Cultured Canines

24/04/2024

22/04/2024

It was so great getting to see our friends in Medicine Hat! All Dogs Great & Small - Dog Daycare and Training offers the same type of training we do! Enthusiastically recommend them if you are in the area 🥰

What a special way to start the week!!

Our friends from Cultured Canines stopped by to say hi on their way home from a barn hunt trial in Manitoba!

This is Poseidon’s biological sister Leia! They were actually born in our house 11.5 years ago!

It was great to see everyone!!

01/04/2024

12/02/2024

😘😘🐶🐶

28/12/2023

Such an important story! Force Free training simply does not work for every dog. That’s why we proudly train with a balanced approach!!

Until a year ago, I was a trainer with a very force free approach. I didn’t believe there was a place for aversives in dog training. I didn’t have a dog that required them. Lucky me!

Until I got this chap. My very much adored kelpie, Evo. Bred to move HUGE flocks and herds of livestock out in rural Australia. A hard-headed dog, with a mega independent streak.

I worked hard with him. I’m a trainer. I laid my foundations, as I have done successfully with my other 4 dogs before him. They worked, to a point. And then, they didn’t.

I was fully prepared to give him a breed-appropriate outlet. Alongside the other work I give my dogs, I have my own sheep, meaning I can work my own dogs regularly on stock. However, my small flock of flighty sheep was far too jumpy for him to work, and he was becoming dangerous out and about in any sort of proximity to sheep.

So, you may say, just keep him on a lead! Problem solved. Well, not really.

Management can and does fail. I have heard it from countless clients. I have had it fail myself.

I also live, with sheep on my property, and surrounding it on 3 sides. Everywhere we turn, there are sheep. There’s no avoiding them.

Keep him on a lead in the garden? We have a large garden and keeping him on the lead would be unfair. He’s an incredibly active, working bred dog, who would end up spending his entire life on a lead.

We also encountered prey drive issues out and about, particularly around deer. His recall was fantastic, but once we moved, our walks were either full of deer, or sheep and he could rip a long line out of your hands to chase something particularly tempting.

So, I decided to bite the bullet and e-collar train. Controversial, particularly online.

But, the absolute best thing I ever did.

The alternative solutions I had suggested were:

Keep him on the lead - I buy good quality leads, but they have failed on me before
Move house - we’ve moved to a dream house, not an option
Avoid places with sheep etc - hard when they’re in the garden
Long line - he could still pull a long line out of reach
Train him - he was trained to a very high level and we had reached the limits via force free methods.

Management fails.

I went through the process of conditioning him properly to the e-collar. I spent ages ensuring I got it right, he understood what was expected and that he knew how to switch it off. I invested in a pricey bit of kit, and I went about it by the book.

It’s transformed his life.

He can romp around the garden, he can walk through my sheep without batting an eyelid, he can walk off lead on the hills and he can enjoy walking in the forest even when deer run out in front of us.

For him, that wasn’t ever going to be an option without it.

Nothing was more reinforcing than chasing.

And it was going to get him killed. He’d have been shot, or hit by a car, or lost. All because I wouldn’t open my mind to using different tools.

Am I suggesting every dog requires one? Absolutely not. But there are MANY cases where they save lives. It’s both saved and enriched his.

He’s happy, he lives his best life. He hikes everywhere with us, he’s well mannered and fully reliable off the lead. He knows the rules, and that’s the key.

He’s not suppressed. He can still go off and be a dog. He tears around the garden with our other dogs, he sniffs and does dog things. But he’s safe when doing it all.

I see a lot of judgement towards these tools from people owning dogs who would never require these tools. That’s great. And that’s also not a problem. But it is completely unfair to demonise the use of a tool which you haven’t taken the time to fully understand. I was 100%, without a doubt, against them before I took the time to understand how they worked and how they were used.

It’s imperative that they’re used with a trainer well versed in using them. It’s also crucial that the equipment used is good quality and not something cheap from Amazon or eBay. It’s an investment, but one that is so necessary for a lot more dogs than you might realise.

Take the time to understand others’ points of view. There is truly not a one-size-fits-all approach in dog training and my change of opinion has opened up a whole new world for all of my dogs ❤

Photo by Saffy Leyfield Photography

13/12/2023

Were you planning on waiting till spring to sign up for the COOL course? Well, put on your winter jackets and get some electric foot warmers.. because our January cool course is $275 off the regular price!

In person classes are on weekend mornings only so you don’t have to be out in the dark!

