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October 2025 by Ingrid Hanisch
Teddy and I have gotten a great deal out of this course. I anyone out there is on the fence about spending the time and money....my advise would be to jump in with both feet. This is a learning experience for dog and owner.
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July 2025 by Khushi Kang
Beth was a literal godsend; she took care of my dog, Rambo, while I attended to a family emergency overseas. Rambo was in good spirits with her and her doggies, she’d send me updates and was so sweet to communicate with. She didn’t even know me or my dog prior but went out of her way to help me. Very knowledgeable and so kind, I literally have trust issues and am the most type A person when it comes to my dog, but she was amazing from the second I met her. Thank you so much to Beth and her team, everyone was so sweet and accommodating from the second I reached out. Rambo misses his friends! ❤️
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June 2025 by K Macdonald
I enrolled my puppy in Cultured Canines' puppy classes with the hopes of helping them grow into a confident, well-socialized dog. Unfortunately, our experience was the exact opposite — and I now believe it caused lasting damage.
From the first class, I noticed that the room was overcrowded, with many puppies of different temperaments confined in a small, cage-like space. There was no structured guidance or gradual introduction — just overwhelming exposure. My puppy, terrified, spent the entire time frozen in a corner, visibly shaking. I asked the trainer if this was normal or how I could help ease their stress, and I was told, “This is the point of the class.” I later learned this approach is called FLOODING, a method that is not only outdated but widely criticized by modern behaviorists for its potential to traumatize.
It’s been some time since completing the course, and sadly, my puppy has not improved. In fact, they now shut down in fear whenever we encounter other dogs on walks — the exact same behavior I witnessed during those classes. They legitimately freeze in space every single time we meet a new dog. What was supposed to be a foundation for confidence and social skills has left my dog more anxious and fearful than ever. I’m now faced with the emotional and financial burden of undoing this experience through proper training and rehabilitation.
I'm sharing this through a proxy account, not out of cowardice, but because Calgary is a small community and the business owner is known for reacting aggressively to criticism online. I truly hope this review helps others make a more informed decision.
Please be cautious. If your goal is to build a safe and positive relationship between your puppy and the world around them, I strongly recommend seeking out trainers who use fear-free, evidence-based methods.
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May 2025 by Chelsea Conn
Patty just finished the proper puppers classes with Beth. Both Patty & I had a great experience with this class! Beth & the other trainer were both very helpful with Patty, taking extra time with her when needed, and offering great tips and training encouragement. Beth’s dogs were a great addition to the class as well keeping all the puppers in line. Thanks again for a great class, and I will recommend to others!
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February 2025 by Roxy Rollers
Beth and all of the other trainers are amazing. All three of my dogs have gone through her proper puppers classes.. My last dog went through her cool class.. Amazing energy and extremely helpful for issues specific to my dogs.. I have done training with other companies and organizations without the results i had with her.
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February 2025 by Nandini Raj
Horrendous experience with this group. Do not recommend them at all. We tried them based on reviews and turned out completely opposite sadly.
They claim to be extremely empathetic but showed a different side to the customer after being explained why we could not engage with their course. My daughter lives with a medical condition..we just got our puppy. They marketed the courses well to allure us not taking the time to understand our situation. We paid for a future date course session. They allowed us to come to try out previous session because my daughter lives with a medical condition that's unpredictable.
I offered to provide them all medical information but they said we believe you. We took them on the offer to attend one class and it was terrible. The trainer smacked her dog twice upon not listening. She was yelling at the top of her lungs not respecting that my daughter being one of the individuals w a medical condition.
It was disgusting unhygienic space.
No elevator
No respect for puppies.
Very pushy
Extremely crude.
I respectfully declined the next day via email that we did not see this course as a good fit. The email was sent weeks prior to us due to start w the session we were asked to pay up front. We were even told the owner doesn't care about the money - which we found absurd.
Now upon sending numerous emails to return the money, they are silent. Refuse to return the amount of 400. Instead trying to get us to agree to private training sessions. Why would we even say yes to that when in the first place we respectfully declined and said it's not a good fit.
I would not recommend this place at all.
Especially if you are w medical condition and trying to go to a puppy training class.
My daughter and puppy are training so well with Marvel dog training place. So much empathy and so understanding of every person's needs etc. Highly recommend that place with or without medical related challenges. They are cheaper too. They most definitely don't smack their dogs or disrespect the canines space.
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February 2025 by Dobson Family
We have taken classes with 2 dogs over the years with Cultured Canines (both Proper Puppers and the COOL course) and are currently doing drop ins to brush up on our skills. We have taken classes elsewhere, but definitely prefer the Cultured Canine approach. Beth O'Connor and her trainers are great. The focus is on real life situations out in the real world - exactly what we need. The classes are group, but Beth and her trainers provide lots of individual insights and tips. You only have to look at Beth and the relationship she has with her own dogs to know that she knows what she is doing.
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February 2025 by Paul L
Beth and her team are absolute legends. We worked with 2 other trainers before CC, and did not get the results. Beth got us there. She's the best.
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February 2025 by Jacquie Baker-Fenn
The COOL Course was life changing for our dog loving family. Beth and her team are amazing!!
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February 2025 by Melissa Silverthorn-Peters
Outdoor classes. Treat free. Actual results. A team that knows what they are doing!
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February 2025 by Bailey Krause
I’ve taken many dog training lessons and classes across the city and find Beth to be one of the best instructors I’ve worked with!
Both of my dogs have higher drive and varying degrees of behavioural issues. With Cultured Canines I’ve never felt judged or shamed, but rather Beth has always been very supportive and open to sharing her vast knowledge and experience. She is extremely thorough and honest which I believe is crucial when working with animals! She truly wants to find the right solution for each dog and human partnership and my relationship with my dogs has greatly improved since working with Beth!
I recommend her to anyone whether you’re just starting out with a new dog, struggling with behaviour issues or just want to deep dive into training and behaviour to improve your knowledge and skills!
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December 2023 by Alison Kallstrom
We first came across Cultured Canines 5 years ago when we were looking for treat free training options for our neurotic rescue pup. Their Proper Puppers course was amazing and we were so lucky to have an amazing well-trained dog. Last year we added a second dog to our family and knew Proper Puppers was going to be our first stop. This little girl is a bit of a handful but with the help of Beth and the entire team, we got her into a board and train and the COOL Course. Thanks to the support of Cultured Canines, I have built an amazing bond with both my dogs and have lifelong support through the amazing community they have created. I highly recommend Cultured Canines to anyone with a dog.
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December 2023 by Jen Harlow
The trainers here are amazing! They can help with soo many issues you may have with your dog. We love that it is not treat based training. We took our dog here for the proper puppy class and our little guy did very well. We wanted to continue training so we did their C.O.O.L course, we loved that it is outside and at various locations. Our dog no longer pulls on the leash on walks, he has great recall and is able to be redirected when distractions like squirrels or rabbits are seen on our walks. They go over nutrition and grooming too. Highly recommend this company.
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November 2023 by Gabriel Ferreira
The team at Culture Canines is amazing! I had their support since the get go with my puppy Rio, and they've helped me so much! They're really knowledgeable and incredibly kind! I wish I could give them a higher rating but Google won't let me, they've really helped me not only fix all the behavior problems Rio had, but also helped me create a MUCH better relationship with my dog!
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October 2023 by Teri Savoie-Pollard
Excellent drop in sessions for Barn Hunt practice
