dog breeding and training organizations offer financial aid and provide service dogs for free. You could also train your existing pet, breed your own puppy, or adopt one from an animal rescue for a small fee or even for free.
The ADA has no restrictions on breeds of dogs that can be service animals. However, trainers and experts have identified certain breeds as being more easily trained than others.The American Kennel Club (AKC) states that German Shepherds, Labradors, and Golden Retrievers are common service dog breeds.
The ADA has no restrictions on breeds of dogs that can be service animals. However, trainers and experts have identified certain breeds as being more easily trained than others.
The American Kennel Club (AKC) states that German Shepherds, Labradors, and Golden Retrievers are common service dog breeds.
Service dogs are working animals. They are essential to their owner’s engagement in daily life and are required because of their owner’s disability. Petting a service dog can distract them from their work and may even harm their owner.
Many service dogs wear special harnesses identifying them as service animals. However, this is not a requirement.To identify or confirm an animal as a service dog, the ADA permits business owners to ask only two questions:Is the dog a service animal that is required because of a disability?What work or task has the dog been trained to perform?It is not acceptable to ask an owner to provide documentation, explain their disability, or demonstrate tasks.
Many service dogs wear special harnesses identifying them as service animals. However, this is not a requirement.
To identify or confirm an animal as a service dog, the ADA permits business owners to ask only two questions:
It is not acceptable to ask an owner to provide documentation, explain their disability, or demonstrate tasks.
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8 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division.Frequently asked questions about service animals and the ADA.Americans with Disabilities Act.Service animals.Americans with Disabilities Act National Network.Service animals and emotional support animals.Kloep ML, Hunter RH, Kertz SJ.Examining the effects of a novel training program and use of psychiatric service dogs for military-related PTSD and associated symptoms.American Journal of Orthopsychiatry.2017;87(4);425. doi:10.1037/ort0000254Yarborough BJH, Stumbo SP, Yarborough MT, Owen-Smith A, Green CA.Benefits and challenges of using service dogs for veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder.Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal.2018;41(2):118–124. doi:10.1037/prj0000294American Kennel Club.Service dogs 101 - everything you need to know.LaFollette MR, Rodriguez KE, Ogata N, O’Haire ME.Military veterans and their ptsd service dogs: associations between training methods, ptsd severity, dog behavior, and the human-animal bond.Front Vet Sci. 2019;6:23. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2019.00023RSPCA.I am feeling very anxious, will this affect my dog too?.
8 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division.Frequently asked questions about service animals and the ADA.Americans with Disabilities Act.Service animals.Americans with Disabilities Act National Network.Service animals and emotional support animals.Kloep ML, Hunter RH, Kertz SJ.Examining the effects of a novel training program and use of psychiatric service dogs for military-related PTSD and associated symptoms.American Journal of Orthopsychiatry.2017;87(4);425. doi:10.1037/ort0000254Yarborough BJH, Stumbo SP, Yarborough MT, Owen-Smith A, Green CA.Benefits and challenges of using service dogs for veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder.Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal.2018;41(2):118–124. doi:10.1037/prj0000294American Kennel Club.Service dogs 101 - everything you need to know.LaFollette MR, Rodriguez KE, Ogata N, O’Haire ME.Military veterans and their ptsd service dogs: associations between training methods, ptsd severity, dog behavior, and the human-animal bond.Front Vet Sci. 2019;6:23. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2019.00023RSPCA.I am feeling very anxious, will this affect my dog too?.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division.Frequently asked questions about service animals and the ADA.Americans with Disabilities Act.Service animals.Americans with Disabilities Act National Network.Service animals and emotional support animals.Kloep ML, Hunter RH, Kertz SJ.Examining the effects of a novel training program and use of psychiatric service dogs for military-related PTSD and associated symptoms.American Journal of Orthopsychiatry.2017;87(4);425. doi:10.1037/ort0000254Yarborough BJH, Stumbo SP, Yarborough MT, Owen-Smith A, Green CA.Benefits and challenges of using service dogs for veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder.Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal.2018;41(2):118–124. doi:10.1037/prj0000294American Kennel Club.Service dogs 101 - everything you need to know.LaFollette MR, Rodriguez KE, Ogata N, O’Haire ME.Military veterans and their ptsd service dogs: associations between training methods, ptsd severity, dog behavior, and the human-animal bond.Front Vet Sci. 2019;6:23. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2019.00023RSPCA.I am feeling very anxious, will this affect my dog too?.
U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division.Frequently asked questions about service animals and the ADA.
Americans with Disabilities Act.Service animals.
Americans with Disabilities Act National Network.Service animals and emotional support animals.
Kloep ML, Hunter RH, Kertz SJ.Examining the effects of a novel training program and use of psychiatric service dogs for military-related PTSD and associated symptoms.American Journal of Orthopsychiatry.2017;87(4);425. doi:10.1037/ort0000254
Yarborough BJH, Stumbo SP, Yarborough MT, Owen-Smith A, Green CA.Benefits and challenges of using service dogs for veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder.Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal.2018;41(2):118–124. doi:10.1037/prj0000294
American Kennel Club.Service dogs 101 - everything you need to know.
LaFollette MR, Rodriguez KE, Ogata N, O’Haire ME.Military veterans and their ptsd service dogs: associations between training methods, ptsd severity, dog behavior, and the human-animal bond.Front Vet Sci. 2019;6:23. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2019.00023
RSPCA.I am feeling very anxious, will this affect my dog too?.
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