Balanced Obedience for Quality of Life

ESA Trainer/Evaluator: Holly Leas & Laura Amick

Emotional Support Animals (ESAs) play a vital role in the mental health of their owners. For example, ESAs are frequently used by people who suffer from chronic depression, severe anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, phobias, learning disorders and panic disorders. An ESA can help a person maintain emotional stability and also provide a calming influence during times of crisis or when their condition is triggered. The owner may be required to present a document of endorsement for the ESA from a prescribing doctor for access to housing or other public areas with their dog.

Emotional support animals differ from service animals in a few ways. One primary difference is that an ESA does not require any specialized training. An emotional support animal’s job is not to perform trained tasks, but rather to be a comforting and reliable presence in their owner’s life, especially during times of distress. ESAs can also be a variety of animals, whereas service animals can only be dogs. ESAs are not granted the same public access as a service animal.

While specialized training is not required of an ESA, it is a best practice to seek basic obedience training and a temperament evaluation from a certified professional. We train to have the best behaved dog in the room.

Skills trained include:

• Free of aggression toward people
• Free of aggression toward other dogs
• Tolerates collar, head collar or body harness of owner’s choice
• Owner can hug or hold the dog
• Dog allows owner to take away a treat or toy
• Allows (in any position) petting by a person other than the owner
• Grooming—Allows owner handling and brief exam (ears, feet)
• Walks on a leash politely
• Walks by other people—walks on leash past people who are 5 ft. away
• Sits on command
• Down on command
• Comes to owner from 5 ft. when name is called
• Reaction to distractions—distractions are presented 15 ft. away from the dog
• Stay on leash with another person holding the end

Click below to contact us and schedule an evaluation.

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