Why not take your furry friend to Gatlinburg since they are considered part of your family? There are approximately 3,950 residents and 1,100 dogs in the mountain resort town, with nearly 1,000 households owning at least one dog.
Gatlinburg boasts some of the most remarkable tourist destinations globally, including Dollywood, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and the singular museum solely dedicated to salt and pepper shakers. Although pets are welcome at all three locations, your dog will have to reside in Doggywood while you explore Dollywood.
Pets are welcome in numerous hotels and campgrounds in Gatlinburg, and there are also numerous parks, restaurants, and stores that welcome dogs. The Sky Lift offers a bird’s-eye view of the city and is a perfect place for your furry friend. You can take your dog on a ghost tour or tubing down the river. There are so many exciting activities to do with your pet in Gatlinburg that you may need to extend your stay.
Enjoy some moonshine: Sugarlands Distilling Company
Sugarlands Distilling Company is open every day of the year except for Christmas and offers indoor and outdoor tours, liquor tastings, and various live concerts and events that you can enjoy with your furry friend. While they do not serve any food, Sugarlands is among the few attractions which permit visitors to bring their own food for themselves and their pets. The site is situated amidst the stunning scenery that lies between the Great Smokey Mountains National Park and the Cherokee National Forest.
Get high with your pup: Gatlinburg SkyLift Park
If you enjoy thrills and aren’t fearful of heights, the Gatlinburg SkyLift Park is the ideal excursion for you. You can also bring your furry companion as long as they are small enough to sit securely on your lap. However, remember to keep them leashed throughout the journey. Located at an elevation of roughly 1,800 feet, this attraction offers unparalleled vistas of Gatlinburg, the surrounding hills, and beyond, including Kentucky on a sunny day.
Take a hike: The Gatlinburg Trail
When it comes to hiking, you can explore the 3.8-mile out and back Gatlinburg Trail that commences at the Sugarland Visitor Center and winds through wooded areas adjacent to the Little Pigeon River. While the pet-friendly trail normally lasts a little more than an hour if you proceed without stopping, what’s the point? You ought to pause along the route to allow your dog to sniff around and frolic in the river.
See a cool collection of shakers: The Salt and Pepper Shaker Museum
Salt and pepper shakers are a common household item found on almost every table or in a cabinet. However, this distinctive museum houses approximately 20,000 of them from various parts of the world and is an exceptional place for you and your furry friend to take a walk. It is the solitary museum of its kind globally and showcases an array of antique and uncommon shakers, from the classic Old Coke Truck to modern and distinct ones such as Baby Yoda.
Take your pooch shopping: The Village Shops
Adjacent to the Old Smokey Candy Kitchen and the Pancake Pantry, The Village boasts over 25 distinctive and unusual specialty shops. Since this is an open-air shopping center, you can bring your dog with you as long as you keep him on a leash. Additionally, some of the merchants are pet-friendly, but it’s best to inquire beforehand. Your furry companion will particularly enjoy the Bonediggity Barkery & Gifts, which offers a variety of treats, toys, and mementos, as well as canine clothing.
Eat cookies: Byrd’s Famous Cookies
At Byrd’s Famous Cookies, they have a soft spot for dogs and are thrilled to see your leashed and well-behaved furry friend accompanying you into the store. The business was established in 1924 by Pop (Benjamin) Byrd, who used to peddle his scotch oatmeal cookies to the local bakery in Savannah, Georgia, at two for a penny! Presently, the company has more than 15 branches in three states and offers over 20 different cookie flavors, along with salty bites, presents, and a snack bin to keep your treats safe.
Search for ghosts: Ghosts of Gatlinburg
In Gatlinburg, most of the tours are accommodating to pets, however, one in particular stands out. If you are intrigued by supernatural and eerie themes, you should definitely take a chance on this unique tour and discover all the bone-chilling spots in town. The tales can be quite graphic, so it would be wise to refrain from taking small children, but you and your furry companion will surely enjoy it. During the tour, a knowledgeable guide will escort you to eight haunted locations, providing insight into each area’s past. Expect to spend roughly an hour on this fascinating adventure.
Tour the Smokies: Sights N’ Photo Tour
A fantastic tour that you can embark on with your furry friend is the Sights N’ Photo Tour, organized by a couple who are famous for their enjoyable excursions. You’ll start off on a van or coach journey that will take you through Smoky Mountain National Park, where your hosts will provide fascinating information about the park, the mountains, and Appalachian culture. While most of the tour spans over four hours inside the vehicle, you will occasionally need to step out and stomp to the picturesque locations.
Drink some cider: Tennessee Cider Company
The Tennessee Cider Company, which has been producing hard ciders for decades and is famous for its scrumptious mulled ciders and slushies, is located directly opposite the Village Shops. For just $5, visitors can take a VIP tasting tour that includes a sample of all the hard ciders available on tap, such as honey mango, blackberry dessert wine, and pumpkin spice. Although there are two locations, the Gatlinburg site boasts six distinctive tasting stations that offer a wide variety of ciders, meads, and wines.
Play with some pups: Gatlinburg Dog Park
Although there are several dog parks in Gatlinburg, the Gatlinburg Dog Park stands out as a pleasant area for your furry friend to socialize with others. With enclosed spaces designated for large and small dogs, you can ensure a good time for all. The fenced-off areas come equipped with benches, shaded spots, dog waste bags, and water fountains just beyond the entrance.
leaving. To ensure safety, there are double-gated entrances in both areas that allow for the removal of Fido’s leash upon arrival and the safe reattachment of the leash when departing.
