It will likely be very busy when you come to drop-off and pick-up. We understand that many of you are traveling and have time constraints and so we will be as quick as possible. However, please make sure to give yourself ample time.

HOURS - We do sometimes modify our hours to accommodate our customers during peak boarding periods or to recognize certain holidays. Sometimes we opening early and stay open late. other times we are closed to the public. So, please make sure to confirm hours when you make your reservation or drop-off.

TRAINING – Boarding stays are the perfect time to have your dog trained. Whether these are behavior specific training sessions or one of our popular Learn for Life programs, we can make the most of their stay with us.

BEDDING – Do not bring bedding with you. If you bring bedding, it will be returned. We provide bedding for ALL dogs. This includes Kuranda Dog Beds and covers. To read more about these exceptional beds, click here.

TREATS – Do not bring rawhide, bullysticks, pig ears, etc… Although we think these are great treats and chew toys, they do pose a choking hazard and we do not allow them in the kennel area. You can bring other treats such as milk bones, etc… If your pup does not have allergy or digestive restrictions, you can trust that they’re getting a few nice treats throughout the day from loving staff. AND, you can and should always sign-up for our popular R&R service (explained in detail below).

FOOD - Make sure your food is pre-bagged, per meal or day in ziplock (or similar) bags. Please do not bring food in open dog food bags, plastic containers, etc… This policy helps us to ensure the overall cleanliness of the facility and makes sure that your dogs gets the exact amount of food you portion for meals. If food is not bagged at drop-off, we are happy to bag it for you. The fee is $15.00.

VACCINES – Vaccinations must be current. Pups need to have had their kennel cough vaccination within the last 6 months and no later than 48 hours prior to their arrival.

OTHER SERVICES – à la Carte Spa Services including our Grooming, R&R Program, Aromatherapy, Hydrotherapy, Massage, One-on-one Play and much more can be booked as part of your boarding stay with us. Simply inquire at the front desk.

Our most popular à la Carte Boarding services are:

– R&R (Rest &Relaxation) – Yummy tummy frozen treat offered mid-afternoon each day. You can choose between our popular SmartPup line or Kong treats. Treats can address individual dog allergies (if applicable) and generally include honey, peanut butter and kibble. A GREAT source of protein and a great opportunity for your pup to sit back, relax and recharge.

– VIPP (Very Individualized Private Play) – 15 minute private play sessions in our outdoor dog park. Play fetch, run and jump or simply lounge in the sun.

– Grooming – With our full grooming services, many clients choose to have their pups groomed before they come home.

• Long-term overgrowth can cause difficulty with walking; pain, soreness, and can eventually contribute to the development of arthritis.

• Unlike humans and other animals, a dog walks on his toes like a horse, not the soles of his feet. Long nails can cause the dog to rock back on his paws, causing strain on his leg assemblies and interfering with his gait.

• Some dogs (particularly overweight ones) may find it uncomfortable to put their full body weight on their feet if their nails are overgrown, leading to sore feet, legs and hips.

Despite how important it is, many of us put off trimming because of how much our dogs HATE to have their claws trimmed!

Ideally…

• You should start trimming claws when your dog is a puppy so he gets used to the process.
• Nails should be trimmed every 4-5 weeks to keep them a safe, short length.
• If your dog is hesitant or fearful of allowing you to handle his paws, you may need several sessions (or more if your dog has ever had a negative nail trimming experience) of touching and holding your dog’s paws.

Most importantly…

It is best to avoid stress and strife that will make the experience unpleasant for your dog. The longer the nails have grown out, the more frequent sessions it will take to safely get them back to a normal length. This is done by taking a little off each time, to avoid cutting the “quick” (blood vessel). If your dog is fearful of the grinder, or dremmel, clipping will be done.

I do not want to overstress your dog to the point he is afraid of me by forcing the grinding. It is better to work him or

Add some bright polish for a doggy fashion statement!

And if you’d like to add a little sparkle once in a while, I’ve got some great polish colors for all seasons and styles!

–Joey

As a training company K-9 Coach is committed to educating as many people as we can about dog behavior and the important role that training plays in the lives of dogs, and the people that care for them. We of course care deeply about the welfare of dogs and strongly believe that teaching children how to properly and safely behave around dogs is of utmost importance. Just as with dogs themselves, creating positive dog experiences early in a child’s life benefits them in many short and long-term ways. Caring for a dog helps teach children about responsibility, they have a “friend” who will never judge them and they tend to be more confident, empathetic individuals.

