This is the question we get asked the most, and it’s important to know that we used to. We have placed several pre-trained psychiatric service dogs and ESDs, however we have experienced many downfalls with this. We therefore decided that all PAD/ESD dogs should be owner trained and staying/working with their person from as soon as possible.

From a human perspective, one would go from being in a difficult emotional state, to being in a difficult emotional state, with a dog. OR, having a child in a difficult emotional state, with a dog in public. These dogs are not magic wands, they do not get placed after 2 years of training and then make everything okay. YOU have to be the change and support them through their role so that they can improve your quality of life. Having a dog with you in a public space is an intimidating prospect and not as easy as it may look. You have to remember all of their cues and keep your focus on them constantly whilst trying to get on with your daily life. People will come over and ask to meet your dog (even though it is not allowed), and will ask questions like “what does he do for you” or even worse “what’s wrong with you?”. Nothing except experience can help you with dealing with these situations. The anxiety that this situation would cause, has often been a reason for PADs to fail or for their human to struggle more. People need time to work with their dog and build up to public spaces once foundations have been laid and a strong bond has been formed (via the ESD course which encompasses tasks, bond building, getting to know one another, and of course all basic obedience skills). 

From a dog’s perspective, they go from a foster home with able bodied people, to a human who is in a bad emotional state, this is distressing for them sometimes and although they are trained to pick up behavioural cues of anxiety, the transition period between being in full time training at school, and living with their new person, can be extremely hard on them. This anxiety or confusion can cause dogs to act out and become unmanageable for their new people. Creating a very stressful situation all around. Barking, becoming protective of this new (possible emotionally frail) human, avoidance, and other strange behaviours which they never showed during training, can crop up very quickly and what was supposed to be a wonderful thing, can soon turn into a nightmare. 

Our acting skills are great, but nothing like the real thing. Although we would use scent samples of risen cortisol levels, jog around to become sweaty and increase our heartrates, these dogs are selected to be clever and empathetic! And there is nothing like a real panic attack, neurodivergent meltdown, or consistent anxiety/bad day, that we can mimic. Therefore, the pre-trained dog may not be fully prepared for their new person, and can fail them or hurt their feelings without meaning to (dog says, hey normally I have social free time now, why aren’t we seeing my friends – this can also lead to support dog burnout – and is absolutely nobody’s fault). 

The dogs learn to work for somebody who has been doing this for years, who they can really trust, and then get placed with their human who although has all good intentions, they cannot necessarily put their trust in right away. We feel that due to these reasons, it is best to train both human and dog at the same time, for the entire process. 

As graduated service dogs, they generally do not like to be left alone at home, and like to be with their person in public places, which you may not be ready for, causing more stress on both sides. 

This course is for anyone looking to strengthen their bond with their dog and train them to provide emotional support. It’s ideal for individuals dealing with anxiety, depression, stress, trauma, or simply wanting their dog to play a more supportive role in their emotional wellness.

The course includes 8 video modules hosted on Google Drive, paired with worksheets and video submissions. You’ll also have access to optional weekly check-in calls for personal support and a final evaluation session. 

The ESD course allows you to really focus on your dog in the comfort of your own home. It is pressure free and allows you the opportunity to build a bond, learn the skills and get yourself into a new routine with your ESD, and thus improve your mental well-being enough so that you are much better able to start taking your dog into public, and complete the KUSA Canine good citizen awards, when the time arises, if you choose to go this route. 

- It is empowering to complete the ESD course yourself

- It allows you to learn more about yourself and your dog, and build a stronger bond before external pressures are added

- It allows your ESD to get to know you really, really well, and be that much more prepared for when they need to be with you in public (which in itself is not necessarily an easy feat for an assistance dog – to be invisible in a human world).

- It allows you and your ESD to not only change your lifestyle and mindset overall, but to learn to task together in comfort, before taking this out into the world. I.e. Your dog will learn to interrupt your rising anxiety and provide grounding behaviours with you at home, before being expected to do this in public.

