Emotional support animals don't need special training. They provide comfort but lack public access rights.
The critical difference between a regular pet and an emotional support animal is that a licensed mental health provider must attest in writing that the animal helps their guardian-handler manage their psychiatric symptoms. Emotional support animals are not required to have any special training or perform specific tasks.
Psychiatric service dogs are trained to alert their handlers to impending panic attacks, wake them from nightmares, or maintain a perimeter around the handler to increase the handler’s sense of safety. This specialized assistance can be invaluable for military veterans dealing with symptoms of anxiety or posttraumatic stress.Scotland-Coogan et al. found that military veterans with PTSD experienced significantly reduced symptoms after they were paired with psychiatric service dogs.
Service dogs require extensive training that typically takes months or even years to complete, and long waitlists are the norm for dogs from professional programs. While some organizations provide service dogs for military veterans with disabilities free or at reduced cost, the expense can still be significant, with training often reaching $15,000 or more.
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