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A therapy dog is a dog who visits places like schools, hospitals and nursing homes. Therapy dog training in Frisco 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 Dallas—Fort Worth 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!
We are so happy with all of the work we have done with Dog Training Elite. While all of the trainers are professional and knowledgeable, we spent most of our sessions with Luke and couldn't be more pleased. We recently took Delilah on my work trip to Vancouver. She is only 9 months old, and we have been in training for about 5 months. She performed so well! She was perfect on the planes, great through TSA and even controlled her zoomies for 8 days. She was amazing. One thing I loved about this program, and working with Luke, was the focus on functional commands and obedience. They teach the basics for everything you need to be successful with a service dog, without any of the fluff. Another great aspect was that Luke always had his own service dog Cowboy with him and could easily model what commands and skills should look like. Plus Cowboy is just so damn cute. Thank you Dog Training Elite and especially Luke and Cowboy!— Kris Thibault
Posted January 30th 2024
This is a great place to train your dog. In just two sessions we’ve seen remarkable results and plan on coming back for a while. Highly recommend.— Ruhaab Markas
Posted January 13th 2024
We love Dog Training Elite, especially our trainer Felicity. She was a huge help with our first puppy and was an obvious choice for our second. With each lesson our pups learn a behavior/skill and then we learn how to give the command and reinforce the behavior/skill on our own. Having a well behaved dog makes dog ownership a lot more enjoyable and we highly recommend this company anytime someone asks.— Alison Ford
Posted December 21st 2023
Awesome !! Eval went good so good I hired them to train my Belgian Malnois !! Haven't started yet ( next week) they are so busy . But just what he did for her in my home was impressive . These guys are professional and very clear with their objectives and goals for your pet and for what you need as an owner . So looking forward to working with them . Thanks Trey I appreciate you bringing your Mal just so I could see how they should be acting and not a crazy hyper Mal like I have as she is only a yr old this month. I am so excited for these lessons to begin. Kim M— Kim Margowski
Posted November 9th 2023
Great training. Wonderful staff. These trainers are wizards. Highly recommended!— Ryan Stead
Posted November 5th 2023
Phenomenal! We purchased the 4 class puppy training- it was great to get different perspectives and work on what we needed help with, not just their agenda of training. Training was logical, easy to follow, and customized to our puppy who learned certain things faster and other items slower. Highly recommend for puppy training. Would be great if they offered one off hour sessions afterwards instead of having to purchase a full package.— Rachel Nosal
Posted November 5th 2023
Could not say enough good things about Elite Dog Training from the communication, to the professionalism and patience they bring every step of the way. And special shout out to Felicity who has been amazing every visit and has performed a miracle with my dog, Olive!— Elizabeth Swiontek
Posted September 5th 2023
We started with DTE-Frisco this spring for our puppy. The training surpassed our expectations to the point where we went with the two week camp training. Again, our expectations were surpassed on what our dog learned, the quickness she learned it and the exceptional professionalism they showed. Especially Luke. He has been an exceptional trainer with his patience, passion and care for our dog. Everyone at DTE has been great but I can't say enough great things about Luke. Now that our dog has done so well, she's on to therapy training as she thrives around people. We've been so happy with DTE. I would highly recommend anyone with a puppy to start off on the right "paw" and jump on the training. You and puppy will be happier for it!— Jessica B
Posted August 27th 2023
I started my training with my Puppy when she was 8 weeks old. Like has been working with us for the last 3 months and I am SO happy with where Oakley is now. Luke goes above and beyond and is so good with my pup. 10/10 recommend.— Catherine Calomeni
Posted August 17th 2023
I have had the absolute best experience with Dog Training Elite. We started with puppy training and are now in obedience, after that we will start training for service dog! Jordan, Felicity and Luke are kind, personable, obviously care for my dog. They are patient and listen and answer all my questions. I never feel rushed, and they take my disability into account while we are training. That is very much appreciated. They go way above and beyond 🥰. I wholeheartedly recommend Dog Training Elite for any of your training needs.— Elizabeth McKenzie
