An emotional support dog is an animal that provides comfort and companionship to people dealing with emotional or psychological challenges. These dogs help reduce feelings of anxiety, depression, and stress, offering a calming presence that supports mental well-being.
While laws allow any animal to be legally classified as an emotional support animal (ESA), and dogs are naturally in tune with their owners’ emotions, not every dog is good at providing emotional support. Some breeds and individual dogs are simply better at it than others.
In this guide, we’ll look at 10 of the best emotional support dog breeds and explain what you need to do to have your dog legally recognized as an ESA.
The 10 Best Emotional Support Dog Breeds
Here are 10 of the best emotional support dog breeds known for their gentle nature and strong bonds with their owners:
1. Labrador Retrievers
Labrador retrievers are more than just adorable bundles of fur. They make great emotional companions due to their gentle, friendly nature and unwavering loyalty. Their patience and calm demeanor, combined with a strong desire to please their owners, also make them exceptional service animals.
For those dealing with constant stress and sadness, having a Labrador retriever nearby can bring a sense of calm and comfort when it’s needed most.
2. Golden Retrievers
Golden retrievers share many qualities with Labrador retrievers, including their friendly temperament, intelligence, and strong bond with humans. Both breeds are highly trainable and eager to please, traits that make them excellent service and emotional support dogs.
Note that although both are retrievers and share a loyal nature, they are distinct breeds with unique characteristics. Golden retrievers have longer, wavy coats, while labradors have shorter, denser fur.
Golden retrievers generally exhibit a calmer and gentler demeanor, whereas labradors tend to be more energetic and playful. The golden retriever’s affectionate nature, patience, and strong ability to sense their owner’s feelings help them provide comfort and emotional support during tough or stressful times.
3. Cavalier King Charles Spaniels
Another dog breed that makes a great emotional support animal is the cavalier King Charles spaniel. These dogs are known for their gentle and loving personality. Just like other dogs on this list, they’re capable of forming deep bonds with their owners and creating a calming presence that helps reduce feelings of anxiety and loneliness.
One of the best things about these dogs is their small size. You can easily take them with you anywhere, which is great for people with social anxiety. Cavaliers are affectionate dogs that love to cuddle with their owners. If they notice you are feeling sad or upset, they come to you right away to offer comfort and try to cheer you up.
4. Bichon Frises
Bichon frises are another small-sized dog breed known for their cheerful and friendly personalities. Their fluffy, hypoallergenic coat makes them a great choice for people with allergies. These dogs are highly social and enjoy being around people, which helps them provide constant emotional support to their owners.
Their gentle, playful nature and ability to quickly sense their owner’s mood and respond with affection are what earned them a spot on this list. Their small size makes them easy to bring along, and they work well in apartments or other tight spaces.
5. Poodles
Poodles are highly intelligent dogs that enjoy being close to their owners just as much as they enjoy solving puzzles. While ESAs don’t require specialized training by law, poodles are highly trainable dogs, so you can easily teach them how to respond to your emotional needs in specific ways during stressful moments.
That said, most of the time, this kind of training isn’t even necessary. Poodles have a natural ability to sense when something’s off and often respond with comfort and affection on their own. Unless you’re looking to train them for specific service dog tasks, their instinctive empathy is usually more than enough.
6. Shih Tzus
Shih tzus are an ancient breed originally bred as companion dogs for Chinese royalty, and that history still shows in how deeply attached they become to their humans. They may be small in size, but they have an infinite amount of gentleness and affection. These dogs are always eager to be by your side. Their calm demeanor makes them especially comforting for people dealing with anxiety, sadness, or emotional overwhelm.
Owing to their small size, they don’t need much space or exercise, which makes them great for people who stay indoors a lot or live in apartments. Shih tzus love cuddling and will happily curl up beside you when you need emotional support most.
