Stephanie Vichinsky, founder and co-owner of Method K9 in Post Falls, has become one of the most respected dog behavioral specialists in the Pacific Northwest and around the globe. 

With a customer base spanning from North Idaho to Australia and beyond, Stephanie helps families rehabilitate dogs with severe behavioral challenges, including aggression, fear and reactivity.  

She does so by teaching calmness over obedience, creating a lifelong mindset in which dogs are coachable and living their best lives. 

“I come from a family of non-dog people, so I don't know where I got the gene from, but I’ve been obsessed with dogs since I was a little kid,” Stephanie said. “Growing up, I knew I wanted to be involved with animals, but I didn't know that it would involve training dogs.” 

In 2007, Stephanie enrolled in a veterinary course and started volunteering at clinics. But a catastrophic event caused her to rethink her career path. 

“There was a dog that came in that got hit by a car, and it just crushed me because they weren't able to save the dog,” Stephanie said. “So, I thought veterinary work isn’t my thing.” 

She did, however, end up adopting a Humane Society dog. 

“It was a little chocolate lab — she was a mess — like a lot of shelter dogs can be,” Stephanie said. “And I really wanted to make sure that I was able to train her to go everywhere with me and do everything with me because I love my animals.” 

So, she Googled, "How do you get a dog to walk on a leash?"

“I was blown away by the fact that there were videos on YouTube — this is kind of when YouTube was first getting started,” Stephanie said. “There were people who were calling themselves professional dog trainers and teaching other people how to get their dogs to walk on leash.” 

Stephanie said she was surprised people would actually pay someone to train their dog. 

“I come from a really poor family, and the idea of paying somebody to train your dog was nuts to me,” she said. “I was absolutely hooked on the idea and have been obsessed with dog training ever since.” 

Stephanie's first job in the industry was in 2008. 

“I was the trainer at large dog daycares and boarding facilities in the area,” she said. “In 2017, after I gained a strong footing and a good reputation as a trainer, my husband, Julius, and I started Method K9.” 

Since then, people have asked Stephanie how she’s become so successful in her profession. 

“The best answer I can give them is, the dogs are the best teachers," she said. “I was one of the people who, I say, was dumb enough, but willing to stand in front of some of the most aggressive dogs. But after working with them day after day, I learned to read their behavior and body language and could predict and defuse their aggressiveness.” 

Because of those efforts, she became well known in the rescue community as the person willing to “leash the dog that's trying to bite you.” 

Stephanie said she, Julius and the team at Method K9 have trained thousands of dogs since its opening. 

As her customer base expanded, so did her reputation as a competent professional dog trainer. 

“People started calling from Seattle saying — will you take my aggression case? And then people were calling from California and then Texas, New York, Australia and England, asking the same thing,” Stephanie said. “You know, people can look up dog trainers in their area and there's a hundred around, but none are willing to take a dog that has six or 10 bites on record. But I will — I’ll work with their dog.” 

Her willingness to do so quickly generated a presence on social media. It was then that Stephanie said people stopped looking at the trainers who were recommending euthanasia for aggressive dogs and started looking at Method K9 instead. 

“Our board and train program at one point was booked over a year out as we were trying desperately to help every person who called,” Stephanie said. 

She said the demand was so overwhelming that in 2019, she and Julius started the Method Canine Institute. 

“We couldn’t train all the dogs in the world, but we can train people to be professional certified dog trainers or people who are already professional dog trainers can come to us to increase their skills in behavioral work skills,” Stephanie said. “We have students now all over the world.” 

Stephanie said she never imagined her business would be this successful. 

“When I first got into this, I thought it was going to be a hobby — that it would be great to maybe get a little supplemental income out of it,” she said. “And then people started telling me 'I’ll pay you to come do this and pay you even more to do other things' with their dogs. I was shocked to learn that there weren’t many trainers who were willing to do what I do.” 

Julius said Method K9 has set the bar in the dog training industry. 

“When you have people in the dog training business come to you for coaching and say they are going to adopt a lot of your policies, that says something about the quality of the standards that we have,” he said. “Everything that we're doing here revolves around the safety of the dogs, the students and the trainers. The dogs respond far better in that environment. This has never been about chasing the dollar. We've never done that. I'm super proud of that.” 

Stephanie will be a featured speaker at the Association of Service Dog Providers Conference from July 12 to 15 in St. Charles, Mo., and at the International Association of Canine Professionals Conference from Aug. 18 to 20 in Newport Beach, Calif. 

Method K9 is at 3370 Quad Park Court in Post Falls. Visit www.methodk9.com or call 208-964-4806 for more information about Method K9 and the Method K9 Institute. 

Now the TidBits 

New and Upcoming 

• Alpine Web Design LLC, a new, locally owned home-based custom web design company in the Cd'A area, is open for business. It specializes in fully customized, hand-coded websites with a focus on clean design and performance.  

• NextGym, a new fitness studio at 2120 Northwest Blvd., Suite C in Coeur d’Alene, is celebrating its grand opening today. The gym offers one-on-one personal training along with advanced recovery and performance technologies, including ARX adaptive resistance, Vasper, Hugo Pro PEMF, Power Plate, red light therapy and complimentary Seca BodyScan assessments for members. 