For this month’s K-9 Book Club, we are excited to introduce you to a very special book, which has turned into a really fabulous project, involving a great group of kids!

Good Dog! Kids Teach Kids about Dog Behavior & Training was written BY kids, FOR kids. It is designed to teach kids about dog body language and to use this knowledge to be kind, respectful and safe around dogs in their home and in their community. It also teaches kids how to train dogs using clickers and positive reinforcement training techniques. An award-winning book, Good Dog is aimed at kids 8 to 14 years of age.

Not only did our trainer Vicki Tate read the book herself, on National Kids & Pets Day she visited a group of wonderful students at Riverbend Advanced Scholars Academy in Gainesville, GA. Fourth grade teacher, Robin Fair, has been working through the book with her students, as part of the 21st Century Skills program.

Here’s what Robin had to say about the book and the children’s’ reaction…

“We took the book and divided it into chapters, so the students could gather information about dog behavior and training. Then the students took each chapter and taught the class the information they learned from reading. “Good Dog” was very kid friendly, and my students learned many details about dog behavior.”

Reading Intervention Teacher Kadi Epps filled us in on how much fun the kids are having…

“I just walked in to Robin’s class and 3 kids were rolling around on the floor! They were acting out the cue’s you get from dogs and others were guessing!! Robin says she loves the book and it IS a great book for kids.”

Vicki had a fantastic time with the children and we are eagerly awaiting their very own blog posts about what they’ve been doing!

I am VERY impressed with this book. So much so, that I wish every child could read it with his or her family.

I recommend this book wholeheartedly! Stay tuned for a follow up blog about my day with the children!

UPDATE…
Read Smyrna-Vinings Patch article about our program here
Read the Access North Georgia article here

Buy The Book!

Our training team recently attended the “Karen Pryor Clicker Expo” in Nashville, TN and they are all very excited to put what they’ve learned into action, both with their individual clients and in helping to develop and improve K-9 Coach’ overall training services. Clicker Expo is chock full of interesting and motivating seminars as well as hands-on workshops from some of the industry’s leading trainers and influencers.

From Kat…

What did I learn at Clicker Expo this year? Over all I learned that I have so much to learn!! As trainers we are continually growing and adding knowledge to our ‘tool box’ and this expo was no exception. Each conference I’ve attended has made me grow both personally and as a trainer.

Ken Ramirez was one of the outstanding speakers for me. He had a way of explaining very scientific information in a simple manner. One of his lectures brought home the importance of pairing primary reinforcers (food in particular) to many of the commonly used cues we give our dogs in every day life. For example, I clap my hands when I interact with dogs, but do they know what that clap signifies? If you begin to pair the clap with a primary (food) and condition that response, then the ‘clap’ will begin to have meaning to the dog. Sounds very simple but it is something we all should do more, both dog trainers and dog owners alike. I will begin to share this information with my clients because I feel it is a concept they will grasp immediately.

Kay Laurence was another inspiration in her use of targeting. I never thought to use different targets for different behaviors. How novel! I can’t wait to start using this in class.

Most of the fun I had was on the trip up and back! We all got a great opportunity to laugh and share dog stories. It was very refreshing to be able to talk about dogs for 3 days with out my partner saying she’s heard enough! (LOL)

The best thing I would like to share is how very proud I was of my sweet Dylan. Bless his heart, he has never seen so many different sights in his short life. When I decided to take him I never imagined he would be able to endure all the stimulation with out ‘reacting’. I thought he would spend most of the time in the hotel room. But he proved me wrong. He came to all the sessions with me, and each time he felt unsure he looked at me and together we got through it, moment by moment. I was able to redirect him and help him focus on something very reinforcing…chicken! In our lectures one thing resonated over and over again and that was the importance of building relationships. Our commitment to our dogs is a life long process and force is not necessary! I would like to say to all the people out there that have a dog that gets ‘charged up’ easily – there is hope for success if you take the time to build on your relationship and learn how to communicate from your dogs point of view. Lets get started!

From Susan…

I had such a blast just being with fellow trainers and all their dogs. I must say, I think “our dogs” were the best behaved dogs in the pack!

A lot of things I already do were reinforced by the other trainers and this really helped boost my confidence. It was wonderful to learn a lot of different ways to get a dog to “target” certain objects.

I was excited to learn a better way to teach “fetch”, and more about reinforcing the “secondary” reinforcers. If I could tell my clients one thing, it is that Clicker reaffirmed for me that patience and practice are SO important and essential to success.

I loved being able to bring my Jack Russell Lola with me and learned a whole new way of teaching her “backing” onto an object.

