29 / 10 / 2026
Few things brighten a hospital ward or a care home lounge quite like a calm, friendly dog walking through the door. Therapy dogs have become a familiar sight across the UK, but there's often confusion about what they actually are and what they're allowed to do.
In this guide, we answer the question "what is a therapy dog?", explain how it differs from an assistance dog or an emotional support dog, and look at where therapy dogs in the UK work and how you could get involved.
What is a therapy dog?
A therapy dog is a pet dog that's been assessed as calm and friendly enough to visit people in places like hospitals, care homes, schools and hospices. It lives at home with its owner, who acts as its handler on visits.Therapy dogs don't do a specific task for one person. Instead, they offer comfort, company and a bit of joy to lots of different people. In professional terms, their work usually falls under animal assisted activity. The Royal College of Nursing's 2025 guidance, Working with Dogs in Health Care Settings, describes this as a volunteer handler bringing their own dog for informal interaction with patients or residents. It's part of the wider field of animal assisted intervention.
Sometimes a therapy dog also supports more structured sessions led by a health professional, such as a physiotherapist. You'll often hear both kinds of work described as pet therapy.
Therapy dogs, assistance dogs and emotional support dogs: what's the difference?
These three types of dog are easy to mix up, but they're very different, especially when it comes to the law.| Therapy dog | Assistance dog | Emotional support dog | |
| Who it helps | Lots of different people during visits | One disabled person | Its owner |
| Specially trained for a task? | No, but assessed for temperament | Yes, for specific tasks | No |
| Legal access rights in the UK | No | Yes, under the Equality Act 2010 | No |
| Examples | Care home and hospital visits | Guide dogs, hearing dogs, medical alert dogs | A pet that comforts someone with anxiety |
Mental health charity Rethink Mental Illness explains that assistance dogs have legal rights under the Equality Act 2010, but therapy dogs and emotional support animals don't. That means shops and other places can refuse entry to a therapy dog unless it's also a trained assistance dog. The RCN guidance also makes clear that emotional support animals aren't classed as assistance dogs.
So, what about an emotional support therapy dog? It's a phrase you'll see a lot online, but it isn't an official category in the UK. An emotional support dog comforts its own owner. A therapy dog visits other people. Plenty of owners ask whether their dog could be an emotional support therapy dog, and some dogs do both jobs. But neither role gives them the legal access rights an assistance dog has.
If you're interested in assistance dogs, our guide on how to train your dog to become a service animal covers those roles.
Where do therapy dogs in the UK work?
Therapy dogs in the UK visit a wide range of places. UK charity Pets As Therapy, which has been running visits since 1983 and has more than 4,000 volunteers, lists:• hospitals and hospices
• residential and nursing homes
• day care centres
• mainstream and special needs schools
• prisons
Rethink Mental Illness notes that charity visits are also common in universities, but that they're unlikely to visit you in your own home.
What makes a good therapy dog?
There's no single breed that makes the best therapy dog. Temperament matters far more than looks. Pets As Therapy says dogs on its scheme must be friendly, sociable and calm, and happy to be stroked and handled. They must also be at least 12 months old.A good therapy dog is usually:
• relaxed around strangers, including people using wheelchairs or walking aids
• calm in busy, noisy or unfamiliar places
• happy to be touched, even clumsily
• gentle, and not prone to jumping up or mouthing
Welfare comes first. The RCN guidance says therapy dogs should never be left alone with anyone other than their handler, and active sessions should last no more than an hour, with no more than three active hours a day. Handlers must be able to read their dog's body language and end a visit straight away if the dog isn't comfortable.
How to get a therapy dog in the UK
People search for how to get a therapy dog in the UK for two different reasons, so it helps to separate them.If you'd like visits from a therapy dog. Therapy dogs visit settings rather than individual homes, so the best route is usually through a care home, hospital, school or charity. If you run or work in one of these places, you can contact a visiting charity to ask about arranging visits.
If you need a dog to support you day to day. A therapy dog isn't the right choice here, because it doesn't live with you or do tasks for you. If you have a disability, an assistance dog may be more suitable. The RCN guidance refers to Assistance Dogs UK for information on the different types of assistance dog.
If you'd like your own dog to become a therapy dog. This is the most common route. Your dog will need the right temperament and to pass an assessment with a visiting charity. Our guide to therapy dog training explains what's involved.
A note on the term dog therapy
You'll see the phrase dog therapy used in two ways. Sometimes it means therapy dog visits for people, which is what this guide covers. Other times it means therapy given to dogs, such as hydrotherapy, physiotherapy or massage. If that's what you're interested in, take a look at our hydrotherapy and physiotherapy courses for animals.
Turn your love of dogs into meaningful work
If you'd love to go further than volunteering, there are paid and voluntary roles that involve working with therapy dogs and the people they support. Our guide to animal assisted therapy jobs explains the options.The Level 3 Diploma in Animal Assisted Intervention is a great place to start. It's an Ofqual regulated qualification that you study online and at your own pace, with tutor support. It covers how animals can support people's health and wellbeing, your legal duties, how to pair the right animal with the right person, and how to conduct canine sessions. There's also a two-day practical with a dog, which you arrange yourself.
It's a qualification in animal assisted intervention rather than therapy, so it won't make you a therapist. It will give you the knowledge to plan and deliver dog-based sessions safely, with the animal's welfare at the centre.
As a learner, you'll also get access to the learndirect: Community Hub app, a space just for learners and alumni of the learndirect Digital Group. You can join topic-specific communities, ask questions and connect with other dog lovers.
Ready to find out more?
Visit the Level 3 Diploma in Animal Assisted Intervention course page for full details, including fees and payment options. Or call our course advisors on 01202 006 040, or send us an enquiry.
