top of page

Therapy & Emotional Support Dog Training

Calm, Connection & Regulation Through Dogs

🌱 What Are Therapy & Emotional Support Dogs?

​

Therapy and emotional support dogs are trained to provide calm, comfort, and emotional grounding for people in community, educational, and wellbeing settings.
​
Unlike assistance dogs, these dogs do not have public access rights and are not trained for disability-specific tasks. Instead, they work alongside their handler in structured, supportive environments.
 
At Serenipaws, we prioritise:
​
  • Emotional safety
  • Choice and consent
  • Nervous system regulation
  • Dog welfare at every stage

🤍 Who This Training Is For

 

This training is ideal for:
​
  • Neurodivergent adults or young people
  • People recovering from trauma, burnout, or anxiety
  • Dogs with calm, people-focused temperaments
  • Handlers who want to support others without pressure or perfection
 
 
Dogs must enjoy human interaction and be comfortable disengaging when needed.

🧠 Our Approach

​

All Serenipaws training is:
​
  • Trauma-informed
  • Games-based and reward-led
  • Focused on regulation before obedience
  • Adapted for neurodivergent learners
  • Aligned with modern, ethical dog training standards
 
We do not force interaction, suppress behaviour, or override stress signals.

📘 Training Pathway

 

1️⃣ Foundations (Required)

 
6 weeks:
​
  • Calm behaviour in shared spaces
  • Loose lead walking
  • Settle on a mat
  • Neutral greetings
  • Handling consent
  • Reading and responding to stress signals
 
📍 Dogs must complete this before progressing.

2️⃣ Therapy & Emotional Support Preparation

 
6–8 weeks​
  • Calm interaction with unfamiliar people
  • Gentle handling tolerance
  • Emotional steadiness
  • Choice-based engagement
  • Recovery after interaction
  • Ending sessions positively

3️⃣ Readiness & Welfare Assessment

 

This is not a pass/fail test
.
 
We look at:
Enjoyment
Recovery time
Stress signals
Willingness to engage
Dogs may be:Ready to work
Better suited to limited sessions
Happier as companions only (with support given)

🧭 Important Boundaries

 
Serenipaws:
​
  • Does not certify medical conditions
  • Does not provide mental health treatment
  • Does not guarantee suitability for all environments
  • ​This training supports wellbeing and connection, not diagnosis or therapy.

💷 Pricing🌱

 

Foundations Course
​
£150 (6 weeks | small group or 1:1)

🤍 Therapy & Emotional

Support Dog Training

 
£180
 
(6–8 weeks)

🌿 Combined Pathway

 

£295
(Save £35)

📘 Optional Add-Ons

​

  • Written welfare & session plan: £35
  • 1:1 support session: £45
  • Community session preparation: £60

➡️ Next Steps

 
Interested in joining or want to discuss suitability?
 
📩 Get in touch to book a suitability chat.
bottom of page