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Therapy Dog Training in Fort Worth


Dog Training Elite Dallas—Fort Worth Near You

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A therapy dog is a dog who visits places like schools, hospitals and nursing homes. Therapy dog training in Fort Worth 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.

Dog Training Elite Dallas—Fort Worth provides therapy dog training in Fort Worth to give people emotional support in all stages of life.

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.


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Children can especially benefit from therapy animals - Dog Training Elite Dallas—Fort Worth is happy to help your family with these certifications.

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!

They staff is AMAZING. Very helpful, and really explains everything. Luke and cowboy has done an amazing job really building a bond!!! I would recommend!!!!
— Dkota Gibbs
Posted December 21st 2023
google
I can’t speak highly enough of this group of trainers! They have been very professional and VERY helpful. Luke is my daughter’s favorite trainer and he does so well with my daughter and her dog. You WILL NOT regret hiring them to train your dog. Highly recommend!!
— Tonya Gibbs
Posted December 21st 2023
google
All the trainers have been great but Luke and Cowboy are absolutely amazing! Our service dog has been very responsive! We have friends who have also utilized this service and love it just as much! Thank you Luke and the Elite team!
— Stacey and Josh Glosson
Posted December 20th 2023
google
This company is hands down the best training program in Dallas! I cannot recommend them enough. All of the trainers I’ve worked with have been so kind and helpful. With training, my dog and I have built a level of trust and a deeper bond after every session. Luke and Cowboy have been wonderful to work with and genuinely care about the success of your dogs training. If you’re looking for a trainer in Dallas, this is the place!
— Lacey Spell
Posted December 20th 2023
google
We needed to have our corgi service trained. Our trainers were amazing. We loved that they came to our house. It was so much easier to keep our pup’s attention. The trainers had great recommendations for training, and were always right on time. They’ve reached out to our social media to watch our progress @travellingprincessannie. You can tell they holistically care about our success with Annie. We’ve had such fun with our girl, we even took her on vacation. We couldn’t have done so without the dedication of the trainers and staff. Thank you!
— melany loftin
Posted August 30th 2023
google
Luke was awesome! He is very knowledgeable with scent and obedience training and helped us understand what we were doing in order to train our puppy.
— Marcus Morgan
Posted August 24th 2023
google
Luke is amazing! He takes the time to answer all of my questions and is incredibly encouraging as I practice new skills with my puppy. Luke also works well with my daughter, helping her to be a part of the training. I started training feeling unsure of myself, but each week I leave session feeling more and more confident. Dusty is going to be a fabulous therapy dog because of Dog Training Elite!
— Ashley Smith
Posted August 20th 2023
google
This is the BEST place to get your dog trained. My puppy Oakley has been working with Luke for 3 months now and it’s amazing how much she’s learned. Luke is so good with her and she gets so excited every time she sees him. All the workers are so positive and helpful. I highly recommend.
— Catherine Calomeni
Posted August 17th 2023
facebook
Definitely recommend Dog training elite! Cheyenne was super helpful with our dog Rocky! He finished up his in person trainings today, and has become more confident and obedient!
— Cara Kasemsri Webb
Posted August 14th 2023
google
Our neighbor is a trainer for them!
— Deanna Garncarz
Posted July 21st 2023
google
I have been blown away by the trainers at Dog Training Elite! We are just beginning our therapy dog training journey and Dusty has already made such progress. Both Luke and Felicity took extra time and care to thoughtfully respond to any and all of my questions. I've tried other training formats in the past and nothing beats having a trainer in my own home to be able to individualize the training to my family's needs. I highly recommend this group!
— Ashley Smith
Posted July 17th 2023
google
I’ve gone through the 1 on 1 training with my blue heeler/corgi Winnie and now I’ve been taking her to the weekly group classes which has been great! Winnie struggles with dog reactivity so at first the idea of taking her to a group class full of dogs sounded like a nightmare. Amazingly she’s been doing great and it’s been exactly what she needs to work on that dog reactivity! Both Kyler and Jordan have been great! They are so friendly and familiar with each dog in the group which helps me feel confident they know exactly what my dog needs to be challenged. They both welcome questions after class and are a constant support for both Winnie and my other dogs at home. Thank you Dog Training Elite!
— Melissa Robinson
Posted July 4th 2023
google
Jordan is patient and calm while training our dog and teaching us what to do. He is great to work with. Lulu learned respect quickly. I would highly recommend him. His dog Atlas was such a sweet dog and very well trained.
— Juana Martinez
Posted July 3rd 2023
google
Absolutely love Dog Training Elite and all the progress our Aussie - Podrick has made thus far in therapy training! Especially our trainer Jordan and Atlas! He took all the time to get to know Podrick and to help make him feel comfortable and controlled throughout his training sessions. As well as being extremely thorough in making sure my husband and I felt comfortable and ready to take on the training ourselves throughout the week before our next session. Highly recommend them for you and your fur babies! Happy Training!
