Training Philosophy
Does your puppy shy away when you or a family member try to handle them? Perhaps your puppy has snapped at you, the vet, or the groomer when touched? Puppies with touch sensitivity will be overly sensitive to physical contact or when someone intrudes on their personal space. Studies also show that resource guarding and touch sensitivity tend to be correlated. Our behavior consultants can help if your puppy shows signs of aggression or avoidance due to touch sensitivity.
If your puppy’s low-level aggressive behaviors, such as growling and nipping, are not corrected, the behavior will often worsen over time. Punishing this aggression may make the behavior disappear, but the underlying fear can remain, causing the aggression to return more severely. We recommend addressing touch sensitivity in your puppy early to prevent it from developing into more severe aggressive behaviors as they grow. Led by our Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist, Dr. Echterling-Savage, we apply the latest research to manage touch-sensitive behavior. Our training program is supported by over 20 years of hands-on experience treating thousands of puppies with touch sensitivity. You will see a difference in your puppy’s behavior within the first week of the training program.
Training Programs
Our goal is to treating your puppy’s touch-sensitive behaviors while also teaching relevant obedience commands that target:
As your puppy grows, fear-based behaviors like touch sensitivity can become more severe and may eventually lead to biting. Our touch sensitivity training program is designed to eliminate these behaviors in puppies before they escalate. Our program is developed by our Co-founder and Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist, Dr. Echterling-Savage, in collaboration with our behavior consultants. Our training methods incorporate classical conditioning to help form positive behaviors in situations that previously caused fear. This training method is supported by scientific studies including Stellato et al. which demonstrates that counterconditioning is effective in reducing touch sensitivity in dogs that previously experienced high levels of fear during veterinary examinations. Our Co-founder, Sean Savage, emphasizes this program’s success when stating, “Our team works to address touch sensitivity early so that it doesn’t strengthen with age and cause more serious issues later in life.”
Our 22-hour Touch Sensitivity Training Program will treat your puppy’s touch sensitivity and teach general obedience and manners. Before training begins, you ask that you submit your completed “Indirect Assessment of Canine Behavior .”This assessment will provide our team, led by our co-founder and Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist, Dr. Echterling-Savage, with information used to create a customized training plan that targets your dog’s specific touch-sensitive behaviors and their causes.
Your behavior consultant will then provide private one-on-one training sessions at both your home and neighborhood, depending on the specific training goals being addressed. During this time, Dr. Echterling-Savage will provide continued support with our behavior consultant to ensure the best success. Each training session is 1 hour long, with the final session of each week scheduled as a lesson for you. During this lesson, our behavior consultant will teach you how to reinforce your dog’s learned behaviors and obedience skills. Follow-up sessions will be scheduled after training has been completed to support ongoing success in addressing your dog’s touch sensitivity.
Many insurance companies, including Trupanion, offer coverage for behavioral training if led by a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist or Board Certified Vet Behaviorist. Be sure to check with your provider to see if they include touch sensitivity behavioral training.
Our Touch Sensitivity Training Puppy Behavior Modification Package offers virtual sessions with Dr. Echterling-Savage, our Co-founder and Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist (CAAB). As one of the few Board Certified Behavior Analysts specializing in Applied Animal Behavior and among only about 50 CAABs nationwide, Dr. Echterling-Savage brings comprehensive knowledge in treating touch sensitivity behaviors. Her extensive background, including hands-on training, mentoring of all Beyond the Dog’s behavior consultants, and published research on canine behavior, ensures she can provide in-depth guidance to aid your puppy in making transformative improvements in their touch-sensitive behavior.
During your virtual consultations, Dr. Echterling-Savage will assess your dog’s touch sensitivity behavior and develop a personalized training plan that addresses your puppy’s problematic behavior. After the initial consultation, she will provide ongoing support, helping you with behavior scenarios that reinforce positive behavioral modification and ensure continued success. The Touch Sensitivity Training Puppy Behavior Modification Package costs $750, including multiple sessions and support.
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