Emotional Support Dog or Assistance Dog? Understanding the Difference

So far this year in 2025 we have seen more and more people coming forward with inquiries and to have their dogs assessed with us - and that’s fantastic! At the Assistance Dog Assessment Association (ADAA), our goal is to make sure that owner-trained teams have every opportunity to be recognised, supported, and assessed fairly. It’s wonderful to see how many people are finding independence and stability through their dogs.

As more applicants come through, we have noticed there is still some confusion and uncertainty about what actually qualifies a dog as an assistance dog. Particularly when it comes to mental health or psychiatric assistance dogs and how these differ from emotional support dogs. Both play important roles - but they are not the same when it comes to training, recognition, and legal rights.

I wanted to write this blog to clarify the difference to help those of you who are considering applying but aren't sure - especially for those whose dogs provide support related to mental health conditions.

Emotional Support Dogs

Emotional Support Dogs (ESDs) do exactly what their name suggests - they offer emotional comfort simply by being there. Their presence can make a huge difference for people who are neurodivergent or living with anxiety, depression, PTSD, or other mental health difficulties.

However, the key thing to remember is that emotional support dogs aren’t trained to perform specific tasks related to a person’s condition. Their strength is in their companionship - offering calm, affection, and reassurance - but that doesn’t make them assistance dogs in the legal sense.

Because of this, emotional support dogs:

• Do not have public access rights (so they cannot enter places where pets aren’t allowed).

• Are not covered under disability or assistance dog laws.

• May have limited allowances for things like housing or travel, depending on local or independent regulations.

  
  

Their role is incredibly valuable - but it is focused on emotional wellbeing, not on trained, task-based support.

Assistance Dogs

Now, assistance dogs are a bit different. These dogs are specially trained to perform specific tasks that directly help a person manage or mitigate a disability - physical, psychological or medical.

When it comes to mental health, a dog may qualify as a psychiatric assistance dog if it’s trained to do things like:

• Interrupt or redirect self-harming behaviour.

• Apply deep pressure therapy during panic or anxiety attacks.

• Grounding during a dissociative episode.

• Guide the handler to an exit or to safety during a dissociative episode/anxiety attack.

• Remind the handler to take medication.

  
  

Because these tasks are directly linked to a diagnosed disability, assistance dogs are recognised and protected under the Equality Act 2010. This means they have legal public access rights and must meet strict standards for behaviour, control, and reliability.

That’s where ADAA assessments come in, for teams that have worked hard to train their own assistance dogs - to make sure dogs performing these important tasks and roles meet the right standards and can safely and confidently work in public.

Why the Difference Matters

The distinction isn’t about one type of dog being more valuable than another — it’s about legal recognition and public access rights.

• Emotional support dogs provide comfort, but do not have training or legal status as assistance dogs.

• Assistance dogs perform specific, trained tasks that help manage or mitigate a disability.

Understanding this difference helps protect:

1. Handlers: By ensuring their legitimate assistance dogs are respected and recognised.

2. Businesses and the public: By maintaining confidence in accredited assistance dogs’ training and behaviour.

3. The integrity of the assistance dog system: Ensuring that accreditation reflects genuine, evidence-based disability support.

   
   

	Emotional Support Dog	Assistance Dog
Purpose	Offers comfort and emotional companionship	Performs trained tasks to mitigate a disability
Training	No formal task training required	Specifically trained for disability-related tasks
Legal Recognition	Not recognised as an assistance animal	Recognised under disability law
Public Access Rights	No	Yes (as permitted by law)
Best Suited For	Emotional wellbeing and general mental health support	Diagnosed disability requiring task-based support

Thinking of Applying?

We encourage anyone applying to have their dog recognised as an assistance dog to consider whether their dog performs specific, trained tasks directly related to a diagnosed disability.

If your dog primarily provides comfort and emotional support through their presence, that is incredibly valuable - but it does not meet the criteria for assistance dog accreditation, or to be considered a candidate for assessment with the ADAA.

We’re here to guide applicants through understanding these distinctions and ensuring that all accredited dogs meet the standards that keep people, businesses, and the public safe and confident in what an assistance dog represents.

For more information about our criteria for assessment, please visit the criteria page of our website:

https://www.theadaa.org/criteria

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About the Assistance Dog Assessment Association (ADAA)

The Assistance Dog Assessment Association (ADAA) certifies and supports assistance dogs and their handlers, providing rigorous assessments and advocacy to enhance independence and quality of life.

Contact:

Assistance Dog Assessment Association

https://www.theadaa.org/

info@theadaa.org

ADAA Training Tips: Toileting on a Puppy Pad for Aviation

Training Your Assistance Dog to Eliminate on a Puppy Pad: Two Expert Methods

Flying with your assistance dog can be a seamless experience if they are properly trained to be able to cope with the journey, both at the airport and on the plane. When it comes to our Aviation Assessment, the question we get asked the most is: “How do I train my dog to go to the bathroom on a puppy pad?”