Still really hate winter that much? Yeah, we do too. So our March and April courses are $200 off until the end of the 2023! Sign up in advance, and save!!!

Use code bundleup4winter for the January Course
Use code spring4ward for the March and April Courses

https://www.culturedcanines.ca/the-cool-course

(Discounts, including the proper pupper discount cannot be used in addition to this discount. Class registrations cannot be transferred to other courses. Other restrictions may apply. Please inquire for details)

31/10/2023

Only four spots left in our last C.O.O.L. Course of 2023! Train your dog in REAL LIFE scenarios with NO TREATS! Don’t miss out on this opportunity to have the relationship with your dog that you’ve always dreamed of…

Cultured Canines' premier balanced dog training program, The C.O.O.L Course, includes tools, 22 hands-on training sessions, and educational seminars for almost 40 hours of instruction time. Transform your dog's behavior with this effective and humane program taught by lead trainers. Enroll now in Ca

20/10/2023

Barn hunt lessons starting November 1st in Calgary!

We’ve revamped our classes including a new much reduced price. We want to make Barn Hunt more accessible for everyone!

Come learn from the pros! Our team has hundreds of hours of Barn Hunt trialing experience all across Western Canada and even in the USA! We pride ourselves on successfully trailing all of our dogs to the Masters level in official Barn Hunt trials. Our main star, Quill, is currently working towards his RATCHX5, he has had dozens of high in class wins throughout his Barn Hunt Career, and even managed to get a clean Crazy 8’s run last year!

We attend all local Barn Hunt trials to support our clients and keep our own skills sharp. In a dynamic sport like Barn Hunt, regularly attending trials is essential to being a successful trainer. As former Barn Hunt clients ourselves, we know how important it is to have your trainer there to help you out at trials! We’re also, when available, MORE than happy to take videos of our client’s dogs in the ring at trials!! We want to help you succeed in and out of lessons!

All of our Barn Hunt instructors have taken the Barn Hunt Judge workshop to further their learning and are both in the process of becoming official Barn Hunt judges! I have also trained and successfully trialed to the masters level in CKC scent detection with my dogs to bring our clients an even more well rounded approach to the sport of Barn Hunt.

We are the only company offering lessons within the Calgary City Limits so you don’t have to schlep out to the country! We are also Calgary’s only Barn Hunt Club, so you can conveniently come train when you’re going to trial! All of our equipment is made to BHA regulation specifications so you know you’re getting the most authentic trial preparation possible!

Come try the coolest new dog sport!!

Experience the thrilling world of barn hunt with Cultured Canines' lessons in Calgary. Our experienced trainers teach your dog the skills needed to participate in this fun and challenging dog sport. With personalized support and small class sizes, your dog receives individual attention and instructi

17/10/2023

There is a dangerous, and in many cases, fatal, canine virus making it’s way around the North American show dog population. I don’t have all the information but there’s been a confirmed case from a dog show in Red Deer that was held two weeks ago.

The virus typically presents like kennel cough, but quickly escalates from there.

If you suspect your dog is sick, take them to the vet immediately and be sure to insist that this might not just be a kennel cough situation.

This virus doesn’t only effect show dogs, but it is primarily being spread through these events.

As a precaution, we will no longer be allowing any dogs that are not from the same household to greet each other in classes. There will be a few other changes and we will be contacting current clients with more information.

We will post any important updates here and in our private client groups!

If you have any questions, we will do our best to answer them.

09/09/2023

Get some Barn Hunt Lessons in before our trial at the end of the month!!! We also added a fun trial on October 8th that’s open on Dogshow!

Lessons take place at Sleep Rover Doggie Hotel & Daycare

Why choose Cultured Canines for your Barn Hunting needs? Well, first, and arguably most importantly, we are the only company offering lessons within the Calgary City Limits! We are also Calgary’s only Barn Hunt Club, so you can conveniently come train when you’re going to trial! All of our equipment is made to BHA regulation specifications so you know you’re getting the most authentic trail preparation possible!

Our team has hundreds of hours of Barn Hunt trialing experience all across Western Canada and even in the USA! We pride ourselves on successfully trailing all of our dogs to the Masters level in official Barn Hunt trials. Our main star, Quill, is currently working towards his RATCHX5, he has had dozens of high in class wins throughout his Barn Hunt Career, and even managed to get a clean Crazy 8’s run last year!

