About Hudson Valley Dog Farm

Who they are

Hudson Valley Dog Farm sits on an 8-acre farm on Taghkanic Churchtown Road in Craryville, Columbia County. It is owned and run by Kara Gilmore and Nadja Palenzuela, the founders of the performance troupe The Marvelous Mutts. They met in 2006 through a shared interest in dogs and bought the property in 2009; Kara has been the farm's lead trainer since 2018 and puts her training experience at over 25 years. Both live on site.

The two owners

Kara came to the work after a career as an attorney, and has trained dozens of her own rescued dogs into performing dogs that have appeared on national television. She and Nadja foster for the Australian Cattle Dog Rescue Association. Nadja's background is performance: she was selected for the Purina Incredible Dog Team and traveled with it through South America and the United States from 2007 to 2011, then went on the road with The Marvelous Mutts. At the end of 2025 she stopped traveling and turned to training and care at the farm full time, and is now pursuing competitive agility with her young dogs.

The Immersive Training Program

This is the farm's flagship and the reason to consider it over a conventional board and train. The site describes it as an option for a new puppy or a rescue, tailored to the individual dog by combining the dog's own needs and motivators with the owner's goals and lifestyle. Intake is deliberately small — the site's promise is that your dog will be one of a small number in for training rather than one of a crowd.

Boarding and the facility

Boarding runs alongside training: spacious kennels, structured play, calm supervision, and sprawling fields. The site's framing is trusted care for families who see their dogs as household members, and the owners living on site is presented as part of that. Transportation to the farm is a published service, which is worth knowing if you are further down the valley or in the city.

Classes, sports and seminars

Nadja leads group classes, private training and seminars specifically in dog sports at the farm, and manages add-ons such as agility for fun. Between them the pair have trained hundreds of dogs, including their own, into frisbee, agility and dock diving competitors. If your interest is a sport rather than a behavior problem, this is one of the few places in Columbia County publishing that as a service.

Getting started

The site asks you to read its FAQ before submitting an availability request, and notes that replies take one to three business days — check your spam folder if nothing arrives. Contact is by the request form, by email, or on 845-901-1538.