WIND RIVER CANINE PARTNERS

Pet Training | Service Dogs

Off-Leash Training

Kennel-Free Boarding & Daycare

Wind River Canine Partners is a unique DOG TRAINING, BOARDING, AND DAYCARE facility located just 12 miles south of Missoula on a beautiful ranch in the Bitterroot valley.

We offer small, tailored daycare groups that create healthy play habits for dogs; kennel-free boarding with spacious, natural yards for our overnight guests; and a team of highly educated and skilled trainers to create the strongest partnership you’ve ever had with your dog.

Join our pack today!

Daycare & Boarding

Come stay at the Wind River Ranch! For our boarding and daycare clients:

  • Indoor-outdoor access between our heated & air-conditioned barns and our spacious, natural-grass yards.
  • Dogs can participate in small, hand-selected play groups during the day or have their own space, whichever they prefer.
  • Maximum play group size is 8 dogs, so we can match each dog to others of similar play styles and temperaments. 
  • Staff on site 24/7 so your dogs are always protected, even overnight

Dog Training

Real-world training that caters to the Montana lifestyle. Create the “Go Anywhere, Do Anything” dog that can be your adventure partner, whether that takes you into the woods or downtown. We offer:

  • Foundation Partnership Training
  • Off Leash Reliability
  • Behavior Modification
  • Specialty Skills: Nose Work, Pulling Sports, Bite Work, Therapy Dog, and more!

Service Dog Program

A unique owner-training service dog program that helps individuals with disabilities train their own dogs for specifically tailored tasks to help them live more independent lives. Training for mobility assistance, seizure, allergen detection, psychiatric assistance, and more. 

