What are the opening hours?

Monday 7:30am - 7pm Tuesday 7:30am - 8pm Wednesday 7:30am - 8pm Thursday 7:30am - 8pm Friday 7:30am - 8pm

Beyond the Dog - Kansas City

Home
United States
Kansas City, MO
Beyond the Dog - Kansas City

Beyond the Dog - Kansas City Since 2005, we have provided private dog training to the greater Kansas City area. Our expert trainer Each trainer is educated, highly skilled, and certified.

Beyond the Dog, LLC is a full service dog training company that provides assistance to those in the entire Kansas City metro area. Our trainers are led by and walk in the footsteps of our founders, Dr. Kristyn Echterling Savage and Sean Savage. Dr. Savage is one of less than 50 Certified Applied Animal Behaviorists in the country and takes pride in supervising team members. We provide behavior the

rapy for a variety of problem behavior ranging from severe aggression to simple housebreaking and everything in between!

06/19/2024

Meet Tripp, our Kansas City Dog of the Month!

After training thousands of puppies over the past 20+ years, we have created puppy behavior modification training programs that can be personalized to teach any puppy any new behavior!

The main training goals of Tripp’s Kansas City puppy training program were to eliminate his pesky jumping and teach him calmer behavior especially when playing with his human siblings. Tripp nailed his puppy training goals and now his family is confident taking him all around Kansas City with them because of his newly learned good behavior. Go, Tripp!

Link in bio to learn more about our in-home, board and train, and virtual puppy training programs!

06/07/2024

Link in bio to learn more about our Kansas City fearful dog training programs!

05/21/2024

As dog trainers, our main focus is what will improve the quality of life for dogs and their owners!

Your dog’s mental health is our priority every month, not just in May.

You can protect your dog’s brain health by focusing on eliminating or avoiding regular stressors, making room for joyful social interactions, striving to create an entertaining and predictable environment, and of course training.

Good brain health leads to good mental health and a long, happy, healthy life with your 4-legged family member extending well beyond May!

Check out the blog post below to learn more!

https://beyondthedogtraining.com/dog-training/protecting-the-mental-health-of-dogs/

05/10/2024

In honor of all of the hard-working, amazing moms, we will be giving 10% OFF ALL DOG AND CAT TRAINING PROGRAMS (three weeks minimum) from NOW UNTIL THE END OF THE DAY, FRIDAY, MAY 17TH.

This offer is valid at all of our in-home training locations (Austin, Dallas, Houston, and Kansas City) and for our virtual training programs available worldwide!

After treating 1000’s of dogs and cats across the US, we are uniquely qualified to address any pet behavior!

Common behaviors we address in our training programs include:

🐾 Dog Reactivity, Aggression, and Fear
🐾 Dog Resource Guarding
🐾 Dog Separation Anxiety
🐾 Dog Touch Sensitivity
🐾 Puppy Manners (Jumping, Chewing, Play-Biting, Housebreaking, etc.)
🐾 Cat Aggression and Fighting
🐾…and so much more!

Our team will work with you to identify why your pet is engaging in any problem behavior, and the severity of the behavior, which allows our team, under the guidance of our Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist, Dr. Echterling-Savage, to develop a step-by-step treatment plan, directly targeting your concerns.

We also offer in-home and virtual comprehensive puppy and kitten training as well!

Simply give us a call, email, or schedule a free training consultation through the link in bio, and let us know you are a mom so a 10% discount will be applied to your training program!

Happy Mother’s Day!

04/18/2024

If you see another dog or your own dog showing this behavior, the dog park is not a good place for you and it’s time to leave!

1.) If a dog enters the dog park, is greeted by other dogs, and immediately runs away with their tail tucked oftentimes vocalizing.

2.) If a dog is overly physical, constantly chasing and biting other dogs without ever reciprocating vulnerable body positions.

3.) If a dog is showing clear signs of aggression such as hackles raised, consistently stiff body language, and growling and snapping towards other dogs.

If your dog has good social skills and you want to take them to the dog park, always stay on the sidelines first and watch if any dogs are exhibiting the above behavior. If they are, wait for those dogs to leave before entering to ensure safe, positive fun!

If you tried socializing your dog but something still isn’t clicking, we are happy to help! Link in bio for professional help with dog socialization, dog reactivity, or any other dog behavioral issue! We offer both in-home (in select cities) and virtual training sessions.

04/15/2024

Socialization might be THE MOST IMPORTANT skill you can teach your puppy!

Some people think that socialization simply means bringing your dog to the dog park as much as possible but this is NOT the case!

