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Over the past decade there has been a rise in the number of people with Emotional Support Animals. This has caused some confusion around what it means to have a service, emotional support or therapy animal . Here, we explain briefly the differences between each of these animals, the training required for each different type, and debunk some common myths. Read on to learn the differences between each type of animal, which one might be right for you or your loved one, and how Dog Training Elite Southeast Michigan can help.
Not all training packages may be available at our Dog Training Elite Southeast Michigan location, please reference our pricing page for complete information on services offered.
ESA vs. Therapy vs. Service Animals: What's the Difference?
Service Animals
Service animals are animals that have been trained to assist individuals with tasks specific to their needs.
- Redirecting attention when an individual is beginning to feel overstimulated
- Reminding owners to take medication
- Waking someone who is having a nightmare
Service dogs are valued in the mental health, health care and disability community and are protected under ADA laws which allow owners to take their service dog with them everywhere they go. Dog Training Elite Southeast Michigan trains dogs to serve individuals with autism, diabetes and PTSD.
Dog Training Elite Southeast Michigan trains autism service dogs to benefit and assist children with autism. Autism service dogs can be trained to track their child in case of wandering and redirect a child’s behavior when they are starting to become overwhelmed.
PTSD service dogs help ground owners to reality, especially in public settings. These service dogs can also be trained to recognize signs of a panic attack and regulate emotional responses through pressure.
Diabetic service dogs can alert their owners to their low blood sugar and provide stability, safety and support.
Visit our individual web pages to understand more about the differences and benefits of autism service dogs, PTSD services dogs and diabetic service dogs.
Emotional Support Animals
Although all dog owners may feel the emotional benefits of owning a dog, the dog needs to be prescribed by a licensed mental health professional to a person with a disabling mental illness such as anxiety or depression to legally be considered an ESA. Emotional Support dogs can be of any age and any breed whereas service dogs usually begin training as puppies.
In addition to being prescribed by a mental health professional, owners may wish for their dog to undergo more specific training. If you are looking for emotional support dog training in your local area, Dog Training Elite Southeast Michigan has you covered.
The professional dog trainers of Dog Training Elite Southeast Michigan are experienced with training various types of therapy animals. Trainers work with a dog’s natural temperament to ensure a strong, loving bond between dog and owner. Training can be personalized to fit the needs of the owner.
It is important to note that Emotional Support Animals are meant for just that - emotional support. Dogs trained to assist with specific tasks that may be associated with a disability are service animals. Training a dog to be an Emotional Support Animal or a therapy dog is less intensive than training to be a service animal.
Therapy Animals
Therapy Animals are very similar to Emotional Support Animals, except that they are often used to bolster the mental health and wellbeing of a community, as opposed to just an individual. Therapy dogs are often seen serving in hospitals, rehabilitation or care centers with their owners.
Owners who feel their dog may be a good fit for this kind of community service can have them receive top-notch training from Dog Training Elite Southeast Michigan.
The most important thing to note as a difference between Emotional Support Animals, Therapy and Service dogs, is service animals are protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act which states service animals must be able to accompany their owners wherever they go. Emotional Support and Therapy animals do not have the same protections and public establishments may have their own rules about ESA and therapy dogs.
Whether you’re ready to get a new lease on life with the help of a service dog, or strengthen the existing bond with your dog, Dog Training Elite Southeast Michigan has the experience and resources you need.
Our Balanced Theory
We base our training around the "Classical Conditioning" model (a.k.a. "Pavlovian" or "respondent conditioning"). This includes developing conditioned or automatic reflexes to commands. In its simplest form (after proper conditioning), when the owner says "sit," the dog automatically sits without thinking about it. Our unique techniques ensure our program is a success no matter what behavior we encounter.
Empowering Owners
We empower owners to train so their dog knows who to obey at all times.
Personalized
We deal with problem behaviors on a personal basis.
Environment Specific
We train wherever issues tend to arise (i.e. jogging, park, home).
Supportive
We support owners in the off-hours (when training is "not in session").
Involved
We work with all members of the household.
Simplified & Customized
We plan training around the owner's schedule and require only 20 min/day follow-up practice.
Continued Training
Additional programs / group sessions offered after in-home training.
Lifetime Investment
We follow up & are invested in the owner's success long-term.
