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Elite

Therapy Dog Training


Top Therapy Dog Trainers in Philadelphia, PA

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What is a Therapy Dog?

A therapy dog is a dog that performs a service for other people. Typical therapy dog tasks are going to nursing homes or hospitals to cheer people up. For your dog to qualify, he/she must be friendly with strangers, and with training, be able to work around a high level of distraction and to understand personal boundaries, such as not jumping up, licking, mouthing, etc.

Research shows that therapy dogs can have a positive effect on a patient’s mood, stress, and pain levels during facility stays. Children, in particular, respond positively to 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.

Therapy dogs can promote social interaction between individuals within communities that may not otherwise experience socialization typically. Therapy dogs offer unconditional love, non-judgmental interaction, reduce stress, anxiety, and loneliness and provide an overall positive distraction to ailments.

Goals for Your Therapy Companion


  • Socialization
  • Lower Pain Levels
  • Motivation
  • Provide Comfort
  • Decrease in Stress, Anxiety, and Depression
  • Promote Healing
  • Increase Overall Optimism
  • Ease Loneliness


Not all training packages may be available at our Dog Training Elite Philadelphia location, please reference our pricing page for complete information on services offered.


Therapy Dog

Therapy dog training is based on your dog's abilities.

$3,195

A therapy dog volunteers alongside you, where permitted, and provides comfort to others. Examples include cheering people up at nursing homes or hospitals.

A good therapy dog is naturally friendly with strangers, able to work around a high level of distraction (with training), and able to understand personal boundaries, such as not jumping up, licking, mouthing, etc (with training).

  • Private, one-on-one training sessions in your home and the community 7 Sessions
  • Group Training Classes 16 Sessions
  • AKC Training
  • Therapy bandana, ID Card, and Certificate of Training
  • An exclusive directory of therapy events and locations for you to donate your time
  • Come
  • Sit, Down
  • Place
  • Heel
  • Quiet
  • Off, Wait
  • Leash Manners
  • People Manners
  • Load up in the car / kennel
  • Make a friend
  • Choose one personalized greeting (high five, shake, hug, etc.)
  • Top-notch off leash obedience
  • Distraction Training

Therapy Dog

Therapy dog training is based on your dog's abilities.

$3,195

A therapy dog volunteers alongside you, where permitted, and provides comfort to others. Examples include cheering people up at nursing homes or hospitals.

A good therapy dog is naturally friendly with strangers, able to work around a high level of distraction (with training), and able to understand personal boundaries, such as not jumping up, licking, mouthing, etc (with training).

  • Private, one-on-one training sessions in your home and the community 8 Sessions
  • Group Training Classes 34 sessions
  • AKC Training
  • Therapy bandana, ID Card, and Certificate of Training
  • An exclusive directory of therapy events and locations for you to donate your time
  • Come
  • Sit, Down
  • Place
  • Heel
  • Quiet
  • Off, Wait
  • Leash Manners
  • People Manners
  • Load up in the car / kennel
  • Make a friend
  • Choose one personalized greeting (high five, shake, hug, etc.)
  • Top-notch off leash obedience
  • Distraction Training

E.S.A. Training

Emotional Support Animal training is based on your dog's abilities.

$3,195

An Emotional support dog provides comfort and companionship to its handler at home. ESA's have housing rights with medical endorsement (but not public access rights).

A good emotional support dog promotes improved mood through positive interactions, touch therapy, and maintaining a routine.

  • Home and Community One on One Training 10 Sessions
  • Group Training Unlimited sessions
  • Come
  • Heel
  • Sit
  • Place
  • Off
  • Quiet (stop barking and whining)
  • Lay Down
  • Leash Manners
  • People Manners
  • Load-up (in Car or Kennel)
  • No Jumping up (on people)
  • One Personalized Skill
  • One personalized greeting (high five, shake, hug, etc.)

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.

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!

