Home Dog Training of North Georgia (2025)

14/12/2024

What Should I Consider Before Giving a Puppy as a Christmas Present?

https://northgeorgiadogtraining.com/what-should-i-consider-before-giving-a-puppy-as-a-christmas-present-suwanee/

When I was little, I really loved Christmas. Don’t get me wrong, I still love Christmas, but when I was super young, I really, really loved Christmas. To get right to the point, I unapologetically admit that my childhood love of Christmas was a direct result of getting gifts.

As we all know, gifts are great. Gifts are different than anything else because they are “quasi-surprises”. We usually have a hint that we are getting something, but we aren’t 100% positive. Once we know we are getting something, we don’t know what it is. We may even see a box that we know is our gift, but we still don’t know what is inside.

I remember that on the Christmases when I was young, I got a whole bunch of really good things. One year I got a red Radio Flyer Wagon. That wagon was still around thirty years later and still worked. One year I got a really cool fire engine. It had peddles and a steering wheel so I could drive all over the place. One year I got a new Schwinn bicycle. That was great. I could now chase the ice cream man down the road.

The one thing that I never got was a puppy. Come to think of it, not getting a puppy for Christmas was probably a good thing. You see, even though I loved all the stuff I got, after a few days, I stopped playing with most of it. Much of the stuff simply ended up in the back of my closet. You can’t do this with a puppy. Puppies are a life-long commitment.

Robin and I have a great dog training article that details everything you will need to know. Please read our dog training blog titled “What Should I Consider Before Giving a Puppy as a Christmas Present”.

Go to: https://northgeorgiadogtraining.com/what-should-i-consider-before-giving-a-puppy-as-a-christmas-present-suwanee/

07/12/2024

How Should I Prepare My Dog if We are Flying on a Plane this Christmas?

https://northgeorgiadogtraining.com/prepare-my-dog-for-a-plane-flight-this-christmas-lithonia/

For many of us, trips are always exciting and fun. They offer us the chance to do things and see things that we often don’t have the ability to experience while we are doing “our regular stuff” at home. Trips can take many forms.

A trip may be a car trip for a weekend stay at a friend’s house in a neighboring town. It may be more of a “road trip” where you travel across the country to a “vacation destination”. You may also get on a plane to travel across the country or over the seas to your destination.

The one thing that all these trips have in common is that they include “new sights, sounds, and smells”. If we understand that all these “new things” are safe and fun, we are fine with the experience and even look forward to it.

Now, just for a moment, let’s think back to our childhood and the first time we took a big trip. Many times, this “big trip” involved getting on a plane with our family to travel across the country to visit some relatives at a place we had never been. We were very nervous as we walked (or “strollered”) through the busy and noisy airport. We cried as the pressure in the airplane hurt our ears. We were also very anxious with all the “scary and unknown” things going on around us.

Hopefully, we got over this and we are now fine traveling. We have no problem getting on a plane. But, what about our dog? Is he ready to get on a plane and feel safe?

Robin and I have a great dog training article that will help you prepare your dog for a flight on a plane. Please read our dog training blog titled “How Should I Prepare My Dog if We are Flying on a Plane this Christmas”.

Go to: https://northgeorgiadogtraining.com/prepare-my-dog-for-a-plane-flight-this-christmas-lithonia/

30/11/2024

Is There a Way to Get My Dog to End His Annoying Habit of Stealing Food?

https://northgeorgiadogtraining.com/get-my-dog-to-stop-stealing-food-lawrenceville/

As a child, I would never want to characterize myself as a brat. I would rather say that I would sometimes be slightly naughty in a cute and precocious sort of way. To be honest, I just liked to bug my parents from time to time. I would normally bug Mom more than Dad. I don’t know why, I just did.

So, what do my childhood confessions do with today’s topic regarding your dog stealing food from the table? Let me recant one of my “cute and precocious” incidents.

