Tips For Training Pets For Emotional Support

Posted on: 29 December 2016

If you have a dog or other pet that you really enjoy having with you, you might realize that you feel a lot more emotionally stable when he or she is still with you. This is helpful because it allows you to better manage your emotions. However, it can be difficult to take your pet with you into public spaces or on public transportation. The best solution to this issue is to make sure that your pet is qualified as an emotional support animal. Here are some tips for making sure that this happens.

1. Have Your Situation Evaluated

The first thing that you should do is get your situation evaluated by either your own personal therapist or some therapist from a company that specializes in verifying that you need an emotional support animal. You will need a letter in order for you to get your animal certified as an emotional support animal. Once you have it, you can mail it in and pay the fee that will allow you to get the true certification.

2. Teach Your Pet a Coping Skill

Emotional support animals are protected by law. However, some businesses and forms of transportation do not take it as seriously as you might like them to and might restrict you from having your emotional support animal nearby. One common question that proves whether or not you really need your emotional support pet to cope in difficult situations is whether or not the pet is trained to do something specific for you.

This can be an additional piece of proof that you can use to show that you really need your emotional support animal. Some possible coping skills that you can teach your pet include having it snuggle you when you give it a certain signal or having it put its paw on your hand. Another potential is having your animal put its head on your shoulder or lay on your chest, which provides a form of pressure that can help you calm down. Finally, you can show that it provides therapeutic distraction by showing that your animal can stay still on your lap while you meditate. All of this will lead to it being a lot easier for you to get your animal to be accepted as an emotional support animal.

For more information, talk to a company that specializes in emotional support animal evaluations and certification letters.

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