Hillary's Hound House - Jumpstart Puppy Training Program

06/30/2026

Some journeys have a wonderful way of coming full circle. ❤️🐾**

Last February, Aela brought her puppy, Cozette, to Hillary’s Hound House for our Jumpstart Puppy Program.

Yesterday, Aela walked back through our doors - not as a puppy parent, but as the very first intern in our new Growing Together Teen Internship Program.

At the end of her first day, she wrote:

“I quickly realized that caring for puppies involves much more than simply playing with them. It takes patience, consistency, responsibility, and constant attention to help them learn and feel secure.”

She also wrote:

Seeing all of the work that happens behind the scenes gave me an entirely new appreciation for everything the staff does each day.”

Those words mean so much to me.

The purpose of this internship has never been simply to spend time with puppies.

It’s to learn to see them. To recognize that every puppy has a unique personality, a different way of communicating, and a different path to confidence.

Watching Aela begin that journey reminded me why I started Hillary’s Hound House in the first place.

Welcome to the team, Aela. We’re so happy you’re here. 💙

06/30/2026

06/28/2026

Exciting news from Hillary's Hound House

🐾 We're Hiring! Overnight Puppy Coach 🐾

Hillary's Hound House is excited to introduce our new Friday Night Puppy Slumber Parties, and we're looking for someone special to join our team.

If you're kind, dependable, calm, and genuinely enjoy caring for young puppies, we'd love to hear from you.

Friday Nights
🕘 9:00 PM – 6:00 AM

As our Overnight Puppy Coach, you'll supervise a small group of puppies, follow their bedtime and morning routines, provide comfort and reassurance, and make sure they are safe, happy, and well cared for throughout the night.

Because our puppies' well-being is our highest priority, finalists will participate in a thorough interview process, professional reference checks, and a comprehensive background check.

If this sounds like the perfect fit for you—or someone you know—please send a résumé and a brief cover letter to [your email].

Please share this post! The best people often come through friends, family, and our wonderful community. ❤️🐶

06/21/2026

Skyy in the morning

06/20/2026

🐾 SUMMER TEEN INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITY 🐾

Have a teen who loves puppies?

Each summer, Hillary's Hound House offers a limited number of internship opportunities for responsible teens who want hands-on experience working with puppies and learning what it takes to run a professional puppy care business.

This program is available exclusively to our Jumpstart families and graduates.

Interns learn about:

🐶 Puppy behavior and development

🐶 Puppy socialization and enrichment

🐶 Positive reinforcement training

🐶 Animal care and facility operations

🐶 Cleaning and sanitation procedures

🐶 Customer service and communication

🐶 The day-to-day operations of a successful puppy care business

Our interns work alongside experienced Hound House team members in a safe, supportive, supervised learning environment.

Many of our interns tell us their favorite part is helping younger puppies gain confidence and succeed during their early learning experiences.

✨ Minimum commitment: 2 weeks

✨ Ages 16+

✨ Unpaid educational internship

✨ Great experience for college applications, resumes, scholarships, volunteer records, and future employment opportunities

At Hound House, our interns take the Puppy Promise:

🐾 Treat every puppy with kindness, patience, and respect.

🐾 Put the safety and well-being of the puppies first.

🐾 Be dependable, responsible, and eager to learn.

🐾 Remember that every puppy is someone's beloved family member.

Space is limited.

If your teen is interested, send us a message or email us to learn more.

🐾 Helping puppies grow—and the people who love them. ❤️

06/17/2026

"I have a plan!" said the puppy.
Puppy did not, in fact, have a plan.

Most puppies move first and think second. Actually, most puppies move first, think later, and occasionally launch themselves into situations they haven't fully evaluated.

Our new Puppy Agility Foundation Class helps puppies begin developing something incredibly important: body awareness.

Through games, beginner obstacles, confidence-building activities, and thoughtful movement exercises, puppies learn how to use their bodies more intentionally while building focus, confidence, and teamwork with their people.

We're especially excited to welcome instructor Celeste Barker to Hillary's Hound House.

Celeste taught Agility at Marin Humane for more than twelve years and brings extensive experience in agility, scent work, tricks training, canine behavior, and family dog training. Her warmth, knowledge, and enthusiasm make her a wonderful guide for puppies beginning their agility journey.

Whether your puppy is cautious and thoughtful or enthusiastic and adventurous, agility provides a wonderful opportunity to learn, grow, and have fun together.

Our Puppy Agility Foundation Class runs for 6 weeks and begins on Saturday mornings.

Summer Session starts June 20
Fall Session starts August 1

Our classes are intentionally small - 6 handler/puppy teams, so we can provide individual coaching and support so we recommend early signups.

For more information and to register, please visit our website

06/16/2026

Summer adventures begin soon!

There is still time to join us for:

🐾 Renewal Recall
🐾 Puppy Agility Foundation

Class sizes are intentionally small to provide individualized coaching and support for both people and dogs.

If your preferred class is full, please be sure to join the waitlist. Additional sessions will be added as demand allows.

Learn more and register at Hillary's Hound House. Registration opens on Tuesday, June 9.

06/16/2026

Has Your Puppy Developed Selective Hearing?

Remember when your puppy came flying back every time you called? Those were the days.

As puppies mature and head for adolescence they develop opinions, independence, and the world takes on a new fascination. If your adolescent puppy has developed selective hearing, you're not alone.

Recall changes over time. Puppies grow up, environments shift, life gets fuller - and the skills that once felt effortless can fade. Renewal Recall Class was created for exactly this moment.

Renewal Recall is for all graduates of either the Jumpstart or Teen Tune-Up Programs at Hillary's Hound House. Class begins on June 20 and you can register online.

If you are looking for recall training that will take you and your dog from uneven responses to lightning-fast recall, give us a call or visit our website. We have beginning recall classes coming up this summer and would love to have you and your dog join us.

This 6-week indoor and outdoor class is designed for longtime clients and their dogs - not to start over, but to rebuild connection and responsiveness.

Our first class will begin on Saturday morning, June 20. For more information and to register, please visit our website (registration opens Tuesday, June 8).

06/15/2026

Zen and the Art of Puppy Yoga
Helping puppies discover the fine art of slowing down.

Puppies arrive in the world enthusiastic, curious, easily distracted, and absolutely convinced that every leaf, shoelace, and moving object deserves immediate investigation.

One of the most important life skills a puppy can develop is learning how to settle, observe, and reconnect.

That's the inspiration behind our new Yoga with Your Puppy Class.

In this unique class, humans participate in a gentle yoga practice while puppies learn the earliest foundations of calmness, focus, recovery from excitement, and connection. Rather than asking puppies to "be calm," we help them develop the skills that make calmness possible.

For this class, we are delighted to be partnering with Rachel O'Connor, who has taught yoga in both group and private settings for more than twenty years. Rachel's thoughtful, welcoming teaching style creates the perfect environment for both people and puppies to slow down and learn together.

Our Summer Session starts today and is filled, but you can still sign up for our Fall Session, which starts July 27.

Our classes are intentionally small so we can offer individual coaching and support. Early signups are recommended.

Sign up on our website at Hillary's Hound House.