Britney Lippke, the owner of Koba’s Four Paws Institute, said she enrolled her malamute puppy, Koba, into a service dog training program to help with Lippke’s health concerns. But Lippke said while there, she was encouraged to go into the training business herself, and after working with a few other companies, she decided to open her own business.

Koba’s Four Paws Institute opened in January 2017 in Conroe before relocating to McCaleb Road in Montgomery in 2021.

“I’ve always wanted to do something with dogs,” Lippke said. “As a kid, I tried to train my dogs; I wasn’t great.”

According to Lippke, Koba’s Four Paws Institute offers basic obedience programs through board and training, day training, and group and private lessons. Lippke also said she specializes in service dog training.

She said the business assists with a lot of German shepherds as well as huskies, labs and pitbull mixes.

The programs include behavioral training, in which the dog learns basic commands, such as sit, wait and heel. The business also incorporates off-leash training. Lippke said behavioral modification training is offered for dogs with severe separation anxiety or dogs that have bitten another dog or person.

“We haven’t had any super bad cases yet,” Lippke said. “Most people think their dogs are really really bad, and then they come in, and it’s pretty minimal.”

The business also offers two-year service dog training. Lippke said the program will help the owner from finding the right breed for a service dog to training the dog to fit the handler’s health needs. In addition, Lippke founded a nonprofit—KFPI Service Dogs—that provides service animals to veterans and first responders.

Service dogs can be trained for psychiatric, medical alert and response; seizure alert and response; diabetic alerts; and mobility, according to the business.

Lippke said she has health concerns of her own, including narcolepsy. Due to having these health concerns, she said she encounters clients with similar health conditions, which makes training easier because she knows what training tools are most beneficial.

“There’s a lot of trainers who do really, really well, but they don’t have any health conditions of their own. So I feel like it helps the connection a little bit more,” Lippke said.

Koba’s Four Paws Institute

64 McCaleb Road, Montgomery

512-537-7965

www.kobasfourpawsinstitutellc.com

Hours: Mon.-Sat. 8 a.m.-5 p.m., closed Sun.