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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 Utah County can help.
Not all training packages may be available at our Dog Training Elite Utah County 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 Utah County trains dogs to serve individuals with autism, diabetes and PTSD.
Dog Training Elite Utah County 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 Utah County has you covered.
The professional dog trainers of Dog Training Elite Utah County 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 Utah County.
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 Utah County 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!
Follow up 6 months later-Reggie had some continued training to learn to fetch things for his girl, and is absolutely incredible at it thanks to Evan and his team!..We also took a trip to Florida with Reggie. First flight with him, Disney World, and Universal Studios for ten days straight. He did absolutely remarkable, and most people didn’t even realize we had a dog with us until they noticed his Minnie ears. He was able to ride several rides with his girl, and did incredible! Elite dog training is the absolute best of the best!!! We have a service dog for my 9 year old, and between Evan, and Kaycee I couldn’t ask for better people to work with! They have gone absolutely above and beyond to help our pup do any, and everything possible to help our daughter live the most independent life despite her chronic health problems. The amount of time, and work they have put into Reggie these last two years is astounding. Because of them Reggie is able to spend countless weeks in the hospital with my 9 year old, he goes to school with her everyday, and goes everywhere she goes. He is by far the best dog ever because of the incredible people at Elite. You can absolutely tell the people at Elite love what they do! 5 stars is not enough to describe what an incredible company this is!! We LOVE Utah County Elite dog trainers!!— Karissa Illu
Posted April 1st 2024
My experience so far has been amazing. I’m beyond happy with Deidre Wilson! She has been amazing with my Doberman and has such a natural connection with my entire pack. Deidre is not only talented but also takes the time to explain everything, educating me and giving me the confidence to succeed with my Doberman. I couldn’t ask for a better dog trainer! Kaycee is also fantastic, always patient and flexible with our schedule, making the entire experience seamless. I highly recommend them both and their staff.— Karen Delgado
Posted October 11th 2024
Deidre showed up for our initial consultation and immediately made me feel confident in her, and DTE’s, training and knowledge! She is kind, calm, educated, and very patient! We cannot wait to have her start training our puppy!— Gabe N
Posted October 9th 2024
This has been the absolute best experience. Deidre was incredible. She made me and my dog feel do comfortable.— Samantha Rasmussen
Posted September 18th 2024
Excellent personalized training. We loved working with this team, and our dog made great progress.— Kristen Jensen
Posted October 5th 2024
Deidre is knowledgeable, patient and kind. She is a professional and one who certainly knows her craft. Our dog took to her guidance and direction, with little complaint. Deidre is confident; it is obvious that she likes what she does. It shows in her enthusiasm and her ability to teach.— Lucy Herrera
Posted October 4th 2024
Deidre is fantastic and has brought out a whole new side of our dog. Instructions are clear and tailored to us and how we learn. She has amazing insight into how to clean up our commands and how to fix anything we are struggling with. I'm so grateful that we chose to do this.— Erica Gravity
Posted September 19th 2024
My dog loves her. She is so excted to be here. She knows het job well.— Cherie Zeeman
Posted September 19th 2024
Today was our fourth training session with Elite, I couldn’t be happier. Bailey has trained with both Meaghan and Deidre both trainers have been AWESOME! Every single training session has helped me to be the best leader I can be. Bailey is my first from scratch puppy, I was so concerned that I would do things with her that would lead to bad behaviors that she would have to unlearn and it would be my fault, as soon as we started our training with Elite those fears went away immediately!! With Elites help I am confident we will achieve our goals!! I am so grateful! Bailey is doing so well, I can’t wait until we complete our training and we can go everywhere together! I am really look forward to being able to go through the doors that were closed on me 17 years ago when I suffered a traumatic brain injury. I know with Elites help Bailey and I will be ready to explore a whole new world together and that will change my life! Conclusion… If you are looking for assistance training your puppy or dog, without a shred of hesitation I would recommend that you give ELITE the opportunity to help you in the ways they are helping us!! It is an investment with limitless rewards for you and your puppy!!— Kimberly Gagon
Posted September 18th 2024
Kind, experienced, and effective trainers made this a wonderful experience. I noticed an improvement after our first session. Highly recommend!— Chris Davis
Posted September 18th 2024
Where do I begin, this training experience was amazing. I am throughly impressed with the knowledge passed along from the one, the only… Deidre Wilson. Deidre’s energy is amazing and makes learning for my dog and I so much more positive and enjoyable. I will forever recommend Dog Training Elite of Utah County to anyone with a K9 young or old.— HawaiianPrepper
Posted September 18th 2024
Deidre is so awesome and she is welcoming. I feel safe around her and I trust her!! I feel more strengthened and empowered after her training.— Joshua Jackson
Posted September 17th 2024
Lily is 4 years old & needed some help listeninng to me. After only two training sessions, she's paying attention to me & her barking problem has been reduced 90%. I'm happy & she's happy too!— Diana Grant
Posted September 8th 2024
We have three girls that we absolutely adore, but we have had some challenges with our oldest and youngest. While we have a good amount of knowledge, we need extra help/training on how to help reactivity that has recently become a bigger issue. So my husband found Dog Training Elite, and we have been super impressed. Diedre came to our house for the consultation and because of her, I decided that this was the company we would go with to help us. She also is the person that comes to our house for training sessions. Her knowledge and expertise on dogs who are reactive/aggressive/stubborn is amazing and she answers our questions and concerns with such knowledge. She doesn’t make me feel like a crappy dog owner. She makes me feel at ease and also feel empowered that I can changed my dogs behaviors with what she is teaching us. We still have more training to do, but I believe with what I have experienced so far, we will be able to have a house that is not full of tension! I also want to share my experience with Kaycee. Kaycee is who I have texted/called with questions and to set up the appointment times. She is so easy to talk to, she always texts back to see how things are going, and I don’t feel judge for what I’m experiencing with my ladies. The care she has for how my dogs are and how training is going is amazing. She is quick to respond, even when I tell her that she doesn’t have to respond quickly. The whole team clearly cares about the household and wants to help, which I’m forever grateful for. I am so impressed with this company so far, I had to share a review now even though training is not done yet. While the training is an investment, this training is worth it!!!— Jesika T
Posted August 30th 2024
I adopted a five month old Doberman from the shelter in April He is sweet but seemed aggressive sometimes as being discarded by others had no confidence We are about half way through training and he is much more confident but still a puppy. I have seen a great change in him. Deidre has been the main trainer and loves her job and wants success which is apparent. Meagan and Casey have been great too. Funny how it’s training me even though I’ve had many dogs the last 40+years. They are all good dogs but I’m going for a REALLY good dog and I feel like we are on the right track I would recommend dog training elite to all but be committed as the key is making sure the dog knows you are aware what is expected and that is being a responsible pet owner😁 Sorry if I misspelled trainer names— Karen S McCoy
Posted August 17th 2024
Deidre and megan are great trainers, I love doing group class with them. They're really fun to be around and make the training easier to understand. Living in a full house of dogs they've helped so much! I absolutely love this company.— Kincee Pullman
Posted July 26th 2024
Banjo and I have been part of the DTE family for over a year. We love everyone there! Every single person there is so knowledgeable and truly knows what is best for Banjo and myself. I can’t say enough nice things about DTE and will always reccomend them for any of your training needs. I’m truly grateful for everything they’ve done for me and Banjo!— Amanda Downes
Posted July 15th 2024