Wind River Canine Partners, Dog Training & Boarding
  
 125 Google reviews 
 
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 Sara Williams 
 
March 28, 2023
 
 
  
Updated review March 2023: Our Ellie (from earlier review below) continued to go to the ranch through her life and had so much fun there. After she passed away, we adopted a new puppy, Robbie. Robbie and his littermate (Jackie who we were also fostering) attended the Puppy Jump Start program in early March and worked with their trainer Kevin. We were honestly blown away at how much they learned and the big changes we saw in their puppy manners. The transfer and follow-up lessons were also very helpful. We were well set up with the tools we needed to keep going with their practice and make sure their new commands and behaviors stuck. And we  had the opportunity to have our implementation of these tools polished during the follow up. We are incredibly excited with the progress that Robbie and Jackie made while they were in the program - Kevin is an amazing trainer and Wind River Canine Partners is a top notch facility! ________________________________________________________ Review from 9 years ago: I have never felt more comfortable leaving my dog for daycare or boarding as I have leaving her at Wind River. Ellie has certain characteristics that make her a bit more of a challenge than some more easy going dogs. I have come to learn that all of the employees at Wind River are completely in tune with each dog that stays there, and work hard to ensure that every detail of any special requirements are handled perfectly. Ellie has stayed there for short visits as well as several weeks at a time, and she is always excited to go. If she hears "Do you want to go to the ranch?", Ellie immediately starts wagging her tail and is eager to get to the car. Leaving your dog behind while you have to travel can be really difficult, but knowing that they will be extremely well taken care of and happy makes a huge difference. You will most certainly get that if you leave you pet here.
  
 
 
 
 
 
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 Josh Troop 
 
March 30, 2019
 
 
  
Ally, Kelsey and team are incredible. Suka and I have worked with them since 2016. With each training session, I am more and more and more impressed with the professionalism, understanding, knowledge, and approaches they institute for the individual and their dog. Whether it's simple obedience training, specialty training, or boarding, they are by far, the best kennel I have ever encountered. I will continue to use them as long as I have dogs. Thank you WRCP!
  
 
 
 
 
 
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 Janelle Mostad 
 
January 24, 2024
 
 
  
I developed epilepsy after An accident. My family did not feel as though it was safe for me to be out in the world by myself without help so we went to Wind River and asked them to train a dog to help me in the case I had a seizure. They did an amazing job. Katie (my service dog) even rode on an airplane with me numerous times.  One flight attendant didn’t even realize she was there until we got off the plane because she was tucked under the seat. I was able to educate people not only on epilepsy, but on the requirements of a service dog and show them what Katie could do. If you need help with basic training or more advanced training, I would highly recommend Wind River. Their staff is friendly and encouraging. I can’t even express how thankful I am to wind River.
  
 
 
 
 
 
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 MariahLynn Macy 
 
August 17, 2025
 
 
  
Absolutely an ama,8ng place with ama ing staff.  My dog loves it there
  
 
 
 
 
 
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 Larissa Kennedy 
 
September 29, 2024
 
 
  
Wind River has helped me provide a solid start for my puppy and I am so excited to work with them as we provide Jytte with the tools, support, and training to be an amazing addition to my classroom as a therapy dog.
  
 
 
 
 
 
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 Elizabeth Warriner 
 
May 26, 2025
 
 
  
The best review I can give is from my dogs. They lose their minds they are so excited when we turn off the hwy to go there. They absolutely love it.  It's a wonderful place to kennel the dogs when we aren't able to take them with us. Kevin was the trainer for 1 of my dogs, he will stop and return from chasing a jack rabbit. He is the best trained dog I've ever had.
  
 
 
 
 
 
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 Jessica Smith 
 
April 10, 2024
 
 
  
We did private training lessons from Elena and it was incredible! Our new pup is doing so great now thanks to her! Everyone was always super friendly and great to work with! Highly recommend! :) Thank you so much!!
  
 
 
 
 
 
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 Gina Sanford 
 
February 22, 2019
 
 
  
There aren't enough words to describe how amazing Ally & Kelsey are!  Ally at Wind River Canine Partners helped train my husband's service dog Cadence and my Daughter's service dog Jazmine. During Cadence and Jazzy's board and stay portion of training, they stayed at Wind River and received the absolute best care.   Cadence is now a working service dog for PTSD anxiety and migraine detection. Jazzy is now a working service dog for allergy detection (peanuts) medical alert and anxiety.  There aren't words to describe how our life has changed for the better, because of the work Cadence and Jazzy are able to do for my husband and child.  This is the absolute best facility around for training and boarding!  Thank you Wind River for all that you do.
  
 
 
 
 
 
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 Chris Patterson 
 
September 16, 2023
 
 
  
Wind River and Kevin Alford did an amazing job with my 1 yr old GSD/Lab mix. He's a completely different puppy. Money well spent!
  