— Alexis Reinke
Posted May 8th 2023
google
We put our two adopted Rottweiler/American Bully littermates Duke and Daisy through a board and train program with another company when they were about 6 months old and, while they ended up with a decent grasp of basic commands, we still felt pretty helpless as owners since we received very little education on how to effectively continue the training ourselves. After seeing Duke react to the choke chain we were told to use, I was pretty set on reinforcement-based training alone due to my own fears about causing more harm than good, but we were quickly becoming exhausted with two adolescent sibling pups who needed handfuls of treats all day long to listen to us. When they turned about 7-8 months old, our lives became extremely stressful, as both dogs, who were always a bit timid despite what we thought was sufficient socialization, developed a significant fear of strangers, reacting toward people and other dogs, and sometimes redirecting onto each other. Once we started guiltily whispering about possibly rehoming at least one of the puppies I started searching again to see if there were any other good options. After reading some really excellent reviews and having owner Tra over to the house for an evaluation, we decided that we’d give Dog Training Elite a try. I’m happy to say that the trainers here have turned these pups around in a remarkably short time. After working with Kyler, Kat (& Bojack), and Jordan (& Atlas) the dogs have gained a ton of confidence. They respond to commands much more reliably, check in with us when they’re not sure about a situation, and have shown significant improvement in impulse control. Each trainer has been great to work with. Kyler showed the ultimate amount of patience while Daisy laid on the ground for at least 15 minutes during our very first session to try to avoid having to work with a tall, “scary” bearded man. Kat was a rockstar, walking up and down the ridiculously steep hills on our street for most of an hour (with each pup!) to work on getting a good “heel.” And a huge shoutout to Jordan, who we’ve worked with for 3 sessions, as he’s been nothing short of amazing. The perfect combination of calm and confidence, he has major skill in working with both dogs and people. He and his dog Atlas have helped Duke figure out how to curb his alarming frustration shrieks and focus on us when he sees another dog he wants to wrestle. Jordan even tailored one of our sessions in a way that helped us address our concerns about how the puppies react when friends or strangers enter the house, which was far beyond our expectations. Rest assured, these are good people who know what they’re doing with dogs and their owners, and learning how to effectively communicate with your dog in a real world environment makes this company very unique. We couldn’t be more pleased with our experience.
— Beth Runkel
Posted April 13th 2023
google
Our 8 month old Aussie is smart, huge, and pushy (read: out of control). Even though we’ve had many dogs before, he was proving very difficult to train on our own. We signed him up for the 2 week puppy school and are SO PLEASED with the results. Luke did a wonderful job with our pup (patient, encouraging, gave our pup breaks when he needed them, playful, and most of all thorough). Our pup is well-trained with his e-collar now. He can be trusted around strangers in crowds, around other dogs, around my students. He is so enjoyable now! This was a great investment.
— cheesemyhead
Posted March 31st 2023
google
My trainer Jordan was excellent! Very professional and so good with my Dog! Highly recommended him!
— Gianna Cerullo
Posted March 29th 2023
google
Definitely recommend Dog Training Elite! Jordan is great and understands my dog very well! My dog and his dog Atlas worked really well together and I’m happy to be working with them. Excited for group training !
— Moe Omar
Posted March 28th 2023
google
Jordan and Atlas were nothing short of fantastic! Jordan is such a natural and made such amazing progress with our puppy Dash! He’s the best in the business!!
— Katherine Fleck
Posted March 27th 2023
google
Jordan and Atlas are amazing! Right away we could tell Jordan was made for this job. He’s got a unique way of communicating with our dog, and he literally reminds me of the Caesar Millan, the Dog Whisperer. Our Belgian Malanois has never responded to a trainer like she does with Jordan. He’s able to do the magic in one hour, but he gives us the tools to do it at home. When Atlas joins the fun, it’s evident how much she respects Jordan. He takes visual cues and does exactly what Jordan wants, and we know our dog will be the exact same once
— Jenn N Clint
Posted March 27th 2023
facebook

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This cute pup is excited to learn and help provide support with his therapy training with Dog Training Elite Dallas—Fort WorthFort Worth.

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 Fort Worth. 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.

By working with Dog Training Elite Dallas—Fort WorthFort Worth, you will also be trained to be a therapy dog handler with your pup.

Proud Sponsor of The Malinois Foundation

At Dog Training Elite Dallas—Fort Worth, we believe that Service Dogs save lives. It is our mission to make these life-saving companions available to our Veterans, First Responders, Women Survivors, and Children with Medical Needs. Whether it be for PTSD, Mobility Support, or Special Needs, Dog Training Elite Dallas—Fort Worth works with the Malinois Foundation to heal and empower these individuals with a specialized service animal, a partner in life, and a new best friend.

Learn More

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.

Contact Dog Training Elite Dallas—Fort WorthFort Worth if you feel this certification is right for you and your pup.

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