Training Philosophy
Does your puppy cower or try to run away when approached by strangers? Does your puppy refuse treats and tuck its tail during walks? Puppies can develop fearful behaviors due to various influences, including past experiences and a lack of socialization.
Beyond the Dog Tampa Bay’s team are experts in building a puppy’s confidence, no matter the cause of the behavior. Our team is dedicated to help them overcome their fears, and fostering a happier lifestyle.
It’s essential to address fearful behaviors in puppies to prevent anxiety from escalating. Untreated fears can develop into more severe behaviors, such as lunging and barking, as the dog grows older. At Beyond the Dog, we utilize a unique combination of targeted obedience training and classical conditioning. Under the guidance of our Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist, Dr. Echterling-Savage, and Certified Dog Behavior Consultant, Sean Savage, we design our training programs based on the latest scientific research and over 20 years of extensive experience working with thousands of fearful dogs. We will create a structured plan that meets your training needs and the severity of their fearful behaviors. We will focus on training your puppy individually in the environments that best help reduce and eliminate your puppy’s fearful behavior, whether at your Beach Park home or walking around the Tampa Riverwalk.
Training Programs
Our training is designed to support your puppy in gaining confidence, learning advanced obedience, becoming comfortable in various social settings, and overcoming all types of fearful behaviors, including, but not limited to:
It is easy to confuse fearful behavior with stubbornness in puppies. A puppy who doesn’t want to go for a walk or leave the house may be experiencing fear rather than being tired. Fearful behavior can begin as early as 8-12 weeks and worsen as your puppy grows. If a puppy’s fearful behavior persists for six months without intervention, they will need a more comprehensive training program to overcome it. At Beyond the Dog, we address fearful behavior using positive reinforcement and classical conditioning techniques. Our training programs are informed by the latest scientific research and over 20 years of experience working with thousands of fearful puppies. Scientific Research that influences our training plans includes a study by Riemer that shows that classical conditioning is the most effective technique for treating fear-based behaviors in dogs. According to our Co-Founder Sean Savage, “Early intervention is critical in treating any fear-based behavior in puppies. When we catch the problem behavior early on, we can prevent severe aggression from developing in adulthood.”
To best understand and treat your puppy’s fearful behaviors, we ask that you complete our “Indirect Assessment of Canine Behavior” before training begins. Our team, led by our co-founders and Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist, Dr. Echterling-Savage, and Certified Dog Behavior Consultant, Sean Savage, will evaluate your assessment to develop a personalized training program to achieve your training goals.
Our behavior consultant, Sean Savage, then puts the plan into action through private one-on-one sessions held multiple times a week, each lasting 60 minutes. Depending on which environment best supports your puppy’s needs, these sessions will occur both in your home and at various locations around the Tampa Bay area. At the end of each week, the final session will focus on you, the owner, ensuring you have the knowledge and tools to continue supporting your puppy’s development. Follow-up sessions will be held after training has been completed to ensure ongoing success in addressing your puppy’s fear-based behaviors.
Many Insurance companies like Trupanion often cover behavior training if it is led by a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist (CAAB) or a Board Certified Veterinary Behaviorist. We recommend that you check with your provider to see if they will cover fear based behavioral training.
Our goal is to treat fearful behaviors, including:
Our Fearful Dog Training Program combines science-based training methods with over 20 years of experience to help your puppy achieve their full potential. Our proprietary treatment approach incorporates classical counterconditioning, also called Pavlovian conditioning, to address fear-based behaviors. This method helps us replace fear-inducing stimuli with new, positive associations, transforming your puppy’s fearful behavior into newfound confidence. These methods are supported by research by Hall et al., who support classical counterconditioning as a highly effective treatment for fearful behaviors in dogs. Our Co-Founder, Dr. Echterling Savage, explains, “Treating fearful behavior while puppies are still young can benefit you in the long run as you can prevent severe aggression from fully developing.”
Our 16-hour Fearful Dog Training Program is designed to help reduce or eliminate your dog’s fearful behaviors. The program spans for 4 weeks, with a total of 16 one-hour sessions. Before training begins, we ask that you submit your “Indirect Assessment of Canine Behavior,” which will provide us with information on your puppy’s fearful behavior and history. Our team, led by our co-founders and Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist, Dr. Echterling-Savage, and Certified Dog Behavior Consultant, Sean Savage, will evaluate your assessment to design a personalized training plan to meet your training goals.
Sean Savage will then work directly with your dog during private one-hour sessions, which will take place in your home and local neighborhood. The location of each session will be selected based on your dog’s progress and the specific behaviors that need attention. Every session is carefully scheduled to ensure optimal progress. The final session of each week is a dedicated lesson for you where you will learn how to reinforce the learned behaviors and obedience skills.
Insurance companies like Trupanion often cover behavior training conducted by a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist (CAAB) or a Board Certified Veterinary Behaviorist. Check with your provider to confirm coverage for fearful dog training.
Through two virtual consultations, Dr. Echterling-Savage will meet with you to address your puppy’s fearful behaviors. This program includes two hours of virtual sessions, a personalized training plan and ongoing guidance for long term results.
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 extensive knowledge to each session. Her comprehensive background includes a doctorate in the field, published research on canine behavior modification, and 25 years of hands-on training. Dr. Echterling-Savage will deliver expert guidance to help your puppy make lasting improvements with their fearful behavior.
Our Fearful Puppy Training Behavior Modification Package provides 2 hours of virtual sessions with Dr. Echterling-Savage, our Co-founder and Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist (CAAB). In virtual sessions, Dr. Echterling-Savage will evaluate your puppy’s fearful behavior and develop a personalized training plan to address their challenging issues. After the initial consultation, she will continue to provide guidance, assisting you with behavior scenarios that promote positive behavioral modification and ensure ongoing success.
The Fearful Puppy Training Behavior Modification Package is priced at $750, which includes two hours of private virtual consultations and support.