Beyond the Dog - Austin, LLC

I really tried hard to reach them because they had such good reviews especially for aggressive/reactive dogs which is what I felt like my dog needed. I tried calling the Austin phone number multiple times over several weeks, left voice message and also texted per their answering machine, and never heard back from either of the two who work here (Alex and Cecilia). I also emailed the address on their website. No response. I called the Kansas City phone number and Houston phone number and was able to get someone to answer the phone, a man who I believe is the owner. He was able to answer my questions but it ended with him passing my information along to the Austin people who he said would reach out to me. I believe the owner of Beyond the Dog is based in Kansas City. Again no one from Austin ever reached out and I had no way to actually talk to someone in Austin to get started with the program. I was done putting in so much effort to try to enroll my dog in their program. I really wanted to work with them and see what all the good reviews is about but after 1+ month of trying to get in touch with someone, I’m done. Don’t waste your time.

This is the real deal for dog training! I started working with Alexis last month after working with 4 other trainers/companies over the last 5 months. I have an energetic 1 yr old black lab pup, Hank, that I just couldn't walk without pulling, too much excitement around grandkids, people and other dogs. With the other trainers I ended up using a prong collar and e- collar, he looked like some monster walking around the hike and bike trail here in Austin. In the first week, Alexis had him walking with a gentle leader around his nose and has shown me how to do corrections that work. It has literally changed my life with Hank. She has taught me so much about dog behavior and is very patient in going over (and over) with me how to properly correct him in various situations. I did the executive program which is an intensive 22 session course. I have learned how to manage his behavior inside the house as well. Everything she has taught me has been so helpful and life is just a lot easier with Hank. This is the first trainer/company that I felt like had a real vested interest in improving my dogs behavior by teaching me how to do it. Many thanks Alexis and Beyond the Dog.
Kay Shapiro

We had been having problems with our two herding dogs becoming overly reactive and getting into fights with each other frequently. We tried different training, but it didn’t work for us. We had to keep our dogs separated out of fear they would fight. I then came across Beyond the Dog and after our consultation, we decided to do the all-inclusive training program. This training program was one of the best decisions we made. Cecelia worked closely with Azul and Muñeca (dogs) and us. She is very thorough and such a great teacher and trainer. Our dogs were reacting to all sorts of noises at the beginning of the program, but now, they will just lay there calmly. I can take them out for a walk and feel more at ease because they’e not reacting to every animal or noise they encounter. Seeing the changes in our dogs’ behavior throughout the program gave us so much hope and joy. Our dogs are playing with each other more often and it makes us so happy to see them this way. We have learned so much and are so grateful to Cecelia and Beyond the Dog Austin. I recommend them highly to everyone I know with dogs. Thank you for bringing peace back to our household!

We had an amazing experience with Beyond the Dog Austin, especially our trainer Cecelia. Prior to working with Cecelia our dog was very unhappy and stressed about the arrival of our newborn baby. Based on his initial behavior we feared the worst - that we might have to keep them separate and not be a family. However, after a few weeks of Cecelia’s guidance we overcame many challenges and saw incredible progress to the point where we are able to enjoy of family life as we previously hoped. All of this said, I cannot recommend Beyond the Dog training highly enough. They are experts and amazing to work with!

Charlotte and I worked with Cecelia for 3 weeks and it feels like I have a different dog! She’s made such big improvements in a small amount of time. I definitely recommend Beyond the Dog, specifically with Cecelia!

Cecelia and the staff at Beyond the Dog have been so amazing with me and my pup, Charlie! Charlie has a lot of anxiety and didn’t want to ever leave the house before training. Within a week, she was going on walks around the block & out to patios and the greenbelt! She’s also a sensitive dog, so the use of prong collars or e-collars would likely just scare her but the approach with Beyond the Dog was all positive reinforcement which we both like:) Cecelia went above and beyond with her and was always consistent & communicative. We had done other training in the past, but without a consistent routine or schedule it was difficult to keep the momentum going. With Beyond the Dog, I know exactly what to work on and can reach out with any questions. I’d highly recommend them!

