Can Puppies Become Emotional Support Animals

It is so amazing how our little furry children can be taught to understand our English language and many other skills that can be of tremendous support and life-saving capability. It would be wonderful if our little fuzzy buddies could talk back to us so that we could understand exactly what they are trying to tell us. Fortunately, we as people are able to train our dogs in the direction in which you wish for them to understand.

Watching this young pup become an emotional support animal has been truly awesome and quite helpful for me as well. There are a few things that I have learned that many seasoned dog owners are surely aware of already. But for those of us that are still undergoing the experience, we will soon have a few tips to pass on to the new dog owners of the future.

Over the past year, I have had the wonderful and educating experience of helping to raise a puppy. It was a little tough going at the beginning, but now things are wonderful because the dog’s elderly owner has a lot less to worry about when it comes to her pet. Having adopted the small dog from a rescue mission, it was full of unbridled energy pretty much 24 hours a day. It took everything in us to train “trinket”, which is the dog’s name, to not run off and to set.

This wonderful dog has helped her owner many times over the year. I became aware of the emotional and even physical support one early morning not too long ago. I was sitting at my desk when I saw her through the window. When I went to check on her, to see why she was so excited, she grabbed my robe with her little teeth and started pulling me toward her owner.

Fortunately, we were able to get the ambulance and fire department there in time. That was only one instance in which dogs become quite aware of their owner’s situation and turn to other people to look for help. Were we more aware of this pet’s signals, it is possible that the situation may have been avoided completely.

The following lessons are a must know for both beginning pet owners as well as some fairly seasoned mommies and poppies that may have missed these few very important lessons:

• Dogs live for our actions and reactions. When they see a smile or receive high praise for doing something right, they strive to do something else right as well. That also applies to expressions that are shared between you and your animal.
• These precious animals become just as confused as we humans do when we are faced with trying to understand exactly what somebody wants from us. The importance of being clear and consistent cannot be stressed enough. Our commands must consistently be stern, clear and used often enough for our pet to understand that it is not up for discussion. Just as we must govern our children with love and authority, so must we also do with our four-legged little buddies.

By laying a solid foundation from the beginning, it will become a lot easier to learn how your dog can become an emotional support animal in your life. Being able to support one another emotionally and physically when possible can contribute greatly to the full health of both owner and dog.