Training Philosophy
What Is Touch Sensitivity and How Do We Address This?
Touch sensitivity is when a puppy is overly sensitive to touch, showing signs of abnormal fear or aggression when handled in certain contexts. This can make veterinary or grooming appointments later on incredibly difficult. Perhaps you find it difficult to put a harness on your puppy? Does your puppy avoid being picked up? Some puppy squirminess is normal, but if a puppy engages in aggressive biting or extreme signs of discomfort in response to restraint, your puppy might be touch-sensitive.
We treat touch sensitivity by developing a personalized training program that meets the unique needs of your puppy. This includes science-based training methods, including positive reinforcement and classical conditioning, where your puppy will be taught specific obedience commands that help manage your puppy’s touch sensitivity.
Benefits of Fearful Behavior Puppy Training
Our team, led by Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist Dr. Kristyn Echterling-Savage and Certified Dog Behavior Consultant Sean Savage, uses proven scientific training methods and over 50 years of combined training experience to address fearful behaviors. We provide luxury dog training services, serving Miami and South Florida, including Coral Gables, Pinecrest, Coconut Grove, Key Biscayne, Sunny Isles Beach, Palm Beach, and Jupiter.
Your dog will learn to overcome their fears and build confidence. This includes helping your dog not to be scared by passing vehicles such as cars or bicycles and when seeing other and people. By the end of the training program, your dog will be more confident and comfortable to go out on adventures with you, when greeting guests at your home, and when attending vet visits or grooming appointments.
Training Programs
This program aims to address your dog’s touch sensitivity through personalized training plans developed through virtual consultations with Dr. Echterling-Savage, while providing ongoing guidance and support to promote long-term success.
This training program is provided by Dr. Echterling-Savage, a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist (CAAB) and Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) with a PhD in Behavioral Psychology, specializing in animal behavior. She has over 20 years of experience treating touch sensitivity and has published research on canine behavior modification. As a leading expert in her field, she offers extensive knowledge and support in addressing puppy problem behaviors while mentoring owners to ensure long-term success.
This program begins with you and Dr. Echterling-Savage meeting via virtual consultation to discuss your dog’s behavioral history, challenges, and your training goals. She will then develop a personalized training plan that addresses all of these issues to treat your puppy’s touch-sensitivity behavior and teach relevant obedience commands.
Dr. Echterling-Savage will continue to provide guidance, troubleshoot any behavior scenarios, and meet for further virtual consultations through the four to six-week program. This will help ensure lasting success in training and increase comfort with touch and in the presence of others. This program is designed to run for four weeks for mild cases of touch sensitivity and six weeks for moderate to severe cases.
In this program, our goal is to address your puppy’s touch sensitivity by creating positive associations with being handled and touched. This can include scenarios including:
Program Includes:
Depending on the distance from Tampa Bay, travel may be complimentary or require a small additional cost.
We use science-based training methods to provide behavioral wellness. Training methods that we use include positive reinforcement, classical conditioning and cooperative care.
Our training focuses on teaching your puppy positive associations with being handled, which will lead to much easier veterinary and grooming visits, a more peaceful household, and making it much easier to handle your puppy.
During our Touch Sensitivity Puppy Training Program, your puppy will live and train with Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist, Dr. Kristyn Echterling-Savage, and Certified Dog Behavior Consultant, Sean Savage, at their home in Tampa Bay, Florida. During this time, your puppy will also train with our other Florida-based dog trainer, Shelby Shipp.
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 experience teaching dogs obedience commands, manners, and addressing mild to severe fearful behaviors. Dr. Echterling-Savage mentors and trains Beyond the Dog’s trainers.
Sean Savage is a Certified Dog Behavior Consultant (CDBC) and Certified Professional Dog Trainer – Knowledge Assessed (CPDT-KA). With over 20 years of experience training puppy’s, he teaches obedience commands and manners, while addressing a wide range of behavioral challenges including fearful behaviors.
Shelby Shipp is a dog trainer who supports our board and train programs. Before joining Beyond the Dog, Shelby worked as a veterinary assistant while completing her Bachelor of Science in Animal Science. She has experience training dogs in obedience and manners, and addressing complex problem behaviors.
Throughout the four weeks of training, you will be kept updated on your puppy’s progress through correspondence, including virtual meetings, phone conversations, emails, and progress reports.
At the end of the four-week training period, we will take your puppy back to your home and provide 4.5 hours of return and follow-up lessons. These lessons will help achieve lasting results from training and teach you how to manage all your puppy has learned during training.
Before the program begins, Dr. Kristyn Echterling-Savage will meet with you for a virtual consultation, where you can discuss your puppy’s touch sensitivity behavior, your training goals, and any questions that you may have. We also ask that you submit your completed “Indirect Assessment of Canine Behavior” questionnaire, so that we can better understand your puppy’s behavioral history.
Dr. Echterling-Savage will then develop a personalized training plan to address your puppy’s fearful behavior, provide obedience training, teach good manners, and support socialization.
Sean Savage, or one of our other trainers, will then pick up and transport your puppy from your home to Tampa Bay, Florida. We always prioritize your puppy’s safety, and during this travel, your puppy will always remain at their trainer’s side, whether it’s in the cabin or travelling in a car.
During the four-week board and train program, your puppy will live and train at the Tampa Bay home of Dr. Echterling-Savage and Sean Savage. Your puppy will be a part of the family, with private training provided throughout the day, along with play and relaxation time.
Training occurs both at home and throughout the Tampa Bay area, so we can most effectively treat touch-sensitivity behaviors and provide high-level obedience training across many different settings. This includes teaching your puppy to be comfortable with different distractions, including a wide range of people, dogs, and other stimuli. Training can occur at home and in public areas, including parks, shopping areas, hiking trails, farmers’ markets, and dog-friendly beaches. Every training session is developed to your puppy’s personal needs and is taught through a private training session, so that your puppy always has the trainer’s full attention.
During the four-week training period, we will keep you updated on your puppy’s progress, which can include virtual meetings, phone conversations, emails, videos, and progress reports.
At the end of the board and train program, we will bring your puppy back home, where we will provide 4.5 hours of return and follow-up lessons. During these lessons, we will teach you all that your puppy has learned, how to manage your puppy’s new skills, and how to achieve long-lasting results from training.