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A therapy dog is a dog who visits places like schools, hospitals and nursing homes. Therapy dog training in Kenosha & Racine 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 Kenosha & Racine 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!
Jeff completely transformed our border collie/blue heeler mix. When we moved back to Chicago, our dog was anxious of everything in the city including buses, bikes, and even runners. He pulled on his leash constantly and lunged at moving objects. We were active with him physically but not mentally. With the private lessons, Jeff handled Tucker so well at the at-home lessons, giving him tasks to calm his mind & setting him up for success. After, the group lessons were also incredibly effective, since it gave us a chance to interact with other dogs. I will say, you HAVE to do the homework *every day*. This is a course for owners as much as the dogs. Our dog is so much calmer now; still an incredibly energetic herding dog who needs LOTS of activity, but you can tell how much more collected he is on walks, at the park, or when guests are in our home. This course transformed my dog & we couldn't be happier with the results! Also, dog aside, I really jived with Jeff's communication methods & attendance policies. He was always on time, so I was always on time. The mutual respect of everyone's time was much appreciated. We primarily went to the Chicago location but visited the Kenosha class as well for a change of scenery!— Stephanie Roatis
Posted May 3rd 2024
The Dog Training Elite Team in Kenosha was informative from day one. The many different interactions with other dogs and commands was extremely helpful in teaching both myself and my dog proper behavior at home and in public places! I have recommended this training team to many of my friends. Good girl, Toast! 🩷— Jolene Coulter
Posted May 3rd 2024
The Dog Training Elite Team in Kenosha was informative from day one. The many different interactions with other dogs and commands was extremely helpful in teaching both myself and my dog proper behavior at home and in public places! I have recommended this training team to many of my friends. This is my good girl, Toast. 🩷— Jo Co
Posted May 3rd 2024
I have had my dog Duke for over 3 years. He is a shelter dog. I have had other trainers, but I still could not curb his aggressive behavior towards other people and especially other dogs. I have been through the one-on-one home training and about to start the group sessions. I am beyond amazed at the results I have gotten! I never thought my dog would be able to be trained and he's doing so well, so far.— Jenny Rimkus
Posted January 25th 2024
We cannot rave enough about how much this training helped our dog!! Our son got a mini aussie during covid. She had very little human interaction and no animal interaction. He and the dog moved in with us when she was 1.5 yrs old. She was hyper, extremely aggressive, erratic and didn't listen to say the least! We constantly lived in fear of her, had to have her separated from elderly family members, and kept her muzzled anytime human or animal interaction was possible. Knowing we had a huge problem on hand, we tried a local treat-based training center with no success with any behavioral changes, in fact the group interaction increased her aggression and stress level, her growling and lunging was threatening enough that we'd have to separate her from the others. We were able to teach her tricks while at home, but that was not enough and she would choose when to listen and obey. She had altered our lives so much and her behavior was so bad that we seriously considered putting her down (and was also mentioned as an option by our vet). As a last ditch effort, we decided to try a google search for a different type of training and that's when I found Dog Training Elite!! After a personal meeting with Jeff, we decided to give it a try (but I'll have to be honest, I had zero hope that anything would work). From day one our trainer (Shelly) was so friendly and helpful, constantly encouraging, and all throughout the training they were able to identify areas we needed to correct our actions or the dogs. We saw major changes in her listening to us and behaving, obeying commands and correction of all the unwanted negatives throughout the weeks of at home training. Though we were very pleased, I honestly I had no faith that we'd be able to do group sessions based on our previous training experience elsewhere. Man was I wrong!! Not only did she do well, but she excelled. The dog that bit me while trying to bite our other dog and would attack stuffed dogs, would come to sit next to dogs in training and now at home. The benefits of this training extend well beyond the commands and tricks, the behavioral changes in the dog were HUGE!! She is a pleasure to be around, for us and our guests, we are now able to travel with her and be around our elderly parents. DTE-Kenosha/Racine and their staff gave us the confidence in ourselves to tackle an extremely challenging dog, they made the difference in the life of the dog honestly. We now look forward to our group sessions and have been equipped with ways to introduce people to our dog, how to introduce animals to her and work through her stressors and triggers. Plus we have real hope that we will be able to do some trick work with her in the near future!! We can't recommend DTE enough, they gave us our lives back!— Kendra Fitzwater