Taylor was incredible. Not only is he extremely professional, courteous, and easy to work with, but he was instrumental in curbing some of my dog’s reactivity issues with other dogs in my neighborhood. I have already recommended him to a family that recently got a puppy. I cannot express enough how wonderful his program is.
— lehmanbr
Posted March 13th 2024
google
After just the first hour of training we had with Taylor, our Charlie stopped his barking. Taylor always arrives on time and has such a great demeanor that made Charlie trust him fairly quickly. We now have pleasurable walks with Charlie, no barking issues, and he is very obedient while still remaining part of the family. We have tried other trainers in the area but Dog Training Elite is worth every penny.
— David W
Posted February 10th 2024
google
After thinking about getting some professional dog training for several months, we finally hired Taylor. And it was one of the best decisions we’ve made for our pup, Quinn, who’d been struggling with reactivity for quite some time. Along with fine tuning some obedience training and learning some completely new commands, we’ve seen such a difference in Quinn’s reactivity. We still have some work to do, but thanks to the tools that Taylor provided, we finally feel confident again in ourselves and in our pup!
— Skylar O'Hanlon
Posted January 13th 2024
google
My husband and I recently worked with Taylor with Dog Training Elite and he was fantastic! We rescued our dog a year and a half ago and while she is amazing, she definitely had some issues. Particularly she was a bit whiney, did some naughty digging, rarely listened to us, and was leash reactive. Walking our dog was something that gave us anxiety. Taylor really took the time to get to know all of us and tailor the training to help us succeed. The house visits in my opinion were crucial in helping to identify what we could improve. She quickly learned commands like sit, place, down, come, and heel. Just in a remarkable two months, she now has corrected most of her undesirable behaviors. Walks are no longer anxiety producing! I would 10/10 recommend this program and I wish we had done it sooner. The group classes are also really great to test your skills and everyone is extremely supportive. You can tell all the dogs love Taylor and he has a natural instinct for dog training. There is no one else I would trust with my dog or any future dogs we rescue.
— Preethi Rajendran
Posted December 13th 2023
google
This is Nala, she is a completely crazy high energy lab puppy we introduced into our family of two young kids, 6 and 1. We are experienced dog owners but we’re really struggling with biting, barking, destructive zoomies, eating the walls…you name it, she was doing it at Mach 10. After working with Taylor at Dog Training Elite, she is a completely different dog, walks are a pleasure, we can eat dinner in peace without constant barking and destruction. Restlessness has even started to be replaced by affection. She is still young and full of crazy but I feel she’s responding within weeks to a level of training that would have probably taken us years. I’m 100% confident if we continue the techniques we were shown that she will grow into the best dog we could wish for and a lifelong companion for our boys. Thank you so much Taylor!
— Stavros Sachinis
Posted December 13th 2023
google
Working with Taylor was great. Our goal for our dog was to have a well behaved family dog that could go on outdoor adventures with me. We finished our 1 on 1 program with just that. We were able to build a great base that we were able to expand that base into other areas. We have a nice 20 foot radius that Cody stays within during our hikes and once it warms up I have confidence we will be able to canoe or kayak with the dog in the boat. All of our neighbors rave how well behaved Cody when he is over for gatherings. I don't think we could have gotten to this level without Taylor's help.
— Wrong Way
Posted December 5th 2023
google
Very professional and attentive. Would definitely recommend to anyone looking for help training a dog.
— Mark Furniss
Posted November 27th 2023
google
Taylor has been excellent as our dog trainer. We have a rescue dog who is high energy and leash reactive. Taylor helped us learn eCollar training and worked with our dog to improve obedience skills and heel walking. We highly recommend his services and he even comes to your home to work with your personal training needs.
— Kate ONeill
Posted October 29th 2023
google
I highly recommend Dog Training Elite! Toni &Betsy are very knowledgeable, patient and take the time to teach as well as answer all of my questions. I now have an amazing service dog, Sadie thanks to them! I get so many compliments on Sadie. I owe it to Toni & Betsy!
— Rachelle Lynch Storm
Posted October 15th 2023
facebook
My dog wasn’t socialized and was very reactive to new people coming into our house. Our first session with Taylor didn’t go as planned but he came back and helped us get trained and taught me the best ways to help my dog succeed. I highly recommend using Taylor for trainings with reactive dogs. He’s very knowledgeable and patient and we have seen a huge improvement in our dog and continue to use the training techniques he taught us daily.
— Giancarlo Lopez
Posted September 27th 2023
google
Taylor has been fantastic to work with! The care, patience, and passion he brings as a dog trainer is unparalleled and can’t recommend him enough! Thank you Taylor!
— Michael Mazza
Posted September 27th 2023
google