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Gabbie Cummings profile picture
Gabbie Cummings
June 24, 2024
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I traveled with my friend and her dog to Montana for her daughter's wedding. We heard of this place from a friend of a friend. We went to check it out and have a meet & greet. What kind and friendly staff. Initial meet & greet was for 2 hours. He LOVED it!!! My friend, on the other hand, was like leaving her kindergartener on the first day of school. 🤣 We brought Teddy back for a 2 day stay. They allowed him to sleep inside with the overnight staff. He made a lot of new friends. Hannah was WONDERFUL!!!! If we are ever back in Victor or Hamilton and need a place to leave our pup, I will definitely come here. Thank you Hannah for being so wonderful to my friend and her dog, Teddy.
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Steven Carlston profile picture
Steven Carlston
June 16, 2023
Google star 1Google star 2Google star 3Google star 4Google star 5
Very knowledgeable trainers We have had several rescue pups come out of there with skillz!
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Rita Keltner profile picture
Rita Keltner
September 19, 2021
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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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Katelyn Siemer profile picture
Katelyn Siemer
March 20, 2023
Google star 1Google star 2Google star 3Google star 4Google star 5
We brought our rough collie pup here for obedience lessons. Lydia was awesome working with us, giving us a great start to Scout’s life with our family. I especially appreciated the opportunities presented to obey in a controlled not at home setting with distraction. Would love to return again for more advanced training.
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Taylor Dowell profile picture
Taylor Dowell
February 25, 2019
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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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Nicole Pressman-Schneider profile picture
Nicole Pressman-Schneider
January 4, 2024
Google star 1Google star 2Google star 3Google star 4Google star 5
Always a reliable place for my pups to be well cared for. I love that the pups can be together and have room to play. The staff are fantastic at communication and obviously have a love of dogs.
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Lori W profile picture
Lori W
October 17, 2021
Google star 1Google star 2Google star 3Google star 4Google star 5
Ally is very knowledgeable about service dog training. She is also willing to fit the training to you and your dog. Not a one size fits all approach. Highly recommend Wind River Dog Training!!
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Rebecca Aliff profile picture
Rebecca Aliff
November 10, 2023
Google star 1Google star 2Google star 3Google star 4Google star 5
Our 7mo lab Yarrow was rehomed to us, with no training. When Yarrow turned 1yo, we contacted Kevin Alford at Wind River. Kevin provided excellent insight & instruction to make Yarrow successful in a wide range of venues. Kevin is kind, funny & a clear communicator. We have enjoyed our training sessions, and watching Yarrow being successful. We recommend Wind River and trainer Kevin Alford!
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Vicki Arduini profile picture
Vicki Arduini
July 10, 2023
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We are extremely happy with Wind River. First we had our timid girl stay there for daycare. The staff goes above and beyond to make sure your dog is with other dogs with the same energy level. They don't just put them all in an area together. We have also had our pup here for foundation & partnership training, fantastic, and then for the advanced off leash training. Kevin did such a great job. Our fear, living in a rural area, was that she would take off after a deer or other wildlife. After a board and train session with Kevin our girl comes running back every time we call her. We don't have to use whistles or e-collar. We especially appreciated the included hour long training sessions with us to reinforce with she had been taught. Thank you Wind River Canine Partners and Kevin for such a great experience!
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Beth Kohn profile picture
Beth Kohn
January 3, 2024
Google star 1Google star 2Google star 3Google star 4Google star 5
My Rosie girl absolutely LOVES Wind River and the team there! They've become a second family ♥️
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Carla Jones profile picture
Carla Jones
March 5, 2025
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I highly recommend training with Ally she was great with our German Shepard puppy and taught me a lot so that I could continue the testing myself. I also recommend their boarding facility and the staff is so friendly!
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Alex Epping profile picture
Alex Epping
February 22, 2019
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I took my Catahoula mix to Wind River for aggression training, and they have completely changed our lives! The one on one care they provide while training is amazing, and I love knowing that when I’m out of town, Beau is treated as one of their own. I can’t recommend this place enough!
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Jane Elleby profile picture
Jane Elleby
June 14, 2019
Google star 1Google star 2Google star 3Google star 4Google star 5
Thank you Wind River Canine Partners for your work in fostering and encouraging a strong team with our son and his newly graduated service dog. Your expertise in good citizenship obedience training, medical task training, and public access training was thorough and infinitely rewarding for their team. AND you kept it exciting and fun. My son came back from his transfer of skills week full of confidence and ready to begin his life with a entirely focused and knowledgeable service dog! As a mother seeing the success of the partnership and team building, I feel grateful, appreciative, and thankful that we chose Wind River Canine Partners and would recommend your organization with the absolute highest of accolades. Thank you to Ally Cowan and the team. Jane Elleby
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Larissa Kennedy profile picture
Larissa Kennedy
September 29, 2024
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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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Karyn H profile picture
Karyn H
July 5, 2024
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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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worfels profile picture
