What’s a Service Dog vs. Emotional Support Dog vs. Therapy Dog?
What’s a service dog vs. emotional support dog? What’s a therapy dog? It can be easy to confuse these terms. Here’s what you need to know about the differences between these important jobs for dogs.
Dogs have been our partners in crime (sometimes literally!) for tens of thousands of years. Most dogs today are simply cherished pets, who don’t have to pay rent (lucky) or help us hunt game for survival. However, lots of dogs still prefer to have a job and thrive working alongside their favorite humans.
Service dogs, emotional support dogs, and therapy dogs are all becoming much more common as people are learning just how many roles dogs can fill. If you’ve seen dogs out and about in their “uniforms,” you might be curious about the differences between different types of assistance dogs.
So, what’s a service dog vs. emotional support dog vs. therapy dog? These jobs have their similarities, but they’re very different when you really break them down.
What is a Service Dog?
When most people picture a “service dog,” they think of a Lab in a rigid harness, leading someone who is visually impaired. Guide dogs are still critically important for providing people with independence, but they’re not the only service dogs out and working in the community anymore.
Service dogs can be any breed or mix, as long as they are trained to perform specific tasks for a handler with one or more disabilities. The tasks they perform can be all over the map. Some dogs can be taught to notice and alert for an elevated heart rate or signs of a panic attack, warn their handler of an upcoming seizure or migraine, assist with physical tasks, remind their handlers to take medications, interrupt harmful behaviors, and more. It’s really amazing what these dogs can do!
By law, service dogs are allowed to enter public buildings, even places that sell food. It’s illegal for someone to ask a person using a service dog about their disability, but they can ask about the dog’s task training. Service dogs wear identifying gear so that people can tell at a glance that they are working and permitted to join their handlers wherever they go.
Unfortunately, members of the general public are often suspicious of those who use service dogs and frequently believe that someone doesn’t really “need” a service dog, even though their health condition might be invisible. This is especially common when the dog’s breed is non-traditional (not a Lab, Golden Retriever, or German Shepherd). It’s important that members of the public avoid distracting service dogs in any way, which is one reason they wear identifying harnesses/vests with “do not pet” written on them.
What is an Emotional Support Dog?
Emotional support dogs aren’t formally-trained service dogs, but they still fill an important role: helping people manage their mental health. Also called “ESAs,” emotional support dogs can be a source of comfort and support for people struggling with conditions like PTSD and anxiety.
Because they aren’t considered service dogs, ESAs can’t enter public spaces freely. However, a doctor can provide documentation proving the need for an ESA that will allow them to join their owner in housing that is not pet-friendly. Landlords must make reasonable accommodations for emotional support dogs.
Most airlines no longer allow ESAs to travel in the cabin unless they meet their standard pet requirements (fitting into a carrier under the seat). Instead, they must fly in cargo.
Emotional support dogs are considered pets for all intents and purposes. They don’t need to be a specific type of dog or have any special skills. They work their magic simply by being themselves and helping their people with anxiety, loneliness, and other mental health concerns.
What is a Therapy Dog?
Therapy dogs are becoming a familiar sight in hospitals, nursing homes, and other facilities–even schools! Their job is simple, but incredibly important: providing comfort to people who are ill or lonely. Therapy dogs snuggle up to total strangers and provide a much-needed lift to those who are suffering. They can even help reduce patients’ blood pressure and help them feel calmer.
While they don’t need to perform any tasks apart from being sweet, gentle, and cuddly, therapy dogs typically need to be certified and must work with non-profits to go where they’re needed the most. They need to know basic manners so that they don’t overwhelm or accidentally injure people in the settings where they work (anyone who’s ever met an overly enthusiastic retriever will understand!).
Therapy dogs are only granted access to facilities like hospitals when they are there to work. They don’t get the same privileges as service dogs and can’t enter public buildings that aren’t pet-friendly without prior arrangements.
Is My Dog Service Dog Material?
Some dogs pick up service dog tasks without much training. Dogs are so sensitive to our moods and physical changes in our bodies that they naturally learn to alert us to physical and mental health concerns. Not every dog can succeed as a service dog, but many dogs can learn to perform tasks for their handlers.
Service dogs can’t just perform for their handlers–they have to be well-behaved and safe in public as well. They have special privileges–they’re the only dogs legally allowed to enter any public place. Because of this, they need to be housetrained, under control at all times, and focused on their job, rather than interacting with the world around them. A dog that knows how to detect an upcoming seizure could still be too wild to be a working service dog, for example.
It’s also important to remember that service dogs need to be totally reliable. If they’re inconsistent with their alerts or in performing physical tasks, then they won’t offer the level of freedom their handler needs.
Service dog requirements vary for each individual handler, and there’s no certifying process. That said, it IS important to understand the distinction between a service dog vs. emotional support dog, especially when it comes to skills like tasking and public access manners. Some tasks are very difficult to teach and may require the help of a professional service dog trainer.
TL;DR: They Have Different Jobs & Different Requirements
All three of these jobs have different requirements, even though there are definitely some similarities between them. Service dogs offer practical help and freedom for people with disabilities. ESAs are focused on providing comfort for their people. Therapy dogs comfort people of all ages in medical facilities and classrooms.
Think your dog has what it takes to become a service dog, emotional support dog, or therapy dog? The best way to get started is to teach them basic foundational skills so they can become good canine citizens. Our Canine Co-Pilot course is designed to build skills like handler focus and good behavior in public places. Learn more and sign up today!
