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A therapy dog is a dog who visits places like schools, hospitals and nursing homes. Therapy dog training in Providence / New Bedford 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 Rhode Island 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!
I’d like to be president of Danielle’s fan club when theres a job opening. She transformed my 1 yr old Black Mouth Cur into a happily obedient roommate. Danielle is accomplished and elegant with dogs, patient and quietly firm until she gets the desired results. It’s been an amazingly happy and positive experience that we will expand and treasure for many years to come. So worth it!— Jack
Posted September 24th 2024
Danielle is the BEST! She is one of those people who just has a natural "connection" with dogs. She is very patient, kind, understanding, and extremely helpful. I can't say enough good things about her, and I'm so glad we are lucky enough to have found her for our training. 😊— Charles Peckham Jr.
Posted September 2nd 2024
Danielle is the BEST! She is one of those people who just has a natural "connection" with dogs. She is very patient, kind, understanding, and extremely helpful. I can't say enough good things about her, and I'm so glad we are lucky enough to have found her for our training.— Charles
Posted September 2nd 2024
Danielle is absolutely fantastic! She has a true understanding of each dog's temperament and abilities. She knows just how far to push them each class so that they can reach their full potential.— Michelle Pacheco
Posted August 31st 2024
Danielle is amazing! She has been working with me and our newly adopted Alaskan Malamute, Storm. She has been patient and kind as Storm and I work together to become a pet therapy team. Storm adores Danielle and enjoys every class we attend.— Donna Zannelli
Posted August 18th 2024
I adopted a two year old Alaskan Malamute. When we got her, she was nervous, suffered from separation anxiety, and constantly used her big paws to get our attention. Danielle has been so patient and kind with both me and our Storm. Working with Danielle, Storm now walks on a lead with confidence, no long uses her paws to get our attention, and can now be left alone at home without her howling or being destructive. Storm actually looks forward to our lessons, and so do I. Danielle has helped us become a team. I highly recommend Danielle and Dog Training Elite to anyone who has a dog, regardless of their age or breed!— Donna Zannelli
Posted August 18th 2024
Danielle is an amazing trainer! I couldn’t recommend her enough. She was patient and kind during all sessions. My dog is an amazing service animal thanks to Danielle and it’s made a huge difference in my life.— T Tat
Posted July 8th 2024
Danielle is the best by far of dog trainers I've known. She knows what she's doing and does it exceptionally well.— Andrew Frisch
Posted June 22nd 2024
Danielle helped us to train our Great Dane puppy in no time. We have a toddler and a new born in our house and we wanted to be sure Ringo would be gentle and respectful of the kid’s personal as well as listen to all his commands. With Danielle’s help, we were able to get our 7 month old, 70 lbs, Great Dane to place where we feel comfortable with him around not just the toddler, but the new born baby and guests as wel with minimal supervision.— Paul Fickenwirth
Posted June 6th 2024
Outstanding training and outstanding results. Our minigoldendoodle was a wild one until we enrolled him. After 5 lessons he is a pleasure to have. The group lessons are a plus as our pooch does not interact with bigger dogs like he does at group class. The decision to use Danielle proved to be very well worth it!— paul
Posted May 20th 2024
Danielle is amazing!! She has trained our Dutch Shepherd puppy and totally transformed her. She has learned so much from her private lessons and our group lessons. I highly recommend Danielle at Dog Training Elite!— Robin Cook
Posted May 11th 2024
Danielle is amazing. You can tell her love for dogs as soon as you meet her. She is so patient, and her instruction is very clear. Our dog Odie has made great strides in his training both at home and in group. I highly recommend Danielle at Dog Training Elite.— Pat Small
Posted May 6th 2024
Dog Training Elite RI has been a game-changer for Sully, our dog, thanks to the exceptional training provided by Danielle. Her commands for both the dog and the trainer are comprehensive and effortlessly understood. She is undeniably a seasoned expert in her field. I highly recommend her services to anyone, regardless of their dog’s breed or size.— James Lampman
Posted May 4th 2024
