Services
Read more about the services we offer below! When you’re ready to schedule with us, head over to the contact page or click below and introduce yourself! Let us know which services you’re interested in and a brief summary of how we can help, and we’ll get back to you in the next 24-48 hours.
New client intake session
Private Sessions + tutoring sessions
Enrichment Outings
Board + train
New Client Intake session
This is a 90 minute Intake session for new clients!
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Duration: 90 minutes.
Cost: $200
Location: In home or virtual. We see clients in the Portland, Milwaukie, Oregon City, Lake Oswego, West Linn, Tualatin, Tigard, Beaverton, and Vancouver area. There is a travel fee for sessions outside of 15 miles from central Portland.
Includes: Emailed follow up after session.
During this session we will focus on getting to know you and your dog(s), discuss your dog’s basic needs and lifestyle, evaluate your training goals, answer questions you may have, and collaborate on building an initial training plan. Additionally, we’ll discuss an optimal schedule for future sessions based on the urgency of your situation, the amount of time you are able to dedicate, and scheduling availability.
If your dog struggles with strangers coming into their home, this initial consultation will be virtual. We will send an emailed follow up after the session highlighting our discussion and any homework.
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Once scheduled, your trainer will send you an invoice for the session that can be paid up to 24 hours from the appointment. If you prefer to pay cash or check, please let your trainer know before your appointment.
Your trainer will also email you an intake form. Please make sure it is filled out at least 24 hours before your appointment. This will include your contact info, as well as information about your dog and your goals.
Prepare something for your dog to work on during the visit, such as a frozen kong or edible chewy. This can be really helpful if they become excited or stressed by visitors.
Your trainer will be taking notes on their laptop, and you can sit together at a table, sofa, or even on the floor. Feel free to write a list of things you want to discuss with your trainer.
If you need to reschedule or cancel, please provide 24 hours notice, otherwise we have a $75 late cancel fee for intake sessions (with the exception for sudden illness or emergency).
Your trainer will send a recap with resources after the appointment.
Private sessions
Private training is a combination of discussion and collaboration with you, and hands-on training with your dog!
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Duration: 1 hour
Cost:
Single session: $170
Save $5 when you pay via cash or check!
5 session package: $825 ($25 savings)
Save an additional $25 when you pay via cash or check
10 session package: $1625 ($75 savings)
Save an additional $25 when you pay via cash or check
Location: In home, virtual or at a location of choice. . We see clients in the Portland, Milwaukee, Oregon City, Lake Oswego, West Linn, Tualatin, Tigard, Beaverton, and Vancouver area. There is a travel fee for sessions outside of 15 miles from Portland.
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Prepare a stuffed puzzle or lickimat for your dog to work on when we arrive.
If meeting at your home, have your training treats and treat pouch ready to go.
If meeting outdoors, bring a backpack with water, a bowl, a toy, a towel or mat, and a longline.
Make sure your dog is reasonably exercised and rested before your session, and avoid stacking other exciting activities before your session. If your dog is overtired or underenriched you may not get as much out of your session.
If your dog is feeling unwell, has a cough, or has diarrhea, please text your trainer before your session to evaluate if you should reschedule.
If you need to reschedule or cancel, please provide 24 hours notice, otherwise we have a $50 late cancel fee for Private Sessions (with the exception for sudden illness or emergency).
Your trainer will begin wrapping up your session at 50 minutes, to recap and answer any questions, and so they can leave at the 60 minute mark.
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Your dog is most likely to be successful boarding with us if
They are social with other dogs
They are comfortable being behind a barrier like a baby gate or fence
They are welcome on your couch at home
They are accustomed to hearing typical neighborhood sounds like car doors, other dogs, kids, etc..
They are able to relax in a crate during the daytime
(there is potential flexibility here if the dog is uncomfortable in a crate but content behind a baby gate).
Comfort in confinement is really important for ensuring that everyone gets enough rest throughout the day!They have a level of comfortability with barky dogs behind a barrier. Our home is in a populous neighborhood with lots of other dogs and families - if your dog is easily stressed by hearing other dogs bark, or seeing people and dogs walk by windows, we might not be a good fit for boarding.
Ideally, they have some level of comfort with seeing stimuli out of a window. We don't get a ton of cars on our street, but our street leads to a park so we get LOTS of human and dog traffic. My dogs are very comfortable watching quietly out the window but this is a tough one for many dogs!
Your dog is not a good fit if:
They are an intact female dog (intact males are fine).
We have a small house and in the event that the female goes into season (estrus/heat cycle), it would be challenging to accommodate a thorough separation protocol from other intact male dogs.
(exceptions can be made at an increased rate and with plenty of advance notice - feel free to ask!)Your dog has a history of resource guarding from other dogs, as my house is too small to manage this appropriately.
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Our home includes:
Two humans
(Kira and their partner Matt Langel, who is also an awesome dog trainer!)Two dogs
(Boone is a 7 year old neutered male Border Collie mix and Eno is an 19 month old intact male Australian Shepherd).
Plenty of cameras so we can supervise dogs even if we aren’t home or if we’re in the other room
Several baby gates that separate different parts of the house
Fenced front and back yard, and a whole lot of toys and comfy places to lay! Although the property is fenced, it is not completely escape proof - if your dog has a history of digging out of your property or scaling fences we would not be a good fit.