Mom ate lunch every day at the same time and always had the same thing. She had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on wonder bread with butter and a single slice of lettuce. She also had half a sliced pear with a dollop of mayonnaise and six to ten Ruffle potato chips.

She always left the “best chip” until the end of her lunch. (You know the “best chip”. It is the biggest one that is still whole.) Just as she was finishing and ready to have her chip, I would swoop in from behind, grab the chip, run off, and eat it just out of her reach.

In other words, I stole her chip (or food). I knew it was wrong, but then I was just “cute and precocious”.

When your dog steals food from the table, he may not know that it is wrong. You may have set up an ongoing environment that tells him that it is OK to “take your food” and you are allowing it. The bottom line is that you don’t want your dog to steal your food. You need to let him know it is always wrong.

Robin and I have a great dog training article that will allow you to quickly teach your dog that stealing your food is wrong. Please read our dog training blog titled “Is There a Way to Get My Dog to End His Annoying Habit of Stealing Food”.

Go to: https://northgeorgiadogtraining.com/get-my-dog-to-stop-stealing-food-lawrenceville/

23/11/2024

What Steps Can I Take to Have Thanksgiving a Great Time for Everyone, Including My Dog?

https://northgeorgiadogtraining.com/have-thanksgiving-a-great-time-for-my-dog-norcross/

Holidays are always great times. Although most holidays mean that “we get a day off from work”, there are a lot of other things that go on besides that. Different holidays mean different things. On the 4th of July, we usually gather with our friends outside somewhere, fire up the barbeque, and watch fireworks.

On Easter we normally go to church and then look for Easter eggs with our kids. On Memorial Day we remember the sacrifices that so many American soldiers gave so that we could live in the land of the free and the brave.

Many of our holidays are based on the premise that we will be sharing it with our family. Many of our family could be the ones we live with every day, and many could be the ones that have traveled across the country to share that time with us. Although most of these holidays are still only one day long, the activities and conditions related to these holidays could last for several days or more.

Holidays are special and there are often unique activities that take place on them. Since they are “our holidays”, we understand this and are prepared for the day. The problem is that our dog normally has no idea what is taking place. On top of that, we probably haven’t adjusted our “holiday action plan” to include their participation and natural reactions. Thanksgiving is such a holiday. We know what is going on, but our dog doesn’t have a clue. This could be bad.

Robin and I have a great dog training article that explains what to do to prepare your family, your family guests, and your dog for the events and conditions surrounding the celebration of Thanksgiving

Go to: https://northgeorgiadogtraining.com/have-thanksgiving-a-great-time-for-my-dog-norcross/

16/11/2024

What Do I Do to Have a Happy Dog When Traveling This Holiday Season?

https://northgeorgiadogtraining.com/have-a-happy-dog-when-traveling-this-holiday-season-dacula/

Family car trips are very different now than when I was a little tyke. When I was young, we were lucky if the AM radio would get a signal when we left one city driving to the next. Our form of entertainment was playing board games with pictures of things like buildings, trees, and animals. Each box was covered with a “see thru” door that we would open when we would see whatever was behind it. Whoever opened all their doors first would win the game. Sometimes simply going to sleep was our best form of entertainment.

Nowadays the back seats of cars have every entertainment option available. Kids today have their cell phones to keep them entertained. There might be video screens on the back of the seats so that they can watch their favorite movies or play their favorite games on larger screens. There are often built-in coolers offering all sorts of goodies.

In both cases, then and now, the kids are in places that they enjoy and feel completely safe. This is because they have been acclimated to the specific environment and associate it with “I feel fine”. When the kids feel safe and happy, it often minimizes their habit of constantly inquiring “Are we there yet”. This is a good thing.

Now, let’s turn to our dog. Believe it or not, we need to make them feel the same way as our kids. If they feel safe and secure, they will most likely be great “travel companions”.

Robin and I have a great dog training article that will help you prepare for a family road trip with your dog. Please take a moment to read our dog training blog titled “What Do I Do to Have a Happy Dog When Traveling This Holiday Season”.

