In our Board and Train Retreat, your dog will live in the home of Beyond the Dog’s co-founders, Dr. Kristyn Echterling-Savage and Sean Savage, while receiving professional training both inside and outside of the home to ensure high levels of obedience in every situation. This exclusive training program occurs in Tampa Bay, Florida, giving your dog plenty of opportunities to enjoy the beauty of Florida before returning home to Houston.
This program is ideal for those who may be traveling outside of Houston or unavailable for regular training sessions, but still want their dog to receive high-level training. During their stay, your dog will enjoy a balanced schedule of structured training and leisure, enriched with experiences across Tampa Bay’s best parks, beaches, trails, shops, and farmers’ markets. Your dog will return confident, refreshed, and prepared to navigate a wide variety of everyday settings, ready to enjoy the best that Houston has to offer.
Goals taught during the retreat include, but are not limited to:
Travel to Tampa Bay and back to Houston is complimentary.
Living with the trainer allows your dog to learn and reinforces positive behaviors in a home setting, ensuring smooth transitions back to your own home. In addition to home settings, your dog will be trained in public environments, such as dog-friendly restaurants, parks, and hiking trails. Training in different environments helps ensure that your dog has the highest level of obedience everywhere, not just in the place where they have been taught.
As stated by Sean Savage, “The amount of attention your dog will receive during our Board and Train Retreat is truly unique. This is a big benefit over traditional training facilities, and your dog will experience significant positive behavioral changes during the training period”.
At their home in Tampa Bay, Florida, your dog will live and train directly with two leading experts in their field.
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 hands-on training experience and mentors and trains Beyond the Dog’s trainers.
Sean Savage is a Certified Dog Behavior Consultant (CDBC), Certified Professional Dog Trainer – Knowledge Assessed (CPDT-KA), who brings decades of experience in training manners, obedience, and addressing complex behavioral issues.
This program begins with a consultation with Dr. Echterling-Savage, who will review your training goals and your dog’s behavioral history. You will also complete our “Indirect Assessment of Canine Behavior”, to assist in creating a personalized training program that addresses your dog’s unique needs and to ensure long lasting success after the training program has been completed.
A trusted staff member will personally transport your dog from your home to their home in Tampa Bay. Your dog will be a part of the family during the whole Board and Train Retreat. Your dog will be taught both inside and outside the home to develop high-level obedience, manners, and address problem behaviors.
You will receive regular calls, updates, and correspondence during the four-week Board and Train Retreat, so you are aware of your dog’s progress and how they have been enjoying their stay. At the end of the retreat, Sean or Kristyn will return your dog home, and together with a Houston-based Beyond the Dog trainer, will provide 4.5 hours of follow-up training sessions. This will help ensure you have the tools to maintain your dog’s training session long after this program.
Dr. Echterling-Savage will assess your dog’s behavior and work with you to define your training goals. From there, she will create a personalized plan to teach high-leevel obedience, manners, and address behavioral challenges. Behavioral challenges can include fearful behavior, resource guarding, cat chasing behaviors, separation anxiety, touch sensitivity, and reactivity.
During their stay, your dog will enjoy a perfect balance of structured training, play, and rest to ensure their time is both productive and enjoyable. Beyond the Dog utilizes private sessions grounded in science-based training methods, delivering reliable results that seamlessly carry over into both home and public environments.
At Beyond the Dog, we utilize proven scientific research with classical and operant conditioning techniques. Our training goes beyond teaching commands; we reinforce positive behaviors and build lasting associations that lead to a confident, well-trained dog who will be at their best both at home and in public.
When your dog returns home from the Retreat, we will provide four and a half hours of follow-up lessons, ensuring you feel confident maintaining the new skills and behaviors. Paired with easy-to-follow written notes, you will have the tools to support your dog’s progress and success long-term.
Your dog’s safety and comfort are always a top priority. They will never travel in the cargo hold during their travel to and from Tampa Bay. Instead, your dog will ride comfortably alongside a trusted staff member in their car or sit with them when flying. This ensures your dog stays relaxed and cared for throughout the journey. Transportation is included in the price of the program. Transportation is included in the price of the program.