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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 Dallas—Fort Worth can help.
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.
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 Dallas—Fort Worth trains dogs to serve individuals with autism, diabetes and PTSD.
Dog Training Elite Dallas—Fort Worth 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 Dallas—Fort Worth has you covered.
The professional dog trainers of Dog Training Elite Dallas—Fort Worth 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 Dallas—Fort Worth.
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 Dallas—Fort Worth 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 to complement Megan on her work. She has done fantastic working with biscuits and teaching me how to work with her as well. I was so proud of this video, I had to share. Biscuits is 17 weeks old Shar-pie, Basset Hound & Pug Blend. Thanks Megan for all your help!— Lindsey Johnson
Posted September 11th 2024
Tori and Jordan have been working with my Malinois Max for 3 weeks now. Within that time we brought a newborn baby home. We have been so amazed with the progress that Dog Training Elite and the trainers have done with Max. He is a completely different dog already. Best investment we have made in a very long time. Thank you so much for your help and patience. -Patrick J Murray Sergeant USMC (Ret)— Patrick Murray
Posted August 14th 2024
😬Animal control was called out to my home . My Bernadoodle tends to take his job of protecting our home a little, (well, maybe a lot) too seriously. So, we hired some trainers out at dog training elite to come and give us some new tools in our training (or lack there of.) 🤗We have a new dog! He is so much fun to be around. A HUGE 🗣️shout out to Tra, Felicity and Yuni Who helped making the dog of our dreams a reality!— Melanie Domen
Posted July 30th 2024
Tori has an amazing way of helping both me and my Winnie. She is so knowledgeable and great with our girl.— Elinor Albin
Posted June 20th 2024
Tori was an amazing trainer with my dog Clark!! We learned so much together! We really appreciate her expertise and patience!!— Laura Riggs
Posted June 19th 2024
After rescuing a very large and VERY REACTIVE Labrador we knew we needed help getting his reacitvity under control before any training would be effective. After trying a standard 6 week program elsewhere, it was clear our dog's reactivity needed some expert focus. After significant research there was a clear standout option - Dog Training Elite Frisco. I reached out and spoke to Kelly who was very knowledgeable, listening to all of my concerns carefully and answering all of my questions specific to our needs. We immediately signed up for the free assessment. From the initial free assessment with Tra we knew we were in the right place. Through Tra's demostration and work in that 90 mins, we learned so much about our dog and witnessed the professional expertise we knew was needed. We did not hesitate to sign up then and there. Most of our training sessions were with Kyler who was excellent in ever way! Very knowledgeable, very quick to think of alternatives approaches if something wasn't working. Always had a solution or a tweak to the process to meet our dog's specific challenges and forthcoming with feedback for me as the owner/trainer for my dog. Dependable, patient, focused, clearly expert and professional all the way! We also had a couple of sessions with Felicity when Kyler was not available and she was awesome as well! Super nice, very knowledgeable, fun, and again, always had a solution or tweak for our dogs specific needs. We needed help with integrating our dog with our son's dog as they were very reactive to each other and both Tra and Kyler made it happen! This was a game changer for our family ! We now go every week to group sessions led by Kyler which are fun and extremely beneficial to our dog's ongoing socialization, focus, and perfect for reinforcement of training with distractions. Kyler makes it fun and is always challenging the dogs each in the way he knows they need to be challenged. Overall I can't say enough about this program and all of these trainers! Highly recommend this team - they are worth every penny!— Kelly Bell
Posted June 7th 2024
Great staff with a ton of knowledge and our experience couldn’t have been better. Ive had the pleasure of working with Felicity & Kyler. Both very knowledgeable and fun to work with. I cant thank the team enough. Special shout out to Kelly. Kelly wears many different hats. From receptionist, scheduler, trainer and yes videographer lol. Got some great videos that will last a lifetime. Tra & Yuni are okay too. Only teasing! These two run an amazing operation and I’ve had the pleasure of meeting both of them. Couldn’t ask for a better team! Brandon says hi!— Michael Connors
Posted May 16th 2024
When your dogs best friend, other than his parents, is his trainer,Kyler…, you know you are working with the right company. Dog Training Elite and Kyler came into our lives and not only did amazing with Senna’s puppy training. Kyler also observed and knew that Senna was meant to have a greater job in life, Therapy Dog. We continued Senna’s training with Kyler and Senna now goes to work with Mama, as a Therapy Dog for children with Autism and other developmental disabilities. Thank you Kyler for helping us have the Bestest Boy!!! Not only have you taught us how to work with him to reach his highest potential but you and Dog Training Elite have become part of our family.— Laura Iglesias (Lozano)
Posted May 15th 2024
I’m a first time dog owner and came across dog training elite on google. I saw Kyler was a veteran like myself and I highly recommend him. He’s and excellent trainer and explained everything well for me— sam
Posted May 15th 2024
I highly recommend Kyler W., he’s amazing, good with communication and it’s great seeing a fellow veteran handling dogs!— Angel G.