Go to: https://northgeorgiadogtraining.com/have-a-happy-dog-when-traveling-this-holiday-season-dacula/

09/11/2024

What is the Right Way to Meet Another Dog When Out in Public?

https://northgeorgiadogtraining.com/right-way-to-meet-another-dog-in-public-lithonia/

There can be a plethora of ways that you and I may greet an individual while we are out in public. If they are one of our friends, we may get excited and yell their name while we wave. We may be a little devilish and sneak up on them in order to surprise them. If they are someone we don’t know, we may approach slowly and calmly introduce ourselves.

If they are someone we don’t really know, but recognize that they are someone we don’t like, we may yell bad words at them. If we are newspaper reporters or “internet influencers”, we may simply follow them around to “get the scoop” or take pictures or videos that we will post on our site.

To put it quite simply, there is a never-ending list of “meet and greet” scenarios that we naturally employ on a daily basis. Stranger or friend, foe or ally, they take place and, for the most part, life calmly goes on.

With all this assumed craziness, why don’t these divergent encounters cause more issues? The reason is simple. You are a human and I am a human. We have many of the same life experiences and react to those life experiences in relatively the same way. We understand “yin and yang”.

When we interact with a dog in public, things change. Dogs react to things differently than we do. A simple “meet and greet” we initiate with a dog could turn into a “jump and bite”. We need to understand why and what we can do to prevent it.

Robin and I have a great dog training article that will help you meet dogs in public in a way that will keep everyone calm. Please read our dog training blog titled “What is the Right Way to Meet Another Dog When Out in Public”.

Go to: https://northgeorgiadogtraining.com/right-way-to-meet-another-dog-in-public-lithonia/

02/11/2024

How Important is Playtime for Me and My Dog?

https://northgeorgiadogtraining.com/playtime-for-me-and-my-dog-acworth/

Some of you may remember the movie made in the early 80’s called “The Shining”. It starred Jack Nicholson, Shelly Duvall, and Scatman Crothers. It was about a family (Jack, Wendy, and Danny) where Jack was hired to be the caretakers of a grand old hotel (The Overlook) in the Rockies that completely closed for the winter.

Jack’s entire, 24/7 job was to make sure that everything was fine at The Overlook from early winter when everyone left until early spring when the hotel reopened. Besides that, he had no interaction with anyone else and nothing that was really free time.

The longer he was at the hotel, the more “postal” he became. It came to a head when Wendy went looking for him and found a manuscript he had been writing for months. For hundreds of pages, one sentence repeated over and over; “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”.

So, how does a movie made over forty years ago have anything to do with today’s topic? The answer is “A lot”. In the movie, Jack spent months without any form of freeform, spontaneous social interaction. We often call this “playing”. If you are familiar with the movie, you know what happened past the discovery of the manuscript and Jack’s behavior.

Playtime is important for both humans and our dogs. It allows us to establish appropriate social norms, polite etiquette, respectful interaction, and rules of engagement. We are a critical part of this process for our dogs.

Robin and I have a great dog training article that will help you understand how to properly play and socially interact with your dog if you are in the house or outside. There are different rules of engagement for both. Please read our dog training blog titled “How Important is Playtime for Me and My Dog”.

Go to: https://northgeorgiadogtraining.com/playtime-for-me-and-my-dog-acworth/

26/10/2024

What Can I Do to Have My Dog Safe this Halloween?

https://northgeorgiadogtraining.com/have-my-dog-safe-this-halloween-atlanta/

I remember when I was a kid, and it was time for Halloween. My mom would take me and my brother out to the local Woolworth Store, and they would have set up an entire isle with costumes. These were costumes of all types, but they almost all had a theme of “scary”. That was because Halloween was supposed to be a scary time.

We would go out by ourselves after it got dark and walk around the neighborhood. Sometimes other kids would jump out from the shadows and try to scare us. Sometimes we would jump out of the shadows and try to scare our friends walking by.

