Cultured Canine Dog Services

  • Home
  • Cultured Canine Dog Services

Cultured Canine Dog Services Professional Dog Behaviour Specialist, Trainer, Groomer & Walker in York, Easingwold & surrounding. Group classes in Huby and workshops all around York.

Kind & Effective training with fully qualified & insured professionals (Bsc Hons, Adip, Dip, APDT) Welcome to Cultured Canine Dog Services. Based in York, Easingwold and surrounding villages. I am a fully qualified, fully insured professional Dog Trainer & Behaviour Specialist (Bsc Hons, Adip, Dip, full member Association of Pet Dog Trainers).

1 week today is our final beginners course of 2025! We know it's close to Christmas and some of you may be thinking "let...
28/11/2025

1 week today is our final beginners course of 2025!

We know it's close to Christmas and some of you may be thinking "let's wait until January" but I cannot recommend starting ASAP enough your puppies! Classes are a great place to ask questions, get whatsapp and email support and go into the festive period with a head-start on how to prevent challenges and have a smoother time.

This is a 3 week mini course
⏰️ 5pm, Friday evenings
📍 Huby Memorial Village Hall
🪙 £40
🐶 All ages & breeds welcome

What will we cover?
- marker words, focus and engagement, sit, down, leave it, lead walking, recall, stay, settle, emergency stop and socialisation! A jam packed 3 weeks helping you head into the Christmas celebrations with some more training in your toolbelt!

Currently we have 2 spaces left

https://www.culturedcanine.co.uk/book-classes-here

I suspect this may ruffle a few feathers (even among those who follow and respect my training) and that’s okay. We don’t...
28/11/2025

I suspect this may ruffle a few feathers (even among those who follow and respect my training) and that’s okay. We don’t have to agree on everything. I am always up for healthy, educational discussion so I'd love to hear your thoughts!

I own a breed who is sensitive, clever, and incredibly emotionally aware. And lately I’ve been reflecting on something: are we sometimes over-analysing emotional wellbeing to the detriment of both us and our dogs?

In recent years, we’ve made huge progress in recognising and responding to our dogs’ emotional states and that’s a wonderful thing. But I do wonder whether we may have swung from behaviour-only focus to emotion-only focus without stopping in the middle.

And with that swing, are we unintentionally reducing emotional resilience in our dogs over time?

🐶 Stress vs. “I don’t want to”

Stress is something we want to take seriously in dogs, we should never just dismiss stress or fear in dogs. Not every strong reaction is fear. There is a difference between:
- true fear / phobia
- uncertainty
- low frustration tolerance
- simple lack of motivation (“I’d rather not”!)

If we assume every hesitation equals fear, our response becomes avoidance — retreating from anything mildly uncomfortable.

But where does a dog learn to cope?
To process low-level stress?
To build emotional flexibility and confidence?
---

🐶 Puppies and resilience

I raise puppies following Puppy Culture, which includes controlled exposure to tolerable stress. Not flooding. Not forcing.
Instead: supported learning.

If a puppy is unsure, we help them through, with choice and reassurance, so they come out the other side feeling successful. That’s how brains learn to cope.

Whereas if we remove every slightly uncomfortable experience, puppies never get to practise coping. Well-meaning owners want only positive experiences but over-protection can become its own stressor later in life.

---

🐶 Dogs also learn what works

Dogs are experts in cause and effect:

"If Behaviour X leads to Outcome Y — and Y is desirable — Behaviour X gets repeated."

Sometimes that behaviour looks like anxiety, even when the dog isn’t emotionally distressed. We have to be so careful analysing this either way. We don't want to misdiagnosed an anxious dog as coping better than they are, but nor so we want to incorrectly label them as anxious when this is purely a learnt behaviour chain.

For example, my dog Cleo began barking at other dogs on walks. It looked like anxiety… but after analysing her body language and the context with colleagues, it became clear she was using a behaviour that previously gained my attention and interaction. It wasn’t fear — it was a learned strategy to receive outcome Y (my engagement).

This is why we must always look at:
- motivation
- function of behaviour
- emotional state as separate but connected parts of the same picture.

---

And yes sometimes they just don’t fancy it!

Just like us, dogs sometimes don’t want to do something.
Not scared. Not in pain. Just… “eh, not bothered"

I do believe dogs benefit from occasionally learning:

"Sometimes I need to do this thing I don’t love — and it will be okay."

If the first time a dog ever experiences a non-negotiable situation is the vet for example, of course it will feel more aversive. Small moments of gently supporting them through mild reluctance can build trust and resilience.

---

🐶 A necessary balance

This absolutely doesn’t mean pushing dogs into overwhelming fear, ignoring pain, or dismissing communication.
We must rule out fear, pain, and high emotional arousal first.

But we also need to recognise:
- not all avoidance is fear
- not all stress is harmful
- resilience comes from mastering tolerable challenges

The goal is not to eliminate stress, it is to nurture a dog who can cope with life when stress inevitably happens.

---

🐶 Final thoughts

I love seeing the increased focus on canine wellbeing. I don’t want that to change.
But I think the next healthy step forward is finding that middle ground where we protect dogs from trauma and help them develop coping skills.

