Koda's Place

06/20/2026

Ollie and his person are putting in the work! And boy does it show!

This sweet boy has been learning how to work through new environments, new sounds, different surfaces, and the normal distractions that come with being out in the world.

Confidence building doesn’t mean forcing a dog to “just get over it.” It means giving them space to process, guiding them through the moment, and celebrating the small wins along the way.
For puppies, the best time to start is early. Not with pressure, but with positive exposure, structure, and calm guidance. The goal is to teach them that new places and experiences are safe, manageable, and nothing to panic over.

After sessions like this, decompression is just as important as the training itself. So we went to a familiar place for him and he got to do dog things.

Way to go, Ollie! We’re proud of the confidence you’re building one step at a time. 💙

And a special shout out to the staff at Lowe's for allowing us to sit and watch them work!

Train the dog. Empower the handler.

06/14/2026

We introduced everyone to Blue a while back, so now its time for his update!

While we have only spent a little bit of time with Blue before his people went to travel, he is doing AMAZING!

His counter surfing has improved a bunch, and little by little he is catching on to what it means to have a loose leash!

Blue's mom, is very busy but understands that even just a few minutes a day adds up. The family has been working diligently on giving clear direction, so that Blue can comprehend what is being asked of him and they are beginning to reap the benefits!

Interested to find out how you too could create clear communication with your dog?

Reach out today to schedule your Meet & Greet and get started on the right paw.

06/11/2026

Don't have any animals, but still want to be a part of something big?
Valley River Humane Society Animal Shelter is asking for your empty water bottles.
We're 100% for this, we get to help enrich the minds of the pups waiting for their forever home while recycling and repurposing our bottles!

If you can't make it to the shelter, we'll have a collection box for empty bottles at the Parts City in Andrews that we will be bringing down there!

💧 Help Us Create Fun Enrichment for Our Shelter Dogs! 🐾

We're looking for clean, empty plastic water bottles just like the one pictured! These bottles make fantastic enrichment toys for our dogs when filled with water and frozen. On hot days, frozen bottles provide cooling relief, mental stimulation, and a fun way for dogs to interact with their environment.

Why donate your empty water bottles? ♻️ Keeps plastic bottles out of landfills longer through reuse
🐶 Provides enrichment and cooling for shelter dogs
🌎 Reduces waste by giving bottles a second purpose
💙 Helps improve the daily lives of dogs waiting for their forever homes
💰 Costs you nothing but makes a big difference
🏡 Supports local animal welfare efforts right here in our community

Donation Guidelines: ✅ Empty and clean
✅ Plastic water bottles with lids
✅ Labels may stay on or be removed
❌ No bottles that contained chemicals or cleaning products
❌ No broken or heavily damaged bottles

Every bottle donated helps us provide enrichment, comfort, and entertainment for the dogs in our care. It's a simple way to recycle while helping shelter pets!

Donations can be dropped off at: 📍 Valley River Humane Society Shelter
7450 US-19, Marble, NC 28905

📍 Valley River Humane Society Thrift Store
1611 US-64, Murphy, NC 28906

Thank you for helping us turn something ordinary into something exciting for our dogs! 🐕❄️💙

06/07/2026

We can't even begin to tell you how proud we are of this team! Chopper and his owner have been putting in the steps to their loose leash walking skills and it shows! The tape is gone, the communication is getting clearer and the team is getting stronger!

Are you needing help on clear communication with you dog?
Reach out today to schedule your Meet and Greet!

05/11/2026

Let's talk distractions!

In this photo is our Trainer and Charlie. 5 months old and fully handler focused a long with a tiny little bird.

At the start of the session, Charlie wanted nothing more but to go investigate. A dog navigates their world with their nose and their mouth. So, without working Charlie through that, the bird would have 100% wound up in Charlie's mouth.

Before we got to this point in the picture, we worked diligently to build focus. Using lots of praise, reward, and reinforcement to teach Charlie this little bird is no big deal and nothing to be investigated. Then it was Charlie's Dad's turn! With some assistance in buffering and guidance on keeping focus the two succeeded and training continued!

It is up to us to create that expectation for our dogs. Distractions are everywhere, it is much easier to create wanted behavior rather than fix it later. Charlie is absolutely phenomenal and we are all very proud of him. As well as his people for taking the tools and using them!

If this story is relatable, or you've got a pup with some unwanted behavior on distractions CONTACT US TODAY and let's reach you the tools to succeed!

05/08/2026

Thank Dog it's Friday!!
But that doesnt stop us from working! We wanted to give you an update on the happenings here at KP.
While we work diligently to set your animals up for success in and out of our sessions, we have also been working on building trust, confidence, and peace with a pup name Reaper. On the weekeneds for the last 3 weeks Dawn has been working with Thomas at Canine Unlimited Offleash Pawtential.

Canine Unlimited had posted a video with a story no animal lover wants to hear and was reaching out for help. Dawn jumped at the opportunity. Knowing that her skill and knowledge may be of some assistance to Thomas and Reaper. It's been rewarding to be a part of to say the least!
Not only is Reaper getting some extra help and TLC both trainers are expanding their knowledge in all things dog by teaming up to help this fine young pupper!
KP is proud to be a part of this dog's journey and greatful for the opportunity. This will not only set another dog up for success, but give KP more tools and knowledge to widen our scope on training.

Please check out Canine Unlimited if you havent already. And follow along side of us to stay up to date on Sir Reaper!

05/02/2026

Meet Ollie!
Our newest pup on a path with Koda's Place. This golden doodle has places to be, trails to inspect, and a wilderness expedition to captain. Honestly, if the Boy Scouts needed a furry adventure guide, Ollie would already have the golden clipboard.
Dawn is excited to help him learn when it’s time to explore, when it’s time to check back in, and how to enjoy the world without turning the leash into a sled pulling competition.

Welcome to Koda’s Place, Ollie! We can’t wait to watch you grow.

04/30/2026

Consistency coupled with structure, creates reliable dogs.

Your dog learns faster when expectations stay the same every day. If “off” means no jumping today, it has to mean no jumping tomorrow too. Clear and consistent communication builds confidence and understanding.

Dogs thrive on routine. Even 5 focused minutes a day can create huge progress over time, setting your dog up for success.

Need help creating structure for your pup you can be consistent with? Message us today to schedule your Meet & Greet. You can even book right from our page by clicking the "book" button!


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04/30/2026

WOOF WOOF!!

600 Followers!

We just wanted stop and say THANK YOU to every single person who has supported Koda’s Place. Whether you’ve booked training, shared a post, stopped by an event, purchased merch, recommended us to a friend, or simply followed along on our journey. We appreciate you more than you know. 🩵

Your support doesn’t just help our small veteran-owned business grow… it also helps support the animal community through our mission to give back. Every share, like, comment, and purchase helps us continue working toward donating to local animals in need and growing the dream that started in Koda’s honor.
We’re excited to keep growing, training, learning, and helping more dogs and handlers together!
If you’re on Instagram too, we’d love for you to follow us there and continue supporting our journey across both platforms!
Thank you all for helping us reach 600 followers. Here’s to the next milestone together! 🐾💙