This guide is specifically designed for assistance dogs that are already fully house-trained but require additional training to master the precise skill of using a designated puppy pad. Since your dog is already used to relieving themselves outdoors, teaching them to use a pad indoors may seem counter-intuitive! However training this skill (with precision!) is essential for maintaining cleanliness and keeping your assistance dog comfortable when travelling by air.

The ADAA aviation assessment is formally recognised by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), and part of this process involves ensuring your dog can toilet on a pad. There are several different approaches to training this behaviour, and ADAA trustees Becki Gude and Sandra Fraser, have their own equally effective ways to get your pup comfortable with this essential skill. Whether you prefer a structured step-by-step approach or a gradual shaping method, one of these will work for you!

Ready for take-off! Training your dog to eliminate on a puppy pad is an essential part of the aviation assessment.

Becki Gude’s Step-by-Step Puppy Pad Training

This method is all about consistency and routine, ensuring your dog can confidently use a puppy pad even in a tiny airplane restroom or a travel crate. Here’s her structured approach:

Step 1: Choose your location for training

To help your dog adjust to the new skill, choosing a suitable location is key.

• We recommend beginning training in a small, enclosed area like a bathroom or cloakroom in your home and remain consistent in this location at the start of training.

• Make sure the area is a quiet, low-traffic space where your dog can focus.
  

Step 2: Know Your Dog’s Toilet Cues

Since your assistance dog is already house-trained, they likely give clear signals when they need to go. Start paying close attention to their natural bathroom routine so you can guide them onto the pad at just the right moment.

• Observe their habits, especially after waking up in the morning, after meals or extended rest periods.

• Look for their typical telltale signs like sniffing, circling or sitting by the door.

• Anticipate these moments and immediately direct them to your training setup.

Step 3: Begin Training

Place several pads on the floor in your chosen space and encourage your dog to investigate them.

• Use their regular cue, for example “Weewees” or “quickly”. Your dog might look at you like you are bonkers – but stay with it and wait until they make the choice to go.

• Reward them generously with treats and praise if they are able to eliminate on the pad/s

• When your dog is consistently able to eliminate on the pads, reduce the number of pads to just one over time, and start working on precision to a single pad.

• It is possible to change the cue at this point to something more specific to toileting on the pad, for example “pee pad”, so your dog will be able to differentiate between indoor pad toileting and regular outdoor toileting.

  
  
  
  

  

  Allow your dog to investigate several pads whilst indoors. They may be a bit confused to start with!

Step 4: Gradually Expand to Other Areas

Once your dog reliably uses the pad in their usual confined space, start placing it in different areas of your home. This helps them learn to generalise the behaviour and prepares them for practising in unfamiliar environments in public spaces.

• Move the pad to other rooms, maintaining the new chosen cue and encouragement.

• Gradually introduce mild distractions to ensure reliability.

• Continue rewarding their successes to reinforce the skill.
  

Step 5: Mimic Travel Conditions

Now that your dog is comfortable using the pad at home, it’s time to introduce travel-related conditions to make the training as realistic as possible.

• Play aeroplane noises on a bluetooth speaker to mimic the intensity of plane sounds

• Practice having them use the pad in new small, confined spaces to mimic the aeroplane toilet cubicles.

• Schedule bathroom breaks to align with typical flight durations and routines.
  

Step 6: Test in a Public Space and at the Airport

Once your dog confidently uses a single puppy pad at home, try practising in a public setting before your flight.

• Visit a pet-friendly public space and place the pad down in the appropriate facilities (bathroom or private area)

• Reinforce their success with praise and treats.

• If possible, take a short trip to the airport to familiarise them with designated pet relief areas.

• Always make sure you dispose of all waste appropriately, making sure that you have poo bags, wipes and anything else you need to keep your dog and the environment clean.

  
  

Extra Tips for Success

• Stick to a Routine: Consistency will help your dog to understand what is expected of them

• Short Sessions: Keep training sessions short and stress-free to build confidence.

• Be Patient: Transitioning from outdoor relief to a puppy pad can take time!

• Pack Extras: Always carry spare puppy pads, waste bags, and cleaning wipes.

  
  
  
  
  
  

Sandra Fraser’s Gradual Puppy Pad Transition

Sandra’s approach takes a slightly different route, using scent association and shaping techniques. This is a great option if your dog responds well to environmental cues. Her method has two main parts:

Step 1: Making the Puppy Pad a Familiar Toilet Spot

1. Prepare a Scented Pad Piece Cut a small piece of a puppy pad and soak it in your dog’s urine. Store it in a plastic bag (trust the process!).
   