Posted December 24th 2023
Jeff, Lara, Shelly and team are professionals. Shelly was our dog trainer. Excellent trainer with great communication skills and proven techniques. Our dog quickly grasps core commands and was ready for group sessions with other dogs. We are extremely pleased with Dog Training Elite and would highly recommend their services. Bear 🐻 is now a service dog!— Roberto Martinez
Posted September 30th 2023
They have helped me with my 3 year old Labradoodle. I can now walk him around other people and dogs. He no longer pulls me over or growls at everything. They do private training and group training. Highly recommend their services!— Colleen O'Brien Ecker
Posted August 21st 2023
Jeff did a wonderful job getting my 3 year old Siberian Husky, Che, certified to become an official service animal. It was very challenging to get Che to listen at first, given how stubborn Huskies are as a breed, but with persistence, practice, and some great one-on-one sessions, we were able to get Che over some large hurdles. Che is super obedient now compared to how he used to be, well-behaved off leash, and has successfully traveled on a plane! I never thought we could get here with Che's training and I am very grateful to Jeff and his guidance.— Juliana Siward
Posted May 16th 2023
I teach first graders at GEMS World Academy Chicago. We do a six week unit of inquiry into accessibility. Jeff, Lara and their dog Max came into our classroom. Jeff and Lara are incredibly knowledgable and were great with the kids. They answered all of their questions about service dogs and more. We were very impressed with all three of them. I would feel very comfortable and lucky to have Jeff or Lara come into my home to train a dog for me personally or for a friend requiring ta service dog.— Kirsten Richards
Posted March 6th 2023
Enjoyed the training. Jeff was very good with our Trixie. Although we didn’t work as hard as we should with our puppy, Jeff was very good as training with Trixie. She did learn all the skills, we just have to enforce them. Thanks Jeff!— Barb Ciotti Paskiewicz
Posted February 22nd 2023
Jeff and his team are passionate dog people and trainers!— Kelley Rosequist
Posted May 18th 2022
We are extremely pleased with our dog Maisy's training sessions with Atalie of Dog Training Elite-Kenosha. Atalie is always professional, on-time and accommodating to our specific requests for guidance. We came to DTE-Kenosha needing help with our 11 month old rescue Pug with aggressive behavior directed at our other 2 Pugs. During the evaluation session Atalie quickly and accurately assessed the pack dynamics and presented us with a structured 'plan of attack' to help Maisy overcome her insecurities causing the aggressive behavior. From our very first lesson Atalie stressed that she was not only training Maisy but more importantly training us to be consistent and impactful with our interactions with Maisy. After a few sessions with Atalie, reinforced with our daily 15-20 minutes of practice, Maisy has made remarkable progress especially learning to go to her 'place' to give her time to decompress and calm down. Our house has become a much calmer place and Maisy's interactions with the other Pugs has greatly improved. The DTE training methods work if you follow the program and do your homework. Atalie's super energetic and friendly personality has all 3 of our Pugs so excited to see her each visit. We are confident that we can eliminate Maisy's aggressions with the assistance of DTE. HIGHLY RECOMMEND USING DTE-KENOSHA FOR YOUR DOG TRAINING NEEDS.— Lisa Lantz
Posted November 30th 2021
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 Kenosha & Racine 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 Kenosha & Racine 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 Kenosha & Racine’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 Kenosha & Racine. 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 Kenosha & Racine?
The Dog Training Elite Kenosha & Racine 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 Kenosha & Racine 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 Kenosha & Racine. Request your free training demo and in-home assessment today.
