About Pocket Dog Trainer

What they do

Pocket Dog Trainer is a behavior specialist practice focused on the hard cases: aggression toward people or other dogs, reactivity on walks or around triggers, fear-based behaviors and chronic anxiety, separation anxiety and panic behaviors, and shutdown, avoidance or extreme stress responses. The site is explicit that these are not obedience problems — “They weren’t dealing with a lack of obedience. They were dealing with behavior” — and that they need structured intervention. Alongside one-to-one programs the site publishes online courses and a library of behavior articles.

How they work

Josh Donahue writes on his own about page that he has been a dog trainer in Atlanta for over 17 years and has worked with thousands of dogs, and that his work today is “focused primarily on structured behavior rehabilitation for high-intensity dogs,” taken on with a limited number of local families at a time so the intervention stays consistent. The stated principle is “When structure changes, behavior changes,” worked in real situations rather than drills or gimmicks.

Where they work

The practice names Intown Atlanta neighborhoods including Virginia-Highland, Morningside, Candler Park, Druid Hills, Midtown, Grant Park, Oakhurst and Buckhead. The published entry point is a Behavior Assessment Call.