2. Introduce the Scented Pad Piece Outdoors When you next need to toilet your dog, take the small piece of puppy pad out to the garden where your dog will normally urinate. Take the dog out to the area on a lead and allow the dog to sniff around, when the dog gets near the puppy pad piece mark and reward, the expectation at this time is for the dog to acknowledge the piece of puppy pad, repeat this process as often as possible. Renew the soaked piece of puppy pad daily
   

3. Increase the Pad Size When you see the dog is eliminating near the piece of puppy pad you can begin to increase the size. Apply this method until you have got a dog who seeks out the puppy pad piece when taken out on the lead, at the moment it is not possible to say how long this may take, but it is important to mark any approximation of urination near or around this piece of puppy pad. The intention is to be able to take your dog on a lead to the area that has puppy pad and get the dog to eliminate there.
   

4. Move Towards a Full-Sized Pad. The goal is to have your dog reliably seeking out the full puppy pad when on a lead.

   
   

   

   Including a piece of puppy pad that smells of your dog's urine can help them create the association with toileting on the pad

   
   

   Step 2: Teaching Your Dog to Step into a Tray (to mimic confined spaces and create precision)
   

5. Use Clicker Training

   On a separate exercise you will need to teach your dog to step into a small box or cat litter tray. The best way to teach this is to clicker train, if you are not familiar with this type of training, go on Youtube for some really good videos.
   

6. Encourage Full Entry

   You can start with a cereal box cut down with just a small lip around the sides, or a washing up bowl, this will depend on the size of your dog. The end goal is to get the dog to put all four fee in the box or bowl. Start by shaping the behaviour for just one foot, gradually increase your criteria for all four feet in the box/bowl. Once you have this then add a dry puppy pad for the dog to stand on. You’re nearly there! 
   

7. Add a Dry Puppy Pad

   Move the bowl/tray to the outside where the dog will now eliminate on the puppy pad, begin to add the wet puppy pad into the tray and see if the dog will step in to the tray, remember to mark and reward any attempt and keep sessions short.
   

Step 3: Put it all together

1. Introduce the Scented Pad to the box

   Move the setup outside, and place the urine-scented pad inside the box. Your dog will have learned to step into the box and urinate.
   

2. Practice in Different Locations

   Finally, take the tray with puppy pad out to various locations, try the disabled toilets as a good starting place. Gradually move to smaller spaces, include your bathroom.
   

It is vitally important to keep the whole process stress free. It is also important to keep the process hygienic, make sure you have plastic gloves and a poo bag for clean disposal, or take the whole lot home to dispose of safely.

Which Method is Right for You?

Both methods have their strengths!

• Becki’s method is great if your dog thrives on routine and clear cues.

• Sandra’s method works well if your dog responds to gradual changes and environmental shaping.
  

No matter which route you take, patience and positivity are key! With practice, your dog will be confidently using a puppy pad wherever your travels take you. Safe (and clean) journeys! If you find that you need help from a professional trainer, please visit the ABTC or IMDT trainer registers to help you.

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About the Assistance Dog Assessment Association (ADAA)

The Assistance Dog Assessment Association (ADAA) certifies and supports assistance dogs and their handlers, providing rigorous assessments and advocacy to enhance independence and quality of life.

Contact:

Assistance Dog Assessment Association

https://www.theadaa.org/

info@theadaa.org

Alan Titchmarsh MBE becomes first Patron of the ADAA

The Assistance Dog Assessment Association (ADAA) is thrilled to announce that the much-loved television presenter, gardening guru, and devoted dog lover, Mr. Alan Titchmarsh MBE, has kindly agreed to serve as Patron of the Assistance Dog Assessment Association.

Known for his passion for animals and his deep commitment to charitable work, Mr. Titchmarsh’s involvement will shine a much-needed spotlight on our mission. Mr. Titchmarsh first became aware of the important work of the ADAA last year after filming new dog show Underdog to Superdog (C5, MGM Alternative – release TBC).

As a familiar face in homes across the UK and a trusted voice in the community, Alan’s support comes as a huge boost. He continues to bring awareness of the vital part played by dogs in all our lives on ‘Love Your Weekend’, which airs every Sunday morning on ITV. His connection with animals and dedication to causes that truly make a difference in people’s lives will help the ADAA engage with more supporters and ensure we can continue our vital work.

The ADAA is a charity dedicated to ensuring that individuals with disabilities have access to support if they have trained their own assistance dogs. Our commitment is rooted in the belief that everyone, regardless of how their assistance dog has been trained, deserves access to support and validation. Having Mr Titchmarsh on board will help us to further foster inclusivity within the assistance dog sector and provide support to all who need it.

The ADAA is deeply grateful to Alan Titchmarsh for his support and looks forward to a meaningful partnership that will benefit people with disabilities across the country.

For more information about the Assistance Dog Assessment Association and how you can get involved, please visit https://www.theadaa.org/

Alan Titchmarsh MBE becomes the first Patron of the ADAA