We attend all local Barn Hunt trials to support our clients and keep our own skills sharp. In a dynamic sport like Barn Hunt, regularly attending trials is essential to being a successful trainer. As former Barn Hunt clients ourselves, we know how important it is to have your trainer there to help you out at trials! We’re also, when available, MORE than happy to take videos of our client’s dogs in the ring at trials!! We want to help you succeed in and out of lessons!

All of our Barn Hunt instructors have taken the Barn Hunt Judge workshop to further their learning and are both in the process of becoming official Barn Hunt judges! I have also trained and successfully trialed in scent detection with my dogs to bring our clients an even more well rounded approach to the sport of Barn Hunt.

Experience the thrilling world of barn hunt with Cultured Canines' lessons in Calgary. Our experienced trainers teach your dog the skills needed to participate in this fun and challenging dog sport. With personalized support and small class sizes, your dog receives individual attention and instructi

29/07/2023

Don’t forget to come say hi this weekend at Pet-A-Palooza down in Eau Claire! We’ll be there from 10-4 on Saturday and 11-4 on Sunday!

(Unfortunately Quill is no longer a puppy but is still available for cuddles)

08/07/2023

Mark your calendar! We are hosting two grooming seminars on July 22nd at Sleep Rover Doggie Hotel & Daycare

Both seminars will be taught by our very own Beth O’Connor and Amanda Roman! Combined, they have other 30 years of dog training experience and Amanda has over 20 years of hands on dog grooming experience.

Save money on grooming services and learn to do it yourself!!!

https://www.culturedcanines.ca/workshops

04/07/2023

We are SO thrilled to announce that we have been approved to host official Barn Hunt Association, LLC trials!

Our first trial will hopefully be the last weekend of September so save the dates!!! September 29, 30 and October 1st!

We’ve also added a bunch of drop in barn hunt lesson times this month as well as new group courses starting in August. Come practice where you’re going to trial!!!!

As always, if the times we have available don’t work for your schedule, please let us know so we can offer lessons at different times! We have availability during weekdays. If there’s enough demand for a drop in or a course at a specific time, we will offer one!

We also are planning on having some barn hunt workshops coming up! Our first will be a masters distance challenge workshop. Dogs at all levels will benefit from learning to work away from you though so don’t worry if you’re in masters YET!

Experience the thrilling world of barn hunt with Cultured Canines' lessons in Calgary. Our experienced trainers teach your dog the skills needed to participate in this fun and challenging dog sport. With personalized support and small class sizes, your dog receives individual attention and instructi

21/05/2023

Today we hosted our first ever Barn Hunt (fun) Trial! To become an official club, you have to host a fun trial first to make sure you’re prepared for it. It can sometimes be difficult to get people to register for these types of events, but HOLYYYY did y’all come out to support us!

We had soooo many BRAND new people come out to play with their dogs today! It was so much fun seeing all the incredible teams working together!

We are so grateful to judge Karen McClean for designing some fun and challenging courses! You are always a joy to trial under!

A special thank you to our volunteers. Trials can’t ever run without you, but we had a few people who stayed till the very end and we appreciate you all SOOOOO much!!!!!

Most importantly though, Leia Q’d in senior and masters. Did I make a whole club and barn hunt business and do all of this just for her? Maybe. I’ll never tell.

11/04/2023

A few local companies have started to offer day training… here’s an HONEST opinion of them from someone who’s been training dogs for over 12 years.

05/04/2023

Just opened up slots for barn hunt drop ins! Get some runs in before the trial next weekend!

Note: your dog must have prior experience with Barn Hunt to attend drop ins.

Experience the thrilling world of barn hunt with Cultured Canines' lessons in Calgary. Our experienced trainers teach your dog the skills needed to participate in this fun and challenging dog sport. With personalized support and small class sizes, your dog receives individual attention and instructi

14/03/2023

I am absolutely thrilled to announce that Cultured Canines is now an official Barn Hunt Club! We will be hosting our first Fun Trial in Calgary at our Sleep Rover location on May 20th! Registration opens on April 1st! Registration will be on dogshow.ca!

We also opened up some Friday night classes starting on April 7th. They are listed as intro/novice but we can adjust the lessons for whatever level your dog is at! Check out our website for more information!

https://www.culturedcanines.ca/barn-hunt

Experience the thrilling world of barn hunt with Cultured Canines' lessons in Calgary. Our experienced trainers teach your dog the skills needed to participate in this fun and challenging dog sport. With personalized support and small class sizes, your dog receives individual attention and instructi

04/03/2023

Hello everyone! We only have a couple more spots in the courses starting next week! We have been having some major issues with our website lately so the registration numbers are not up to date! There are two spots left in Proper Puppers and just three left in the upcoming COOL Course!