Want professional help with hitting your puppy’s socialization goals? Link in bio to book one of our in-home or board and train puppy training programs designed to properly socialize and train your puppy at the same time!

04/10/2024

Some dogs should not go to the dog park and that’s okay!

Poor candidates for the dog park include…

❌ Young puppies, specifically those in the critical socialization period of 3-12 weeks (we recommend being extra picky about the group of dogs your puppy plays with until they are at least six months of age)
❌ Unneutered males over 8-months-old
❌ Adult males who have recently been neutered
❌ Dogs that stay by your side the entire time and have no interest in playing with other dogs
❌ Dogs that just want to play fetch with their owners and have no interest in interacting with other dogs

Stay tuned for part 2!

04/02/2024

Our Kansas City Dog of the Month is Roman, the Miniature Poodle.

The main goals of Roman’s Kansas City dog training program were to get Roman more comfortable and confident leash walking and going up and down the stairs.

As a puppy mill survivor, Roman was truly terrified of these activities. However, behavioral training was highly effective for him and by the end of his training program, he was confidently walking around his neighborhood and using the stairs.

We are so proud of you, Roman!

Link in bio to learn more about our behavioral training programs!

03/21/2024

After treating reactivity in thousands of dogs, here are our top tips on how to help any reactive dog!

Dogs are reactive to distance themselves from unfamiliar people or dogs.

Consider a dog who becomes reactive towards other dogs on walks. The owner and the other dog continue moving, creating distance even if creating that distance is unintentional.

The dog’s reactivity resulted in an increased distance from the other dog, achieving the reactive dog’s goal of distance. That distance created strengthens the dog’s reactivity in the future.

However, with consistency and behavioral modification training, reactivity can be treated!

Start your training journey here: https://calendly.com/petbehaviorteam/15min

02/26/2024

Resource guarding is a complex, social behavior that is typically caused due to a multitude of factors including genetics, early environment, training history, and the behavior of other dogs in the home to name a few.

It is not caused because your dog no longer “sees you as the alpha”!

If resource guarding is left untreated, the behavior could escalate into your dog biting you or a family member.

Luckily, resource guarding can be treated with behavior modification! We treat resource guarding using a combination of classical conditioning and positive reinforcement that ultimately teaches dogs to look forward to being approached by loved ones.

Learn more about resource guarding below!

https://beyondthedogtraining.com/dog-training/why-is-my-dog-resource-guarding/

02/12/2024

GO CHIEFS!

If you’re new here, you might not know Kansas City is Beyond the Dog’s home. It’s where we opened our first location back in 2005 and where we will remain for many years to come.

It was the Kansas City community that first welcomed us into their homes with open arms and allowed us the opportunity to prove ourselves.

This back-to-back Super Bowl win is personal to us because it celebrates the community that made us who we are today.

We love you KC!

02/09/2024

If your dog only listens to you when you have treats, it’s not because they don’t love or respect you enough.

It’s because they simply don’t understand what is expected of them.

In a healthy relationship, you don’t assume the other person isn’t listening to you due to a lack of love. The same applies to your relationship with your dog!

02/07/2024

Let your dog in on the Super Bowl LVIII fun this Sunday with these dog-friendly Super Bowl snacks!

Exercise will help your pup be the perfect host if you plan on having people over when the game begins. Start the day right by warming up with your own wide retriever. From slants to comeback routes, your dog will love catching the ball with you.

Prepare these dog-friendly Super Bowl snacks and avoid human ones such as chicken wings, onion rings, alcoholic beverages, and any food with toothpicks inside.

We hope you have an amazing Super Bowl Sunday and GO CHIEFS!

Recipes inspired by !

01/31/2024

Meet Sawyer and Annie, our Kansas City Dogs of the Month!

These sweet pups enrolled in training mainly to work on Sawyer’s jumping, barking, and play-biting directed towards Annie, his owners, and guests.

Throughout their Kansas City dog training program, Sawyer and Annie learned new, calm behaviors both in their home and their Kansas City neighborhood.

Sawyer learned how to appropriately interact with his owners and his sister and we’re so proud of all of his progress!

If you have a puppy that won’t stop bothering your older dog, we can help! Set up a free consultation with us using the link below to get started on your training journey.

https://calendly.com/beyondthedogconsult/15min

01/26/2024

Dog reactivity can be an incredibly stressful behavior for pet parents to manage. Many owners and trainers try using shock to treat reactivity. In many cases, shock is seemingly very effective in getting your dog to immediately stop barking or lunging.

