Modified K9 offers a variety of dog training services in Spokane Valley and surrounding areas, including board and train programs, private lessons, puppy training, obedience training, behavior modification, group classes, and community pack walks. Whether you’re looking for help with basic manners, leash walking, reactivity, anxiety, aggression, or building a stronger foundation with your dog, we can help guide you toward the best option. Link: View our dog training services →

The best dog training program depends on your goals, your dog’s struggles, your schedule, and the level of support you’re looking for. We’re happy to schedule a quick call or chat by email to help determine which service would be the best fit. If you’re unsure where to start, we often recommend beginning with a private lesson. This gives us a chance to assess your dog’s behavior, talk through your goals, and establish some beginning work — especially if you’re waiting for an upcoming board and train opening. We’re also always open to a quick (15 minute), free meet and greet if you’d like to connect before committing to a program.

Yes — we love working with reactive, anxious, fearful, and aggressive dogs. Helping dogs gain confidence, build clearer communication, and experience a new outlook on life is a huge passion of ours. Many dogs who struggle with reactivity, anxiety, leash frustration, poor impulse control, or fear-based behaviors simply need structure, consistency, and a training plan that meets them where they are. Our goal is to help both dogs and owners feel more confident in real-life situations.

Puppy training can start as soon as you bring your puppy home. Early training helps build confidence, create structure, prevent unwanted habits, and teach your puppy how to live successfully in your home. For board and train programs, puppies must have their full parvo vaccine series and rabies vaccine before starting, for their safety. Private lessons can start earlier and may be done in-home, which allows us to work on puppy foundations while still being mindful of health and vaccine safety.

Modified K9 is based in Spokane Valley, Washington, and serves Spokane, Spokane Valley, Liberty Lake, Airway Heights, and surrounding areas. For private lessons outside of our standard service area, we charge a travel fee of $1 per mile outside of 15 miles from Spokane Valley.

To get started, you can reach out to us directly or sign up through our client portal to request a booking. Once we know more about your dog, your goals, and any behavior concerns you’re working through, we can recommend the best next step — whether that’s a private lesson, board and train program, group class, or another training option. Link: Sign up for our client portal → Send us a contact request →

A board and train program can be a great option for dogs who need more structure, consistency, and focused training than busy owners can realistically provide on their own day to day. Because your dog is staying with us, we’re able to work with them throughout the day in real-life moments — not just during one short training session. This gives us more opportunities to build better habits, create clearer expectations, and help your dog make faster progress than weekly lessons alone. In many ways, board and train can act as a behavioral reset. It gives your dog a chance to step into a structured environment, learn new patterns, and build a solid foundation around obedience, leash manners, impulse control, recall, crate manners, confidence, and overall behavior. That said, board and train is not a magic fix or a cure-all. We cannot solve every behavior challenge in a few short weeks, and lasting results still require consistency once your dog comes home. Our job is to create a strong foundation, help your dog gain clarity and confidence, and then teach you how to continue that progress at home. The best results happen when owners are ready to stay involved, follow the training plan, and reinforce the skills their dog learned during the program.

Before your dog’s board and train program, please make sure their vaccines are up to date. We require current DHPP, rabies, and Bordetella vaccines, along with a fecal test completed within the last year to check for parasites. For drop-off, please bring: Your dog Your dog’s food — you’d be surprised how often this is forgotten Any medications or supplements your dog routinely takes Your leash Any training tools your dog is currently using We provide kennels, bowls, toys, and blankets. To keep things simple and organized, we kindly ask that you do not bring additional personal items for your dog unless they are necessary or we specifically request them. To help your dog transition smoothly, we also recommend keeping their routine as normal as possible leading up to drop-off and letting us know about any recent health changes, medication changes, feeding instructions, or behavior concerns before the program begins.

For private dog training lessons, we will decide on a location together based on your dog’s needs and training goals. Before your lesson, please make sure your dog is either on leash when we arrive or safely secured in some way. Please also bring any rewards or motivators your dog works for, such as treats, toys, or food. Private lessons are hands-on and customized to your dog, so we’ll use the session to assess what’s going on, coach you through the process, and give you clear next steps to keep working on after the lesson.

Yes. Modified K9 offers group dog training classes throughout the year, including obedience classes, specialty classes, and community pack walks. Group classes are a great option for dogs who are ready to learn around distractions and for owners who want structured training in a group setting. Class options may vary by season, so check our current offerings or reach out to see what’s coming up next. The best way to see up to date schedules for classes is to sign up for our free client portal. We send out a weekly newsletter with current offerings and upcoming classes. Our Facebook page is also a great place to stay up to date. Link: More Information on Group classes → Sign up for client portal → Facebook page →

When appropriate, yes. One of the benefits of training with Modified K9 is that dogs are often exposed to real-life environments, everyday household activity, and controlled distractions such as other dogs, people, kids, and cats. Exposure is always based on the individual dog, their behavior, safety, and training goals. We do not force interactions or place dogs into situations they are not ready for. Instead, we focus on creating safe, structured opportunities to build confidence, neutrality, impulse control, and better decision-making around common real-world distractions. For some dogs, that may mean learning to calmly exist around other dogs. For others, it may mean practicing leash manners around people, building confidence around children, or learning appropriate boundaries around cats. Our goal is to help your dog become more comfortable and reliable in the types of everyday situations they may experience at home and in public

Modified K9 uses a balanced training approach, which means we customize training based on each dog’s needs, the owner’s goals, and the behavior we are working through. We use positive reinforcement as part of our training, but we are not limited to a reward-only approach. We do not believe every dog learns the same way, so our goal is to create a clear, fair, and effective plan that helps both the dog and owner succeed. Depending on the dog and the training goals, our approach may include food rewards, toys, praise, leash guidance, structure, clear boundaries, real-life rewards, and training tools. Training tools may include slip leads, long lines, prong collars, e-collars, or other equipment when appropriate. We believe tools should be used thoughtfully, fairly, and with proper education — not as a shortcut or replacement for good training. If a specific tool is recommended for continued use at home, we make sure owners understand how to use it safely, correctly, and confidently. Our goal is to help dogs and owners build clear communication, confidence, and reliable behavior in real-world situations. We are passionate about the dogs in our care and about helping owners build healthier, stronger, and more lasting relationships with their dogs.