worfels
June 14, 2019
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Or dog has had a lot of successful training here. And it's the only place we board him because he gets to have such a great time. It's so helpful to know that when you say goodbye!
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Michelle Navarro profile picture
Michelle Navarro
October 29, 2022
Google star 1Google star 2Google star 3Google star 4Google star 5
Kevin is a phenomenal dog trainer! He's knowledgeable, patient, and thorough. I appreciate the extra time he took to educate my family in dog behaviors and how those behaviors relate to training. Every session, he made sure we were comfortable with the training exercises and continuing those exercises beyond the lessons. His teaching style is the reason we were able to gain the success we have and I will continue to use him for future training needs. Thank you, Kevin!
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Dee Dee Armstrong profile picture
Dee Dee Armstrong
June 25, 2021
Google star 1Google star 2Google star 3Google star 4Google star 5
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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Aaron Madsen profile picture
Aaron Madsen
April 11, 2019
Google star 1Google star 2Google star 3Google star 4Google star 5
Seems to be popular
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Sean Means profile picture
Sean Means
February 22, 2019
Google star 1Google star 2Google star 3Google star 4Google star 5
The only place I trust with my dog aggressive pit bull! Great staff and great facilities.
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Jason Watkins profile picture
Jason Watkins
December 21, 2023
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Wind river was a great way to get foundational training when our busy life caring for young children didn't allow us to put the time into our puppy the way we needed to. We sent a hyper, non-obedient dog in hopes that we would see some improvement. Kevin spent 2 weeks training the basics of sit (applied stay), place (applied stay), and walking on a leash. When he came back to us, we couldn't believe how well he behaved. With our commitment to ongoing training, our dog has continued to flourish. We couldn't be happier with the results.
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Emily Weaver profile picture
Emily Weaver
December 12, 2022
Google star 1Google star 2Google star 3Google star 4Google star 5
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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Silly Kristiena
March 13, 2024
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I always feel relaxed, relieved and grateful when Wind River has my dog. I can travel without worry!
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Eryn Rudolph profile picture
Eryn Rudolph
December 22, 2019
Google star 1Google star 2Google star 3Google star 4Google star 5
Cant believe I forgot to leave a review for this place. Ally has been amazing and continues to work with me to train a service dog and has been incredibly accommodating to me. All of the dogs are well looked after and cared for and everyone at the kennel is super amazing! I travel across the country everytime I need to train one of my dogs. Best people ever!
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Gina Sanford profile picture
Gina Sanford
February 22, 2019
Google star 1Google star 2Google star 3Google star 4Google star 5
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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Joy Elzea profile picture
Joy Elzea
March 8, 2024
Google star 1Google star 2Google star 3Google star 4Google star 5
Kevin has done a wonderful job instructing and training our dog. We highly recommend him!
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Lara Chodelski profile picture
Lara Chodelski
February 13, 2026
Google star 1Google star 2Google star 3Google star 4Google star 5
I've been a client of wind river for both boarding and training purposes and have nothing but wonderful things to say about both services. For boarding, they are incredibly professional and saftey-conscious. One of my dogs is not dog-friendly and they are great with him, make sure he's not put in positions that would make him uncomfortable and unsure everyone is safe. I feel confident leaving him with them when I need to go out of town, and they are fantastic to work with for drop off and pick up. For training, I've been working with trainer Elena for both general pet behaviour and competition obedience for my sport dog. We have also gone to El for bitework foundations and progression. Elena is a wonderful trainer that teaches in a way anyone can understand, and tailors training style and explanations to the person and dog she's working with. I'm a visual learner and it's been so wonderful working with her and having her show me what I need to do, and then helping me with my positioning to achieve the same effect. My dogs absolutely love her and I couldn't ask for a better person or trainer to work with. Go-home work between sessions is reasonable and achievable. I am so grateful to have Wind River and Elena available to me for boarding and training purposes. Knowing my dogs are in safe hands and I've got expert guidance with my training is a weight off my shoulders and it's so nice to see progress with my dogs. Also, my dogs absolutely adore Elena.
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Mariellyn Page profile picture
Mariellyn Page
January 15, 2020
Google star 1Google star 2Google star 3Google star 4Google star 5
Friendly and great trainers and staff
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Elizabeth Warriner profile picture
Elizabeth Warriner
May 26, 2025
Google star 1Google star 2Google star 3Google star 4Google star 5
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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Kate Haire profile picture
Kate Haire
May 13, 2023
Google star 1Google star 2Google star 3Google star 4Google star 5
Many thanks to Kevin Alford for working with me and my English Cocker Spaniel puppy Percy - we are making real progress and I couldn't be more pleased. Kevin is extremely knowledgeable, experienced, and professional - as well as kind, patient, and able to explain not only what to do, but why, and the short-term and long-term outcomes to look for. Looking forward to more training in the future!

CALL, TEXT, OR EMAIL!

(406) 272-2140

staff@windriverkennels.com

HOURS

Drop off & Pick Up Hours:
Open 7 Days Per Week
7AM-7PM

We are CLOSED from 12:30-2:30PM every day for ranch chores!

Training by appointment only!

ADDRESS

5353 E. CARLTON CREEK RD
FLORENCE, MT 59833

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