We worked with Toni for over a month with our dog Rosie who has severe anxiety outside with walks and people, and was unable to control herself around a new baby in our family. Toni did an amazing job training Rosie and teaching us the skills we needed to continue that training. Rosie went from not being able to sit still when the baby was around to staying calm in place, and still being able to be near him. It has been an unbelievable change! Rosie has been doing much better and walks and is getting more comfortable being outside every day. It's like we have a new dog!!! Toni was such an amazing help to us, extremely friendly, and knows what she is doing. Couldn't have asked for a better trainer! Seriously recommend!
— Justin Vespasiani
Posted September 13th 2023
google
Taylor was wonderful to work with and gentle with Brayden. Would recommend him highly.
— Mary Ellen Krumm
Posted August 30th 2023
google
We had an amazing experience with our trainer, Toni! She was so good with our dogs and great at explaining what we needed to do to be successful. Our dog, shadow, it’s a completely different dog after five weeks. We are now attending group dog training where we are continuing to see improvements in his behavior. Best investment we’ve ever made!
— stacia korman
Posted August 29th 2023
google
Been working with Toni from Dog Training Elite for over 8 weeks now in the Service Dog program. I can say with 100% certainty that I’m beyond grateful she was the one that knocked on my door for my dog Rozays Service Dog evaluation. She has been nothing short of amazing and has turned my dog into a completely different animal. He’s reached heights and done things I never thought were possible for him. This is all thanks to Toni. She is so good with my dog that he takes almost immediately to her new commands and gets excited on Mondays when he sees her for his training sessions. I don’t think I would ever let anybody else, but Toni train my dog. She’s very understanding of mine and my dogs needs. She definitely knows how to train dogs and get them to listen to her all while still maintaining a safe, comfortable and fun environment for my dog. If there is anyone deserving of a nice raise it’s Toni. She works with minimal stuff and still has an excellent outcome. Poor girl uses her own car to travel and train pups in a bunch of different locations. The company definitely needs to give her a car or a van or something to travel in! Treat that girl right because she does excellent work!! There is no elite in dog training without Toni! I almost want to call the company and complain to give that poor girl a car to use! Here’s a picture of my boy doing some place training with Toni at the mall.
— Travis Gordon
Posted August 29th 2023
google
Taylor was very helpful, knowledgeable and professional in training our puppy. His feedback and guidance helped tremendously and we look forward to continuing with group sessions. I highly recommend him!
— Heather Haas
Posted August 4th 2023
google
We recently had our five year old dog go missing for 44 days. About 30 days in, we decided to foster a new 6 month old puppy. She arrived super hyper, overly excitable, not listening at all and mostly out of control with joy from being away from the Rescue. She was really hard to manage. In the meantime, our old dog was returned and now we found ourselves the owners, of two similar dogs.. We knew we had to get a Trainer asap. Our neighbor suggested, Taylor at Dog Training Elite based on witnessing him interact with his dog Skye at a demonstration in Kennett Square, PA. So we went for it! After 5 weeks, we couldn’t be happier and neither could our puppy, Sadie. Somehow she’s listening, responding to commands, walking on leash really well and as a result, an overall joy to be around. In addition, Taylor spent time giving us a concrete strategy on how to have to the two dogs interact and get know each other. (which will take time) Taylor is an excellent and experienced trainer with a calm demeanor that both our dogs respond very favorably towards. As Dog owners, we now have more confidence and a solid understanding of what it means to be a successful dog owners. Thanks Taylor!
— Ed Cunicelli
Posted July 29th 2023
google
Taylor was great to work with, and he accomplished in 5 weeks what we thought was impossible! He was prompt, professional, and great with us and our puppy. We have a 10 month-old rascally Yorkie, so it was no small undertaking. He said we’d see results after week 1, and he was not exaggerating. We still have a way to go, but we already have the foundation to have a well-behaved puppy! I would recommend this to any pet owner, no matter how obstinate the dog!
— Jeff Dague
Posted July 28th 2023
google
Working with Toni has been an awesome experience! We reached out after noticing a progressive issue with leash reactivity/play aggression in our Irish Doodle as he matured. Toni was able to not only train our dog, Charlie but also taught us humans how to help him be successful. We are super happy with the progress he has made in such a short time and are super excited to see where these new tools take him!
— Cam Thompson
Posted July 22nd 2023
google
Working with Ashley was great. She's a very knowledgeable trainer and works great with Akitas. I have two Akitas that are very hard headed, she took her time with them and was very patient.
— Carlos Velazquez
Posted July 21st 2023
google

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Proud Sponsor of The Malinois Foundation

At Dog Training Elite Philadelphia, 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 Philadelphia 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