Companion Canines of Pocatello

Companion Canines of Pocatello Dog training in Pocatello based on Positive Reinforcement methods. We have over 25 years of experience, taught by a Certified Professional Dog Trainer.

Our classes help your dog become the best Companion Canine possible. I have been a dog trainer for over 20 years and a certified AKC Instructor for STAR Puppy Classes, CGC and Trick Dog. I am a Professional Member of the APDT (Association of Professional Dog Trainers) and certified Canine Life & Social Skills instructor and a member of the IAABC (International Association of Animal Behavior Consul

tants. I have 3 dogs of my own and have competed in Rally, Agility, Obedience, Barn Hunt and 3 of my previous dogs were certified as Pet Therapy Partners. My training is based on Positive Force Free R+dog training.

This was our Life and Social Skills class, and one of the fun games we played in honor of Easter! It is called the egg...
04/06/2026

This was our Life and Social Skills class, and one of the fun games we played in honor of Easter! It is called the egg and spoon race, and the whole idea is to keep the egg on your spoon in your leash hand, stop at each cone and get to the end and dump your egg in the empty bucket. This exercise requires attention from the dog, a strong bond, loose leash and some good old fashioned competitive skills! It was a fun night!






🚨🚨 BRAND NEW PROGRAM ALERT 🚨🚨After 26+ years of training dogs… we decided…✨why stop there?✨Introducing something that ha...
04/01/2026

🚨🚨 BRAND NEW PROGRAM ALERT 🚨🚨

After 26+ years of training dogs… we decided…
✨why stop there?✨

Introducing something that has NEVER been done before (probably for good reason):

🐐 MINI GOAT MASTER CLASS 🐐

That’s right. We are officially expanding into the world of elite goat athletics.

And before you ask…
Yes. We’re serious.
No. We don’t know how this got approved either.

This 8-week powerhouse program will include:
🔥 Nose Work – because if it has snacks, goats WILL find it
🔥 Agility – jumps, tunnels, and whatever else they feel like doing instead
🔥 Dock Diving – big air, big splashes, questionable decision-making

💡 Why goats?
Because they’re athletic, smart, slightly unhinged… and honestly… same.

📅 Starts: April 31st (don’t ruin this for us)
📍 Location: Westwood Mall (management is… unaware)
💰 Cost: $250 (cash only… goats ate the card reader)

📋 Requirements:
• Must bring your own mini goat
• Must enjoy snacks (mandatory)
• Must be okay with being outsmarted by your goat
• No headbutting instructors (we’ve set boundaries)

⚠️ Class Rules:
• No barking (we’re thriving here)
• Screaming… depends on the goat
• If it poops… yeah… still you

Listen… we’ve trained a LOT of dogs…
but we are READY for this level of chaos.

👉 PM us to grab a spot before this class gets completely out of control (or sold out… whichever happens first).

Look at this adorable crew from our Puppy Class on Monday night 😍🐾We had SO much fun (and yes… a little chaos, because… ...
04/01/2026

Look at this adorable crew from our Puppy Class on Monday night 😍🐾
We had SO much fun (and yes… a little chaos, because… puppies 😂), but these teams are already putting in the work and it shows!
We played the T-shirt Game—which is one of our favorite ways to build cooperative care skills (aka helping your puppy feel safe and confident with handling and grooming… instead of acting like you just betrayed them for life 😅).
We also worked on:
🐾 Leash walking
🐾 Recalls (aka “please come back to me, tiny chaos gremlin”)
🐾 Focus and engagement
This is seriously such a great group of puppies and humans. Watching these little guys learn how to exist in the world with confidence (and manners 😉) is what it’s all about 💙
🐶 Got a new puppy? We’ve got you covered!
Our next
AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy Class
📅 Starts Monday, May 4th
⏰ 6:00 p.m.
⚠️ Limited spots available
Send us a PM if you want in—these classes fill fast!

Well… Thursday night escalated quickly in the BEST way possible 😂🐾Our Beginning Life & Social Skills/CGC class got a rea...
04/01/2026

