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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 Huntsville location, please reference our pricing page for complete information on services offered.
Therapy Dog
Therapy dog training is based on your dog's abilities.
$3,675
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).
- Puppy Selection advice
- Private, one-on-one training sessions in your home and the community 10 Sessions
- Group Training Classes 32 sessions
- Therapy ID Card, and Certificate of Platinum Obedience 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
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.
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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).
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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.
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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!
Service dogs cost many thousands of dollars. Through DTE, you can be trained to work with, and train, your chosen pup. The standard dog training is great. My pup and I have had great success and he will stay with me. This creates a greater bond. DTE is very receptive and easy to work with. JB has been our trainer and we have just been cleared to join the group sessions. JB has excellent delivery when he suggests a change or points out a mistake that i have made. I have a greater understanding of canine behavior through the guidance and advice. I would strongly advise anyone i know to consider training with JB and DTE. All of this is for a fraction of the price i would have paid for an already trained pup. I enjoy the classes and we will continue to enjoy the benefits of classes and group training for as long as we are a pair. Thanks to DTE, he is almost ready to go into stores with me, the ones that only allow service animals.— Michael B
Posted June 19th 2024
Our instructor, JB, was thoroughly knowledgeable about dog training, and working with me to help my dog and me. Really liked the training classes at my home for a number of visits, and now attending classes at a park with other dogs. Excellent training organization!— Debbie Longeddy
Posted June 18th 2024
I would highly recommend Elite Dog Training. JB was found to be not only professional, but also extremely experienced with the behaviors of dogs and the mistakes that I was making as a 🐾 paw parent.This insight brought me and my dog on the same path and has given me and my dog, a stronger bond and relationship And as a treasured member of our family I could not of selected a better person to help me with Bella than JB. Thank you J B. Jerome Honeyman— Jerome Honeyman
Posted April 21st 2023
We have done training with our dog in the past, but JB has brought a whole new level of training. We are seeing extraordinary results! Paige has also been great with working on distractions. We highly recommend Dog Training Elite!— Jennifer Waldran
Posted June 7th 2024
JB is excellent and very knowledgeable. Be ready to work with your dog for this program to work and you will see amazing and immediate success!— Melissa Robinson
Posted May 29th 2024
JB is very knowledgeable and easily teaches others how best to train their dog. He is very patient and understanding with both the dog and its owners. He instills confidence in the owner so they can continue with the training after his personal training sessions have ended. We now have a dog that answers when called and obeys commands. Our puppy is so much more a part of the family thanks to JB at Dog Training Elite!— Thomas L. Adkins
Posted May 7th 2024
They have done a phenomenal job training ‘tracker’ to be a diabetic alert dog for our 4 year old. He is extremely well behaved especially in public and doing a great job alerting at such a young age already!— Bryan Landreth
Posted April 13th 2024
We have Mr JB helped us with evaluating puppies and got our servicedog puppy. This is our first dog so we followed professional instructions thru our puppy Ruby’s arrival to family , puppy training and now we are at Service Dog training session. Mr JB and his wife are excellent dog trainers. Our puppy is only four months old now but already started picking up kid from school. Ruby the golden doodle girl is already a star for being loving and obedient. We are ready to take group training class now. Very exciting and proud for our little Ruby. Thank you , Dog Training Elite ! You are the best.— Julie Castellanos
Posted September 13th 2023
JB has been amazing. Our puppy has learned so much and now both of us feel confident with each other. Thanks so much JB for training us.— Melanie Harries Blitch
Posted August 31st 2023
We have had such a positive experience with the whole DTE team! There are several packages and training by options to fit multiple needs. The trainers are all great! We worked mostly with JB working on obedience and some behavior issues we were having. Can’t say enough good things! Highly recommend!!— Kristin McElroy
Posted August 4th 2023
Can't believe the change in my dog. Her training made her realize that she is not the boss, and it has completely changed her.— sandra hensley
Posted July 4th 2023
Very knowledgeable and flexible in assisting us train a service dog. Individual classes are very effective, and group classes are fun for both the dog and handler.— Don Traut
Posted April 11th 2023
I'm very pleased with JB. I have difficult dogs and he's great with them, and pretty good with training me to work with them.— katandthefids everything2cellos
Posted April 8th 2023
We are so thankful for JB and Dog Training Elite! Our 5 year old whipador is highly anxious, and the training has helped her to trust us more and calm down. JB knows how to train the dogs AND the owners, which is key in having an obedient pet. We appreciate that JB makes house calls for the training, thus including the whole family, and the group sessions are a great way to expose our dog to other dogs while continuing to receive training under JB's watch and care. We highly recommend DTE!— Carissa Callan
Posted December 22nd 2022
DTE is awesome! Though skeptical at first, I am convinced that they are the best, and have an amazing dog to show for it! John is great and highly recommended!!!— Paul Hearn
Posted June 16th 2022
I highly recommend Dog Training Elite! From their training methods to the care and respect they show towards the dogs and owners, you can’t go wrong!— Cassie Frank
Posted June 16th 2022
JB is great,patient, and we are beyond thankful to have him working with us getting our puppy trained. I can contact him after hours with questions and he’s very responsive while educating you at the same time. Couldn’t have made a better investment with DTE !!— Derek Lazarus
Posted June 1st 2022
So far elite dog training has been great for my stubborn one year old service dog in training ! JB is always available to answer any questions and really helps understand each weeks training task!— M Girard
Posted May 25th 2022