We will also be adding some Friday Barn Hunt course dates to the registration forms shortly.

ALSO our registration form is only taking payments in USD. We are trying to fix it but in the mean time we can refund the difference in price or we can provide you with a discount code so you don’t get overcharged.

Our SINCERE apologies for all the hassle. Our new website should be up in the next few days!!!!!!

Cultured Canines offers fun outdoor Calgary dog training without dog treats. Specializing in puppy classes, obedience, aggression, fears, and rescue dogs.

07/02/2023

Our website is currently down! Our apologies for any inconveniences that this may cause.

Our hosting provider updated something on the back end that isn’t compatible with the theme we’ve been using for our site for the last 8ish years.

We are very sad that our website won’t look the same anymore but hopefully it ends up being even better than before! I guess 8 years makes the old version… kinda old 😂

Please call us at 403-689-0175 if you have any questions!!

30/12/2022

DROP IN CARDS for 2023

Just a reminder - the cost of drop in passes are going up in the New Year. If you wish to purchase another drop in card (or two) you have until 11:59:59 on December 31st.

You can purchase a 12 pass for 60$ before they go up to $240 in 2023. These drop in cards will be valid until December 31st, 2023.

If you wish to purchase, send us an email and e-transfer to [email protected] and you can pick it up at your next drop in.

(Regular drop in rules apply)

Happy New Year from all of us at Cultured Canines!!!

02/11/2022

Absolutely devastated by this news 😩

https://www.petproductnews.com/news/mars-petcare-to-acquire-champion-petfoods/article_21a80000-59f7-11ed-8d4a-1723d2d25226.html?fbclid=IwAR2Czn1hxFR1vAChPSOxAKVm8loYoW7e_2u3V5yg6UGU_VnK7o6Wlube2j4

The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

05/09/2022

Due to popular demand, we now have Friday night group Barn Hunt lessons available! Lessons located at Sleep Rover Doggie Hotel & Daycare.

There are no classes on weekends with local Barn Hunt or Conformation trials!

Worried about group lessons? Don’t be!! Only one dog is allowed in the ring at a time. We are reactive/aggressive dog friendly and are fine with any and all training tools/methods being used. Whatever works best for your dog works best for us. There are also wire kennels available and space if you’d rather bring your own kennel with you.

Group lessons allow your dog to rest and recover between turns and gives the humans an opportunity to learn from the other dogs in the ring!

Can’t wait to help you confidently call RAT at your next trial!! 😉

(Cautiously calling RAT is also acceptable)

An amazing opportunity for any dog, size, breed and skill level! This is the perfect challenge to strengthen your relationship with your canine companion and test their ability to seek, find and locate our hidden rodents in a barn setting. Given the fact that rats don’t exist in Alberta 😉 we ha...

20/07/2022

My purchase of a well bred purebred dog does not condemn another dog to death.
My purchase of a well bred purebred dog does not result in an uptick in the shelter dogs.
My desire to have a dog with predictable temperament from a healthy line does not result in another dog not getting adopted at the shelter.
My careful research on the most responsible breeders who meet all requirements is not the problem. It's not what you should be mad at.
It's not who you should blame.
I am not the one who irresponsibly brought these dogs into this world and left them in a shelter. Responsible breeders aren't the ones bringing these dogs to animal shelters either.
It's my home, my life and my choice what kind of dog I want to bring in. Maybe I need a working dog, sport dog, show dog or just a companion dog of a certain breed that suits me best.
Whatever reason I choose to support a reputable breeder, it will not send an animal protection dog to death.
A breeder who does health tests, temperament tests and titling of their dogs does not contribute to the number of stray dogs.
The number of stray dogs in the world is a problem, but it's not a problem made worse by reputable breeders or those who buy from them.
Your neighbor who gets a "purebred" dog without papers because they're cheap is contributing to the problem.
Your friend who spontaneously bought a puppy from Petland is contributing to the problem.
The person scrambling to pump out the hottest designer mix ASAP is contributing to the problem.
Your relatives who have to get their dog covered once, "so she can experience what it's like to be a mother" or because "she's such a good/cute/sweet girl" are contributing to the problem.
Your old school mate who bought a working dog with lots of energy without taking the time to research its needs and character who ultimately sees it doesn't fit his lifestyle is the problem.
A reputable breeder offers lifetime support. A serious breeder would never allow their dogs to end up in a shelter from the start.
It's understandable to be angry about the number of homeless dogs in the world, but if you look closer, you'll find that your anger is misplaced.
-by Lindsay Hutslar

08/07/2022

We apologize for any unreturned phone calls or emails today! We are being affected by the Rogers outage. We will get in touch with everyone ASAP that has tried to contact us during the downtime!

