If you are a cat owner seeking cat training services, look elsewhere. As you can see, 99.9% of the reviews for this company are from dog owners and now, unfortunately, I know why. They know absolutely nothing about how to train cats. We have been keeping our cats separated because of fighting, so we hired a trainer to come out to our home to help us reintegrate them. Before the trainer came, she asked us to have the cats in their harnesses, even though our cats have had zero harness training and for them to be in separate rooms where they can't hide from her, which was an odd request. She spent absolutely no time trying to bond with our cats and decided that on the very first day, the cats were ready to be in the same room together. What? They haven't been in the same room together in months. They are wearing harnesses, which they do not like wearing, there is a stranger in close proximity, and they have been put in the same room together. What could go wrong. Needless to say, everything went wrong. The cats freaked out. They were so stressed. One was trying desperately to hide, but was trapped by the trainer. To top it off, the trainer texted later and thought the cats seemed relaxed when she left. OMG, seriously. It was a terrible experience for the cats and for us. You don't have to be an animal behavior specialist to know all the things the trainer was doing was wrong. Any pet owner with any common sense would know that. We canceled the rest of the sessions. Lost our $250 deposit and money for the training session. What is more disappointing is the owner of the company, Dr. Savage, never reached out to ask why we canceled the rest of the sessions and never asked about our experience with the trainer. You would think, as the owner, she would want to know what happened. read more

We hired Beyond the Dog to help us with our new puppy. We had a great experience with them. Our trainer Shyenne did an exceptional job. The lessons were all well structured and efficient and she was friendly and worked well with our dog - he looked forward to the lessons. At the end of each week Shyenne would send a summary of the week along with key items to practice between lessons. Our dog has done great and has great obedience - especially given his young age. Highly recommend. read more

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Lindsey is the best! She worked a miracle with our dog Emma. We adopted Emma from Madisonville Animal Shelter. When she was a puppy, she was abandoned in a house with her siblings. The neighbors called animal control to let them know about abandoned puppies in the house. However, the new owner arrived and shot Emma's puppy siblings in front of her. Animal control officers showed up right as the new owner was about to kill Emma and her last remaining sister. They took Emma and her sister to their outdoor no kill shelter where she stayed for 8 months. Because of Emma's trauma and her isolation at the shelter, she had a lot of fear issues when we adopted her. Her first night with us was her first time being in a house since the one she was abandoned in. It was hard getting her through doorways because she had a lot of fear. We decided to call Beyond the Dog right away. Lindsey came and spent a lot of time working with her. It took a week for Emma to let her get near her. Lindsey was very dedicated to winning her over. She was so patient and wonderful with her. Emma came out of her shell and Lindsey was able to work with her on basic commands and on getting her out around people. Emma built a strong bond with Lindsey and was excited by Lindsey's visits and even gave her kisses. One of my big worries with Emma was getting her to a vet and letting them give her shots. At the beginning, I could not see how that would have been possible. She had a lot of trust issues. She was very fearful of men (even my dad). Lindsey worked on socializing her and getting her out in public around people. At the end of the training program, Lindsey came with us to the vet and we got to watch Emma get shots from the vet. Our vet was even very impressed by Lindsey and the Beyond the Dog. Now that Emma is finished with training, she has a lot of confidence and even goes up to people. Lindsey truly trains with love. We are very thankful for all her time and effort with Emma. read more

Beyond The Dog - Emma walking on The Woodlands Waterway - Pet Training Near Me - Houston, Texas

