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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 Central Nashville location, please reference our pricing page for complete information on services offered.
Therapy Dog
Therapy dog training is based on your dog's abilities.
$2,745
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).
Training Equipment Included: E-Collar
- Puppy Selection advice
- Private, one-on-one training sessions in your home and the community 7 Sessions
- Group Training Classes 16 sessions
- AKC Testing
- 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
Emotional Support Animal Training
Emotional Support Animal training is based on your dog's abilities.
$2,745
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.
Training Equipment Included: E-Collar
- Puppy Selection advice
- Private, one-on-one training sessions in your home and the community 7 Sessions
- Group Training 16 sessions
- Come
- Heel
- Sit/Down
- Place
- Off
- Quiet
- Leash Manners
- People Manners
- Load-up (in Car or Kennel)
- No Jumping up (on people)
- One personalized Command/Skill (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.
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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!
Our 1½ year old lab has significantly calmed down. She no longer chews on anything other than her toys, and follows commands so well. Highly recommend using Dog Training Elite Central Nashville!— Katelyn Murphy
Posted June 21st 2024
We have had a great experience with the trainers! Our very stubborn puppy is making great progress with each session.— Marjana Longenecker
Posted June 19th 2024
Parker and Izabel are amazing! They have really helped our two dogs. Ruby and Raelynn are so much calmer and well behaved.— Nicole Spainhoward
Posted June 17th 2024
We have had the best experience working with Dog Training Elite- Nashville! Especially with Izabel!! She has been great with our dogs and we have learned so much! Everything on their team has been very professional and takes training seriously! We have seen such a huge improvement in our golden retrievers!— Halle Maddox
Posted June 15th 2024
I loved my time with Dog Training Elite! I really like their model where they teach my dog and I learn to reinforce it. I rarely had to feel like “the bad guy” in the process and they were always there to help when it got hard!— Tyler Kennedy
Posted June 12th 2024
What a difference a well behaved dog is to take in public areas! My dog Kash went from barking at everything and some times biting, to walking in a heel and listening to commands which I never thought was possible! His confidence is slowly growing and I’m seeing a new side to him. Thank you to Izabel who was just the best to work with! Highly recommend her and Elite Dog Training to anyone looking for a trainer for their furry kiddo— Zina Abutaleb
Posted June 5th 2024
The team at Dog Training Elite has been wonderful to work with, and they’ve very effectively trained both our dogs, including our daughter’s service dog. We are so grateful for their knowledge, expertise and professionalism and highly recommend them.— Allie Davis
Posted June 5th 2024
Parker and his team have been amazing with both our dogs. We needed help reinforcing commands with our daughters service Dog, as well as obedience training with our other Dog. He had them doing things we thought would take months within the first visit or two. Highly effective and highly recommended.— Eric Davis
Posted June 5th 2024
I was so skeptical that my 4 year old golden doodle had any chance of following commands but the team at Dog training Elite proved me wrong in the best way possible way. They are so kind and patient and just very cool people. I worked with Isabel and she was absolutely amazing. It was like have my a fun session with a friend each time. I would recommend them and Isabel confidently no matter how stubborn your fur baby may be.😊— Denise Janus
Posted May 24th 2024
Parker is AMAZING!! What you have taught me in such a short period of time is mind blowing. I truly can communicate with my dog in a way I never thought possible. Dog Training Elite Nashville is hands down the BEST!— Denise Yenchochic
Posted May 1st 2024
Izabel has been amazing! Great with me and my dog. She has been patient and has greatly improved my dog's behavior.— Elizabeth Jacobs
Posted April 8th 2024
i love elite so much!! we’ve seen so much progress in our dog and i just know he’s going to be a great service companion. we love izabel and everything she’s done for us— partygore
Posted March 30th 2024
What a difference a well behaved dog is to take in public areas! Thanks to Dog Training Elite my 3 year old Cavapoo heels and does not tug on leash, lays quietly under table without begging for food, greets people at my command on all four paws no more jumping on visitors. I would suggest if you are dealing with behavior problems and need an obedient dog then grab your dog and leash and RUN DON't WALK to your first training session with Dog Elite Training. You and your dog will not be disappointed!!— Gail Petty
Posted March 3rd 2024
The dogs they've trained are the most well-trained dogs I've ever seen!— Katie Gurney
Posted February 20th 2024
Parker’s training saved my dog’s life. I feel very comfortable with him again and he does commands that I never thought I would be able to get him to do. Highly recommend and worth every penny.— Erik Halbig
Posted February 13th 2024
I am so so grateful for all of the trainers at Dog Training Elite. My dog, Penny, started puppy training around 12 weeks, and started Service Animal training at 6 months. I cannot even imagine having trained her to do everything without the trainers at DTE. She's an 11 months old German Shepherd and she's impressively well-behaved. A couple weeks ago, she passed her Public Access Test, and now she's starting Task Training. The best part of all this is that she and I got to do it together, thanks to guidance and tools from the trainers. It may seem expensive, or inexpensive depending on your presumptions, but this is the best possible place to get your companion trained.— Lizzi Riordan
Posted January 22nd 2024
After just a few sessions of training I was able to take my Laszlo to our local dog park on my lunch break or before a meeting, due to finally being able to recall him and leave the dog park rather than embarrassingly chasing him or bribing him. The trust built between us now after learning and practicing basic commands is priceless. We both look forward to the weekly group sessions.— Jennifer Dalton
Posted January 13th 2024
Superb training session today with Parker. Both dog and owner were smiling at the end of an intense hour of learning— Nikki Dalton
Posted January 11th 2024
I cannot express how grateful we are to have used Dog Training Elite Nashville. From day one of training with Izabel, Sam, our Border Terrier, has been learning so quickly. She evaluated Sam’s strengths and weaknesses along with me and my husband to find the best way to train all of us. We can take our dog anywhere in any situation and he’s extremely well behaved.— APRIL MCVAY
Posted January 2nd 2024