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A therapy dog is a dog who visits places like schools, hospitals and nursing homes. Therapy dog training in Minneapolis / St. Paul 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 Twin Cities 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!
Dog Training Elite Twin Cities has provided an outstanding experience for both Luna and me. Luna has developed essential skills like patience, self-control, and responsiveness, while also mastering her service task, thanks to the guidance of George and Courtney. The trainers’ flexibility, clear directions, and compassionate handling made the program invaluable, and I highly recommend their services to anyone seeking quality service dog training.— Jessica Ann
Posted September 16th 2024
Dog Training Elite Twin Cities has provided an outstanding experience for both Luna and me. Luna has developed essential skills like patience, self-control, and responsiveness, while also mastering her service task, thanks to the guidance of George and Courtney. The trainers’ flexibility, clear directions, and compassionate handling made the program invaluable, and I highly recommend their services to anyone seeking quality service dog training.— Jessica Epple
Posted September 16th 2024
George is truly a dog whisperer. We were overwhelmed with a golden retriever puppy and failed out of a puppy obedience class before contacting George and Dog Training Elite. George gave me the confidence and knowledge to train our Daisy to became the dog we enjoy today. Life happens at home and George helped Daisy to stop counter surfing and invading our kitchen cooking area. Each meeting built upon prior skills and addresses issues you and your dog are experiencing. George was incredibly supportive as my dog had several health issues that we were dealing with and seeking medical attention. I just don’t think that I would be as close to my dog without my trainer George. Even when we fall behind on training the ground work is within my dog to get back at it.— Robin Guerrero
Posted August 20th 2024
We had a great experience with George in training our new German Shepherd puppy. He did a great job teaching her basic commands but more importantly educating my wife and I on how to continue the training and handle her reactivity.— Matt Corcorcan
Posted August 19th 2024
We enlisted the help of Dog Training Elite Twin Cities for training our Rottweiler pup, Wally. I couldn't be more pleased with our experience. During the in-home sessions, George involved my whole family (myself, my husband, and my 2 young sons) in the training activities, resulting in Wally following commands from all of us. George also took the time to work with Wally on our specific concerns beyond obedience (e.g. crate soiling, aggression). We take Wally everywhere (kids soccer games, baseball games, parks, etc.) and regularly receive compliments re: his behavior. George is 100% to credit for this. I very highly recommend Dog Training Elite.— Melanie Hefner
Posted August 16th 2024
So incredibly thankful we found Dog Training Elite. It had been years since we had to go through the new dog phase and when we got our 3 year old rescue home this spring we were unprepared for the training she needed. George has transformed our dog. She is still a wonderful and energetic dog but with boundaries. She knows what is expected of her and the house doesn’t feel like chaos anymore. So grateful and I would not hesitate to use them again for any future dogs or recommend DTE to everyone with a dog.— kristina d'elia
Posted June 25th 2024
We had a fantastic experience with George from Dog Training Elite! Our Scottish Terrier, Paul, showed remarkable improvement in his behavior across the board. George's training not only helped Paul build confidence in new environments but also significantly reduced his anxiety around new people. We couldn't be happier with the results and highly recommend George to anyone looking for a skilled and compassionate dog trainer. Thank you, George, for transforming Paul's behavior and making our lives so much better!— Taylor Doeden
Posted May 26th 2024
When we first brought our dog home, he was 1 1/2 year old, 60 lb dog with no training. He wanted to be loved and play all the time but his form of play was a little much to handle, jumping and mouthing us and our guests. After we trained with George, he was a completely different dog. He knows when to play and listens to commands even though he is busting with love and still wants everyone's attention. We would highly recommend working with George at Dog Training Elite, Twin Cities. He is patient and loving and quickly became our dog's best friend!— Mary Munson
Posted March 10th 2024
I highly recommend Dog Training Elite. Previously I had enrolled in a different training program where my dog had to drop out due to her anxiety and reactivity. I also put her through a dog training month long boot camp. Neither of these had the success which I am experiencing now with Dog Training Elite. For the first time I am able to walk her without being afraid that her reactivity and pulling will be unmanageable. George is great and also answered promptly with suggestions when I texted with training questions. I am so glad I finally found something that is working.— Jennifer Loupe
Posted February 15th 2024
My dog is a different dog since George came to my house. Louie loves to be trained and he is now a wonderful puppy. I would highly recommend George!— Kate Lundsten
Posted January 17th 2024