At the end of last year the adorable puppy that I had adopted was showing signs of anxiety and reactivity. I contacted a trainer who evaluated her and told me she needed to be pu on anti anxiety meds for 3 months before this trainer would work with her. She also told me that if I chose not to go the medicine route then I should either give her back to the breeder or put her down!!!! I was horrified and heart broken. I consulted with my Vet and she suggested I might try Beyond the Dog training program. I reached out and very quickly the owner of the company called me. He was so kind and compassionate. He listened to my story and assured me that his program could turn my Penny around. . From the moment I opened the door to our wonderful trainer he began to work with our puppy. She was very reactive and barking non stop. She was scared. I was a little discouraged at the first session thinking that perhaps Penny was not going to do well. I could not have been more wrong! Our trainer, Ben, was amazing. He was patient and compassionate with Penny. The pair bonded after the second session and Penny was so excited to see him everyday. it was obvious to me that Ben truly loves and cares for his clients ( the two legged ones and the furry 4 legged ones). He was extremely patient with me as I practiced the techniques that he uses so efficiently to train and moderate Penny's behavior. he gave me the tools to use to continue this journey. He helped Penny accomplish all the goals we set at the first session. I look forward to setting new goals for the future and working with Ben to help Penny further develop skills that will keep her active, happy and anxiety free. Benjamin King exceeded our expectation of a dog/puppy trainer. Your pet is in capable hands using a proven training method with Beyond the Dog and Ben King as your professional trainer. Thank you Ben and Beyond the Dog. This was worth every penny I spent on my sweet Penny. read more

Beyond The Dog - Pet Training Near Me - Houston, Texas

I could not praise Dr. Savage and her team more! Working with her protocol and one of her trainers, Megan, has been an amazing experience. My dog, Charlie, has severe separation anxiety and pica, which complicates things that much more. After 3 month of extremely expensive (and complicated) gradual desensitization training with a well-known CSAT company, he had made almost no progress and I was at a loss. Charlie still couldn't be trusted alone without me doing a time-consuming series of "warmup" steps and, even then, only for about 25 min and not reliably. I hadn't been able to leave the house in 7 months without hiring someone to watch him. But after just 1 very reasonably priced virtual consultation session with Megan, and a few weeks of following her recommendations (which were super straightforward!), he has made continual and consistent progress. Recently, we smashed 2.75 hours of alone time and he just keeps getting better! He's so reliably calm that I don't even need to check the cameras for the first 60 min, afterwards only checking in every 10-15 min. I've been able to stop relying on a babysitter just to live my life. Plus, Megan has been a real support through the process, answering my questions and providing me with the guidance I need to feel confident. Trust me: Anyone who is struggling to help their dog overcome any kind of anxiety or trauma should definitely go to Beyond the Dog. TLDR: Have a severely anxious dog? Skip the CSAT and call Beyond the Dog. You won't regret it. I promise. read more

Abby and Beyond the Dog are AWESOME! She did an amazing job with our pomeranian and I would highly recommend!

My 1 year old Maltese Loki was a reactive wild man before we started training with beyond the dog. We could not take him anywhere without him having a constant meltdown. He would bark, growl, pull, and lunge at any other human being/dog. His reactivity made apartment/city living very stressful and almost impossible. We tried a few other well known trainers in the area and saw no results. We even saw a veterinary behaviorist and he failed medication. I was starting to think there was no hope for Loki. After reading reviews I decided to try Beyond the Dog. I wish we had worked with them sooner. Loki is completing their all inclusive program and will be starting their maintenance program. I really like their structured/5 day a week all inclusive training program. I think this really helped set Loki up for success. Loki and I now spend our afternoons walking around busy Hermann Park, something I never thought possible. I can actually enjoy walking him. If you're hesitant on the price, know it is well worth it. Shyenne at Beyond the Dog has helped transform the life we have with Loki! Shyenne is an amazing trainer and my Loki loves her, I highly recommend her. read more

Beyond The Dog - Loki at PetSmart - Pet Training Near Me - Houston, Texas

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My wife and I just finished a three week training course for our new 14 month old rescue dog Sparky. We were lucky to get trainer extraordinaire Megan Bender, a genuine expert both in training dogs and, equally important, in training humans to keep dogs trained. Megan quickly got Sparky on the road to being a good dog, and we now know enough to continue with the regimen we learned from Megan to make him the perfect dog. Interestingly, Sparky took a liking to Megan right away. She's a true dog lover, and he seemed to pick up on that, getting super excited when she arrived at our house for a training session. Bottom line: we couldn't be happier, and we'd recommend Beyond the Dog, and Megan Bender, to anyone. read more

Beyond The Dog - Sparky the Dog at home in the back yard - Pet Training Near Me - Houston, Texas

