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. Our puppy training programs will ensure your puppy is set up for a lifetime of success through our unparalleled system of assessing, predicting, and modifying puppy behavior.
We prepare your puppy for life in your Houston neighborhood and beyond! This means leash training at your favorite local spots such as Memorial Park and Buffalo Bayou. 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
Our goal is 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.”
Our All-Inclusive Training Program is our most comprehensive in-home puppy training program that encompasses 20 training sessions across 5 intensive weeks with 2 follow-up sessions spanning a total of 22 training sessions over 8 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. 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 puppy training program. Then, your trainer will put your training plan into action! Your trainer will work with your puppy 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. Each one of our training sessions is preplanned and based on data we have collected across 4 markets and 20+ years of training animals. We maximize your puppy’s learning efficiency by running a certain number of trials across a certain speed for each obedience command we teach! We aim to create a lifelong love of learning for each puppy we train. This program is available to puppies 14 weeks and older.
Our goal is 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. 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. Echterling-Savage, “Using reinforcement procedures we can teach puppies a behavior that competes with the problem behavior and thereby reduces it!”
We provide on-location training in the Greater Houston area for one hour, three days a week for three to 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 puppy training program. Then, your trainer will put your training plan into action! 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 puppy training program is best suited for addressing 2-3 obedience commands and puppy manners. This program is available to puppies 14 weeks and older. Our three week Executive Program is priced at $1,440 while our four week Executive Program is offered for $1,920.
Our goal is 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. Our trainers know exactly how to generalize your puppy’s behavior so that your puppy listens to you wherever you go! 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. This program is available to puppies 8 weeks and older. Our three week Board and Train Program is priced at $5,550 while our four week Board and Train Program is offered for $7,160.
Our Puppy Obedience and Manners Behavior Modification Package offers private one-on-one virtual sessions with Dr. Echterling-Savage, our resident Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist (CAAB). As one of the few Board Certified Behavior Analysts in Applied Animal Behavior and among only 50 CAABs in the country, Dr. Echterling-Savage has decades of experience and has published papers on canine behavior. Her expertise makes these consultations an invaluable opportunity for anyone looking to address their puppy’s obedience and manners.
Dr. Echterling-Savage will work closely with you to design a training plan designed specifically for your puppy’s unique needs. After your first meeting, she’ll continue to guide you, providing ongoing support and troubleshooting behavior scenarios that help you manage your puppy’s training and ensure ongoing progress. The Puppy Obedience and Manners Behavior Modification Package is priced at $615 and includes multiple sessions and ongoing support.
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