Ever since I got hooked on horseback riding at the age of 5, I was curious to find out what horses eat in the wild, what they are fed on farms and what they should really be getting fed in order to lead healthy lives. I try to stay up to date on research into equine nutrition in order to be able to provide the best for my two horses. When I got my Beagle, Coco, I knew I had a lot of reading to do in order to truly understand the most nutritious foods to feed her. Since dogs are mainly carnivores, I had to expand my knowledge of equine nutrition to include all kinds of proteins from other animal meat. The book by Monica Segal, K-9 Kitchen Your Dogs’ Diet: The Truth Behind The Hype, was an excellent read for the topic of canine nutrition. After finishing the book, I did not feel like I had to go much further in my research. Monica Segal was very thorough in explaining the difference between feeding a raw diet, a mixed diet of cooked and raw and a processed diet (dog food from the grocery store). She explained the pros and cons of each and was very clear to address that each diet should be tailored to the individual dog.

What was invaluable was her nutritional analysis of the different grains, vegetables, fruits and meats that can be fed to dogs. She also included an important analysis of the minerals and vitamins that need to be balanced in our dogs’ diets and the potential dangerous interactions that these minerals and vitamins can have with each other.

While Ms. Segal is a proponent of feeding a raw diet, she is clearly looking out for the best interest of the individual dog. She recommends trying different protein sources, slowly introducing new vegetables and monitoring how your dog reacts. Raw, meaty bones are a topic that comes up quite a bit in her book, because of the myth that bones are bad for dogs. Ms. Segal is quick to clarify that cooked bones are very dangerous and should never be fed to dogs, however raw bones with meat on them are an excellent source of nutrition, with the added benefit of exercising the dogs’ jaws and satisfying their urge to chew. I found it very helpful that she included several recipes along with their nutritional content. These recipes helped me to gauge whether or not I had the time and means to provide a raw and/or cooked diet for Coco.

With my crazy schedule of work, teaching horseback riding and graduate school, I have decided that it is best for me to stick with the Turkey and Chicken EVO that I have been feeding Coco. When my life settles down a little bit and I have time to cook for MYSELF, let alone my dog, I will definitely try some of the recipes that Ms. Segal has provided and embark on the journey of a combination raw/cooked diet for Coco.

I would highly recommend this book for anyone who is interested in canine nutrition and getting some answers to the plethora of myths that surround what you can feed safely your dog.

Don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have a question or can recommend other books or resources I should check out!

–Ceyda Sezer

Buy The Book!

You can learn more about Monica Segal and sign up for her newsletter at Monica Segal Online

Basically, matts start out as static cling, deep down in your dog’s coat. This static attracts fur, dirt and all sorts of debris that your dog might pick up. Gradually the area becomes more and more tangled and tight.

This is why it is so important to carefully COMB your dogs coat each day with a metal comb and get all the way through his coat. Not just the top layer! Keep in mind that a fluffy dog can feel soft and look nice and clean on the top layer of the coat, however, if you use your comb and try to comb down to the skin you will find the matts or tangles.

This is especially important for cottony/fine hair breeds such as Poodles, ALL Doodles, Bichon’s, Maltese, Yorkies, Shih Tzu, Lhasa Apso, etc. If you want to keep any length at all on the body of these dogs I cannot stress enough how vital professional grooming and proper in-home maintenance is.

Were you aware that when your dogs coat gets a tangle or matt, that it gets tighter and harder each day?

If your dogs coat gets wet, this will make the matting get tighter as it collects more hair into and around it. If you bathe your pooch at home, it is EXTEMELY important to blow them dry and brush out several times during the drying process.

Very tight matting can lead to serious medical conditions, the worst being the fact that as the matt gets tighter it is continuously pulling the hair and skin. Imagine you have grabbed a handful of your own hair and started pulling. How painful could that be? Well it is exactly the same for your dog! The tighter the matt gets, the harder it pulls CONSTANTLY and the more pain it causes. It can actually rip the hair follicle / root out of the skin causing the hair to never be able to grow back and leaving a bald spot in that area.

In addition, as Moisture gets trapped between the matt and the skin, this leads to bacterial and yeast infections, which will mean expensive medical treatment and a lot of work on your part applying meds and giving antibiotics to get him/her well again.

Matting will also cause “hot spots”. The irritation of these makes your dog continuously lick the area, which in turn makes it worse due to the bacteria in the saliva. The resulting inflammation is painful and will often require shaving that area and medical attention to cure.

