Three trained dogs — a German Shepherd, a Belgian Malinois, and a hound — holding a down-stay on a hilltop overlooking a New Hampshire lake

Plymouth, New Hampshire · Lakes Region

Valhalla K9 Services

Balanced dog training with a Norse heart
and a small-town soul.

Texts beat calls — we’re usually out on a trail. seriously, just text!

The human behind the hounds

Meet Kristina

Trainer, groomer, foster mom, and firm believer that every dog has a little legend in them.

Valhalla K9 is a one-woman operation based in Plymouth, working with dogs and their people all across the Lakes Region. Kristina teaches balanced training — clear communication, fair boundaries, and a whole lot of heart. Wobbly puppies find their first sit, reactive rescues find their calm, and graduates earn true off-leash freedom on the same trails she hikes with her own pack.

When puppy class is in session you might also meet Justin, her right hand for wrangling the little ones — usually somewhere between the town common and the Robert Frost statue.

  • Balanced methods — rewards and structure, tailored to the actual dog in front of us
  • Real-world proofing — downtown sidewalks, trailheads, coffee shops, swimming holes
  • All breeds, all baggage — from eight-week-old fluffballs to hard-case rescues
A German Shepherd puppy prancing through grass carrying a big red ball
recess is mandatory
Kristina bathing a large Cane Corso in a stainless steel tub
wash-day negotiations

What we do

The Training Grounds

Six ways to turn chaos into companionship — priced for real life, taught for the real world.

Puppy Foundations

Socialization, name response, crate & potty rhythms, and first manners — with field trips through downtown Plymouth so the big world stays a friendly one.

8 wks & up

Basic Obedience

Sit, down, stay, come, and loose-leash walking — the everyday vocabulary that makes life with your dog easy instead of exhausting.

All ages

Behavior Modification

Reactivity, anxiety, rude greetings, big feelings. Judgment-free, balanced help for the dogs other programs give up on.

Case by case

Off-Leash Reliability

Conditioned recall and real-world proofing, step by careful step, so your dog can earn honest-to-goodness trail freedom.

Grad level

CGC Prep

Coaching toward the AKC Canine Good Citizen title — ten skills, one very proud handler at the end.

AKC test prep

Pack Walks & Hikes

Group adventures around the downtown loop and Smarts Brook trails. Neutrality, confidence, and tired dogs — training disguised as fun.

Group

Tales from the pack

Five stars, every saga

Four reviewers, four five-star sagas. Here’s the gist of each.

★★★★★

A hound with selective hearing, trained up to a rock-solid recall — Kristina knows exactly how to work with a stubborn nose.

Jake Belangerhound training
★★★★★

A reactive dog rehabilitated all the way to off-leash reliability — the kind of turnaround that changes life with your dog.

Samantha Jobehavior modification
★★★★★

A poodle and a lab who’ve never looked better — patient, careful, beautiful grooming, every single time.

Jennifer Hicksgrooming
★★★★★

Corgi grooming worth crossing the Lakes Region for — she treats every dog that walks in like her own.

Meagan O’Rourke Hechtgrooming

Paraphrased from our five-star Facebook reviews — read the originals here.

Out & about

Our Stomping Grounds

Training doesn’t live in a classroom. It lives all over Plymouth — usually within sniffing distance of a coffee.

Dogs and handlers crossing a rocky stream on a group hike

Pack Walks & Trail Days

The downtown loop, Smarts Brook, and every swimming hole in between. Dogs learn calm in a crowd; humans get their steps in.

Dog owners gathered on the Plymouth town common

Coffee-Shop Manners

Regular outings to Pure & Brave Specialty Coffee — because a dog who can nap through a latte order is a dog you can take anywhere.

Puppy class posing by the Robert Frost statue downtown

The Frost Statue Route

Puppy classes stroll past Plymouth’s Robert Frost statue. Two roads diverge downtown — our puppies learn to take the one with better sniffs.

A rescued hound trotting happily down an autumn trail

Foster Headquarters

Between client dogs, Kristina fosters rescues until they find their people — alumni include one wild little lady named Meli. good luck out there, Meli Belly!

Rally the pack

Text us. Seriously.

Kristina is usually elbow-deep in dog — texts and DMs get the fastest answer. Voicemail gets filtered to spam, so calls often go unheard.

Proudly serving

  • Plymouth
  • Ashland
  • Bristol
  • Rumney
  • Center Harbor
  • Warren
  • Bridgewater
  • Holderness
  • Campton Lower Village
  • Wentworth
  • Meredith
  • Moultonborough

Or send a raven (fine, an email)

This opens your email app with everything filled in. Or honestly… just text us.