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Matt (Kira’s partner and also a great trainer!) takes their resident dogs out of the house during the time that the new boarder is coming over for the first time. Clients can take time to look around the house if they'd like to do so (aside from my bedroom/bathroom and office, out of respect for privacy - these are not areas that boarders are typically exposed to anyway unless they're sleeping in our bed at night), and time to ask me any last minute questions. This step is usually about 15 minutes, unless of course you have lots of questions - in which case, emailing first is helpful! 🙂
Once the dog's human leaves, I let the dog sniff around the house and the yard as much as they want. I do treat scatters and engage the dog more if they seem stressed, but otherwise I like to allow them to take this time to get to know the new environment without any social pressure from dogs or people (including me). This also gives me a great opportunity to just focus on observing them and their body language and what kinds of things they're drawn to. This step can take anywhere from 15 mins - an hour.
Once the boarder seems satisfied and has stopped sniffing and engaging with the environment, I leash them up and we take a walk to one of our neighborhood parks, where we meet up with Matt and our two resident dogs, Eno and Boone and let all the dogs get to know each other on neutral ground. There are several small quiet parks nearby so it's easy to make this happen. This step takes anywhere from 20 mins - an hour.
Once we're feeling satisfied with the dynamic with all three dogs, we all go home together. We work on some basic training with all three together.
I text several times throughout this intro process to let you know how it's going.
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That depends 100% on the individual boarder!! It is impossible to say what exactly your dog would do each day, as we’re always adjusting to respond to the needs of the individual dog (and any other animals in the home)!
Here’s some examples of activities we might do:
play and train in the front or back yard
go on a hike
go to a park
have a playdate with a known dog
participate in one of my private training sessions
go on a leashed walk
have a training session in a novel environment like a hardware store
go to a bar or restaurant
cuddle on the couch
play and train with toys
have a structured training session around the house
work on grooming procedures
Board + TraiN
$200-360/day
Exact estimate determined during intake. Scheduling is limited.
Kira will board your dog out of their home in SE Portland, and your dog will be treated just like any other family member, with an experience curated just for them, based on their individual needs. As part of the intake process, you’ll share some of your training goals and we will do our best to ensure your dog gets plenty of practice with skills that work towards your goals.
If you are just interested in maintaining your dog’s existing skill set, that’s great too! We will ensure that your dog has as little stress and setback as possible during the time that you are traveling.
All boarders get the chance to work on engagement, relaxation work, social skills, recall, leash skills, and overall emotional regulation.
We require a trial night before any longer boarding stay is scheduled to ensure a harmonious experience and minimal stress for all animals involved!
There is no minimum or maximum length of stay, but if your goal is behavior change, we recommend booking at least a week duration. If your goal is just that your dog’s skills are very well-maintained (and probably improved on) and your dog is happy and satisfied while you’re out of town, any length of stay can be accommodated!
Follow-up materials included, and pictures, videos, and updates are texted throughout their stay!
enrichment outings
Enrichment Outings are a thoughtfully tailored, super fun, one on one outing for your dog! Pick up and Drop off included.
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Duration: 1 hour session, plus travel time.
Cost: $78 per visit, or Package of 4 for $300.
New client meet & greet: $50, 30 minutes
Location: Your neighborhood or location 5-10 minutes from your office or home.
During this outdoor outings we will focus on:
Behavior management - preventing the rehearsal of unwanted behaviors, avoiding stressful experiences, and keeping your dog subthreshold.
Enrichment - encourage sniffing, exploring, investigating, experimenting, decompression
Confidence building - prioritizing emotional safety and encouraging and celebrating easy wins.
Training for engagement - strengthening connection and responsiveness to known cues
Arousal regulation - attunement to dogs stimulation levels and supporting re-calibration throughout outing
Reinforcing good behavior - Strengthen responsiveness to known cues, capture positive behaviors that occur throughout visit, and maintain consistency with good habits that you have been working on.
FUN: Most importantly your dog will have a great time and get loads of attention, affection, and mental and physical enrichment!
Location ideas:
A nearby park
A trail or nature area
A business complex or local pet friendly business
A Sniff Spot (cost of sniff spot is not included in visit).
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New clients: We’ll schedule a 30 minute meet and greet in your home. We will go over your dogs temperament, known skills, strengths and challenges, and access to your home (if you will not be home when we pick up).
Established clients: Prior to our first Enrichment Outing, we will coordinate pick up and drop off details via email, or a 15 minute phone or virtual call. We will also review your dog’s current management and training plan so that it can be incorporated into our outings.
We will go our rain or shine. If there is inclement weather in the forecast, we will text message with 24 hours notice to prepare for potential cancellation.
Your trainer will text you when they have arrived at your home to pick up your dog, when they are heading back to your home, and when they have arrived to drop off.
We will send you a text update with photos, videos, where we went and how the visit went, and whether your dog peed and pooped. There is no emailed follow up with this service.
If you need to cancel, please provide at least 24 hours notice via text, otherwise there is a $25 late cancel fee for Enrichment Outings.
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Dogs who go out with Christina must be comfortable riding in a backseat hammock with a dog seatbelt attached to their harness. Dogs who go out with Kira must be comfortable riding in a crate and/or a seatbelt attached to their harness.
Your dog must be wearing a well fitted harness, and a collar with identification tags.
Your dog must be comfortable and willing to eat food in public, or not need it to be successful.
If your dog has challenges with leash reactivity, please inquire to ensure this service is the right fit!
This service is not appropriate for dogs with a history of aggression towards people, children, or dogs.