About Wind River Canine Partners, Dog Training & Boarding

Training on a Bitterroot ranch

Wind River Canine Partners is a dog training, boarding and daycare facility on a 150-acre ranch near Florence, about 12 miles south of Missoula in the Bitterroot Valley. It is the new name for Wind River Tails & Trails and began as part of the Wind River Bear Institute, whose Karelian Bear Dog teams use Partnership-style training. The two remain sister organizations that share a facility.

Partnership Training

The goal of Partnership Training, in the words of owner Ally Marshall, is a "Go Anywhere, Do Anything" dog and a handler who can support and advocate for that dog. Foundation Partnership Training is an on-leash program built on marker words, name recognition, place, sit, down, come with a front finish, loose-leash walking, threshold manners and common issues like barking and jumping. The off-leash program follows it and proofs commands from 30 feet, trail manners and passing people, dogs and bikes, and introduces a remote collar. Each program runs as a 2 week board and train for $1,800 or 4 private lessons for $380-$420.

More programs

Custom add-ons cover reactivity, grooming and vet handling, muzzle and gear conditioning, and AKC obedience and title tests. Specialty work includes nose work, pulling sports, bite work and therapy dog training, and group classes cover Foundation skills, Canine Good Citizen prep and nose work. An owner-training service dog program helps people with disabilities train their own dogs for tasks such as mobility, seizure, allergen detection and psychiatric assistance. Boarding is kennel-free, with play groups of up to 8 dogs and staff on site around the clock.