Steps To Follow When Converting ESA Dog To a Service Dog

According to the ADA (American with Disabilities Act), service dogs are meant to help people living with physical impairments lead more independent lives. If you own an ESA dog and want to make it a service dog, you must, first of all, meet the laid down criteria. The ADA requires you to meet certain conditions before you can make your ESA dog a service dog.

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In all the above cases, the severity of the conditions will be considered before determining whether you are eligible to make your ESA dog a service dog. 

How to Make Your ESA Dog a Service Dog

Conditions For ESA Dog

There are five simple steps to follow when making your ESA dog a service dog. 

Consider The Type Of ESA Dog You Own

According to the ADA, all dog breeds are suitable to become service dogs. From German Shepherds, Huskies, Golden Retrievers, Poodles, Labrador Retrievers, to Bully Breed, etc. But since different dog breeds have varied characteristics, it is wise to consider your ESA dog breed before determining whether it will provide the desired service. 

Ensure that your ESA dog breed has a good temperament and submit to your control all the time.  

Likewise, consider your ESA dog health & age condition to make sure that it fit to perform the role of a service dog.

Assess your ESA dog’s weaknesses, strengths, unique behavior patterns, etc. – these will help you understand whether the dog qualifies to become a service dog.

Train or Find a Professional Trainer for Your ESA Dog 

Your Emotional Support Dog (ESA) is not trained to serve the same role as a service dog. So if you have to make your ESA dog a service dog, training is a must. You can train the dog on your own (if you have the necessary training skills), or you can hire professional dog trainers to help you with this task. 

The training task will be a bit easier if you start training your ESA dog while still young.

If you don’t know how to train the dog and don’t want to hire a professional trainer, adopt a trained ESA dog.

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How Long Should Your Train ESA Dog to Become a Service Dog?

You should take as much time as possible teaching your ESA dog to serve as a service dog. While the US has no set minimum training-time requirement, experts recommend at least 120 hours for more than six months. Besides, they also recommend that you spend more than 30 hours of those training hours in public. This will help your dog to get used to unpredicted moments of distractions.

How long your ESA dog will learn the role of a service dog will also be determined by its intellectual level.

Public Access Test

Other than just training your ESA dog to serve as a service dog, train the dog how to be composed in public.  Various organizations have recommended standards for when your ESA dog is ready to serve as a service dog.

Service Dog Certification & Registration

Whereas it is not a mandatory requirement to seek certification for your service dog, it helps to obtain them once the dog has undergone training. It will be easier to alert other individuals that your dog isn’t an ESA dog but a service dog. This will help to avoid confusion and confrontations when traveling with your dog.

ESA Dog into Service Dogs

Another thing that facilitates quicker identification of your service dog is Service Dog Vest. Whereas both the service dog ID and service dog vest facilitates quicker identification in public, it’s worth noting that the ADA does not necessitate you to have these in place when traveling with your dog. 

Why Should You Make an ESA Dog a Service dog?

If you have mental or physical impairments, you may need a service dog to help you manage specific tasks that aids with disabilities. When this is the case, it is wise to train your ESA dog to serve as a service dog. There is no need to adopt another dog in the same home as this would introduce an unnecessary cost.

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Final Thought

Making your ESA dog a service dog will improve your everyday life if you are a person with a disability. Follow the guide discussed in this post if you have an ESA dog you wish to make a service dog.

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