Beyond the Dog was amazing!! We recently adopted a rescue dog into our home. When we first adopted her she could not even be in the same room as our other pets - extremely high energy, chasing, barking. By the end of the Executive training program, our dog is totally calm in the presence of the other pets, follows commands, walks on a loose leash and heels on command, and is generally much more relaxed. The other day we even caught her napping with our cat! Special thanks to our trainers Abby and Mike who were super helpful and professional throughout the process! read more

My fur baby, Thor, was insanely leash reactive! We did the board and train with Megan and I can not speak more highly of her. Megan did an amazing job with Thor and now I can honestly say I walk my dog and he doesn't walk me (it only took 9 years to be able to say that.) It makes me mad at myself that I didn't do this sooner! My boyfriend and I are so impressed with his transformation and it encourages us to keep up all the hard work she put into it. She doesn't know it but she saved our blended family! Thank you for being A business I could count on! read more

Beyond The Dog - Thor during his training! - Pet Training Near Me - Houston, Texas

If I could give this place 10 Stars, I would! The results, professionalism, communication, flexibility, understanding, feedback, advice, and the fact that everyone keeps complimenting our dog makes this place worth every penny. I want to make it clear to all potential customers that this place is worth it (Yes, we were initially concerned about the financial investment, but the service received exceeded our expectations)! The difference (in quality) between Beyond the Dog and other places is greater than we expected. I highly recommend the all-inclusive program as life with our dog is much easier than I could have imagined! Thank you Abby, Shyenne, and Madeleine! read more

Beyond The Dog - Our Mini Dachshund Oliver is now calm, social, and classy following Beyond the Dog's all-inclusive program! - Pet Training Near Me - Houston, Texas

We had the best experience with Beyond the Dog. Our German Shepard just came back from a 3 week obedience training and she is so much better. We highly recommend the training and our experience with great!! read more

Update: Over one year later and Blueberry is literally the sweetest, most well-behaved little angel! We listened to all of Abby's advice for maintenance and have had great success. Funny story...We were at Petco a few months ago and happened to run into Abby. Blueberry was SO excited. It was literally so cute! Seriously one of the best decisions we ever made. A million thanks again! read more

Beyond The Dog - Thank you Abby for teaching me how to be a proper young lady! - Pet Training Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Ben came into our home upbeat about Orly, our fearful and stubborn rescue border collie. She took to him right away and came back after her sessions bright and more confident. Ben answered all our questions (with great patience!) and gave clear explanations of what he was showing us and why. Best of all, he worked with us to create training routines that fit in with what we hoped Orly could accomplish and what we could embrace and replicate ourselves. We thought she'd never jump into the car! Orly accomplished that with Ben the first week. We plan to work with Orly while we are on holiday and then ask Ben to take Orly and us to the next level. read more

I was excited about this place, reviews were good, the behavior guide was long but very thorough. Everything went well until I told them I wanted to do 3 days a week instead of 5. They refused and insisted I pay for their most expensive package without ever meeting my puppy. They claim they could only solve his behavior issues with their most expensive course. I found this odd since his behaviors are nothing beyond a normal puppy. Be cautious before going here, I think because of Covid they may be short on funds so they're being overly pushy into forcing people to spend more AFTER I paid my initial deposit. read more

We contacted Beyond the Dog for our newly-adopted Australian Shepherd, Jack, who had extreme difficulty with leash reactivity and cat chasing. We decided to go with the 4-week Executive Training Program and were paired with our trainer Megan. Before training, Jack would lunge and bark violently at any human or dog who was within 10-20 feet of us, which meant we could not even leave the house with him at all. He would also bark and lunge violently at our cat and chase every her chance he got. After training, he is now able to go on walks effectively with little to no reaction to other dogs. He is perfectly behaved in almost all public situations and is well on his way to being able to be walked without a gentle leader. He is also completely adjusted to our cat and no longer chases her at all. Our cat is no longer afraid and will lay on her back in the middle of the living room even with Jack present. To call Megan a miracle-worker would not be an exaggeration. Megan was so incredibly kind and wonderful with Jack. It was a pleasure working with her during the four weeks of training. We would recommend Megan and Beyond the Dog to anyone seeking help with animal behavioral issues. No matter how dire the circumstances, I am confident that Beyond the Dog is there to help! read more