7. Pugs
Pugs are known for their playful spirit and love of cuddling, which can lift your mood instantly. They’re also quite adaptable. They’re happy to relax quietly at your side or engage in light play. Their expressive faces and funny quirks often bring smiles (though they had the opposite effect on the robots in the movie The Mitchells vs. the Machines!).
These unique traits make pugs great companions for anyone who needs emotional support. Even though they’re small, pugs offer a lot of comfort and warmth every day, showing that sometimes the best support comes from the most lovable little dogs.
8. Corgis
Corgis are famously known as the favorite breed of England’s Queen Elizabeth II, which contributed to their popularity worldwide. While they might not be as commonly chosen as emotional support dogs compared to some other breeds on this list, corgis still offer plenty of comfort and companionship.
They have friendly, affectionate personalities and are very loyal to their owners. Their playful nature can help lift spirits and reduce stress, making them wonderful emotional companions. Though smaller in size, corgis have big hearts (usually visible on their famous fluffy butts) and a strong bond with their humans, proving they are just as good at providing emotional support as many other breeds.
9. Greyhounds
Greyhounds might be grey in name, but your mood will be anything but grey after spending even a little time with them. Known for their surprising combination of speed and serenity, greyhounds are gentle and calm dogs. Originally bred for racing, they consistently rank as one of the fastest dog breeds in the world.
Despite their athletic build, they are surprisingly low-energy and enjoy lounging around the house, making them both impressive athletes and wonderful companions for emotional support.
Their calm demeanor and affectionate nature make them excellent emotional support dogs. Greyhounds are sensitive to their owners’ moods and often provide comfort simply by being present, which is the whole point of an ESA. Despite their size, greyhounds adapt well to apartment living and don’t require excessive exercise.
10. Great Pyrenees
Great Pyrenees are large, majestic dogs known for their calm and gentle nature. Originally bred to guard livestock in the mountainous regions between France and Spain, they have a strong protective instinct and a loyal heart.
These dogs are incredibly patient and affectionate. Their thick, weather-resistant coats make cuddling them feel like being wrapped in a thousand soft clouds. They do, however, require regular grooming. They’re incredibly sensitive to their owner’s emotions and excel at providing emotional comfort during difficult times.
How Can I Get My Dog Recognized as an ESA?
Legal recognition of an emotional support dog can help you bring your ESA with you when moving to a new apartment. To have your dog legally recognized as an ESA, you need to consult a licensed mental health practitioner. They will discuss your mental health in detail, assess your situation, and decide whether your dog should be considered part of your treatment.
If they determine that your dog should be included in your treatment plan, they will write you a letter, called an ESA letter. This letter will include their contact information, details about your mental health, their signature, and an explanation that your dog plays an important role in your treatment.
You can then present this letter to universities and landlords, who are legally required to allow your ESA to live with you in your apartment under the Fair Housing Act (FHA). The only exceptions are if they can prove that accommodating your ESA would cause undue financial hardship or that your pet poses a direct threat to others in the building, which is very difficult to establish.
Can Any Dog Qualify as an ESA?
Yes, any dog can be an ESA. All you need to do is show your doctor that having the dog helps you emotionally. Your doctor will assess your mental health and determine how the dog supports your well-being. There are no restrictions on what breed can be an ESA. In fact, there are no limits on the type of animal that can qualify as an ESA.
For this reason, the best ESA is the dog that makes you feel better and helps you manage your mental health. It doesn’t matter what kind of dog you have. As long as it improves your emotional state, it’s a good ESA.
Best Emotional Support Dog Breeds: A Conclusion
As you can tell by now, there’s no shortage of dogs that make great emotional support animals. If we tried to list them all, this guide would never end. While some breeds may be better at providing emotional comfort than others, every dog has the potential to offer incredible support.
We highly recommend consulting a licensed mental health practitioner to obtain legal recognition for your dog as an ESA. This official recognition will allow your pet to live with you in housing that might not normally allow pets, and you won’t have to pay any pet fees.