Meet Our Dallas Dog Training Experts

Our Mission

At Beyond the Dog, we aim to improve the lives of dogs and their families using the latest research in dog training and behavior in our Dallas community.

Driven by Dr. Echterling-Savage and Sean Savage, we aim to change and improve the lives of dogs and their families in Dallas using our team’s expert behavior and training knowledge. Our team’s diverse backgrounds and experience allow us the unique opportunity to develop ethical and practical in-home dog training solutions for the tiniest Chihuahua to the largest Great Dane!

Our Story

Learn more about our journey to Dallas below.

Sean and Kristyn Savage - Beyond the Dog Training

I could not be more thrilled to open our Dallas office! In fact, it has been over a decade in the making. After visiting Dallas in 2009 and falling in love with the city and the people, we set our sights on serving the community here. As they say, timing is everything, and 2023 was finally the time. We have recruited one of our top training mentors, Megan Magarian, someone whom we have mentored for so many years, to lead our Dallas training team.

Megan grew up in California with a West Highland Terrier and two Labrador mixes she rescued off the street. As a child, Megan pet-sat local families’ pets and always knew she wanted to work with animals as a life-long career. In college, she adopted a 10-year-old lab and worked in a veterinary clinic as a technician. Megan has a long history of volunteering in shelter settings. In addition to donating her time in shelter settings, Megan has fostered a variety of dogs and puppies, all of which she found loving homes for with her immediate family and friends. Megan worked as a supervisor in a doggie daycare for several years before moving across the country for Beyond the Dog. She joined our team in 2018 and quickly became one of our top trainers. Later, she was promoted and served as a Training Mentor.

Megan is an expert in training both dogs and cats across a wide variety of problem behaviors. We could not be prouder of Megan’s work and her contributions to Beyond the Dog. With her as our Dallas manager, and after serving neighboring cities including Houston and Austin since 2017, we are excited to serve this fantastic city for years to come!


Kristyn Savage, PhD, CAAB, BCBA

Who We Are

Introducing our Dallas Dog Training Experts

Beyond the Dog’s Dallas dog training team has 50 years of experience in animal training and behavior! We build our dog training programs on the diverse backgrounds of our staff and their experience in behavior research, marine mammal training, horse training, dog sports, military experience, and more!
Directed by Dr. Echterling-Savage and Sean Savage, our staff receive unmatched training and guidance to develop their skills further to specialize in dogs and their families. This allows our trainers to provide only the best training solutions to our Dallas dog community.
Kristyn Echterling-Savage - Dog Trainer

Kristyn Savage

PhD, CAAB, BCBA

CEO, Founder, Owner

Sean Savage

Sean Savage

BS, CDBC, CPDT-KA

CFO, Founder, Owner

Alexis Mitchell - Houston Dog Trainer

Alexis Mitchell

BS, CPDT-KA, CBCC-KA

COO

Claire Gage

Claire Gage

BS

Behavior Consultant

Megan Bender

Megan Magarian

BA, CPDT-KA

Expansion Manager and Mentor

Allison Conrad

Allison Conrad

BS

Scheduling Manager