Balanced, humane dog training · Board & Train · Auburn, Georgia
Call or text (678) 271-1990Thistleborne K9 Training · Barrow County
Board & train and private lessons with Samantha Lesslie: a Canine Behavioral Consultant, AKC CGC Evaluator and competing Dutch Shepherd handler. One evaluation, a plan built for your dog, and refreshers for life.
Serving Auburn, Winder, Dacula, Braselton, Hoschton, Buford and northeast metro Atlanta.
5.0
Google rating · 17 reviews as Georgia Doggy Dojo
For life
Free refresher sessions
Included
E-collar & slip lead with 4-week programs
Limited
Enrollment, so every dog gets a plan
Sound familiar?
Every one of these is trainable. Dogs thrive on clear communication, fair boundaries and consistency, and that’s exactly what Samantha builds: first with your dog, then with you.
Tell Samantha about your dog
How it works
01
Every dog starts as an individual, not a package.
02
Eat. Play. Train. Repeat.
03
Balanced and humane: rewards and clear, fair boundaries.
04
If it only works in the living room, it isn’t trained.
05
You learn it too, and Samantha stays in your corner.
Programs & prices
Your dog lives and learns with Samantha in Auburn, then comes home with a hands-on go-home lesson, the tools they trained with and free refreshers for life.
Board & Train · 2 weeks
Puppies 3–7 months
Two weeks of structured foundations for young puppies: obedience, manners, socialization and the household habits that make the next ten years easier.
$2,500Some exclusions apply
See what’s includedBoard & Train · 4 weeks
Dogs 8 months and older
A month of immersion that builds reliable obedience and calm household manners, then proofs them in the real world. You get your tools and lifetime refreshers.
$3,000
See what’s includedBoard & Train · 4 weeks
Dogs 8 months and older
Off-leash-level reliability: distance and duration, recall with or without a leash, and a heel that holds up in busy places, plus the manners to match.
$4,000Financing available
See what’s includedPrivate Lessons · 30–60 minute sessions
Puppies and adult dogs
One-on-one coaching for you and your dog together, on a schedule and in locations that fit your life. Rewards and clear boundaries, applied the same way at home.
Rates on request
See what’s includedCoaching · Custom plan after evaluation
Adolescent and adult dogs
For dogs whose problems go beyond manners: reactivity, anxiety, poor impulse control and complex behavior. Samantha starts with an evaluation and builds a plan for that one dog.
Custom quote after evaluation
See what’s includedCoaching · 4-, 6-, 8- or 10-session packages
Sport and working dogs
Coaching for practical protection (PPD), WDA events and obedience trials from a handler who titles and wins with her own Dutch Shepherds.
Package rates on request
See what’s includedEvery board & train
Tools included
4-week programs send your dog home with an e-collar and slip lead; Advanced adds a place cot.
Lifetime refreshers
Free refresher sessions for the life of your dog, so the training stays sharp.
Owner education
A hands-on go-home lesson teaches you the exact handling your dog learned.
Limited enrollment
Few dogs at a time, so every dog gets an individual plan and real attention.
Your trainer
Samantha trains, titles and competes with her own working Dutch Shepherds, and she brings the same clarity and fairness to family dogs. She was lead trainer and co-founder of Georgia Doggy Dojo and now trains under her own name.
On the competition field
“Our 8-month-old puppy went from zoomies and chewing up shoes to being the most well-behaved little buddy. The training was fun, professional, and totally life-changing!”
Based in Auburn, GA
Thistleborne K9 Training is in Auburn, Barrow County, minutes from Winder and Dacula and an easy drive from Gwinnett, Jackson, Hall, Walton and Clarke counties.
Good questions
Balanced training uses both sides of communication. Rewards like food, toys and praise build the behavior you want, and clear, fair boundaries stop the behavior you don’t. Samantha’s approach is balanced and humane: it respects each dog’s individuality while setting clear expectations.
Yes, as one communication tool among several. The 4-week programs include an e-collar and a slip lead, and the Advanced program adds a place cot. Every tool is introduced carefully, paired with rewards, and taught to you at pickup so you can use it fairly and confidently at home.
Your dog stays with Samantha in Auburn for two or four weeks on a structured routine of eat, play and train. Skills are built at the facility, then proofed in real places. At pickup you get a hands-on go-home lesson and free refresher sessions for the life of your dog. The 4-week programs also send home the e-collar and slip lead your dog trained with; Puppy Board & Train includes an emailed tool list.
Puppy Board & Train (2 weeks, ages 3–7 months) is $2,500. The 4-Week Obedience Board & Train is $3,000. The 4-Week Advanced Board & Train is $4,000, with financing available. Private lessons, behavior modification and sport-coaching packages are quoted after a quick conversation about your goals.
Puppy Board & Train is for puppies 3–7 months. The 4-week programs are for dogs 8 months and older. Private lessons work for puppies and adult dogs, and behavior modification is available for adolescent and adult dogs.
Four quick steps tell Samantha about your dog, your goals and your timeline. Your answers go straight to Samantha’s phone so she can recommend the right program.