But do the ends justify the means when it comes to using shock for reactivity?

Shock often addresses the symptoms of dog reactivity (barking and lunging) but it can mask the underlying cause of the reactivity, the desire to get unfamiliar people and dogs to go away.

The use of shock can make a dog stop barking and lunging but the negative association a dog has with unfamiliar people and dogs can be heightened. After using shock, the dog will associate other people and dogs with an even more unpleasant and painful experience. Classical conditioning is always at play!

Research supports this as studies show the levels of the stress hormone cortisol remain high after the use of shock. Research also shows shock can elicit aggressive behavior!

In our opinion, the ends DO NOT justify the means when it comes to using shock on behavioral issues such as reactivity. It is simply not worth the risk of long-term side effects.

Behavior modification using principles from classical conditioning and positive reinforcement is the best and most ethical method to treat dog reactivity.

For more information on this topic, check out our latest dog behavior blog post below!

https://beyondthedogtraining.com/dog-training/does-it-matter-how-you-train-your-dog-the-effects-of-aversive-training-techniques-on-well-being/

01/23/2024

During Moose’s Kansas City Puppy Training Program we addressed:

🐾 Puppy play-biting (on clothes and skin)
🐾 Barking for attention
🐾 Begging at the table
🐾 Coming when called
🐾 Heel
🐾 Leash training
🐾 Fear-based behavior around other dogs and people
🐾 Socialization
🐾 Digging
🐾 Chewing
🐾 Jumping
🐾 Confidence on walks/ in public
🐾 Place
🐾 Down-stay
🐾 …and more!

We customize each one of our private in-home and board and train puppy training programs to fit your puppy’s exact needs! We also offer VIRTUAL puppy training sessions!

Whether you want to work on puppy obedience, manners, or any other puppy problem behavior, our behavior consultants are uniquely qualified to help you achieve any puppy training goal!

Learn more about our Kansas City puppy training programs below!

https://beyondthedogtraining.com/kansas-city/in-home-puppy-training/

01/17/2024

Dry January is much more fun when your dog is enjoying a mocktail with you!

We hope you enjoy these dog-friendly mocktails! If you’re not doing Dry January this year, feel free to spike any of these recipes with alcohol of your choosing.

We recommend sticking to one serving of these mocktails for your pup as to not upset any tummies! You can also give your pup a smaller serving if they are fun-sized.

SAVE this post the next time you want to have a DNO (Dogs Night Out) and follow us for your guide to everything dog-friendly!

*Recipes inspired by SidewalkDog*

01/09/2024

Some people think the far left has taken over dog training and that’s why trainers have stopped using aversive methods such as shock collars and the alpha roll. They believe you must assert your dominance over your dog or they will not listen to you, period.

But is this true? Is positive-based dog training too soft?

No. Research has proven time and time again that behavior modification is the most ethical and effective way to train your dog.

Classical counterconditioning is the foundation of behavior modification. Also known as pairing, classical counterconditioning is when an association between two stimuli is developed.

The most famous example is Pavlov’s dogs, who began to salivate at Pavlov’s bell simply because the bell was paired in time with meat powder. Counterconditioning, habituation, and systematic desensitization are all classical conditioning techniques behaviorists use to treat problem behavior with dogs.

By providing high-value foods in the presence of aversive stimuli, trainers can reduce the aversiveness of those contexts. For some dog-reactive dogs, feeding high-value treats in the presence of other dogs reduces reactivity. This means of treatment is much more ethical than relying on punishment procedures or avoiding these circumstances altogether.

If you are interested in seeking professional help, it can be hard to know where to look. These days, anyone can call themselves a dog trainer without receiving any certification. Who can you trust when it comes to your beloved furry family member?

Look for an organization where you can be supported under the guidance of a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist, a Certified Behavior Consultant, or a Veterinary Behaviorist.

Our resident CAAB, Dr. Echterling-Savage, has a fantastic research paper on the effectiveness of classical counterconditioning in treating dog aggression. You can find this paper and more research on Dr. Ectherling-Savage’s behavior blog linked in our bio!

Address

121 West 63rd Street Suite 207
Kansas City, MO
64113

Opening Hours

Monday	7:30am - 7pm
Tuesday	7:30am - 8pm
Wednesday	7:30am - 8pm
Thursday	7:30am - 8pm
Friday	7:30am - 8pm

Website

https://linkin.bio/beyondthedog

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Beyond the Dog - Kansas City posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Beyond the Dog - Kansas City: