Assistance Dog, Emotional Support Dog, or Therapy Dog? Understanding the Differences and the UK Law

In the UK, dogs play an increasingly important role in supporting people’s physical and mental health. But terms like assistance dog, emotional support dog, and therapy dog are often misunderstood or used interchangeably, which can lead to confusion—especially around public access rights and what kind of support dog someone might need.

In this post, we’ll explore the differences between each role, what the law says in the UK, and how to determine which category best describes your dog—or the kind of support dog you might need.

🦮 What Is an Assistance Dog?

An assistance dog is trained to carry out specific tasks that directly mitigate the effects of a person’s disability. These tasks are tailored to the individual’s needs and are designed to support their independence, safety, and well-being.

These are not just pets with good manners—they are highly trained working dogs who play an essential role in their handler’s daily life. Assistance dogs must remain calm, focused, and responsive in a wide range of environments, including busy public spaces. Their training allows them to accompany their handler almost anywhere, helping them navigate the world with greater confidence and dignity.

Examples of tasks assistance dogs can be trained to perform include:

• Guiding a person with visual impairment

• Alerting to seizures, blood sugar drops, or changes in blood pressure

• Fetching medication or medical devices

• Helping with mobility: retrieving items, opening doors, pressing buttons

• Interrupting panic attacks or repetitive behaviours

• Providing deep pressure therapy for sensory regulation

• Alerting to sounds (for hearing-impaired individuals)

  
  

Conditions that may qualify for an assistance dog include:

• Autism Spectrum Condition

• PTSD and other anxiety disorders

• Diabetes

• Epilepsy / Non epileptic seizures

• Physical mobility conditions

• Hearing loss

• Medical conditions such as POTS, dysautonomia, or heart disorders

• Neurological or cognitive impairments

🔍 Legal requirements to train an assistance dog in the UK: To train or use an assistance dog, you must have a condition that:

• Is classed as a disability under the Equality Act 2010

• Has a significant and long-term impact on your ability to carry out day-to-day tasks

• Has been medically diagnosed for at least 12 months

While owner-trained assistance dogs are permitted in the UK, the dog must be trained to a high standard in obedience, public access skills, and disability mitigation tasks. It is not a requirement for an assistance dog to be trained by an ADUK charity.

❗Important: If your dog provides comfort or emotional support simply by being present—but is not trained to carry out tasks—then they are not considered an assistance dog, even if they support your mental health.

🐕 What Is an Emotional Support Dog?

An emotional support dog offers companionship, stability, and comfort simply through their presence. These dogs are not trained to carry out specific disability-related tasks, but their calming influence can play a huge role in helping individuals manage mental health challenges.

For many people, having a dog by their side can ease feelings of anxiety, depression, isolation, or emotional overwhelm.

While they don’t perform trained interventions, emotional support dogs provide a vital source of routine, grounding, and emotional connection. Their value lies in their presence—not their skills—and for some, that alone can make a profound difference in daily life.

This might be your dog if:

• You feel more secure, relaxed, or stable when your dog is near

• Your dog helps you cope with life but hasn’t been trained in specific tasks

• You haven’t been diagnosed with a disability, or your condition doesn’t significantly impact your daily life

UK legal position:

Emotional support dogs do not have any legal access rights in the UK. Businesses, transport providers, and landlords are not required by law to accommodate emotional support animals.

That said, many organisations are becoming more understanding, especially when approached with kindness and transparency—but any access is always at their discretion.

🐶 What Is a Therapy Dog?

Therapy dogs are trained to provide comfort, emotional support, and affection to others—often in structured settings such as hospitals, schools, hospices, or care homes.

Unlike assistance dogs, they don’t perform specific tasks for a single handler; instead, they work alongside their handler (usually a volunteer) to help improve emotional well-being across a group or community. These dogs are chosen for their gentle temperament, sociability, and ability to remain calm in a variety of environments, often around unfamiliar people and unpredictable situations.

Visits from therapy dogs can help reduce stress, ease loneliness, and bring joy to those facing difficult circumstances. While they don’t have legal access rights, many organisations welcome therapy dog visits due to the positive impact they can have on mental health and quality of life.

This might be your goal if:

• You want to share your dog’s calm, friendly nature with others

• You plan to visit care settings or schools to provide comfort

• Your dog enjoys meeting strangers and tolerates being handled

UK legal position:

Therapy dogs have no special public access rights under UK law. They may only visit places where prior permission has been granted.

In the UK, organisations such as Pets As Therapy offer assessments and insurance for therapy dog volunteers, but this role is very different from that of an assistance dog.

🧭 How Do I Know Which One I Need?

Here’s a simple guide to help you identify which category applies to you:

Question	Best Fit
Do you have a diagnosed disability that significantly impacts your daily life?	Assistance Dog
Has your condition been diagnosed for at least 12 months?	Assistance Dog
Do you need your dog to perform specific tasks to help you function?	Assistance Dog
Does your dog help you feel better simply by being with you, but hasn’t been task-trained?	Emotional Support Dog
Are you hoping to volunteer with your dog to bring joy to others in hospitals, schools, etc.?	Therapy Dog
Do you need legal public access rights to take your dog into non-pet-friendly places?	Assistance Dog

⚖️ UK Law Summary

Dog Type	Public Access Rights?	Legal Protection?	Training Requirement?
Assistance Dog	✅ Yes (under Equality Act 2010)	Must mitigate a disability	Task-trained, well-behaved in public
Emotional Support Dog	❌ No	Not legally recognised	No formal training
Therapy Dog	❌ No	No special rights	Trained for temperament, usually assessed

Final Thoughts

Understanding the differences between assistance dogs, emotional support dogs, and therapy dogs helps ensure that both dogs and handlers are in the right roles—with the right expectations and legal protections.

If you're unsure where you or your dog fit, or you’re considering training your dog as an assistance dog, speak with a member of our team: call 0800 222 9007.

Remember, assistance dog training isn’t just about teaching obedience—it’s about meeting a real, legally recognised need in your daily life.

🐾 About the Adolescent Dogs Assistance Dog Programme

At Adolescent Dogs, we offer a comprehensive Assistance Dog Programme that supports individuals in training their own dogs to become fully qualified assistance dogs. Whether you're starting with a puppy or have an older dog already offering support, our programme includes over 450 step-by-step video tutorials covering everything from obedience to task training, public access preparation, and distraction-proofing.

We support a wide range of disabilities—including physical, medical, psychiatric, and neurological—and offer live trainer support seven days a week, optional one-to-one lessons, residential training, workshops and awards assessments.

Our goal is to empower individuals with disabilities to train capable, confident assistance dogs who meet or exceed global standards—without the long waiting lists, breed restrictions, or neutering requirements seen elsewhere.