• Remedy Massage at Midtown, a boutique, calming space designed for deep therapeutic relief and total relaxation, has opened in Coeur d’Alene at 1022 N. Fourth St., Suite 104.  

• Bare Root Skin Essential & Esthetic opens its new location Tuesday at 14777 Highway 53 in Rathdrum. 

• Grain & Gather Mercantile, a new boutique at 6288 N. Government Way, Dalton Gardens, offers furniture, home decor, apparel, apothecary and more. Hours of operation are Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. 

• The Range Market, a full-service butcher, deli and wine bar offering fresh-cut meats, made-to-order sandwiches, prepared foods and a curated selection of retail items, is expected to open at North Yards at Millworx building at 949 E. Fourth Ave. this summer.

• River & Rye will be opening in May at 424 E. Sherman Ave., Coeur d'Alene. The menu will include "various flavors from Spain, France and Italy, along with some PNW flair," as well as craft cocktails. River & Rye is a new concept from Cricket's Bar ownership, which has reopened at the back of the restaurant space, with an entrance on Fifth Street. Cricket's is currently open Thursday through Sunday. 

• Jitterz Espresso is coming to Athol, with crews breaking ground earlier this week at the corner of East Howard and Athol Crossing Road, near Dollar Tree and Grease Monkey/Monkey Shine Car Wash. 

• A second Jersey Mike’s is listed as “under development” at 201 W. Neider Ave. in Coeur d’Alene, while a Chipotle is in the planning stage for 167 W. Neider Ave. Both will join the new Raising Cane’s as Lake City Marketplace continues to grow.

Ongoing Projects 

• Barrel 33, a wine bar and restaurant, will be the first future tenant of Silo Block North, a new mixed-use building under construction at 850 E. Fourth Ave. in Post Falls. Barrell 33 is expected to open in spring 2027. 

• A new commercial building is planned for the Riverstone development at 1570 W. Tilford Lane and will bring at least one new dining option to the area. The 7,500-square-foot mixed-use building's targeted finish date is this summer. 

• Coeur Dance Arts is a new dance studio under development at 4131 Early Dawn Ave. Suite 105B, Post Falls. Classes should begin in May; check coeurdancearts.com. 

• An Idaho Central Credit Union (ICCU) branch location is scheduled to open later this year across from Super 1 Foods along Highway 53 in Rathdrum. 

• Super 1 Foods will anchor Prairie Crossing, a major shopping and mixed-use center under development at Highway 41 and Prairie Avenue. 

• Ross Point Gas Station, a fueling station and convenience store, is planned for 310 N. Ross Point Road in Post Falls. 

• A state-of-the-art pickleball facility called The Flying Pickle is coming to The Pointe at Post Falls at 140 N. Beck Road. Opening is anticipated by mid-2026. 

• A five-story, 173-room Hilton Dual Brand Hotel is planned for a 2.71-acre parcel of land off Lee Court and Appleway Avenue in Coeur d'Alene. No start or completion dates have been announced. 

• American Universal Storage is planned for Spirit Lake along Highway 41, across from the Jifi Stop. 

• The Habit Burger & Grill is taking the place of the former Pizza Hut at 212 W. Appleway Ave. The chain, known for its "Charburgers," is eyeing an opening sometime in late spring or early summer 2026. This location will be the first for North Idaho. 

• El Jefe's Grill in Coeur d'Alene is expanding with a new venture in Post Falls, called Jefe's Tacos and Tequila. An opening date is undetermined, but the restaurant is in the former Bullet Bar and Grill space. 

• The 33-unit, mixed-use "Nonna" building across from Post Falls City Hall on Spokane Street is anticipated to be completed by October of 2026.  

• Spill the Tea and Benzo Box will soon open a combined brick and mortar location at the southwest corner of Greensferry Road and Seltice Way in Post Falls.

• Crunch Fitness is taking over the former Big Lots space at 101 E. Appleway Ave., Coeur d'Alene. 

• A new location for Syringa Dental and Implants is under construction at 7533 W. Prairie Ave. Their current location at 1850 E. Seltice Way, Post Falls, remains fully operational.  

• A new location for The Man Shop, a regional chain of family-owned barber shops, is under construction at Highway 41 and Prairie Avenue. 

• A NomNom location is under construction at 5231 W. Riverbend Ave., Post Falls.  

• Les Schwab Tires is under construction at the northwest corner of Highway 41 and 16th Street in Post Falls. 

• Construction is also underway on Rooted Social House at 310 N. Spokane St. The project is described as "an elevated space offering food, coffee, tea and entertainment in a social house setting." A completion date for Rooted has not been announced. 

• A Jiffy Stop is under construction at Highway 41 and Lancaster Road in Rathdrum. 

• An AutoZone auto parts shop is under construction at U.S. 95 and Dakota Avenue in Hayden, next to Dirty Birdy Car Wash. 

• Spokane-based Golden Rule Brake is under construction at 3627 N. Government Way, Coeur d'Alene.

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Have a tip on happenings in the local business world? Contact Bob at [email protected].