Training Philosophy
Congratulations on your new puppy! Whether you are an experienced dog owner or this is your first time experiencing puppyhood, there is nothing quite like bringing your new puppy home for the first time. Our Austin puppy training programs are designed to develop long-term success with high-levels of obedience and manners. Whether that’s taking your puppy to dog-friendly restaurants and coffee shops around Austin, weekends at Austin’s dog parks, or hikes around Barton Creek, you will be able to do it all. Our unique in-home puppy training programs allow us to customize each program to achieve any puppy training goal or address any puppy problem behavior. We craft our Austin puppy training programs around what matters most to you.
Our Austin team is led by one of the few Certified Applied Animal Behaviorists in the country, Dr. Echterling Savage. Our Austin puppy training programs are all private, one-on-one sessions with one of our qualified Austin dog behavior consultants. We offer both in-home puppy training programs as well as puppy board and train programs. Common puppy problem behaviors our Austin puppy owners want to eliminate include jumping, play-biting, and chewing. We will teach you how to potty train a puppy, how to crate train a puppy, how to socialize a puppy, and answer any other questions you might have along the way. From leash training at The Domain to appropriately greeting guests at your Zilker home, we will train your puppy to be the perfect companion on all of your Austin adventures! We aim to create a lifelong love of learning for every puppy!
Training Programs
Our goal is to teach your puppy everything they need to know to be a well-behaved adult dog! Your program will be personalized based on your specific puppy training goals such as:
Over the past 20+ years of training thousands of puppies, we have found that the best way to train your puppy is with a functional approach. Once you understand why a puppy engages in problem behavior and how puppies learn, training a puppy is much easier. We take this science-based approach to every puppy training program we create to target the individualized needs of your puppy. Function-based puppy training is scientifically proven to reduce puppy problem behavior such as puppy biting as seen in a 2022 study by Waite and Kodak. According to our resident CAAB Dr. Echterling-Savage, “When a puppy training plan is designed around functional consequences, puppy problem behavior such as biting can be significantly reduced in as little as three days and in many cases the problem behavior is completely gone within one month. That is the power of our science-based puppy training programs.”
Our All-Inclusive Training Program is our most comprehensive in-home puppy training program that encompasses 20 training sessions across five intensive weeks with two follow-up sessions spanning a total of 22 training sessions over eight weeks! This program has been designed to achieve high-level obedience training across a wide variety of Austin parks, dog-friendly stores, and wherever else you’d like training to occur. After you submit your training contract and Indirect Assessment of Canine Behavior, our pre-training team, led by Dr. Echterling-Savage, uses the information provided to craft your personalized puppy training program. Then, your trainer will put your training plan into action! Your trainer will work with your dog one-on-one for three 1-hour sessions during the week. The fourth session each week is dedicated to your training! After the five-week-long training program, there are two follow-up sessions to support your progress. The All-Inclusive Training Program is an investment that will last your puppy a lifetime and your trainer will be there guiding you every step of the way.
Our goal is for your puppy to get a jump start on obedience training and master three to four puppy behaviors or obedience commands in one to two locations such as your home, neighborhood, local park, local dog-friendly restaurant, etc. We can address the following:
Our team of Austin behavior consultants uses a data-driven, functional approach to puppy training that we created after training thousands of puppies in four different markets. Our unique training method involves positive reinforcement to address any puppy problem behavior or teach any puppy obedience command. Taking a functional approach allows us to craft personalized puppy training programs tailored directly to your puppy’s needs. Our Austin puppy training programs are incredibly unique because we take the time to understand why a puppy is engaging in problem behavior in the first place. Research supports functional treatment as highly effective in reducing puppy problem behaviors like jumping as seen in a 2019 study by Arnott et al. According to our CAAB Dr. Ectherling-Savage, “Our special positive reinforcement procedures teach puppies exactly how we expect them to behave both in the home and while out in public!”
The Executive Training Program consists of on-location training for one hour, three days a week for three to four weeks. After you submit your training contract and Indirect Assessment of Canine Behavior, our pre-training team, led by Dr. Echterling-Savage, uses the information provided to craft your personalized puppy training program. Then, your trainer will put your training plan into action! Your trainer will work with your puppy one-on-one for two sessions each week. The third session will be your training day where we focus on developing your puppy training skills! This program is available to puppies 14 weeks and older.
The goal of our Board and Train Program is to teach your puppy a strong foundation of socialization and advanced obedience with consistent reinforcement of good behavior at your trainer’s home. Your puppy’s training plan will be customized based on you and your puppy’s individual needs and can include:
During our Austin Puppy Board and Train Program, your puppy will receive the significant training advantage of living directly in your trainer’s home rather than at a traditional kennel facility. The attention your puppy will receive from a professional behavior consultant is truly unmatched. Your Austin puppy trainer will teach your puppy advanced obedience commands to reinforce all of your puppy’s newly learned behavior the entire duration of their board and train stay. Once your puppy has mastered obedience around your trainer’s home and neighborhood, your trainer will take your puppy to explore the Greater Austin area to generalize your puppy’s behavior and ensure obedience occurs wherever you take your puppy. Research shows that generalization of puppy obedience is crucial to puppy training as specific environments bring out certain behaviors as seen in a 2020 study by Cooper et al. According to our Co-Founder Sean Savage, “I frequently see generalization get overlooked. Puppy training programs are worthless when the puppy can only obey in one room. Clients love our board and train program because not only will puppies listen in your trainer’s home, but your puppy will perform advanced obedience in your home, in public places, and wherever else life takes them.”
Our unique Puppy Board and Train Program allows your puppy to live in their trainer’s home for three to four weeks, providing unmatched training and attention! Our pre-training team will customize your puppy’s training program based on your goals listed in the Indirect Assessment of Canine Behavior. Your puppy will join their trainer in exploring all Austin has to offer while also working on potty training, crate training, learning appropriate manners, socializing, and achieving a high level of obedience! At the conclusion of their Board and Train, there are 4.5 hours of training for you! This program is available to puppies 8 weeks and older.
Wish your new puppy came with an instruction manual? We will create a step-by-step training plan that will help you achieve all of your puppy training goals! Our pre-training team will customize your puppy’s training session based on your goals listed in the Indirect Assessment of Canine Behavior. Then, either virtually or in person, your Austin trainer will meet with you to discuss your puppy training plan. We will provide you with socialization guidelines, a potty training plan, enrichment ideas, crate training, solutions for play-biting, chewing and jumping and so much more! These sessions are available to puppies 8 weeks and older. Pricing for in-home 1-hour consultations is $160 per session and pricing for virtual sessions is $150 per session.
Reach Out
We’ll get back to you in two wags of a dog’s tail!
Sign up for our newsletter
Sign up for our newsletter