After all, confidence isn’t built by avoiding the world.
It’s built by learning you can handle it. 🐶

Spaces are limited for our January Gundog Workshop! This is our final Gundog Workshop until Summer 2026. We welcome all ...
22/11/2025

Spaces are limited for our January Gundog Workshop!

This is our final Gundog Workshop until Summer 2026. We welcome all breeds, ages and skillsets of dogs! This session will look at whistle cues, recall and focus around small furries & retrieves!

https://www.culturedcanine.co.uk/book-classes-here

Met handsome sausage, Alvin, this morning! Alvin is 10 months old and a super little guy! His humans wanted some assista...
21/11/2025

Met handsome sausage, Alvin, this morning!

Alvin is 10 months old and a super little guy! His humans wanted some assistance on how best to help Alvin when he gets overstimulated on an evening which is super common with young dogs!

We've now got a plan in place and will be checking in with Alvin again soon!

Want to come along to trick class tonight? Sessions are £15 and a great opportunity to have some fun with your dog!
21/11/2025

Want to come along to trick class tonight? Sessions are £15 and a great opportunity to have some fun with your dog!

Have you considered trying butternut box? We have a code so you can get 75% off your first box! We use this as a topper ...
20/11/2025

Have you considered trying butternut box? We have a code so you can get 75% off your first box!

We use this as a topper to kibble as well as inside kongs and lickimats! It can be fed however as a complete meal!

20/11/2025

How are your dogs finding the snow? Post your pooches in the snow below! ❄️

Here is a video of Daphnes first snow!

Meet the lovely Chester!I went to see Chester and his humans yesterday as he finds being on his own difficult. He also d...
20/11/2025

Meet the lovely Chester!

I went to see Chester and his humans yesterday as he finds being on his own difficult. He also doesn't love humans trying to fuss him in public.

So firstly we had a good chat about how dogs are NOT public property. This is definitely not a Chester problem but a general issue with society at the moment. When did it become assumed that you can approach and fuss any dog we want? I remember 20 years ago, the rule was don't touch a dog without asking. Now the dog is labelled a problem by the general public if they don't appreciate strangers hands on them. I don't know about you, but I dont appreciate strangers stroking my hair either...

We spent some time chatting about Chester and how we can help him feel a little more confident alone, including how we can gently build independence. The old advice of just go out and let them get used to it isn't the best approach (this can actually make it worse!). It was lovely meet this sweet boy and his family and look forward to checking in with him soon 🐶

It was Cleo's turn for bath day this weekend. After her spay, she was overdue a groom by a good few weeks!Poodles don’t ...
18/11/2025

It was Cleo's turn for bath day this weekend. After her spay, she was overdue a groom by a good few weeks!

Poodles don’t have “easy coats”, but with the correct care and maintenance, they can be just the most rewarding coats! They can be easier than a lot of poodle mixes. These can actually be harder because that coat is a mix of two different textures trying to do two different things! Sometimes you have the softness of the other breed which can cause tangles or the slight bit of shedding from the other breed that causes the hair to tangle with the curlier poodle parts. This is why sometimes a doodle will require more coat care than a poodle, especially if wanting to keep the coat long.

The Golden Rule: Never Brush a Dry Coat

Curly coats shouldn't be brushed dry.
Dry brushing creates:

- Breakage

- Faster matting later

- An uncomfortable grooming experience

The coat needs to be damp, not wet - so a good conditioning spray is a useful tool!

Brushing your poodle or poodle mix! - Unfortunately a 6 weekly groom isn't enough for your dog, especially not if your dog is a mix. Some shorter cut poodles can get away with no brushing between grooms, but this is very coat dependent!

1. Lightly mist the area with a proper coat conditioning spray
2. Work in small, manageable sections
3. Use a slicker brush to lift and brush the coat in layers, starting from the skin outward
4. Follow with a metal comb—if the comb won’t glide through, the section isn’t finished
5. Pay special attention to high-friction areas: armpits, ears, tail base, collar area, and legs

This technique prevents matting before it starts.

NOTE: If your dog wears a harness or a coat, you'll want to brush any long hair areas every time you take these off.

---

✂️ Why This Matters

If you don’t maintain a curly coat properly, mats form faster than people realise.
Once they’re tight to the skin, the only safe and humane option is a shave-down, no matter the breed.

Consistent, gentle brushing keeps the coat healthy, comfortable, and looking beautiful.

If anyone needs help with coat maintenance, get in touch and I can help!

Address


Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Cultured Canine Dog Services posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Cultured Canine Dog Services:

Shortcuts

  • Want your business to be the top-listed Pet Store/pet Service?

Share

Our story

Offering professional training and behaviour services in Easingwold, York, Thirsk & surrounding areas. I am a fully qualified, fully insured trainer using the most up-to-date methods of training.

Group Classes, 1-2-1 behaviour & training help, dog walking*, walk & trains, day training, workshops, monthly social walks, educational talks & advice.

*dog walks currently only available for existing clients with limited times available. For all new enquiries, I have a list of recommended local dog walkers to contact.