Training Philosophy
Having a new puppy in Houston is such an exciting time! Our puppy training programs are designed to help you and your puppy experience all Houston has to offer and live life to the fullest! We specialize solely in private puppy training. This allows us to build your training program around you and your puppy’s needs, starting from the time you bring them home! We can provide potty training plans, solutions for play-biting, jumping, chewing, socialization goals, enrichment ideas, and more. As your pup grows, so can their training!
We prepare your puppy for all Houston adventures by training where you live! This means leash training around Memorial Park, Buffalo Bayou, and your very own neighborhood. We’ll practice down-stays during brunch in the Heights, being a great “host” while entertaining guests in your Houston home, and recall at Johnny Steele! The ability to design puppy training programs around every puppy’s needs comes from our Houston training team’s unmatched knowledge and experience. We can help prepare your puppy with new skills for good behavior from Market Street in The Woodlands to Highland Village in the River Oaks for endless days of family-friendly shopping and playing. Led by Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist, Dr. Echterling-Savage, we only utilize the latest research in dog behavior in our programs. We aim to create a lifelong love of learning for every puppy!
Training Programs
Learn more about insurance options below.
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:
We take a functional approach to addressing every puppy’s problem behavior. Once the reason why the puppy is engaging in problem behavior is determined, we can create a training plan that directly targets the root of the problem. Take puppy biting, for example, one of the most common puppy problem behaviors. Normally, puppies typically bite to communicate, receive attention, or simply because it feels good. In a 2022 study by Waite and Kodak, function-based treatment was proven to be effective for all participating puppies to reduce puppy biting. According to our resident CAAB Dr. Echterling-Savage, “After implementing a proper treatment plan, one designed around functional consequences, your puppy’s problem biting can be significantly reduced within three days and, in many cases, is completely gone within one month.”
The All-Inclusive Training Program is our most intensive in-home puppy training program that encompasses 22 training sessions across eight weeks! This program has been designed to achieve high-level obedience training across a wide variety of Houston parks, dog-friendly stores, and wherever else you’d like training to occur. Your trainer will customize your puppy’s training program based on your goals listed in the Indirect Assessment of Canine Behavior. After crafting your puppy’s training plan, 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 5-week-long training program, there are (2) 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. Please note that our indirect behavior assessments will confirm that an obedience-only program matches your puppy best.
Learn more about insurance options below.
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:
By using a functional approach, we are uniquely qualified to address any puppy problem behavior or obedience command. It’s incredibly important to understand why the puppy is engaging in the behavior in the first place. For example, let’s examine one of the most common puppy problem behaviors, puppy jumping. Jumping is often an attention-getting behavior so telling your puppy “No!” or “Off!” just fuels the attention-maintained fire. Our approach is one around teaching a behavior that competes with jumping. The final response is that the puppy sits nicely and waits for attention to be delivered. This science-based approach is supported by a multitude of studies, including research by Arnott et al. In this 2019 study, functional analysis and treatment were highly effective in reducing puppy jumping when reinforced by both the trainer and owner. According to our CAAB Dr. Ectherling-Savage, “Using reinforcement procedures we can teach puppies a behavior that competes with the problem behavior and thereby reduces it!”
The Executive Training Program consists of on-location training for one hour, three days a week for three to four weeks. Your Houston trainer will customize your puppy’s training program based on your goals listed in the Indirect Assessment of Canine Behavior. After developing your pup’s training plan, 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. Please note that our indirect behavior assessments will confirm that an obedience-only program matches your puppy best.
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:
Your puppy will live in your trainer’s home rather than a traditional boarding facility, giving your puppy a significant training advantage. Your trainer will give your puppy constant training and reinforcement throughout the entire program. Once your puppy has mastered obedience in the home and neighborhood, your puppy will explore the Greater Houston area putting their newfound obedience skills to the test. Once it is time for your return lesson, your puppy will have already been to multiple dog-friendly Houston stores and restaurants so their obedience is properly generalized. According to a 2020 study by Cooper et al., generalization of puppy obedience is critical as specific environments bring about certain behaviors so a dog must learn to adapt. According to our Co-Founder Sean Savage, “Generalization is a crucial step in the puppy training process that oftentimes gets overlooked. It does no one any good to have a puppy behave well in our homes. Our board and train clients love how their puppies not only listen in a trainer’s home, they are compliant in their own home as well as in public places or wherever life takes them!
This unique puppy training program allows your puppy to live in their trainer’s home for three to four weeks, providing unmatched training and attention! Your trainer 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 Houston has to offer while also working on housebreaking, 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. Please note that our indirect behavior assessments will confirm that an obedience-only program matches your puppy best.
Wish your new Houston puppy came with an instruction manual? Our trainers can deliver exactly that! Your Houston trainer will customize your puppy’s training session based on your goals listed in the Indirect Assessment of Canine Behavior. Afterward, one of our Houston trainers will come to your home and design a personalized puppy training plan just for you and your pup! They will provide you with socialization guidelines, a potty training plan, enrichment ideas, solutions for play-biting, chewing and jumping and so much more! This program is available to puppies 8 weeks and older. We also have online consultations for puppies for those who live outside of the Greater Houston Area! Pricing for each 1-hour in-home consultation is $160 per session and $150 per virtual session.
Reach Out
We’ll get back to you in two wags of a dog’s tail!
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