 
 
 
 
 
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 Dee Dee Armstrong 
 
June 25, 2021
 
 
  
Friendly staff and great customer service. They really care about the dogs that go there. If a dog is spending the night, the staff will go out and snuggle with the dogs in which I would love to know my dog is really being cared for. High recomend them for day care, boarding and training!
  
 
 
 
 
 
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 Karyn H 
 
July 5, 2024
 
 
  
Wow!  Just wow!!  We are so happy with the training that Rex received from Elena-- I'm still in shock how good he is.  He heals perfectly and just the fact that we can take him out and he doesn't run away is still blowing my mind.  It's so nice to be able to have a dog that can go with you places and be GOOD!!!  His life will be changed forever and we get ours back!  Prior to his training, he was 3 years old when we got him from Anaconda humane society and had been in their kennel for 10 months.  Didn't think it was possible to get him to be 'normal' since he was kenneled for such a critical time in a dog's life.  Wasn't sure he was fixable... but Elena did it!!! with flying colors.  We are very appreciative!!!
  
 
 
 
 
 
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 Jami Fink 
 
August 12, 2020
 
 
  
Wonderful place! I wouldn't take my dogs anywhere else for training or boarding. Amazing staff!
  
 
 
 
 
 
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 Steven Goodsell 
 
August 24, 2021
 
 
  
My 4 obnoxious pups absolutely love coming here for the weekends. When we pull on to the road they start hopping around and whining because they know where they are. That they get to get out and play with the staff, and other pups.
  
 
 
 
 
 
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 Sadie Viergutz 
 
May 10, 2021
 
 
  
I literally can't say enough good things about Wind River. It is a 40 minute drive...one way...from our house, but we wouldn't consider going anywhere else. When we first moved to Missoula we struggled to find overnight care for our bulldog. She is high maintenance both medically and socially. She can be a bit of a bully if she is hanging out with anxious/not confident dogs and was a cleft palate pup so is prone to pneumonia. We had actually been asked not to come back to a local facility that only breaks their groups up into "large" and "small" categories regardless of play style. They said that she required too much handling. Wind River has had no issues with her and integrates her into small play groups where she gets to have fun, but isn't allowed to be a diva. When we adopted a puppy during quarantine, we had a lot of issues getting him socialized and he developed some reactivity towards other dogs on walks. We decided to send him to the Board and Train program. It was expensive, but worth every cent. Ally sent us regular updates and videos of what they were working on so that we knew how to continue once he got home. We got an awesome hand off lesson where she showed us all of the ways that they had worked to make him more connected, more confident, and less reactive. It has been a lot of work to bring what he learned at "boot camp 😂" home, but Ally has been there for us with the included follow up lessons. We have had nothing but great experiences with Wind River. I completely trust them to care for my kids and they have given us so many tools to improve our all around relationships with our dogs.
  
 
 
 
 
 
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 Emily Weaver 
 
December 12, 2022
 
 
  
I have had a great experience with Wind River Canine Partners and I cannot recommend them enough. We put our black lab through the two-week foundation board and train with Kevin (who was absolutely fantastic) and it changed everything! He taught us how to more effectively communicate with our dog and gave us a running head start with her on-leash manners, on top of polishing up all her basic commands. Walks with her used to be exhausting and now they are enjoyable for both of us! I plan to send her back for the advanced training as soon as we can.
  
 
 
 
 
 
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 Abby Shea 
 
August 15, 2025
 
 
  
My husband I recently boarded our two Goldens Harper and Hobbes with Wind River for a week and I couldn’t be happier with how professional, communicative, and passionate the kennel staff are! HUGE shoutout to Olivia and Savannah for taking such great care of our two babies and keeping us updated each day of our trip with a small add on! The facility is amazing but the staff is really where this business shines! We’ve never left our dogs for longer than a night but Wind River ensured they stayed together in play groups that would keep them safe, happy, and healthy. While we were anxious and worried sick about how they would do away from us, they were SO HAPPY and spent the week playing with friends, swimming, and just having a blast!! (Evidenced by the many pictures Olivia and Savannah sent us!) Wind River is the only place we’ll now trust with the cutest and fluffiest members of our family!!
  
 
 
 
 
 
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 Taylor Dowell 
 
February 25, 2019
 
 
  
Amazing trainers, they work miracles! Best boarding facility in the area, my dogs always get all the exercise and attention they need and are EXHAUSTED from playing so much when I pick them up!
  
