Service Dog Breeds


The Best Service Dogs for Veterans & PTSD in Fort Worth

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Or Call to Schedule FREE In-Home Assessment

214-383-3391


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Service Dog Breeds

Service dogs are crucial in assisting individuals with various disabilities and conditions, providing them with support, independence, and companionship. These highly trained dogs can perform specific tasks tailored to the needs of their handlers. We've created this brief guide to review breeds that make great service dogs, who can benefit from a service dog and the training that will help these pups meet their handler's needs. Take the first step towards a better future with a trained service dog by contacting Dog Training Elite Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) today!

Dog Training Elite offers professional training of service dogs for veterans in Fort Worth.

Popular Breeds for Service Dogs

While most dogs can be trained to become service dogs, regardless of breed, a few breeds lead the pack in popularity due to their personalities and inherent traits. Here are a few of the most popular service dog breeds.


Labrador retrievers are among the most sought-after breeds to be service dogs for PTSD in Fort Worth due to their intelligence, versatility, and friendly nature. They excel in various roles, including guide dogs for individuals with visual impairments, service dogs for individuals with mobility issues, and service dogs for veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Labradors are highly trainable and possess a strong desire to please, making them ideal candidates for service work.

Golden retrievers are known for their gentle and patient nature, making them excellent service dog candidates. Their calm temperament, intelligence, and willingness to learn contribute to their success in roles such as mobility assistance, therapy dogs, and service dogs for veterans. Their ability to provide emotional support and comfort makes them particularly well-suited for individuals with PTSD or other mental health conditions.

German shepherds possess a remarkable combination of strength, intelligence, and loyalty, making them an excellent choice as a service dog for veterans. Their versatility allows them to excel in various roles, including mobility assistance, search and rescue, and service dogs for individuals with psychiatric or neurological conditions. With their keen sense of observation and natural protective instincts, German Shepherds can provide physical and emotional support to their handlers.

Poodles are renowned for their intelligence, trainability, and hypoallergenic coats, making them popular for service dog training, especially for individuals with allergies. They excel in roles such as mobility assistance, diabetic alert dogs, and medical alert dogs.

An adorable golden doodle service pup trained by Dog Training Elite Dallas Fort Worth (DFW), ready to help their owner throughout the day!

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.


Dog Training Elite Dallas—Fort Worth is the top company near you that uses professional positive dog training methods.
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.

See Our Pricing

Dog Training Elite trained service dogs for veterans can help them with PTSD and so much more.

Who Are Service Dogs For?

Service dogs offer invaluable support and assistance to individuals facing various challenges. Service dogs are sought after by individuals with conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), mobility limitations, visual or hearing impairments, autism spectrum disorders, anxiety disorders, and more. Service dogs can help provide security, independence, and emotional well-being regardless of the specific condition. If you seek a loyal and capable partner to enhance your daily life, a service dog for PTSD in Fort Worth can make a remarkable difference.

Training a service dog for disablities like autism, is a Dog Training Elite specialty.

Service Dog Training

Service dogs undergo extensive and specialized training to perform their essential tasks and assist individuals with disabilities. The training process involves a combination of obedience training, task training, and public access training.

  • Obedience Training

    This training focuses on teaching a dog basic commands, such as sit, stay, heel, and come, as well as proper leash manners and socialization skills.

  • Task Training

    Task training tailors to the specific needs of the individual. It involves teaching the dog to perform tasks that mitigate the person's disability, such as retrieving items, opening doors, or providing deep pressure therapy.

  • Public Access Training

    This type of training is crucial to ensure the dog remains calm, well-behaved, and non-disruptive in various public settings. This training includes exposure to different environments, distractions, and social interactions to provide a dog that can confidently navigate public spaces.

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
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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
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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.
— Juanita Ace-Bo
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
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Service Dogs for Veterans & PTSDTraining with Dog Training Elite in Fort Worth

Dog Training Elite offers comprehensive service dog training programs designed to meet your unique needs. With our expertise and personalized approach, we can help your service dog develop the skills and behaviors necessary to fulfill their vital role in enhancing your daily life.

Service dogs are an invaluable resource for individuals with disabilities, providing support, independence, and companionship. Service dogs can benefit individuals with various conditions, including PTSD, mobility limitations, autism, anxiety disorders, and more. At Dog Training Elite Dallas Fort Worth (DFW), we offer comprehensive service dog training programs to ensure your dog has the necessary skills to meet your needs. Our expertise and personalized approach will help you forge a strong bond with your service dog and confidently navigate daily life. Take the first step towards a brighter future by contacting Dog Training Elite today and discovering how a service dog can make a remarkable difference in your life.

Let Dog Training Elite take care of the service dog training so you can have support in your life while in Fort Worth.

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.

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