Well… Thursday night escalated quickly in the BEST way possible 😂🐾
Our Beginning Life & Social Skills/CGC class got a real-life, hands-on adventure when our amazing friend Jennifer Jackson showed up and basically turned class into “Survival Skills for Dogs (and their humans).”
Since Fish and Game is under remodel, Jen brought the wild to us — and by that I mean hides, antlers, and yes… an actual trap (don’t worry, it was NOT loaded… we like our students way too much for that 😅).
She walked everyone through what to do if your dog ever stepped into a trap out on an adventure — which, let’s be honest, is the kind of stuff you don’t think about… until you really wish you had.
The dogs got to sniff around the sheds (10/10 best day ever according to them), and when it came to the hides, it turned into a whole lot of “leave it… seriously, LEAVE IT… I mean it this time” practice — because we are raising polite members of society, not wildlife criminals 🤣
Then we switched gears into a classroom session where Jen talked about recreating safely in the outdoors and sent everyone home with some awesome brochures. So not only did we have fun, we actually learned some super important real-world skills too.
AND let’s not skip over one of the biggest wins of the night — all these dogs working in close quarters, settling, relaxing, and making good choices. That’s the kind of stuff that really matters, and these teams showed up and delivered.
We are so grateful to Jen for taking the time to come work with our class — this was such a cool experience for everyone!
Huge shoutout to these teams… you guys CRUSHED it 👏🐕💙
(And nobody got stuck in a trap, so honestly… 10/10 success 😆)

Here are some highlights from our Advanced class group outing on Monday night… and let me tell you, it did not disappoin...
04/01/2026

Here are some highlights from our Advanced class group outing on Monday night… and let me tell you, it did not disappoint 😂🐾
These teams took their skills on the road and absolutely showed up! Real-life distractions, real-life training, and yes… real-life chaos (looking at you, geese 👀🪿). Some of the dogs were NOT impressed, but hey—same, honestly.
That’s exactly why we do this though—working through the unexpected, building confidence, and helping these dogs learn how to make good choices even when the world is screaming “LOSE YOUR MIND RIGHT NOW.”
We had all kinds of animals to train around, which made for such a great learning experience… but plot twist: the cat was the real MVP of the night 🐱✨ Apparently, that was everyone’s favorite new “friend” (or obsession… depending on the dog 😅) and they all loved Cinnamon, the little pony.
Huge shoutout to the amazing crew at Dustin’ Time Rescue—Danny Dustin, Burniece Dustin, and Danniell Dustin—for hosting us and giving our teams this opportunity. You guys are seriously the best, and we appreciate you so much ❤️
And to our students—dang, we are proud of you. This is what putting in the work looks like 👏🐕

It's National Puppy Day! Let's so all the puppies! This is Baylee, Groot and Hawkeye as babies!
03/23/2026

It's National Puppy Day! Let's so all the puppies! This is Baylee, Groot and Hawkeye as babies!

What an incredible night for our first field trip with the Advanced Life & Social Skills / CGCA / CGCU crew at the Pocat...
03/18/2026

What an incredible night for our first field trip with the Advanced Life & Social Skills / CGCA / CGCU crew at the Pocatello Fire Department! 🔥🐾
We truly cannot say enough about the amazing men and women at PFD. They go above and beyond—not just for our community, but for our dogs and handlers as well. They never rush the dogs, they take their time, answer every question (and then some!), walk us through the station, the trucks, their schedules—and of course, share some pretty awesome stories along the way. We are so grateful for their continued support… this is easily one of our top 3 favorite training spots!

From a training standpoint, nights like this are gold. These outings help handlers really see their dogs—what they’re comfortable with, where they need support, and how to read those subtle signs of stress. Even more important, we advocate for the dogs having a voice—letting them decide if they want to engage, take treats, or ask for affection. That confidence and trust building? That’s where the magic happens.

And let’s talk about the exposure 👏—all the sights, sounds, smells, movement, gear… it’s a LOT. But it’s real life. Our hope is that if (heaven forbid) a fire crew ever has to enter a home, these dogs won’t be meeting firefighters for the very first time in a high-stress moment. Instead, it’s “Oh hey… I’ve seen you guys before!” and that familiarity can make a huge difference.

We even had some special guests tonight—Brin and Suri (the itty-bitties 🥹) joined us for their own little adventure, along with our Star Wars litter crew. They all did fantastic! And yes… several of our first responders happily sanitized up and got in some much-needed puppy snuggles (arguably the best part of their shift 😉).
Huge thank you again to Pocatello Fire Department Station 1—you guys are the real deal, and we are so lucky to have you in our corner and in our community. ❤️🚒







We are incredibly honored to announce that Companion Canines of Pocatello has been named a Finalist for Idaho’s Best Pet...
03/11/2026

We are incredibly honored to announce that Companion Canines of Pocatello has been named a Finalist for Idaho’s Best Pet (Dog) Trainer! 🐾

We truly cannot thank our community enough for the support, the votes, the reviews, and the trust you place in us with your dogs. It means more than we can ever put into words.