- Should you have a child in need of a psychiatric Assistance dog, it again allows your dog and you as the child’s guardian, to get your head around the tasks, to build a strong bond as a family, before taking it all into public. You may find that having your ESD at home, negates the need to take them into public, or that you are better able to get through your outing or workday and then come home and enjoy your time with your ESD in peace. 

It is true that many people feel that their own dog is doing a great ESD job already, but in fact their dog may not have the skills to deal with the situation and so eventually begins to burn out, or become anxious themselves. Dogs without knowledge, can shy away from anxiety, it is not normal for them to just know what to do, and this is where the ESD course comes in, it empowers them and you. We unfortunately cannot issue you with an ESD certificate unless you have completed the course with us.

Most dogs have the ability to be ESDs, but it is true to say that there are some super special doggos out there who have higher empathy and just know how and when to help. Any age of dog can complete the course, it is flexible and can be tailored to fit almost any dog’s skill set, and any person's needs. Any breed can complete the course, but we do look at the personality of the dog first during the interview or during testing, to ensure that they have the best possible chances of becoming a helpful ESD, and that they enjoy the work. 

If you don't have a dog, after conducting your initial interview, we can start to source good dogs that will fit in with your existing lifestyle and will be manageable for you to handle and work with. We LOVE rescue dogs and will choose young adults from shelters wherever possible. We have found that these dogs, if they have no other issues, have higher empathy and regard for their person. Puppies can be hard work which somebody doing the ESD course maybe won’t be able to handle. Pedigree dogs, although incredible as well, are hard to come by as adults (without bad backgrounds, young enough to give you the longevity and time you need, and no trauma) – but they are out there so this is certainly not impossible. 

We do not train public access until the ESD course has been completed. An ESD unfortunately does not have access rights to public places. However, if your ESD is able to cope in public, and you are able to handle them well enough, you can reach out to individual places that you frequently go, and see if they would allow you to bring your ESD. Holiday homes, public transport, special events or private places will be more likely to accept your ESD if they have had specific ESD training like in our course, or are learning to become a PAD. We cannot guarantee you will be allowed to take your ESD into public at all, and the responsibility is yours to ensure that if your dog does join you, that it is not a problem to anybody else within that establishment. Most private companies will allow and ESD to join their person at work on the same terms as above, again, if the ESD is not a problem to anybody. ESDs are allowed in non-pet friendly housing and any privately rented space. 

If you wish, upon course completion, we can begin public access lessons and CGC training. If you do not live near our home base in cape town, we can set you up with a local trainer, and guide them through the journey to help you and your dog. Once the training has been completed, Honey’s Garden will evaluate you and your dog as a team, and graduate you as a Psychiatric Assistance Dog team – legally allowed access to anywhere that a human is allowed. A supporting document from a mental health practitioner will be required for this process to begin. 

Honey’s Garden runs a “Fur-Therapist” program where you can have your ESD certified to go on visits to therapeutic environments, or to work with you as a councillor of some kind. If this is your intention, please make it known during the interview so that we can ensure that you tailor the course skills learned to set them up for this. I.E. Teaching your ESD to respond to other peoples anxiety, or to rest their heads on somebody else’s lap when asked to do so, the ESD skills course offers these skills, you just need to be able to tailor it with our guidance, and have willing volunteers to practice on before certifying them as a “Fur Therapist” with Honey’s Garden. Note: A psychiatric Assistance dog cannot work for other people and will solely be your medical service dog. 

The point of the ESD course is to be able to empower you and give you the skills to train your own dog – pressure free. The content is extremely easy to follow and we are here to support you with weekly check ins, every step of the way. The pride and joy you will feel upon completing the course, learning new skills and developing a stronger bond with your ESD, is second to none. However, if there are things that you struggle with, or are unable to do yourself, we can assist further with private lessons (with us or a local trainer to you).