 
 
 
 
 
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 Elizabeth McNeilly 
 
February 22, 2019
 
 
  
The new owner trained my black lab Maggie, did amazing job. She also goes there for daycare it is always tired when she comes home and loves every minute of it. The staff is wonderful everything is clean and organized. And my dog is always tired and happy I’ve never been happier with the training I received when my dog was a needed it. I would refer any dog family to canine partners
  
 
 
 
 
 
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 Hannah Tellier 
 
January 2, 2024
 
 
  
I brought my first dog here in 2020 to start service dog training. We worked with Ally and have had the best experience. The whole team was amazing with my pup. We planned on doing owner training with support from a professional. Nothing could have been more perfect. Ally gave me space to work on what I knew how to do and helped me learn how to train things I didn’t know yet. We worked hard and the outcome was amazing. With my newest puppy, I trained him with Kevin. He was very gentle and kind to him and trained him the way he needed. Kevin pays close attention to your dogs and works with them to support their learning style. He is very knowledgeable and explained everything in a way I could easily understand. All four of my dogs love coming here. They have made wonderful friends and have a place to run and play. The facility is set up so there are multiple small groups of dogs. Rather than just one large play group, dogs are separated by size, temperament, and play style. I feel confident that my dogs are safe and happy when they board or come for daycare. Best part is, my puppy comes home tired and ready for a nap!
  
 
 
 
 
 
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 Anna Cohen 
 
February 12, 2026
 
 
  
Elena worked MIRACLES with our Vizsla! I am so very thankful for all that she’s done to help us and our dog!!
  
 
 
 
 
 
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 Drew Craig 
 
March 12, 2023
 
 
  
We love Wind River! Honestly, 5 stars aren't enough for how amazing our experience has been with the trainers. Before Wind River, our dog was wild and out of control and we weren't able to get a handle on him. We enrolled Chewie in the Board and Train option that Wind River offers while we went off for a vacation. When we returned from our trip, we came back to completely different dog. Kevin was the primary trainer that worked with Chewie. During the training process, Kevin would send us updates of Chewie's progress and give us tips on how to help Chewie be successful. When we picked up Chewie they took us through an in depth walk-through on the training that was done, as well as 2 private lessons in the weeks following. If you are looking for the best trainers in the area, Wind River is the place to choose.
  
 
 
 
 
 
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 Emily Rogers 
 
August 10, 2020
 
 
  
My shih tzu, Tucker, loves this place!! I was nervous with him being a little dog and most of the dogs there at the time being large. But they were very careful to place him with gentle bigger dogs :) Everything went very smoothly. Tucker will definitely be back!
  
 
 
 
 
 
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 Mary Beth Egan 
 
November 22, 2023
 
 
  
Exceptional care and concern in their boarding- and their training WORKS!  I recommend Wind River without hesitation.  They changed our relationship with our puppy from chaos to calm and enjoyable.  Their training is dog- and human-kind.
  
 
 
 
 
 
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 Aaron Madsen 
 
April 11, 2019
 
 
  
Seems to be popular
  
 
 
 
 
 
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 Shannon Kimmell 
 
August 14, 2024
 
 
  
To say I'm satisfied with my experience with Wind River Canine Partners would be a major understatement! Words can't completely describe how blown-away and ecstatic I am with the support and training I recieved. I brought my dog, Casserole, to Elena for private lessons to address Cassie's reactivity to dogs (and my anxiety surrounding it!). Elena is extremely knowledgeable, professional, and her experience really shines through. She was very up-beat and receptive to my questions and concerns, and her confidence and clear planning for my dog really set us up for success. I really appreciate how her training prepares us for real life situations. I seriously couldn't be happier! The group hikes are fantastic and easy to sign- up for, and I love them as an opportunity to continue reinforcing our training in a safe environment; I go as often as I can! Finding help for you and your dog that you can trust can be very scary and stressful, but if you need help with your dog, don't hesitate to contact Wind River Canine Partners!
  
 
 
 
 
 
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 R Gal 
 
February 22, 2019
 
 
  
Awesome trainers. The staff here knows what they are doing and gets the best out of a dog. My golden retriever loved staying here and doing service dog training with the staff. The results are impressive if you as the owner are willing to work with their staff and implement their suggestions on how to interact with your dog. Can’t recommend them enough.
  
 
 
 
 
 
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 Ivvy Craig 
 
December 19, 2024
 
 
  
Love this place. They do a great job with my disabled dog, and their training is next level. I use them for boarding while I am gone on vacation and my dogs always come back to me happy as can be. I did the board and train with my hound mix, and I would say that he was a totally different dog when I got him back. Best thing I could have ever done!
  
 
 
 
 
 
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 Bonnie Netzley 
 
February 13, 2024
 
 
  
We just started using this kennel for boarding. The staff is kind and communicative. I felt very comfortable leaving my dogs with them while my husband and I flew out of state for 4 days. Definitely going back!
  
 
 
 
 
 
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 Rita Keltner 
 
September 19, 2021
 
 
  
We love Wind River!  And the best part is our dog loves Wind River.  Every single employee is wonderful.   They call you by name and they know my dog by name.  Thor is put with pups he enjoys playing with and he is so excited when we turn down the lane.
  
 
 
 
 
 
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 Carey Snow 
 
October 3, 2023
 
 
  
Clarify and redirecting my use of verbal, hand and e collar corrections makes an immediate improvement in our pup’s behavior. No more pulling against the leash, or rushing guests at the door or little kids wanting to pet him. Ally is a straight forward communicator and understands how important consistency is to see the best results when working on improving dog behaviors by teaching us owners.