George is an amazing trainer! He is always on time, very kind & understanding, dogs worship him, & will have you seeing results with your dog almost instantly. I got my dog for my PTSD & George helped turn my 3-month-old puppy into one of the most amazing companions in the matter of 6 months. His training programs are very much worth your time, effort, & money.— Katrina Cannady
Posted December 13th 2023
We worked with George and were very satisfied with this training experience. We have a 3 year old Rough Collie and were experiencing issues with leash reactivity and "Stranger Danger" in our home. Our Finley thought it was his job to control people he didn't know in our house. (These herding breeds can have a tendency to nip and herd). We can now manage this situation and have a more safe atmosphere for others. The e-collar training is fabulous if you have a dog that has impulses or a situation where "positive only training" isn't getting the results you want. Great for off-leash commands. You will not regret the decision to go forward with this training.— Sue Schinke
Posted October 27th 2023
Take advantage of the free in-home assessment to see for yourself, but I highly recommend George for anyone looking for a dog trainer. I have an anxious American Bully that other trainers were not willing or able to work with, but George was able to build a great relationship with her and train both of us. He's very responsive, engaged, and specific with training feedback and epxectations, which I found was very helpful - also supportive for any/all questions that I've had. Going through training with George has significantly improved our quality of life - went from having a reactive dog that would bark anytime others entered the home to now having the skills in place to allow others to visit without it being a big event. Thanks George!— Lisa Nelson
Posted July 30th 2023
My dog Nigel was very anxious, guarded, and reactive before we did training with George. Each session, George coached Nigel, but he also coached me on how to be a more assertive owner! I feel like I was given the tools I need to make sure Nigel is safe out in public. I was shocked at how quickly the reactive behavior subsided once Nigel felt more confident, and now he is a much happier dog. I’m more confident with him too. George is very knowledgeable and was able to answer any question I had, and he really listened to and abided by my training goals. I’m excited to continue with the Saturday park sessions!— Leah Tillman
Posted May 23rd 2023
I thought I was hiring someone to come to my house and train my dog but really I was trained how to effectively train my dog. George was an excellent teacher and was super great with Oreo. Very flexible when I needed a reschedule and also with the lesson plan by helping with things outside of the list of commands in the contract. Would recommend to family and friends for sure. Looking forward to the group classes this summer.— Jay Zachau
Posted April 26th 2023
Rosie was a reactive dog, we lived our life afraid of her becoming aggressive to those entering our home. George taught us week by week on basic commands that built upon each other. He was reliable and professional. Rosie is a different dog. The cost of individual in home training was worth every cent. Our Rosie is more confident of herself and comes by command, something we never thought could happen. We are so thankful!— Tamara Uhde
Posted February 14th 2023
George has done a fantastic job with our pit bull Cleo, not only is he skilled but he is also personable. Highly recommend him to anyone seeking elite dog training.— Zac M
Posted February 3rd 2023
George deserves this 5 star review! Such an all-around dog trainer and person! Helped not only train our four legged best friend but also us as owners. cleo is a pitbull who was extremely stubborn and jumped on anyone who came through the door. Cleo used to take ten minutes before calming down. Now Cleo sits and waits until she is given the okay to welcome guests. She is also reactive towards other dogs but if the help of conditioning Cleo with the collar and commands, she is a lot less reactive. He even volunteered his own dog to help equipped us with the tools to introduce our dog to others. He answered any and all questions that he had plus more. Would highly recommend!— Madlyn McMullen
Posted February 3rd 2023
George was a wonderful trainer! We were out of options for our anxious, aggressive golden doodle. After working with George, we were able to take our dog to family holiday gatherings with no incident. George patiently answered all of our questions and equipped us to be better dog owners. We would highly recommend!— Sara Veit Kaufman
Posted December 21st 2022
George was great and easy to work with. We have a rather aggressive shepherd mix with other dogs and we worked through some techniques that help us approaching dogs on our nightly walks. He was patient & offered a lot of tools to help us better handle those situations with confidence.— Lucas Duppler
Posted December 5th 2022
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 Twin Cities 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 Twin Cities 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 Twin Cities’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 Minneapolis / St. Paul. 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 Twin Cities?
The Dog Training Elite Twin Cities 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 Twin Cities 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 Twin Cities. Request your free training demo and in-home assessment today.