We recently completed two at-home dog potty-training sessions with Megan from Beyond The Dog. Megan provided knowledgeable and experienced advice and service. She was gentle and compassionate in her approach to training us. We are still following her training plan and gradually realizing some successes. Megan, and the team at Beyond The Dog...thanks for a job well done! read more

All I can say is, Wow! My dogs' behavior has changed dramatically. Not only are they better behaved, but they are happier. I didn't realize that having boundaries could make a difference to their happiness too. Megan was truly amazing. When she walked my dogs, even the neighbors' dogs behaved better! She has a magical way about her. She was super positive with the dogs and with us. Her feedback was specific and easy to follow. I can't put into words, how much this training has affected our family. It has been well worth every penny. THANK YOU MEGAN!! read more

These trainers are amazing. I have just adopted one of my foster dogs with major fear issues. Sean and Hannah came out and worked with him and within one week we have made tremendous progress. I would highly recommend this positive based organization for any pet! read more

Our dog is nearly two years old now. We've had her since she was about 3 months old and we started taking her to puppy training as soon as she was fully vaccinated. While the puppy classes, and later group classes (before we had to stop due to COVID restrictions) were fun and the dog enjoyed them, we had particular issues related to recall, loose-leash walking, aggression toward strangers, over-excited jumping and nipping of visitors, and distraction (by squirrels, cats, lizards, bugs, you name it). We really needed a program tailored to our situation. Mike McCollough, our assigned trainer, did a fantastic job. He was on-time, courteous, professional, and fun. The Beyond-the-Dog approach was new to us - Mike spent four days a week working with our dog, and the fifth day working with us. Training the owners, is, of course, key to having a well-behaved pet. This was ideal for us. Our dog quickly learned the ropes from Mike, then we learned how to adopt the techniques ourselves and help the dog maintain better behavior. She's not perfect, and we are far from perfect, but with Mike's help the difference is like night and day. Now the dog responds well to recalls on a long leash in distracting settings; she walks mostly politely by our sides; she no longer lunges for cats, squirrels, and lizards; her inclination to meet strangers with aggression is greatly reduced; she is able to welcome visitors to our home without jumping and nipping, and overall she seems calmer. I strongly recommend Beyond the Dog for specialized pet-training needs. read more

Abby and Ben were a fantastic team! They transformed our 8-month-old giant Lab/Great Pyrenees mix, Blue, from a completely un-walkable monster to the type of dog who gets compliments on the streets. I used to hate going on walks with Blue fearing my arm would get dislocated or he would pull me into the street after a squirrel. Now, he walks at my side reliably and sits and stays and doesn't react to other dogs. In the home, Abby and Ben transformed Blue from a wrecking ball of unchecked excitement at the sound of the doorbell to a good boy who auto-sits and waits patiently for pets. Ben and Abby really taught us how to manage Blue, just as much as they taught him new commands. They were flexible in terms of time and location for training sessions and they were patient with our never-ending list of questions (even available via text/email outside of training sessions). Our puppy was the focus of our plan, but Abby and Ben were great and incorporated our older dog into the training plan as well, and now she's much better behaved too! We are two weeks out from training now and Abby and Ben's work has held up nicely. We are so much more confident walking both of our dogs and comfortable leaving them alone at home. Both of our dogs were always thrilled when they saw Abby and Ben arrive for training sessions and I think that speaks volumes about the caring and enriching type of trainers that they are. If you are on the fence about training, take the leap! We highly recommend them, 12/10 satisfaction! read more

We used Alexandra at Beyond the Dog to train our two Cavaliers and have had great success ever since. She truly transformed our dogs! I can't even explain how happy I am with this company! They came to my house and were flexible with me and my crazy work schedule. I will never trust my pups with anyone else! Completely recommend! read more

Beyond The Dog is great, and working with Alexis was wonderful! People always compliment us on our well-behaved pup!