Beyond the Dog has truly been a lifesaver for our family and our reactive rescue dog! Our dog is wary of strangers because of her past experiences on the street, and needs a lot of time to warm up to anyone new handling her. Because of this, we were never comfortable boarding her in commercial kennels or with non-professionals on Rover. We are so grateful to have found someone like Alexis, who was able to safely train and form a relationship with our dog, to the point that we joke that her home is our dog's "second family"!

Beyond the Dog's boarding service has allowed us to travel again knowing that our dog is taken care of, and their training program gave us the tools to be able to enjoy walks with her again. I can't recommend them enough for anyone struggling to integrate a "difficult" rescue dog into their family like we did!

Cecelia worked our reactive chihuahua mix Riley for a month. After just the first week, we saw a totally different dog. Random dogs would run up to her off leash and she wouldn’t react at all! It was a night and day difference and we have recommended Cecelia to all of our friends and family.

We hired Alex from Beyond the Dog to help train our border collie/shepherd mix. Our dog already had good obedience skills from previous training, but my husband and I were unsuccessful in correcting her leash reactivity and fear of strangers in the home. With a new infant and string of visitors on the way, we desperately needed expert advice from someone who could work with her frequently.

Beyond the Dog’s All Inclusive Training program was just what we needed and Alex was an excellent resource for our family! He helped us understand our dog’s behaviors and showed us how to apply gentle corrections. Sometimes he took her out 1: 1, other times he worked with us during the sessions. We are extremely pleased with the results— our dog’s confidence and response to strange people and dogs has dramatically improved. And she seems happier!

Dog training is a life long journey, but we feel confident knowing we have the right tools after completing the program with Alex. We would highly recommend Beyond the Dog to anyone who wants a confident, well behaved pup.

Cecelia was absolutely fantastic. She worked so well with my dog Barry and brought him so far just within three weeks of training. You can tell she cares so much about the dogs she works with and really works to make a connection with the owners as well. I always felt like my concerns were listened to, and I gained so much knowledge on how to continue training once the 3 weeks were over. I’m so happy I got to work with her and I know Barry is too! Thank you, Cecelia!

My dog was getting me to my wits end, he had become very reactive and I was worried he may bite another dog, or person. We've been working with Cecilia for about a month now, and he's just always happy now, able to really handle his triggers, and is generally a much better behaved young man. Thanks to her, I got my old dog back, and feel comfortable walking him around other people and other dogs without worrying what might happen.

I was also retrained on how to identify when my dog is getting upset, how to manage his anxiety, and ways to ensure he stays as calm as possible. This was a very excellent part of the experience.

100% recommend these folks if you, like me, have a dog that needs some very compassionate and professional training.

My partner and I adopted our dog, Harley, from a shelter during the pandemic. Not only was she not properly socialized but she had a lot of reactive issues. We couldn't leave her with a sitter, bring people to our apartment, or take her anywhere without fear of something terrible happening. I worried about her constantly and felt so out of my depth on how to help her. After intensively researching all the training options around Austin, I found Beyond the Dog. They start off with a super thorough survey to understand every possible behavioral issue you could be dealing with. From there, we were recommended the All-Inclusive training which was 4 weeks of daily training plus some follow up trainings once a week.

Our trainer, Cecelia, was soo amazing! She was patient and kind and so wonderful to our little demon dog. She was truly a pro at reading Harley's signals, responding appropriately and helping Harley to become more confident, and thus, less reactive. Not only did she help with Harley's anxiety, she truly alleviated my own. I thought I would never be able to have someone over again and Cecelia guided us through having several people come over to our place. She taught us so much about Harley: how to read her signals, how to create positive associations with new experiences, and how to effectively train her. By the end of the training, we were able to take Harley to busy cafes and stores! Things that previously would have ended in major disasters. I could not believe the results! Not only was Cecelia super knowledgable, she also brought so much positivity to training Harley. What I thought would be such a daunting task became manageable and actually fun! Cecelia was so so wonderful to be around and showed my dog so much love and adoration. It's hard to explain how overwhelmingly wonderful it is to have everyone hate your dog and then suddenly have someone show them so much empathy and understanding. Harley is always improving but she has come SUCH A LONG WAY! We now feel comfortable having others watch her, taking her to public places, and having people over.

