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A therapy dog is a dog who visits places like schools, hospitals and nursing homes. Therapy dog training in Dallas teaches dogs to provide comfort, support, and affection to the people they meet, particularly vulnerable people like children, seniors, patients in hospitals, and so on.
Therapy dogs are not service dogs. Service dogs are trained to perform specific tasks to help a person who has a disability. This distinction is important because therapy dogs do not have the same access to public places like service dogs do. For example, service dogs can go into restaurants, but therapy dogs cannot. Therapy dogs still provide a valuable service and should receive therapy dog certification.
Not all training packages may be available at our Dog Training Elite Dallas—Fort Worth location, please reference our pricing page for complete information on services offered.
Who Do Therapy Dogs Help?
Therapy dogs may be regular visitors to a variety of people and places, with hospitals and rehabilitation centers being among the most common. Children, in particular, respond positively to therapy dogs.
Seniors in assisted living or people with mental disabilities who live in facilities and experience feelings of isolation also see a lot of benefits from visiting with a therapy dog.
Besides providing valuable social opportunities and relieving anxiety, therapy dogs may even help lower blood pressure and heart rate in patients and the other people they visit.
Why Are Therapy Dogs Important?
Therapy dogs offer unconditional love, non-judgmental interaction, reduce stress, anxiety and loneliness, and provide an overall positive distraction to ailments. Research shows therapy dogs can have a positive effect on a patient’s mood, stress and pain levels during facility stays.
Young patients — children — seem to benefit most from working with therapy dogs. They are more motivated to participate in treatments, feel optimistic about the future, and experience an overall sense of calm when a certified therapy dog is present.
For people who may have a hard time socializing due to mental disabilities or their living situation, therapy dogs can promote social interaction within their community and help them to connect.
We help your dog become a valued companion and beloved member of the family. Read what our customers have to say and then give us a call!
Felicity has been training Benson for just a couple months and the difference she has helped make in him are nothing short of amazing!!! The company is easy to work with, compassionate and you can tell their goal is not only 100% customer satisfaction but also care for the dogs. Felicity answers all my questions, gives amazing advice and ensures I understand how to practice with Benson. I am very pleased with every aspect of Dog Training Elite and recommend them wholeheartedly. Update: Benson passed his 2nd public access test today with Felicity! She has been with him every step of the way. I wish I had the words to explain how amazing she is. Benson has come a long way and will definitely be an amazing mobility service dog.— Elizabeth McKenzie
Posted April 19th 2023
Before we brought our Golden Retriever puppy home, we knew that we wanted to enlist the aid of a trainer to teach her but also teach us how to efficiently train our new puppy. Felicity was our trainer— she was great! She was super knowledgeable and patient with the millions of questions that we had. Hazel really enjoyed her training sessions and she is learning so fast. I cannot recommend Felicity and Dog Training Elite Dallas enough! I know the work we put in with training Hazel now will benefit her in the future.— Bri Arroyo
Posted January 27th 2024
Felicity has been a fantastic dog trainer. Our dog has made such swift progress after working with her. We couldn’t be more happy that we get to work with her. She is truly gifted.— Ross Murrell
Posted January 27th 2024
We were at our wits end with our rescue pup. Had tried everything and I mean everything with no luck. We were determined to not give up on her. But we were all fretting over whether she was a good fit in our lives. Found this company and called for an evaluation. We knew whatever we invested in this dog would bring us years of joy. It has transformed our fearful, anxious dog into a wonderful happy pup. (She’s got more training to do but she’s doing awesome! ) We had Felicity, Luke, and Euni work with us over 6 weeks in our home. Felicity saw her on the first and last visit and immediately noticed an huge change in her! Our sweet pup is making such good progress! Best trainers ever as they worked with us to help us work with her. Awesome experience and I highly recommend them!— Karen Winget
Posted December 29th 2023
Every trainer that I have worked with is exceptionally knowledgeable, kind, professional, and overall very easy to talk to and to learn from. My dog is becoming more confident with every session, and I am very grateful to Dog Training Elite for making that happen ❤️— Jericca Cassani
Posted December 23rd 2023
I am so pleased with this company I begin to tell you how they have changed my life with my new adopted baby girl . She was so scared and wanted to bite everyone and in one week that behavior had changed. Felicity, Tyler and all the trainers at Dog Training Institute are professionals and know exactly what they are doing. I would recommend these guys to anyone !!— Kimberly Margowski
Posted December 22nd 2023
Dog Training Elite was the best thing we did for our 7-month-old Vizsla! We had a good foundation with basic commands prior to enrolling him, but we certainly did not feel confident enough to allow him off-leash when we go on the trails and needed help with impulse control as far as staying in place for longer periods of time and less excitable greetings. After just a few days at the facility, we saw such a difference, and by the end of the two weeks, we had a pup with so much impulse control and incredible manners. Not to mention--the e-collar wasn't something I felt confident training myself, since my biggest concern was creating a negative relationship with it, but they did a fantastic job. We've now also done in-home training sessions, which we focused on remaining neutral and not greeting ever dog when we're out, and his progress in just one session was tremendous. We can't stop saying enough great things about Tra, Felicity, Yuni, Kelly, and the rest of the DTE team. The facility was clean, and most importantly, the trainers exhibit such an understanding of canine behavior and psychology. Although it's a little bit pricier than other facilities we looked into, my husband and I have said repeatedly it was worth every penny. We met another pup that was the same age as ours that was so rowdy and excitable, and the owners told us they had just finished training with another well-known facility that we happened to look into as well. Needless to say, we were so glad we didn't end up choosing that facility. Their personalized approach is what makes the biggest difference. DTE exceeded our expectations, and we're incredibly grateful for the time, patience, and compassion they showed our Maverick. If you want top-notch training that delivers great results, DTE won't disappoint.— Allie Xirinachs
Posted December 20th 2023
Dog Training Elite was the best thing we did for our 7-month-old Vizsla! We had a good foundation with basic commands prior to enrolling him, but we certainly did not feel confident enough to allow him off-leash when we go on the trails and needed help with impulse control as far as staying in place for longer periods of time and less excitable greetings. After just a few days at the facility, we saw such a difference, and by the end of the two weeks, we had a pup with so much impulse control and incredible manners. Not to mention--the e-collar wasn't something I felt confident training myself, since my biggest concern was causing a negative relationship with it, but they did a fantastic job. We've now also done in-home training sessions, which we focused on remaining neutral and not greeting ever dog when we're out, and his progress in just one session was tremendous. We can't stop saying enough great things about Tra, Felicity, Yuni, Kelly, and the rest of the DTE team. The facility was clean, and most importantly, the trainers exhibit such an understanding of canine behavior and psychology. Although it's a little bit pricier than other facilities we looked into, my husband and I have said repeatedly it was worth every penny. We met another pup that was the same age as ours that was so rowdy and excitable, and the owners told us they had just finished training with another well-known facility that we happened to look into as well. Needless to say, we were so glad we didn't end up choosing that facility. For us, their personalized approach is what makes the biggest difference. DTE exceeded our expectations, and we're incredibly grateful for the time, patience, and compassion they showed our Maverick. If you want top-notch training that delivers great results, DTE won't disappoint.— Allison Xirinachs
Posted December 20th 2023
I am having a great experience with Dog Training Elite Dallas. Felicity is our trainer, and she is fantastic. My doggie is a dachshund and they are known to be stubborn by nature. However, Felicity teaches her new skills quickly and efficiently, and teaches me how to practice and reinforce those skills. She is firm while also being warm and kind. Both my doggie and I love working with her!— Terre From Texas
Posted September 11th 2023
This has been a great experience for our dog. Felicity, his trainer, has been great with Lido and he has learned to not puppy bite as much and has learned to take different commands very well. He has become a much more obedient dog. Lido actually gets very excited every time he gets time with Felicity. Thanks for all your help!— Tracy Michel
Posted August 26th 2023
We absolutely loved working with dog training elite!! They were amazing at helping us with our malinois mix! Felicity, Luke, Tra, Cheyanne, and Kyler were all great. We enjoyed our experience so much we’re going to add protection training!— Brianna Donley
Posted August 25th 2023
So far the training has been great. My dog has been responding very well to the training.— Janet Millinder
Posted August 23rd 2023
In a month, they have been able to help me train my puppy on the way to become my service dog! They are so understanding and supportive! The training focuses on positive as opposed to negative reinforcement on the collar which makes Draco more excited to put it on in the morning. Places I used in the past used it as a negative which made my dog (originally attempted to be a therapy dog) fearful and avoided having it on. Note: The first image was his first day training in public and in the second image he did not have his vest on, but still instinctively went into "tuck".— Ashley Dodge
Posted August 8th 2023
Luke has been so amazing with my puppy, Punxsy (she will be 8 months on July 25, 2023). Luke is so compassionate, knowledgeable, and patient. He was integral getting her trained as a service dog. His training enabled me to fly home with her to see my family in Delaware. As a service dog, she was able to stay with me in the cabin of the airplane, laying at my feet. I have PTSD from my time in the military, and he taught Punxsy skills to comfort me. Luke is amazing, and Punxsy and I thank you so much! Sheena and Punxsy— Sheena McIntire
Posted July 18th 2023
DTE is amazing.. I have a rescue that has forgotten how to be a dog.. Felicity has worked with me and my Happy girl and not only helped my fur baby start to open up but she is helping me to become that dog mom I need to be for her.. Thank you Felicity 🥰— joann askew
Posted July 17th 2023
Excellent training: we did the puppy camp - 4 sessions. 2 were with Luke and 2 with Felicity. The training provided exceptional value to us: we saw how to approach puppy training, both answered all our questions and then some. We are progressing nicely with our puppy’s training and the training we received at Dog Training Elite Frisco provided us the right direction and a boost! Very thankful for their support and patience - I feel we went through the training ourselves. Thank you Luke and Felicity!— Alex Weiss
Posted July 11th 2023
Felicity helped my pup, Noodle learn basic skills that have helped in the puppy phase. It was amazing seeing with a little guidance, how much easier the puppy stage has been. Definitely recommend!— Cassandra Keller
Posted July 5th 2023
Fantastic! Huge difference in our dogs and Felicity is awesome!!!!— Jennifer Robb
Posted June 21st 2023
Cheyenne came out for first training visit for our border collie, Hubert. She is very knowledgeable and made sure we understand how to work with him on new skills. We had been taking him elsewhere for basic training before beginning his service dog training with Elite. The one exception was as she was leaving: she made a comment that we baby him too much; however she didn't give any examples so we would know how to correct it.— Donna Friesen
Posted June 4th 2023
Calling DTE was one of the best things we’ve done for our dogs. Every single trainer was knowledgeable and true professionals. Money well spent.!!!— Stephanie McBride
Posted June 2nd 2023
How Does a Dog Become a Therapy Dog?
If you have felt the benefits of owning a dog, you may feel inspired to help more people feel the unconditional love, joy and support your dog provides. However, having a friendly, loving personality isn’t enough for a dog to qualify as a therapy dog. Some other qualifications to consider are:
- The age of your dog. Puppies do not make good therapy animals.
- How obedient your dog is. It’s important your dog listens to you and obeys basic commands. Dogs that go through obedience training with Dog Training Elite Dallas—Fort Worth have the perfect foundation to go onto therapy dog training, as long as they are old enough.
- How social your dog is. Your dog may be affectionate with you — but are they affectionate with strangers? Do they like to receive attention from strangers, particularly petting?
Therapy Dog Handlers
As a dog owner, it’s important to reflect on whether you would like to become a therapy dog handler as well. If you enjoy connecting with people, becoming a therapy dog handler may be a great fit. You can also choose where to volunteer to better suit your interests — if you like kids, volunteer to visit schools or children’s hospitals. If you prefer to work with older people, then sign up to visit senior living centers.
Once you’ve determined that becoming a therapy dog handler and helping your dog become a therapy dog is the right move for the two of you, you’re ready to start therapy dog training. The trainers of Dog Training Elite Dallas—Fort Worth are experts in the behaviors needed in a therapy dog and will help you and your dog either brush up on or master behaviors such as “leave it,” “watch me,” loose-leash walking and not jumping on other people.
To help your dog become well socialized, you may consider also signing up for one of Dog Training Elite Dallas—Fort Worth’s group obedience classes. A group class environment is also beneficial because it helps your dog learn to be obedient when there are a lot of distractions around, a crucial skill for a therapy dog.
Once you’ve completed initial training, you’re ready to apply for therapy dog certification in Dallas. However, it is important to note that this certification is not the end. It’s important to stay on top of your dog’s training and continue to help them be the best therapy dog they can be.
Why do Therapy Dog Training with Dog Training Elite Dallas—Fort Worth?
The Dog Training Elite Dallas—Fort Worth training method stands out because of its emphasis on positive reinforcement. Dogs are never punished for bad behavior, instead they are rewarded for good behavior. This kind of training makes a huge difference in your relationship with your dog, and will make a difference in how your dog interacts with other people.
The balanced training method of Dog Training Elite Dallas—Fort Worth fosters a dog’s naturally loving and obedient nature. Focusing on positive reinforcement and rewarding good behavior helps build a strong bond between dog and owner built on love and trust. This foundation in turn becomes a great foundation for dog and owner to become a fabulous therapy team providing an invaluable service to the community.
If you feel therapy dog certification is right for you and your dog, get started by contacting Dog Training Elite Dallas—Fort Worth. Request your free training demo and in-home assessment today.
