Training Philosophy
What Is Separation Anxiety Behavior in Puppies, and How Do We Address This?
Puppies with separation anxiety experience significant fear or stress when left alone or when separated from family members. You may notice your puppy barks and cries nonstop when you are away from them. Your puppy may get so stressed that you are afraid to leave your house because your puppy will be alone.
It’s normal for a puppy to occasionally cry when left in a crate, but excessive vocalizations, urinating or defecating in the crate, and scratching or biting at the crate door can all be signs of separation anxiety behaviors. For more information, we recommend checking out our blog on normal vs. abnormal puppy behavior, written by our Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist, Dr. Echterling-Savage.
Our Puppy Separation Anxiety Training Programs are scientifically designed to treat puppy separation anxiety and stop the anxious behavior before it gets too severe. This is achieved through training methods that include classical conditioning, which helps create positive associations with being alone, and positive reinforcement, which encourages desired behaviors through rewards such as treats and praise. These methods both teach your puppy positive associations when you are away.
Benefits of Puppy Separation Anxiety Training
Our co-founders, Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist Dr. Echterling-Savage and Certified Dog Behavior Consultant Sean Savage, have over two decades of experience addressing complex separation anxiety behaviors. They identify the underlying causes of separation anxiety, not just the symptoms, to reduce problem behaviors such as excessive barking, destructive and self-harming behavior, and attempts to escape their room or crate to find their family members.
Through our personalized training programs, your puppy will learn to be confident and relaxed whenever you leave the house. Addressing separation anxiety behaviors early can increase your puppy’s quality of life and reduce your stress when leaving your home. This is achieved through a combination of classical conditioning and positive reinforcement, which builds positive associations so they can be relaxed and confident in their own company.
Training Programs
This program’s goal is to treat your puppy’s separation anxiety behaviors and teach relevant obedience commands, socialization skills, and manners.
It includes connecting with Dr. Echterling-Savage during virtual consultations to discuss your puppy’s behavioral history, challenges, and your training goals. You will then be given a personalized training plan and provided with ongoing support and guidance to achieve your training goals.
Training will be provided by Dr. Echterling-Savage, a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist (CAAB) and Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) with a PhD in Behavioral Psychology, specializing in animal behavior. She has over 20 years of hands-on experience treating complex separation anxiety behaviors.
Dr. Echterling-Savage will create a personalized training plan to best address your puppy’s unique needs. This helps to treat the underlying causes of separation anxiety, to achieve long-term success with training. She will implement science-based training methods, including classical conditioning and reinforcement, to support your puppy’s behavioral wellness.
After your initial meeting, Dr. Echterling-Savage will continue to offer guidance and troubleshoot any separation anxiety behaviors, ensuring ongoing progress in your dog’s training. This program runs for four weeks for mild cases and five weeks for moderate or severe cases.
During this virtual program, you will connect with Dr. Echterling-Savage for virtual consultations to evaluate your puppy’s behavior and develop a personalized training program that addresses your puppy’s unique needs. Throughout the program, you will receive support, including troubleshooting of behavior scenarios, to ensure ongoing progress in reducing your puppy’s separation anxiety behaviors. The program’s duration depends on the severity of the separation anxiety behavior, with mild cases lasting four weeks and moderate to severe cases lasting five weeks.
In our Separation Anxiety Puppy Behavior Modification Package, we offer private virtual sessions with Dr. Echterling-Savage, our Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist (CAAB). Dr. Echterling-Savage is one of only a few Board Certified Behavior Analysts specializing in Applied Animal Behavior, with only around 50 CAABs in the country. With decades of expertise, including published research on canine behavior, Dr. Echterling-Savage is a leading expert in her field, making her consultations an invaluable opportunity for those seeking transformative change.
Dr. Echterling-Savage will connect with you virtually to evaluate your puppy’s behavior, designing a training program that addresses your specific needs. After your initial meeting, Dr. Echterling-Savage will continue to offer guidance and troubleshoot separation anxiety behavior scenarios, ensuring ongoing progress in your puppy’s training. This program runs for four weeks for mild cases and five weeks for moderate or severe cases.
Our wellness retreat offers personalized training programs to address your puppy’s separation anxiety and teach relevant obedience commands, manners, and socialization skills. With the goal for your puppy to be more confident and calm when home alone.
This program addresses separation anxiety behaviors that includes:
This program includes:
Depending on the distance from Tampa Bay, travel may be complimentary or require a small additional cost.
Our separation anxiety training programs are designed by Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist, Dr. Echterling-Savage. She will develop a personalized plan that includes one-on-one training sessions to address your puppy’s unique needs.
During our wellness retreat, your puppy will be trained using science-based training methods that includes classical conditioning and positive reinforcement, to help your puppy build positive associations when alone.
During the wellness retreat, your puppy will train and live with Dr. Kristyn Echterling-Savage and Sean Savage at their Tampa Bay home.
Dr. Kristyn Echterling-Savage is a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist (CAAB) and Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) with a Ph.D. in Behavioral Psychology, specializing in animal behavior. She has over 20 years of experience in addressing separation anxiety behaviors in puppies through and trains and mentors Beyond the Dog’s trainers.
Sean Savage is a Certified Dog Behavior Consultant (CDBC) and Certified Professional Dog Trainer – Knowledge Assessed (CPDT-KA). He has more than two decades of experience training obedience, socialization skills, and manners, and addressing a wide range of behavioral challenges.
While staying with Kristyn and Sean, your dog will live as part of the family, enjoying a balanced schedule of training sessions, exercise, and leisure time.
Before your training program has been developed, we ask that you submit your completed “Indirect Assessment of Canine Behavior”. This assessment will help us better understand your puppy’s behavioral history and your training goals. You will also meet with Dr. Echterling-Savage for a virtual consultation to further discuss your puppy’s separation anxiety behaviors and challenges so that she can develop a personalized training plan that meets your puppy’s unique needs.
Dr. Echterling-Savage, Sean Savage, or a trusted staff member will pick up your puppy from your home and transport them to Tampa Bay. Throughout the four-week wellness retreat, your puppy will train at the home of Dr. Echterling-Savage and Sean Savage, as well as in the Tampa Bay area, including hiking trails, shops, parks, and dog-friendly beaches. By training in various environments with distractions, your puppy can become more comfortable around strangers.
During the retreat, you will receive regular correspondence, including progress reports, phone conversations, and emails to help you stay informed about your puppy’s progress. At the end of the four-week training program, your puppy will be returned home, where you will receive 4.5 hours of return and follow-up lessons. These lessons are crucial for maintaining your puppy’s new skills and behaviors and achieving long-term success in training.