Sometimes we could momentarily “scare our friends” and they would scream. Sometimes our friends would momentarily “scare us” and we would scream. Whatever the case, we would always end up laughing and then walk up to the next house, press the doorbell, and say “Trick-or-Treat” when the grown up opened the door.

Although it was a “scary time”, we loved it because we “really knew” that everything was going to be fine. We got to get out of the house and away from our parents and we got free candy from everyone in the neighborhood.

Sometimes we try to interject our dogs into “the festivities”. The problem is that our dogs don’t understand that someone jumping at them from the shadows isn’t trying to hurt them. They have no idea what those strange creatures (your friends in their costumes) may do to them. You must let them know that everything is fine.

Robin and I have a great dog training article that can prepare your dog for Halloween. Please take a look at our dog training blog titled “What Can I Do to Have My Dog Safe this Halloween”.

Go to: https://northgeorgiadogtraining.com/have-my-dog-safe-this-halloween-atlanta/

19/10/2024

How Should I Choose a Veterinarian for My Dog?

https://northgeorgiadogtraining.com/how-should-i-choose-a-veterinarian-roswell/

As Robin and I are putting more and more candles on our birthday cakes, it seems that we are “collecting” more and more doctors. I am not going to comment on Robin’s doctors, so I will just focus on my own. It appears that I am slowly getting doctors for every part of my body.

I go to a checkup and my doc will say “I think you should go to this doctor and have them take a look at this.” I immediately call that doctor and get an appointment. Then, almost like magic, I will be seeing that doctor every six months. Just like bunny rabbits multiplying, my list of doctor appointments seems to take up more and more of my time.

I don’t have a problem with all of this. Being told that all is fine a lot of times is far better than being told “I wish you came in sooner”.

The interesting thing is that I have all these doctors, and I really did very little vetting of them. One doctor simply said, “Go to him” and off I went. Why am I so trusting?

I trusted the doctor that may have given the recommendation. I also have the ability to talk to the new doctor and get a personal feeling if they are right for me. I can “feel if I am getting better” or “staying well” under their care.

Now, what about my dog? He needs a doctor too. But, how can he tell me who he wants to go to or how he feels when he goes to the doctor (aka vet)? This is when we have to step in and make the decision on what is best for our dog. How do we do this?

Robin and I have a great dog training article that will explain what to do. Please read our dog training blog titled “How Should I Choose a Veterinarian for My Dog”.

Go to: https://northgeorgiadogtraining.com/how-should-i-choose-a-veterinarian-roswell/

12/10/2024

What Can I Do to Keep My Dog Calm as Guests Arrive?

https://northgeorgiadogtraining.com/keep-my-dog-calm-as-guests-arrive-kennesaw/

It is always a crazy time when you have guests coming over to the house. It can even get a little more stressful when they are guests that very rarely come over or they are “first time guests”. This is because they “don’t know the lay of the land” and actually be a little pensive on what to expect.

Now, let’s add to that “interesting mix” the fact that you may have a very energetic and possibly reactive dog. As creatures of habit, your dog understands who are normally allowed into “their home” and who are new and unknown. Your dog understands how to deal with your family members and regular guests because you have already established the rules for your dog’s interaction with them.

New people coming into the house are “a blank slate”. Your dog has received no “rules of engagement” regarding these strangers and your first time guests have no idea regarding how they should act with your dog. Left unmanaged, your dog will probably want to turn your new guest into a “playmate” and engage in games that will help your dog establish your guest’s “pecking order” in the house. This normally means that there will be a lot of jumping and barking.

These are things that just shouldn’t happen in a polite household and, in the event of unacceptable actions, place both your dog and your new guests in tedious situations. You need to make sure this does not take place.

Robin and I have a great dog training article that will teach you, your dog, and your new guests how to meet each other and properly coexist while gathered in your house. Please read our dog training blog titled “What Can I Do to Keep My Dog Calm as Guests Arrive”.