Satisfaction Ratings
Our high client satisfaction rating sets us apart from competitors.
clas·si·cal con·di·tion·ing PSYCHOLOGY noun A learning process that occurs when two stimuli are repeatedly paired; a response that is at first elicited by the second stimulus and is eventually elicited by the first stimulus alone.
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!
Dog Training Elite of Southeast Michigan is the best of the best when it comes to training. They go above and beyond to make sure you are happy with the services they provide. They truly love the animals like their own and work with the families every step of the way. If I could give 6/5 stars I would. I would highly recommend.— Michelle Foley
Posted October 21st 2024
I cannot recommend Dog Training Elite enough. Hailey and Steve have been training my one-year-old Golden Retriever to be a therapy dog. Daisy has progressed so much in just a few sessions in the comfort of our home. She is so proud of herself and my whole family has benefitted from everything she’s learned.— Stephanie McGuire
Posted October 18th 2024
We have sent 2 service dogs through training with them and their service is fantastic! We've specifically requested Hailey (sp) both times and she is amazing! Kind, upbeat, energetic and empathetic. The company is flexible, understanding and extremely helpful and available! They train you just as well as your pets!— Kei Wolfe
Posted October 4th 2024
Couldn’t have asked for a more professional, yet fun and exciting experience for Murphy, my wife and I. This is our first golden retriever, and our experience with Dog Training Elite and Hailey (our trainer❤️) has been nothing short of perfect. Our Murphy has passed his public service access test (service animal) with the amazing training provided by Hailey and my wife. He is an absolutely perfect addition to our family, and we owe so much of that to Hailey and the team at Dog Training Elite.— Jameson Kyle Hagerty
Posted September 26th 2024
Hailey was very knowledgeable and professional and I would recommend her with confidence.— Mark Jaffray
Posted September 26th 2024
We contacted dog training elite prior to picking up our Murphy. They helped guide us with the initial pup search (we were seeking to get a PSD service dog). Once we got our Murph Hailey started with our training. She has been absolutely amazing to work with. She has done a fantastic job helping me to train him. He’s become the best well behaved (service dog) puppy we could’ve asked for, all thanks to the knowledge that Hailey has given me. I’m excited to see what she has in store for us next.— Ashley Hagerty
Posted September 24th 2024
Our trainer Hailey , is a pro. She wants success for our dog and us. She is clear and patient. At a group session, another trainer Ryann came over to assist us. Great people and company leadership. Our dog is really being trained to be a better companion. Thanks all at Elite Dog Training. Forrest & Ann— forrest hayford
Posted August 31st 2024
Dog Training Elite is great! Ryann helped us train our 2 year old, very hyper dog, and he’s completely different now!! Plus he has a new friend. I highly recommend having your dog trained with DTE!— Sarah Thomas
Posted August 30th 2024
My dog Winnie has been completing therapy dog training with Hailey at Dog Training Elite Southeast Michigan for a few months now, and we absolutely love Hailey and the program! It has been so fun to see Winnie's confidence and skills evolve, and I can't wait to continue the rest of our training with this team! If you're looking for high quality dog training in the metro-Detroit area I can't recommend them enough!— Christina E Agostino
Posted August 28th 2024
Hailey at Southeast Michigan Dog Training Elite was awesome. Arlo, our 9 month old Australian Shepherd has been one of the best dogs we have ever had and with the training that Hailey did with us and Arlo, has just made having a dog amazing again. Our goal was to be able to take Arlo where ever we go and behave and just be one of the family. With the training program from Southeast Michigan Dog Training Elite and Hailey’s passion and patients, we have that dog. Would highly recommend Hailey and Southeast Michigan Dog Training Elite.— Kirk Hedding
Posted August 28th 2024
Hailey with Dog Training Elite was absolutely exceptional. She made herself available for our schedule, and was willing to help us train our dog in any scenario, with family members, and other dogs. It was great! Highly recommend!— Ryan Rosenberg
Posted August 20th 2024
We are so impressed with Austin, Hailey, and this company! The one on one personal training really helped to train our Tessa (and more importantly us humans). She continues to learn more tasks to be the best service dog! Thank you for being professional and still enjoying butt wiggles!— Jean Perczak
Posted August 12th 2024
