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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 Greater New Hampshire can help.
Not all training packages may be available at our Dog Training Elite Greater New Hampshire 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 Greater New Hampshire trains dogs to serve individuals with autism, diabetes and PTSD.
Dog Training Elite Greater New Hampshire 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 Greater New Hampshire has you covered.
The professional dog trainers of Dog Training Elite Greater New Hampshire 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 Greater New Hampshire.
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 Greater New Hampshire 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!
Have worked with many trainers over the past 3 yrs and have appreciated this group the most. Had fun doing the platinum obedience course. They even humored me and we went to Rye beach in Nh for last class as dreamed of having my dog off leash here. Had great time and will b using them for future training needs. Reliable training with results can’t recommend enough!— Wendy Dyment
Posted April 9th 2024
We have a very "talkative" older dog. When I first met Beth I was so happy that someone was able to comunicate to as well to me as my dog. Beth has taught both of us many new ways to improve. I am so grateful that Beth has the patience to keep us on the right path. After just a few months my 8 year old dog is listening better to me and behaving much better in public places. The group training that we are given are the game changer for us. Missy is better each time I take her. Even when things don't go as planned and I or my dog is stressed the whole team with DTE spoke kindly to us and made me feel so much more confident in myself and my dog. Thanks so much for all your help and I am looking forward to the group lessons. Laura— James Howell
Posted February 15th 2024
I had the most cathartic experience with Beth and Renee and staff! I am a therapist by trade and I recently adopted a “therapy dog” named Oliver. “Olly” doesn’t know he is being trained to be a therapy dog by everyone at Dog Training Elite and myself! He just has so much fun learning the commands and practicing tricks for treats at first and eventually without them! Something I thought was impossible. He is such an amazing emotional support animal for now thanks to Dog Training Elite and will be an amazing therapy dog once our training is done. I loved the 1:1 classes but really found a benefit from group classes once Oliver was ready to socialize with the other dogs. He impressed me with his skill at our most recent group class! I am looking forward to going into the community and creating one of the most beautiful gifts: a service animal for patients to love.— Victoria Sterk
Posted January 31st 2024
Amazing experience Beth. From start to finish she gave us great tools, tips, and lessons to help us train our lab. We got him during covid and as a result he had little exposure to other people and public places. Over the course of two months training with Beth he’s gone from being a skittish, unsure dog with little confidence to a confident boy who takes commands, and who is much more confident around people and out in public places. The difference is like night and day. I’d highly recommend making the investment in the team at Dog Training Elite. They are highly skilled at what they do and provide a great experience. Thank you guys!— Peter Palmer
Posted November 16th 2023
My experience with Haley from Dog Elite was awesome! She was very knowledgeable and professional. She took the time to get to know our dog and me! Our training sessions were tailored to Moon's needs and the incorporation of new ideas for keeping him engaged was so valuable! Haley is a gem and loves the animals! Thank you to all of you for the work you are doing to make all the dogs and humans be better and more balanced!— Lauri Sowers
Posted November 11th 2023
The training was highly individualized to meet the specific needs of the my dog The patience demonstrated to us was deeply appreciated— Kirsten Knaebel
Posted October 25th 2023
We cannot recommend Dog Training Elite enough!!! Beth and her team are incredible. Our dog was a rescue who came to us as a puppy with a bit of PTSD - super timid around strangers and terrified of men. After a few weeks of training with Beth we saw an immediate improvement. Not only is the in-home training perfect for us, but we appreciate the real world training and continued socialization and sessions offered. Thank you team for helping Pongo build his confidence and live his best life!— Briana Palmer
Posted October 25th 2023
Our large breed Great Dane was territorial, dragging me around and within weeks, he sit, stay, and come on command. He went from dragging me around by his leash to being leachless in a few sessions. So happy that me and my pet got training and now work very well together. Money well spent.— Linda Battalagine