Go to: https://northgeorgiadogtraining.com/keep-my-dog-calm-as-guests-arrive-kennesaw/

05/10/2024

Is it OK to Always Leave Food and Water Down for My Puppy?

https://northgeorgiadogtraining.com/should-i-leave-food-and-water-down-for-my-puppy-marietta/

Remember that song that came out about ten years ago that had the lyrics “All about the bass”? Well, that really has nothing to do at all with my blog about potty training except for a modification to the lyrics I am about to suggest.

When it comes to potty-training your puppy, the internet or your friends will offer tons of “sure fire” solutions. Many of these “solutions” can best be described as “partial steps” in the process. Some of them are just plain absurd. The core problem with all of these partial or completely absurd answers is that they miss the point of what needs to be accomplished.

The problem that most puppy owners face when trying to potty-train their dog is that they are focusing on the end result. Where they need to place their efforts on is a clear understanding of the process. They need to understand the variables and constants within that process and to eliminate the variables or transform them into constants.

In order to accomplish this, you need to take charge of all the steps involved in the potty process. Just for sake of argument, let’s talk about the first and last steps. Pottying is obviously the last step. What is the first step; why does your puppy potty? The answer, obviously, is eating their dinner.

What comes in between? I now step back to the lyrics and offer my own answer. “It is all about the bladder”. Proper bladder management includes food and water intake.

Robin and I have a great dog training article that will clearly explain what you need to do and why you are doing it. Please read our dog training blog titled “Is it OK to Always Leave Food and Water Down for My Puppy”.

Go to: https://northgeorgiadogtraining.com/should-i-leave-food-and-water-down-for-my-puppy-marietta/

28/09/2024

How Do I Get My Dog Back When He Runs Off?

https://northgeorgiadogtraining.com/how-do-i-get-my-dog-back-when-he-runs-off/

One of the worse experiences that we, as dog owners, can have is when our dog runs away from us and just doesn’t want to come back. Whatever we try, nothing seems to work. We try “reasoning with them” by saying “Oh puppy, come back to daddy”. He just stares at us for a moment and then continues down the street and smells some of the bushes in my neighbor’s front yard.

We try being “the disciplinarian” and yell at them, “Get back here mister if you know what is good for you”. All he does is to run to a neighbor’s yard farther down the street and smells their bushes.

Now it is time to “go get him”. We run down the street under some completely ill-conceived notion that they will stand perfectly still as we run up and grab them. We know this has never worked in the past, but we always try it under the false hope that the rules of the universe have now realigned, and we will catch him.

Guess what, he may wait and stare at us until we get about ten feet from him. He is just giving us false hope. Off and down the street he runs again. This time he is running even faster, and he is looking over his shoulder as if to taunt us to keep running.

So, how can we catch our dog when he is running all over the neighborhood and just doesn’t want to come back? For some reason, after about forty-five minutes of us chasing and cursing and his running and playing, he turns around and saunters right up to us as if to say, “did we have fun?”.

Please read our dog training blog titled “How Do I Get My Dog Back When He Runs Off”.

Go to: https://northgeorgiadogtraining.com/how-do-i-get-my-dog-back-when-he-runs-off/

21/09/2024

What Do I Need to Know to Appropriately Correct My Misbehaving Dog?

https://northgeorgiadogtraining.com/appropriately-correct-my-misbehaving-dog-lawrenceville/

Before I get into talking about our dogs, I would like to talk about the correction process and how that applies to humans. I am sure that you and I have been corrected many, many times during our lifetimes. On top of that, I am sure that we have been corrected using a plethora of different techniques.

Remember when we were in gym class. We did something that the coach didn’t like, and he told us “Drop and give me twenty”. That was one way of being corrected. We went back to the classroom and answered a math problem incorrectly. Our teacher would guide us through the proper mathematical procedure and allow us to reach the right answer. She corrected us, but it was a different method than was used earlier with our coach.

