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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!
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
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.
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.