Posted October 24th 2023
After years of searching finally we found the right training institute for our 3 years old GSD. Few months ago I saw a very well behaved GSD at homedepot. The owners told me that they had been to Elite Dog training at Manchester. I was so impressed by their dog’s behavior that immediately decided to go for Elite Manchester. We have been experiencing issues with our dog in social situations such as he is antagonistic towards other dogs and far from being friendly with boys under the age 12. We didn’t want to use a shock collar to correct his behavior nor we wanted to use the prong collar. Fortunately Elite provided us the correct tools and methods. The e-collar is a savior. Knowing that we can use it without hurting our pup 🐶 is a big relief. Their unlimited group training sessions with other dog is a huge advantage. I’m not aware of other training institutes that offers unlimited group lessons. The people at Manchester Elite are very cooperative, friendly and seem like they understand the training needs of each individual dog. We had Healy as our “In home” trainer. When I first saw her I was a bit skeptical about her ability as a trainer because she looks very young . But I would say she proved me wrong. She is so efficient at the same time warm and friendly. On her first day at our residence our GSD recognized her as his buddy and obliged to her commands. Healy proved it that to be an efficient GSD trainer age and appearance don’t matter. It is a huge relief to be able to invite guests to our home again without keeping the pup in the crate though we are still working on him to be friendly towards little boys. We are very grateful to the Elite team at Manchester, NH comprised of Rene, Beth and Healy— Bornali Saikia
Posted October 15th 2023
I have been training with Haley for the past couple of months. I have an American pitbull puppy! Haley is very patient and knowledgeable when it comes to training. Iv seen such an improvement with my puppy and incredibly impressed how the business is ran. I highly suggest choosing Dog Training Elite with any and all training!— sara lewis
Posted October 11th 2023
I'm thrilled to see Nova's progress as a family pet and therapy dog. The trainers, especially Renee, have been impressive and the sessions have been both productive and enjoyable. I'm excited to witness Nova's growth and see her showcase her skills. I highly recommend this company, and I'm thrilled I lucked out. My experience with them was exceptional.— Jillian Burkley
Posted September 20th 2023
Trainer’s are great very patient and knowledgeable, Hayley is amazing after just the first session Cass’s behavior started to improve, he was always excited to see her and is a different dog because of her. The group classes are fun and informative and one is always willing to step aside and help you one on one if needed and Cass still gets excited to see Hayley!! I am so grateful to all the staff for helping me to have such a well behaved dog. Thank you all of !!!— Rebecca Powers
Posted September 8th 2023
Daisy is a different dog since we found Dog Training Elite. It’s nice to be able to take her for walks. All the trainers were so good with her, especially Haley! I think her Dad and I agree, worth both the investment of our time and money!— Trisha Evensen
Posted August 3rd 2023
Awesome trainers, my dog was difficult to walk and had no recall. Now I can actually walk my dog without him pulling and his recall is awesome. Thank you Dog Training Elite!— 30thramair
Posted August 1st 2023
They have a highly effective training program. They are very nice and were very good and gentle with our dog. We noticed results right away. Our dog had high excitability with small animals, a high prey drive And was a flight risk. He was terrible on leash and we did not enjoy walking him. During the 1st week, his excitability was under control and same with his prey drive. After 2 weeks, he was a joy to walk with. After 5 weeks, we are able to work with him in off leash in our yard without fear that he will run away. Rene was awesome to work with and my husband and I highly recommend their training methods and their company. We could not be happier with our results.— Linda Wilson
Posted July 20th 2023
We got two Chinese Crested rescues and we were struggling. They are 6 and 8 years old and were kept in a kennel for breeding for the first part of their lives. We did not have high expectations about training them- but had to do something. Haley came the first day and we thought it was fun. The dogs were amazing- they were receptive and good at everything - thanks to Haley. We learned sit, stay(place) , heel, come, and down. What a difference. The dogs are much calmer and easy to handle. Thank you Haley.— Bruce Jones
Posted April 14th 2023
Proud Sponsor of The Malinois Foundation
At Dog Training Elite Greater New Hampshire, 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 Greater New Hampshire 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.