A very special thank you goes to our amazing instructors — their talent, dedication, and love for the dogs and their people are what make this program so special. We are so lucky to have such an incredible team… they truly are family. ❤️

✨ Jacquie McClanahan
✨ Jami Ballard
✨ Janet French
✨ Alleyna Martes
✨ Randy Gaines
✨ Mitch Calhoun

Winners will be announced April 7th! 🤞🐾

And because we love seeing all of your pups… drop a photo of your dog in the comments if you’ve trained with us! We would love to see them! 🐕🐾

The Tune-Up Class has officially begun! 🐾This class is for our students who have already been through training or are st...
03/05/2026

The Tune-Up Class has officially begun! 🐾
This class is for our students who have already been through training or are still going through training but want to tighten up their skills and keep the momentum going. We’ll be working on leash walking, polishing up recalls, practicing around distractions, and reminding our dogs that jumping on people is not part of their job description.
Training doesn’t stop after one class. The best dogs are the ones whose humans keep showing up, practicing, and continuing to build those skills over time.
Night one was fantastic. Dogs were focused, handlers were working hard, and everyone came ready to train. That’s the fun part about continuing education—skills get stronger, dogs get more confident, and the teamwork just keeps getting better.
We’re excited to see these teams over the next several weeks as we fine-tune skills, add challenges, and keep building well-mannered dogs who can handle the real world.
Great job everyone—this is going to be a really fun class to watch! 🐕✨





🎉 Big congratulations to our Thursday night CGC/Life & Social Skills 7:00 p.m. crew!We wrapped up class with some games,...
03/05/2026

🎉 Big congratulations to our Thursday night CGC/Life & Social Skills 7:00 p.m. crew!
We wrapped up class with some games, laughs, and a little friendly competition. We played Doggie Tic-Tac-Toe, attempted the Chopstick Race (which is harder than it looks when you have a dog involved), and finished with our favorite contest:
“If My Dog Were Famous, Who Would They Be?”
🏆 Winner: Gus!
Lydia said Gus would be Kramer, and honestly… she absolutely nailed it. The comparison was so accurate the rest of us are still laughing. 😂
Now, full transparency — my phone apparently decided to betray me and did not save several of the game photos (rude), but we still have a few great pictures to share from the night.
Some teams are graduating from this session, and we are incredibly proud of how much progress they’ve made. A few teams will be joining the CCOP “Comeback Tour,” where we polish up a few skills and keep building confidence.
Because here’s the thing — we don’t hand out certificates willy-nilly. We want dogs and handlers to leave class with real, lasting skills, not just a piece of paper.
The best part? Everyone is coming back and continuing their training, and we love seeing these teams stay committed to building great dogs.
Thank you all for the laughs, the hard work, and for making class such a fun place to train. We can’t wait to see what you and your dogs accomplish next! 🐾







Look at all these fantastic teams from our Foundation Manners & Obedience class! 🎉🐾Congratulations to every single one o...
03/05/2026

Look at all these fantastic teams from our Foundation Manners & Obedience class! 🎉🐾
Congratulations to every single one of you. You’ve been putting in the work, showing up for your dogs, and it absolutely shows. Watching these teams grow from the first class to graduation is one of the most rewarding parts of what we do. We are so excited to see you continue your journey with us in the Beginning Life & Social Skills / CGC class — it’s always amazing to watch dedicated handlers keep building stronger partnerships with their dogs as they move through the CCOP program.
Of course, we couldn’t let graduation night pass without a little fun. We wrapped up the evening with some classic CCOP games — the Whipped Cream Race, the legendary Fastest Peanut Butter Lickerer (yes… that is exactly what we call it… because apparently we can train dogs but naming games is not our strongest skill 🤷‍♀️), Bone Jenga, and of course handing out those well-earned graduation certificates.
If you know any of these teams, give them a hug, a high five, or a big shout-out. They’ve worked hard and should be proud! But don’t forget to congratulate the humans too… after all, they’re the ones with the car keys. 🚗🐕💙






🎉 Congratulations (only…a week late 🤦‍♀️) to our Thursday night CGC/Life & Social Skills 5:00 p.m. class graduates!We wr...
03/05/2026

🎉 Congratulations (only…a week late 🤦‍♀️) to our Thursday night CGC/Life & Social Skills 5:00 p.m. class graduates!
We wrapped up the session with some fun games and challenges, including Doggie Tic-Tac-Toe, a Chopstick Race, and a hilarious contest called “If My Dog Were Famous, Who Would They Be and Why?”
🏅 First place went to Team Faust! Their dog Xena took the gold as Olympic champion Jessie Diggins—which was a perfect match for her energy, determination, and athletic spirit!
Congratulations to all of these teams. We can truly see how much work you’ve put in with your dogs, and it shows. Your dedication to training, learning, and having fun with your pups is what makes this journey so rewarding.
We’re excited to see many of you continue on with us in the Advanced class and keep building those skills! 🐾







Address

Pocatello, ID

Telephone

+12082213578

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Companion Canines of Pocatello posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category