If you are considering Beyond the Dog, I CANNOT RECOMMEND IT ENOUGH! Cecelia, in particular, was the greatest gift our little family could have ever been blessed with. An absolute angel of a person and a trainer! Thank you so so much for all you have done! Our lives are seriously changed because of this program.

Beyond the Dog truly saved my dog! We started working with Alexis at Beyond the Dog after we had bad experiences with a trainer that used aversive dog training methods, this trainer sold us a quick-fix method that caused trauma to our 9-month old dog and made him reactive towards people.

We went for the all-inclusive training with Alexis and she worked with us addressing all our concerns during a period of 4 weeks. I loved that it wasn't a quick fix, we were rewiring the bad experiences and the trauma in our dog to create real long-lasting effect. Most importantly I was learning about my dog and who he was and could be, not my idea of what I thought a dog should be. Over a year later my dog is still doing so well and I understand him even better, and when he encounters new obstacles I don't feel lost anymore, I have so many tools that I gained during our program, as well as our trainer's continuous support.

Alexis has also been a great source for finding a loving home for my dog while I've gone on travels, as they offer boarding at the trainer's house for dogs who have completed their program. My dog loves her and she feels like family. Thanks Alexis and Beyond the Dog, I don't know where my pup would be without you.

Alexis is AMAZING! We reached out to Beyond the Dog because we needed help training our boxer pup Lou. Originally we just wanted someone to come out and observe us and how we interacted with her and tell us what we need to improve based upon their observations and that is exactly what Alexis did. She emailed us very detailed notes of ways we could improve and how to communicate with Lou. After a couple of weeks of us not getting anywhere on our own we reached back out to Alexis and she took Lou for 4 weeks for a board and train. I cant tell you the difference that made. She was a different pup. Alexis made sure to go over everything with us and make sure we knew how to communicate and understand Lou. She really is amazing at her job. We are so grateful to have found her.

Our Chihuahua puppy Becca and her humans enjoyed working with Alex very much. With Alex's great expertise, extensive experience, and patient, fun yet disciplined approach, Becca has been making immediate and consistent progress. May many more dogs benefit from Alex's training!

Highly reccommend Beyond the Dog. We trained both of our dogs via the All-inclusive plan and also board them with Beyond the Dog when we are out of town! Ask for Cecilia, she is wonderful, communicative and gave us a lot of skills to keep our dogs well behaved!

We just finished the executive training program with our 8 month old German Shepherd. Our trainer, Kailin, went above and beyond our expectations. We focused on loose-leash walking, heal, and small improvements to the overall handling of our boy when we walk him. Kailin's training was successful in all these areas. Now instead of pulling ahead for the whole walk he walks perfectly aligned to my hip. He's less reactive due to the pairing exercises we learned, and we also learned how to give commands in a more effective manner.

Kailin was a complete professional, always on time, friendly, fun, and a great teacher We whole heartedly recommend her and Beyond The Dog!

This review is long overdue! Several months ago, I signed up my German Shepherd mix, Frank for at home training with Alex from Beyond the dog. We had just moved to Austin and Frank was getting territorial of the house and being reactive towards guest. Alex came to our house 3x a week and implemented a customized training regimen that, with practice, would help Frank learn how to relax when new visitors arrived. He also taught us how to understand Frank's queues and why he was reacting the way he was. The improvement in his behavior was nearly instant. My partner and I now know how to better understand/communicate with Frank which has been so important in keeping him a happy, well rounded, and well behaved pup. We were even able to stop using the e-collar we had previously trained him on. Can't recommend Alex and beyond the dog enough!

We are so glad we found this place. We tried three different trainers before this place for our reactive dog. Not that they were bad, but Beyond the Dog allowed us to enjoy life with our dog- walking on trails, sitting at restaurants/cafe, and my dog can now greet dogs- on leash/off leash dogs! Alexis is so patient, and is a dog whisperer (a human therapist as well haha). We hesitated because of the price, but it was worth every single cent. I've been recommending this place to many people, but you would not regret choosing them especially if you have a reactive dog.