BONUS: Dog training 101 — How to set realistic goals and where to get started
Basically, dog training can be categorized into two levels. If your objective is to develop your dog’s skills, like teaching them how to sit, stay and lie down, then you should seek assistance from a dog trainer. Conversely, if your dog is experiencing behavioral problems such as fearfulness, anxiety, or aggressiveness, you should contact a dog behavioral consultant such as Brianna Dick from Pack Leader Help.
“The way that I approach dog training is behavioral psychology based,” says Dick, who is a member of the International Association of Canine Professionals. “We’re not looking at just the physical behaviors of dogs. We’re looking at their emotions and the relationship they have with their humans.”
If you require both skill training and behavior training for your dog, begin with the more challenging one, that is, behavior training. While a dog trainer may also know how to teach your dog to sit, a dog behavior consultant will be better equipped to assist your dog in coping with separation anxiety.
Be realistic.
Fratt states that not all dogs will enjoy going to the dog park, just as not all humans will enjoy attending raves.
Kim Brophey, the proprietor of The Dog Door Behavior Center, is an expert in applied ethology and serves as a mediator for family dogs. She authored the book “Meet Your Dog: The Game Changing Guide To Understanding Your Dog’s Behavior,” which employs the L.E.G.S (learning, environment, genetics, self) framework to elucidate canine conduct. For instance, you can utilize this framework if your dog barks at your visitors.
According to Brophey, this breed of dog could have been specifically chosen for centuries to guard against intruders entering through your front door. Due to the inherent protective nature of German shepherds, attempting to train them out of this behavior may be futile, thus requiring a shift in your anticipated outcomes.
Decide how you’d like to train your dog.
There are several choices for training approaches, including group classes, one-on-one training, board and train, day training, and self-led training, among others. While group classes are less individualized and more affordable, board and train programs are more expensive and pose greater risk, according to Fratt.
“If the trainer spends all this time training the dog in this really specific context and then basically just hands you the leash, takes your check and walks away, there’s a very good chance you’re not actually going to be able to implement those new strategies and skills … successfully in your home.”
Your selection will be influenced by your budget and objectives for training. If your dog exhibits aggressive behavior towards another dog in your household, it wouldn’t be practical to train them outside of your home.
Bear in mind that you will need to participate in training your dog, but it does not need to consume a significant portion of your time. Fratt affirms that she only dedicates around five minutes per day to training. Moreover, most of the exercises assigned by trainers can be enjoyable and can be effortlessly incorporated into your daily routine.
To save on dog training costs, our experts recommend utilizing these free or inexpensive resources online.
- Kikopup on Youtube and Instagram
- Fenzi Dog Sports Academy
- K9 of Mine
On her website, Dick has put together some resources that are completely free of charge, while Fratt offers a collection of lessons called Training Tuesday that are also free.
Understand the methodologies.
The field of dog training is not regulated, allowing anyone with an online presence or physical location to assert their status as a dog trainer. Consequently, there are no universally accepted guidelines for the techniques employed in training dogs, and differing views are common among trainers. Still, a majority of trainers can be grouped into either of the two following categories:
The initial category is trainers who rely on positive reinforcement, such as Fratt, wherein one provides the dog with something good, like a treat, as a reward for good behavior. This method encourages the dog to continue the same behavior. Alternatively, it involves providing the dog with something good that helps them perceive a fearful stimulus as a pleasant experience.
Balanced trainers such as Brianna Dick employ positive reinforcement techniques but are also open to implementing corrective measures, such as e-collars, in their training approach.
Dick explains that E-collar training is when your dog wears a collar controlled by a remote that produces a signal on your dog’s neck, such as a shock, sound, or citronella spray, for correction purposes. E-collars, particularly those that shock, create a disagreement within the dog training community.
According to Dick, it is important to be cautious of trainers who rely on e-collars for all dogs. She believes this approach is too generic and unlikely to yield satisfactory outcomes. Instead, it is preferable to seek a trainer who takes the time to understand your individual circumstances, including your relationship and lifestyle with your dog.
Find a good trainer.
If you are searching for an extensive roster of positive reinforcement or balanced trainers located in your vicinity, one useful strategy is to access lists created by different professional organizations. These directories are numerous and include:
- International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC)
- Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT)
- The Association of Professional Dog Trainers (APDT)
- Karen Pryor Academy (KPA)
- Pet Professional Guild
- The Academy for Dog Trainers
- Pat Miller Certified Trainers
Afterward, conduct interviews by reaching out to previous clients. Evaluate which trainer puts you at ease. Confirm that they have the ability to articulate their training approaches.
Don’t rule out medication.
Changing your dog’s brain chemistry may seem frightening, but if your dog is suffering from fear, anxiety, panic, or aggression that cannot be resolved through training, it should be treated as a medical condition.
Dr. Andrea Y. Tu, who works as a behavior veterinarian and serves as the medical director at NYC Behavior Vets, explains that just like a patient with diabetes requires insulin to regulate the hormones in their body, a dog with diabetes should also be given insulin to maintain the appropriate hormone levels.
“At the end of the day, this is a chemical imbalance. And it needs to be treated.”
If you’ve exhausted all options such as positive reinforcement and balanced training, medication, and changing trainers yet your dog remains fearful of your children or reluctant to urinate in a busy city street, you may have to contemplate the fact that your home isn’t the most suitable environment for your dog. It’s a difficult topic, but one that must be addressed.
