by John Dowd
On Thursday, April 17, a new dog training business at 419 Wolfville Lane #6 in Florence had its official ribbon cutting, with help from the Bitterroot Chamber of Commerce. Lee and Cindy Smith, the owners of The Right Steps, said they are excited to be in the valley, and to bring their expertise to the field of dog training.
“I just love training,” said Cindy. She added that, professionally, she has no favorite breeds and she will train everything from a chihuahua to a mastiff. However, the couple has English shepherds, also known as farm collies, which are actually an American breed. According to Lee, they like them, “because they are smart, they like to work, and I feel like they have a good all-around temperament.” These are the dogs Cindy likes for competitive agility, which is a passion she hopes to also bring to the valley. She says her dogs keep her in check. “You can rate my runs by my dogs’ barks.” When she has done agility competitions with her dogs in the past, she is often slower than they are.“The dogs are only encumbered by us,” said Cindy.
Cindy believes it’s important to have animals with minds and opinions of their own. “I want a personal relationship with my animal,” she said. “I don’t want “a robot.” This philosophy of training with a dog in a way that works with the dog, rather than forcing the dog to conform, is the foundation of her dog training school.
Lee and Cindy Smith at center cutting the ribbon, surrounded by Bitterroot Chamber of Commerce members. Photo by John Dowd.
She competed with dogs in both agility and nose work, and has been competing since 2007. Before that, she did horse competitions for over 18 years. “I took my passion for competing with horses and turned it to dogs,” said Cindy. She said that is really what got her into teaching others, the love for training with her animals in competitions. She said competing “keeps me honest with my training,” adding that it makes her “practice what I preach.”
Cindy has been teaching since the late 1990s. She and Lee had a training business in California, with a large network of supporters, clients and veterinarians. Lee said they moved to the valley in November of 2024 and opened the business in December. So far, they already have clients from Missoula to Darby.
“I love it! I love animals and I love helping people,” said Cindy.
The Smiths’ dog training school is the only one in the area with an indoor facility, and they say it is one of very few that is strictly positive reinforcement and force-free. Cindy is a certified K-9 nose work instructor, and also the only one in the area. The closest other options are Bozeman, Helena and Boise. Cindy wants to bring nose work, as a sport, into the valley. She believes dog sports in general can be “life-changing for dogs and people.”
Cindy is considering adding service dog training as several people have already expressed an interest. It is a 12-week program and quite an investment of time and money to become certified, but she has seen a lot of interest coming from veterans in the area.
When asked why having an indoor facility was so important to them, Cindy said it had to do with the Montana winters. This is not only because it can be cold, but because during this time a lot of dog owners are less active with their dogs, and so the couple figured this would be a good time to keep owners and their dogs active by providing an opportunity for them to train in an indoor space.
Having a facility indoors is also crucial for puppies, Cindy explained. She said puppies benefit even more than adult dogs from the added controlled environment and Cindy needs a sterile environment so veterinarians will refer clients to her.
Cindy warns that owners should get puppies to her as early as possible. It is important for puppies to socialize, and for owners to allow their puppies to build “positive exposure to new experiences.” She described this as not forcing a dog into an interaction, but allowing the dog to experience something at its own pace. This can mean simply building a memory of positive interactions, and sometimes a positive interaction is just being present, possibly with no interaction at all.
Some of Cindy Smith’s awards, displayed at The Right Steps. Photo by John Dowd.
Early action on Cindy’s part is to “catch those problems and help people before problems happen,” as she described. Another note she spoke on was “fear windows,” and she believes many people may not be aware that this goes further than just when a dog is a puppy. According to her, there are two main fear windows that owners should be cautious of. The first is around 9 to 9.5 weeks old and the second is five to 21 months old. In these periods, any kind of trauma or negative experience that leads to a fear response can have significant detrimental consequences for the rest of the dog’s life.
“If people can get their animals to me as early as possible, we can get them an animal they can enjoy for the rest of their lives,” said Cindy. In her experience, the earlier an owner gets a dog assessed and training started, the happier and healthier their life will be. This way owners can “get the best animal possible.”
Cindy said it is also important for owners and prospective owners to understand the dog they have versus the dog they may wish to have. According to her, a person cannot “fit a square peg into a round hole,” when it comes to dogs.
When asked what the right steps are, for those with dogs or those interested in having dogs, Cindy encourages new dog owner consultations. These are meant for even before a family gets a dog, and are to evaluate the home environment, the dog breed the family may be interested in and even the family itself. She said owners need to honestly and openly look at needs versus wants. “What comes with this dog?” She said some people may have a breed in mind but not understand what it comes with.
For Cindy, people need to “address the needs of the dogs and what’s good for the dog.” She told a story of a woman who came in, excited that she finally tired out her puppy. On hearing these first words, Cindy thought, “oh, no,” She said the woman told how she took the puppy on a run around the property while the woman rode on a four-wheeler. Playing devil’s advocate, Cindy tried to explain how detrimental that could have been on the puppy. Not only was it young, and that kind of thing can be hard on the puppy’s body, but also it taught it to chase vehicles. This is just one horror story of some of the mistakes that are easy to remedy, once a person learns to work with their dog on the level and understanding that the dog needs. According to Cindy, in the end it is better for both the dog and the owner, and can lead to a fulfilling and happy life for both.
For more information on Cindy and The Right Steps, interested parties can visit the company website, therightsteps.com. There, you can find testimonials from clients and veterinarians as well as how to get trained and get involved. You can also contact them at (406) 317-1213.