Posted May 15th 2024
Kyler Wittwer has the heart to work with dogs. Gentle. Yet, firm. My 5 dogs are ranch dogs and don’t really take to people. Kyler is amazing with them. I have 1 dog that’s frightened of storms, Kyler soothed her little soul. Kyler is amazing! And I wouldn’t trust anyone to train my dogs than him.— Jenni Lee
Posted May 15th 2024
I worked with Kyler from Dog Training Elite and he was amazing. My dog was very reactive towards other dogs and scared of people. Since working with Kyler, her confidence has grown immensely. Kyler was very patient with my dog while working with her. He also helped me a ton on how I should be interacting with her and expectations. Not only did he help in Katie’s training, but mine as well! She went from barely knowing sit to now knowing all the basics and how to heel. It’s like night a day and I am so appreciative! Definitely worth working with him and dog training elite! She is a much happier, confident, well behaved dog!— Ashley Nagy
Posted May 15th 2024
Kyler was so helpful with my little Sofia! As a German shepherd she was reactive and almost impossible to walk around the neighborhood. Now with Kyler’s persistence and determination I can take my sweet girl anywhere I go. Thank you Kyler for your kind help and patience as we navigated these issues!— Anika Martin
Posted May 15th 2024
"Kyler at Dog Training Elite Frisco deserves every bit of a 5-star review! His expertise, patience, and dedication truly shine through in his training methods. Our furry friend has made remarkable progress under his guidance. Highly recommend!"— Uptown Window Cleaning
Posted May 15th 2024
Kyler and Dog Training Elite has made a huge difference in our Doberman puppy. We learned the skills we needed to make sure that he could have a safe and happy with our other dogs. He is such a big dog and so friendly. Sometimes he would get too excited and cross the line to being dangerous for the other dogs (who are little). Our puppy both loves and respects Kyler. We continue to take part in the group classes and our puppy is so excited to be there. It continues to give us the consistency of training and support if we have any questions.— Carly DuCharme
Posted May 15th 2024
Elite dog training is the best place to take your dog. Kyler has trained 2 of our dogs. I like that he focuses on rewarding good behavior rather than punishing bad behavior. Kyler can address a wide range of behaviors. We will not take our dogs anywhere else.— Nicole Benker
Posted May 15th 2024
Kyler has been absolutely amazing with our one year old German shepherd. Unlike many other trainers I’ve encountered, he always has a proper answer to any of our questions or concerns. We have seen noticeable progression in our dogs obedience in just a few weeks. 10/10 recommend.— Akash Bhanti
Posted May 15th 2024
Kyler has been wonderful in getting our 1 year old German Shepherd to improve her obedience and behaviors! We’ve seen a clear difference. He works well with our availability and tailors each session to our needs. His confidence in our pup, grows our confidence too.— Brittany DeMarco
Posted May 15th 2024
These guys are great! After using multiple away-from-home trainers, we finally called Kyler at Dog Training Elite. In just 3 sessions we are already seeing huge improvements. They know their stuff and they teach you in a way where you can continue the improvments when you're on your own. If my wife lets me get another dog, he'll be trained by these guys too! Highly recommend them!— Alex Roostaei
Posted May 15th 2024
Great people. Kyler has been working with my dog Koda. Koda is alway excited to see Kyler. He is awesome, he has been so patient with both Koda and the family. Thanks to Kyler we have the dog we have always wanted . Well behaved and does great around others.— David Benker
Posted May 15th 2024