19/05/2022

We are SOOOO thrilled to announce that our first ever Barn Hunt courses are open for registration! Click the link below for more info!

https://culturedcanines.ca/classes/barn-hunt-2/

An amazing opportunity for any dog, size, breed and skill level! This is the perfect challenge to strengthen your relationship with your canine companion and test their ability to seek, find and locate our hidden rodents in a barn setting. Given the fact that rats don’t exist in Alberta 😉 We ha...

20/04/2022

Over the last eleven years that I have been training dogs, I have seen thousands of dogs go through my classes. One thing became more and more clear… it is NOT all in “how you raise them”.

Genetics and the first 8 weeks of life are, by far, the most impactful factor in a dog’s behaviour. Good breeding can prevent numerous health issues as well. Simply screening breeding dogs for genetic issues as well as having other breed specific issues, like hip dysplasia ruled out via x ray, can keep puppies from experiencing severe pain and early death.

So why isn’t it this common knowledge? Why are people breeding dogs without this testing being done?

Well, it’s expensive and the general public isn’t educated enough to know how to look for a good breeder. Back yard breeders exist because of a lack of public knowledge on dog behaviour and genetics.

Those that know me or have taken my courses know how passionate I am about ethical breeding practices. One of my main goals as a dog trainer is to educate as many people as I can about ethical breeding. The best way to stop unethical breeders is simply to educate the public on what good breeding looks like. If no one is buying poorly bred dogs from breeders, they will be forced to stop breeding. (Obviously I am a huge supporter of dog rescues; that goes into an entirely separate category!)

Last week I offered to help out with admin duties in a local corgi group after a particularly intense exchange with a backyard breeder who had posted in the group.

I made my intentions about cleaning up the bad breeders in the group very clear to the other admins and no one said anything to the contrary.

This breeder posted again this weekend and I, asked again, for proof of her breeding dog’s health testing. Her post included points that her puppies would be low energy dogs. She was breeding “cowboy corgis” which are corgis mixed with an Australian Cattle Dog. I wouldn’t classify either of these breeds as low energy!

Let me be clear. If you ask an ethical breeder for proof of health testing, they will send it to you without argument. If you ask an unethical/back yard breeder for these tests, they will almost always get very defensive and often aggressive. Good breeders are proud of their dog’s health tests and titles and will post them without even being asked. Education and facts are NOT bullying and don’t let anyone make you believe otherwise.

This thread devolved into her harassing me, getting friends to comment on the post, and I, simply commented again and again asking for proof of health testing. I also explained the importance of health testing breeding dogs and how mix breeds will not produce the “magical” perfect consistent puppy that she was promising, and for that matter, pure bred dogs will have variations too.

The admins of this group promptly removed me as an admin and refused to educate or uphold ethical breeding practices. I did my best to try and educate them but they didn’t care. They cited that “people should do their own research”. I am actually floored at the lack of accountability on their part as well as their scathing post about me that they made in their group. To their credit though, they did make a new rule that puppy sale ads are no longer allowed in the group, so I guess that is something.

Admins of dog groups… do better. If there is ANY discussion in your groups about purchasing puppies, educate your group members. Don’t allow people to recommend back yard breeders. It is actually EXTREMELY easy to tell a good breeder from a bad breeder. Here is a link for what health tests every breed should have done before getting bred. If it is a mixed breed breeder, tests need to be done for all breeds that are in that mix. This doesn’t even get into titling breeding dogs or puppy culture/ENS. This is the legit bare minimum every dog lover should be looking for when purchasing a puppy from a breeder.

https://www.ofa.org/browse-by-breed

Below are my own dog’s health testing results. Why? Because it’s not a secret and it shouldn’t be. This isn’t private information to be hoarded. I’m proud of his passing scores and clear DNA panel. I am also extremely proud of all the titles we have earned together.

If you would like more information about good breeding, feel free to check out this link as well.

Thank you for taking the time to read this!

https://culturedcanines.ca/how-to-find-a-puppy/