Posted May 9th 2023
Worked with Jordan and Cheyanne & both were great with my dog Roxy and I learned a lot from them! Grateful for the help and patience they have given me & Roxy. Roxy sure is pooped after our sessions!— Aly Carey
Posted July 31st 2023
We were looking for help with our 65lb 11 month old pit rescue when we found DTE. Theo has severe anxiety - mostly involving new experiences and the outdoors. We like to travel and getting him into the vehicle and keeping him inside it was a nightmare. Theo was terrified of being on a leash and would try to back out of his collars and harnesses. This made the experience nerve racking, knowing catching him in a fearful environment would be next to impossible. We can now walk Theo on a leash and he wags his tail while doing so. There are times when he is still scared but they are getting less and less as we continue to work with him. We had wonderful experienced with most everyone who came out to the house for our sessions but Felicity and Jordan were our favorites. Both had exceptional teaching skills and I felt we got the most out of those lessons. It is clear they both enjoy their jobs and the animals they work with. While Theo is no best in class puppy, he was said to be most improved! Would recommend DTE to others looking for help with their companions.— Ashley Rubino
Posted July 17th 2023
I couldn’t recommend Dog Training Elite more!! Felicity and Jordan have been direct and patient while working with Maggie and I. Without them, I would not have the smart and confident dog I have now and would be a ball of frustration. I always look forward to our sessions so I can see my girl grow!!— Daniel Williams
Posted July 17th 2023
We worked pepper and indie with Jordan a handful of times during our training. Jordan and atlas were fantastic with indigo. Jordan was firm with her in her training and gave us pointers to correct her reactivity to other dogs and to help her pulling on the leash. Atlas was well mannered and a great partner to help stimulate indigo and let her react in a controlled environment. I would recommend Dog training elite to anyone. Our two dogs are much better mannered, have boundaries, and get along much better.— ezra auerbach
Posted July 15th 2023
Awesome training. They helped me with a few behavioral issues I had with my Great Dane. They are very patient, courteous & compassionate !!! Well worth the money. Bentley is soon to become a service dog— Kimberly Rybka
Posted July 7th 2023
Jordan was extremely helpful and patient! We have way too many dogs with lots of personalities. He was able to assist with E collars and beginning training for us. He was professional and efficient. I would recommend Jordan and Elite any day!— Diana Durden
Posted July 6th 2023
I would recommend Dog Training Elite to everyone! I had the opportunity to work with many talented members of their team. Jordan and his amazing dog Atlas helped me and Aries work on distractions in public. He was patient, clear and very knowledgeable. Jordan took the time to explain how Aries and I could be a better team and help pass our PSA. If I could give 10 stars to the Dog Training Elite team I would!!!!— Sharon Davidov
Posted July 6th 2023
Jordan has trained our dog on multiple occasions, in our home and in public places (our pup needed help with wanting to bark at every dog she saw). He was attentive, helpful, able to answer ALL of our questions, and kind. We would recommend him to anyone.— Alli Thompson
Posted July 5th 2023
Chesty has been a remarkable addition to our family. Since we first got him as a puppy we knew he had great potential, we just never knew how. We started working with Jordan and his dog Atlas with basic to intermediate training. We were impressed with his level of dedication and professionalism that we decided to continue Chesty’s advanced training. His level of knowledge and expertise was quickly demonstrated, having a steadfast and effective solution for every issue that Chesty had was something that we truly appreciated. Kyler and Tray have helped transform him from your average family pet, to a certified service animal that will protect and love our family for years to come. We highly recommend Dog Training Elite for any and all dog training development.— rigoberto solis
Posted July 4th 2023
Jordan and his dog Atlas were amazing with my puppy, Punxsy. She was in training to be a service dog, and he was so patient, knowledgeable, and Punxsy loved him. Punxsy is now a certified service dog (only 7 months old), and I was able to fly home to Delaware a week ago to visit my family. She was perfect in the airport and on the plane. Jordan played a major role in her training and getting her certified as a service dog. Thank you Jordan and Atlas!— Sheena McIntire
Posted July 4th 2023
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 Frisco. 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.
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.
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.