We reached out to Danielle regarding our 6 year old hound mix who’s part beagle and we are not sure what else. Lexi was your typical dog, behaved generally well and knew commands such as sit, stay, down, etc. She barked at pretty much anything, and would jump on anyone who walked through our door to try to lick their face. Fast forward to late 2022 we noticed Lexi become more skittish and would appear anxious since our son would at times lunge at her unexpectedly. This lasted through the year and she was getting more and more anxious. Fast forward to winter of 2023, our son HATED bath time for a bit as two year olds do, and Lexi started to not quite attack me when clean up his toys but would get aggressive and put herself between me and the toys I was trying to clean. We resorted to locking her in a room at bedtime for my safety since I was pregnant at the time. She also started going after our dog when other dogs would just walk by our home, or if we accidentally so much as stepped on her paw, she would attack our other dog, most times drawing blood. We were at a point of, “do we re-home her”, we have young children and we’re not sure we could trust her to not hurt them or us. This was a dog who completely changed from an easygoing dog to one who became so anxious with children in the home. We are BEYOND grateful to Danielle for coming and working with us, it saved our first baby and showed us that if you put in the love, time, and effort you can also have your beloved pet back. Danielle came out in the end of March for our first one on one session. After the first class we practiced the “come, off, quiet” and within that first week, we noticed a big difference with her barking, jumping on people and coming after me at bedtime. Others who came over that she normally jumped on also noticed a big difference. As the weeks went on, we continued through the program and we got Lexi to the point of being on a leash not pulling, lunging at other dogs and was able to walk along side Danielle’s dog in the final one on one. If you are hesitating, do we try this?, DO IT! We have a completely different dog back and she listens better than she ever has. We are so grateful for this training.— Shannon Tacelli
Posted April 26th 2024
Danielle was great. We have a 10 month old bully mix who is very energetic we also have a child on the way and knew we needed help before she arrives. She helped us to get him to listen to us and follow directions both around the house and while out on walks. We have seen steady improvement with our dog as his training progresses.— Benjamin Phillips
Posted April 23rd 2024
I am a student at Roger Williams University working on a dog scent project. I couldn’t have been happier with picking Dog Training Elite to help me out. Kona was very well trained puppy who showed great work doing her smell training. I would highly recommended this company for all type of training. Danel greatly helped me out answering any and all questions I had. And she did it with a smile on her face the entire time.— Seth Jablonki
Posted April 23rd 2024
In Dec 2022 I brought home an 8 week old, highly energetic, husky malamute shepherd mix. It was immediately clear that I needed more training than I knew at the time and I enlisted the help and expertise of Danielle at Dog Training Elite. I started with the puppy training package which provided the fundamentals. I then followed that with Advanced Training, which built on the fundamentals and included e-collar training and group classes. The group classes are where the rubber meets the road and the practice of all the training you’ve done comes together in practical application. Danielle excels at providing patient instruction to the dog and the owner. She offers solutions to problems that aren’t a one size fits all solution. I chose Danille because I highly valued a balanced training approach that came by way of treats and praise, as well as using the modern tools at our disposal including prong collars and e-collars. The e-collar is an invaluable communication tool and I knew it would be the right method for my dog. I highly recommend Danielle, her approach, and her training.— John Babb
Posted March 30th 2024
I would definitely recommend Dog Training Elite!! The amount of care and one on one experience is worth the money! I've seen such improvement in my pup since we started!— Kimberly Thompson
Posted February 26th 2024
We recently got a puppy to be little sister to our 6-year old lab mix, and looked into training for them both. We couldn’t be happier to have found Danielle at Dog Training Elite RI. They have both come so far with their obedience training, and we will also be doing service animal training. Danielle’s love of dogs shines through in all of her classes. This was the best decision for the happiness of our fur babies!!— Robert Bolt
Posted December 2nd 2023
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 Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island’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 Providence / New Bedford. 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 Rhode Island?
The Dog Training Elite Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island. Request your free training demo and in-home assessment today.