We go home and do something very bad. Our dad (at least back in the day) would give us a spanking. Maybe we did something slightly inappropriate, and we may have been corrected by being sent to our room. Let’s say that after high school we joined the Army. We disobeyed our Sergeant’s command, and he put us on KP duty for a week. That is another form of correction. We get sick of the Army, complete our time, leave and get a job. We really mess something up and our boss corrects us by firing us.

For us, there are many ways we can be corrected and understand our mistakes. Dogs can only have one form of correction for any form of misbehavior they perform.

Go to: https://northgeorgiadogtraining.com/appropriately-correct-my-misbehaving-dog-lawrenceville/

14/09/2024

What Are the Fundamental Principles in Having an Excellent Dog?

https://northgeorgiadogtraining.com/fundamental-principles-in-having-an-excellent-dog-johns-creek/

Before I begin to talk about how we can have an excellent relationship with our dog, I want to digress and talk about something that may seem to be completely different. In reality, what I am about to discuss is quite relevant in understanding the concept of a healthy and appropriate relationship between dog owners and their dogs.

Let’s turn the clocks back on our own lives and think about some things for a moment. First, let’s think about our fifth-grade class. For me, I grew up attending a grade school with less than one hundred and fifty students in the entire school. My fifth-grade class consisted of twenty-two students. Most of us had known each other since kindergarten.

Our class structure was the exact same as other grade school class structures of the day. All the kids were “the students” and there was an older lady (when you are only eleven years old, everyone is “old”) who was “our teacher”. Although we were generally rambunctious rapscallions, we still gave our teacher complete focus and respect whenever she demanded it.

Although it was not always a perfect relationship, we understood and respected the pecking order. All of us respected our teacher and she was very good at gaining our focus and trust.

This same social dynamic that we experience when in a hierarchical relationship (in my example, fifth grade) is the one that we must establish with our dog.

Robin and I have a great dog training blog that will explain what you must do to establish the proper pecking order with your dog and establish a great relationship. Please read our dog training article titled “What Are the Fundamental Principles in Having an Excellent Dog”.

Go to: https://northgeorgiadogtraining.com/fundamental-principles-in-having-an-excellent-dog-johns-creek/

07/09/2024

What Can I Do to Get My Dog to be Happy in his Crate?

https://northgeorgiadogtraining.com/what-can-i-do-to-get-my-dog-to-be-happy-in-his-crate-dahlonega/

When I was very, very young, my grandfather read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer to me and my brother. It was a wonderful tale full of adventure and excitement. One of the stories I remember to this day is the time Aunt Polly made Tom whitewash her picket fence. It seemed that Tom had played hooky from school, and he needed to be taught a lesson.

Well, as Tom began this laborious chore, he came up with a scheme to turn the day to his advantage. He would convince his friends that whitewashing the fence was special and something they wanted to try. One by one, as his friends walked by, they saw the fence being whitewashed and wanted to join in.

Through a little redirection, young Tom had convinced every one of his friends to do something they probably would not have wanted to otherwise do.

So, let’s change the subject and talk about your dog and his dog crate. When your dog is slightly pensive regarding his dog crate, you need to be like Tom Sawyer to convince your dog the crate is really a wonderful place.

The good news is that most dogs are drawn to crates for security. They may simply be unfamiliar with the crate or have associated an inappropriate experience with the crate. In the same way that Tom could convince his friends that whitewashing a fence is more fun than taking a swim in the river, you need to convince your dog that the crate is his safe and happy place.

Robin and I have a great dog training article that lays out some simple steps you can follow to have your dog loving his crate in no time. Please take a moment to read our dog training blog titled “What Can I Do to Get My Dog to be Happy in his Crate”.

Go to: https://northgeorgiadogtraining.com/what-can-i-do-to-get-my-dog-to-be-happy-in-his-crate-dahlonega/

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Home Dog Training of North Georgia

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