My family & I adopted a 7-week-old, purebred, German Shepherd in Jan. As she got a bit older, we discovered that we were WAY over our heads when it came to her training. Of course, we went online searching for trainers & we finally found DOG TRAINING ELITE which was the BEST discovery EVER!!! Of course, we read the reviews & we found HAILEY...one of the BEST trainers that we could EVER ask for!!! Her reviews are A+, and we stand behind those reviews!!! She's KIND, PATIENT, UNDERSTANDING, SO INFORMATIVE & IS GREAT w/MAZIE, and w/us too!!! The things she teaches us is so EXTREMELY helpful when we're training on our own! Once we had our free consultation, we were SO impressed to learn about their AMAZING training programs that we signed up right away!!! HAILEY comes to our house once a week, and it truly is AMAZING the things she teaches our pup!!! If you are looking for a dog trainer, look no further!!! Call DOG TRAINING ELITE, request Hailey, and I promise you, you WON'T be sorry!!!— Tiffany Raubacher
Posted June 30th 2024
Just finished a 10-week training class with Hailey from DTE, and it was a great experience. Hailey was wonderful to work with; she was flexible and accommodating and did a fabulous job with our 4 year old mix Tater. She worked with us to customize the curriculum, increasing the time we spent on our areas of concern (behavior basics and leash walking) instead of covering some advanced topics we didn't need or want (e.g., going into public spaces). Sessions were fun and engaging; Hailey worked directly with Tater on each skill to get her started, but also taught me how to continue the process between and beyond class. We also had a few sessions with both Hailey and Austin, along with Austin's dog Sunny, to work on socialization. Tater had been quite a handful since we got her... constantly barking and agitated when outside, overly excited and hard to control with visitors, unable to walk on a leash, zero recognition of any commands, etc. We honestly thought that perhaps there was something wrong with her; that she was untrainable. Nope. She responded immediately to the training, and in fact seems quite smart (though stubborn). She now understands (and follows) necessary commands, walks very well on a leash (and even without a leash), remains quiet in the yard (even when bunnies are present, or the neighbor's dog is yapping), and behaves with visitors. We're looking forward to maintaining and even advancing her behavior at the weekly group sessions. If you are looking for a high quality training program for your dog and have the time and the means, I highly recommend Dog Training Elite and both Hailey and Austin as an excellent choice.— David Kulmaczewski
Posted June 29th 2024
Hailey has been fantastic with Moose! He has learned so much in just a few short weeks. My office is dog friendly but as a large 9 month old puppy he was loud and wanted constant attention and play. In just 4 sessions I was able to bring a well mannered dog into the office with me! He gets to play with his dog friends now at work and daycare and I get to take my smart pup for walks where he’s not pulling me along. And Moose loves to see Hailey each week. He gets so excited to see her. We taught him to swim yesterday! I cannot tell you how happy I am with Hailey and Dog Training Elite!— Tammy H
Posted June 14th 2024
Highly recommend. Hailey and Ryann were great with us and our dogs! The whole team was very responsive throughout the process, patient and thorough. Overall wonderful experience.— Elizabeth Curley
Posted May 28th 2024
A huge thank you to Hailey! She did a great job both with us and our Russell! We needed training as much as he did! The entire team at DTE Southeast Michigan is fantastic. When Hailey couldn’t make it Ryann came and was wonderful! Austin took time with us also to teach us how to get Russell ready for a group environment. We highly recommend DTE Southeast Michigan! #fantasticinvestment❤️— Teresa Leonard
Posted May 27th 2024
We could not be happier with the training we received from Dog Training Elite. Hailey did a great job working with us and we’ve seen a significant improvement in Cassius. I would highly recommend working with the team!— Joe Fornasiero
Posted May 20th 2024
Thank you Dog Training Elite Southeast Michigan! Hailey and Holleigh did a great job connecting with our dogs and listening to our concerns. Austin is extremely knowledgeable and teaches how to work with your dog in different situations and environments.— Melanie McPeake
Posted May 8th 2024
So glad we chose Dog Training Elite! Hailey was awesome and shared so much knowledge on training us on how to train our pup. We loved how she came to our home to see what day to day expectations were. Athena is much more well behaved and has quickly learned her boundaries outside as well. Would highly recommend them...and actually we already have to a couple of people!— Teri Nagel
Posted May 7th 2024