Client education is very important to me and I would rather you learn exactly how to maintain your dogs coat at home to keep it matt free, so that we do not have to shave him/her down to the skin to get the matting out safely. When the matting gets tight and to the skin, shaving is the ONLY safe option to remove it, you can not dematt when they get that tight, as trying to forcefully dematt something so tight can actually tear the skin.

Please feel free to call or ask to see me at any time with any questions, or if you would just like a complimentary “assessment” of your pups coat… Joey

• Dogs learn that if something is praised upon, a “negative” correction can be avoided. In other words the praise acquires meaning and relevance. Dogs also learn by the immediate results of their actions not later results. They also are not so much eager to please us, as they are motivated by food rewards.

• There are numerous issues with the whole “dominance theory. Many people think their dog is being dominant through aggression/biting; pulling on leash, jumping up to greet, going through doorways first or sleeping on the furniture. Don’t get me wrong – it’s very nice to have a well-mannered dog sit and wait at doorways instead of hauling us through the door like little bulls in a china shop, but your dog is just excited to get out through the door simply to find out what’s on the other side!! The sofa is more comfortable than the floor!!

• When puppies are born they have certain behaviors that are hard wired into them. For example, with some we can use certain training games (hide & seek, retrieve for example) that also meet and cater to the dogs natural needs and motivations.

• When it comes to fear and aggression you must remember that socialization is the BEST THING YOU MUST GIVE YOUR DOG. I can’t stress this enough!! Dogs are social creatures, just like us. When people say things like “he/she takes a while to warm up to strangers” or “he/she is protective” this is just a result of a lack of socialization.

It’s important to remember that dogs do whatever works for them. Dogs are super experts at reading their environment, so they know which consequences are likely for which behaviors in any situation. Understanding why our dogs do what they do is vitally important to the health and wellbeing of dogs in general and will serve to improve and deepen our relationship with them. I would thoroughly recommend this book to anyone interested in a truer understanding of their dogs nature.

Hope you enjoy the book as much as I did. Don’t hesitate to post questions or get in touch with me direct. Best regards, Amber Marie Wampler.

Buy The Book!

• Your Veterinarian – Your vet should be your first source of information. They know your pet and should be able to make some unbiased recommendations for their nutritional health. If you need a recommendation for a good veterinarian in the Atlanta area, let us know and we will gladly refer you.
• ASPCA (Pet Nutrition Service) – Whether or not you agree with the politics of the ASPCA, the resources in this section of their site are comprehensive and provide everything from what to feed pet mice to the top 10 nutritional tips for horses.
• DogFoodAdvisor – Everything about dog foods – research, dry foods, wet foods, raw foods, calculators, label information, recalls, faq’s and a ton more.
• New York Times – Part of the NY Times WellPets section.
• PetMD – Check out the Health Library for a lot of great resources. And they’ve even got a “Dog Symptom Checker”!
• Veterinarian Nutritional Consultations, Inc. (Pet Diets Website) – A great nutritional library covering illnesses, health, foods and feeding.
• WebMD (Healthy Pets) – Did you even know that WebMD has a whole section on pets?

We can all agree that pet nutrition is important. Beyond that, we often sort of glaze over with that look of terror and confusion when we are asked specifics about what we do or, even worse, why we do what we do for our pets nutrition and wellness. Here’s what I can tell you; with a little time and effort (less than it takes to keep up with who got kicked off of what show this week), you can be confident in your knowledge that you’re providing your pup with the best for them and their needs. And here’s what else I can share; our customers who understand their pet’s nutritional needs have dogs who are happier, healthier, live longer, are MUCH better behaved, cost less money and share a stronger bond with their pet parents.  

Want to see how some pet parents have master their dog’s nutritional needs? Check out these pups! Fine Dining

So what does the Dog Liberator’s adoption process look like?


• We have a blog where we write the dogs stories, post pictures and videos of the dogs, and fosters do updates as they learn more about the the dog in their care.
• This means that the adopters who contact us already know the dogs’ energy level, personality, and quirks when they reach out to us.
• We know that if they watch the video of a very energetic dog, whose foster has written that this dog needs an active home, and they still contact us, they are truly interested in giving a home to this dog.
• The next thing we do is send them an email with links to articles about adopting a rescue dog from us, things to expect when you first bring the dog home, and we ask them to tell us some things about themselves and their family.
• This is followed by a phone interview and in some cases a meet with the dog. We find that we learn more about your love for dogs through conversation about your life and past dogs you’ve cared for, than we could ever learn from a a rigid application.