Training Philosophy
Does your puppy refuse to leave the house? Or maybe they tend to flatten to the ground on walks? Maybe your puppy starts to tremble and scan the environment anxiously in certain busy places? We are here to help! Our Houston puppy training program is designed specifically to treat fearful behavior wherever it is occurring. The main goal of our science-based training program is to eliminate fear and anxiety from your puppy’s daily life. We want your puppy to be calm and confident no matter their external environment so they develop into happy adult dogs! One of our Houston behavior consultants will work with you and your puppy wherever they are exhibiting fearful behavior. Over the course of their Houston fearful puppy training program, watch your puppy’s fear transform into confidence. We want your puppy to be confident at Houston’s dog-friendly patios like Eight Row Flint or Houston parks like Buffalo Bayou!
Your puppy’s well-being is at the forefront of our Houston dog training programs. Maybe your puppy is terrified of cars and bicycles? When left untreated, sometimes fear-based behavior can turn into dog aggression later on in your puppy’s life. Our team, led by our Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist, Dr. Echterling-Savage, is dedicated to improving you and your dog’s quality of life in Houston. Using a proprietary combination of classical and operant conditioning, our data-driven training programs are proven to treat all puppy fearful behavior. Utilizing our Indirect Assessment of Canine Behavior, our team will work with you to develop a step-by-step treatment plan to transform your puppy’s behavior into confidence. After gathering data from thousands of fearful dogs, our Houston in-home puppy training programs are scientifically proven to reduce and eliminate fearful behavior in your puppy.
Training Programs
Our goal is to help your puppy gain confidence, reach socialization goals, learn advanced obedience commands such as leash walking, recall, and wait, and treat all fearful behavior including but not limited to:
Signs of fearful behavior in puppies can be surprisingly subtle, particularly in our chaotic day-to-day lives. Clients often report that their puppy “refuses to leave the house” or “refuses to walk.” In these cases, puppies are often not overheated or tired. This behavior is a sign of a larger, more concerning fear-related issue. Sometimes this behavior starts very mild with an 8 to 12-week-old puppy but worsens as the puppy matures. Puppies whose behavior persists beyond six months often need more intensive treatment to target the fear-related response. For these cases, puppies need a different approach than standard obedience training. We target fear-related behavior with a unique approach involving classical conditioning and positive reinforcement. Research by Riemer supports classical conditioning as the most effective method in treating fearful behavior in dogs. According to our Co-Founder Sean Savage, “Early intervention is extremely critical when it comes to fear-based behavior in puppies. When the behavior is detected at an early age and treatment is performed, we can prevent severe aggression from developing as your puppy matures.”
The All-Inclusive Program for Fearful Puppies encompasses 20 training sessions across 5 intensive weeks with 2 follow-up sessions spanning a total of 22 training sessions over 8 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 dog 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! This structure is designed to produce seamless learning and long-term behavior change. After the 5-week-long training, there are 2 follow-up sessions to support your progress. Please note that our indirect behavior assessments will confirm the severity of your dog’s behavior and if deemed severe you may incur a small additional fee.
If you are a pet parent with an insurance policy covering behavior modification, our fearful puppy behavior modification is likely covered. Most companies with behavior policies such as Trupanion cover behavioral training when under the direction of a CAAB or a Board Certified Veterinary Behaviorist.
We reduce your puppy’s mild fearful behavior directly where it occurs. We address fearful puppy behavior including but not limited to:
If mild fearful behavior is not identified and treated during puppyhood, it could turn into severe aggression as your puppy matures. Our unique training protocol taps into Pavlovian conditioning. This process is used to create a new positive association between two stimuli. Research by Hall et al. supports that counterconditioning is highly effective in treating fearful behavior in working dogs. According to our animal behavior expert Dr. Echterling-Savage, “Addressing your puppy’s fearful behavior while they are still young can save you time, money, and stress later on by preventing aggression from fully developing.”
Our Executive Training Program for Puppy Anxiety consists of 12 hours of training across 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 dog training program. Your trainer will then work directly with your puppy for (2) 1-hour sessions and with you for (1) 1-hour session per week for four weeks. Please note that our indirect behavior assessments will confirm the severity of your puppy’s behavior and if deemed severe you may incur a small additional fee.
If you are a pet parent with an insurance policy covering behavior modification, our fearful puppy behavior modification is likely covered. Most companies with behavior policies such as Trupanion cover behavioral training when under the direction of a CAAB or a Board Certified Veterinary Behaviorist.
Want expert advice on how to address your puppy’s fearful behavior but don’t live in the Greater Houston area? In these 1-hour virtual consultations, we will give you expert training advice on specific steps to take to help your puppy gain confidence and practice calm behavior. After completing the Indirect Assessment of Canine Behavior, we will recommend one or multiple sessions with Dr. Echterling-Savage or with one of our other behavior consultants under her direct supervision depending on the severity of your puppy’s fearful behavior. Pricing for a 1-hour virtual consultation with Dr. Ectherling-Savage is $375. Pricing for a 1-hour virtual consultation with one of our Houston trainers is $150.
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