Our Team
The team here at Cultured Canines is the heart of our business. Our amazing trainers have gone through over 100 hours of hands on and classroom training so they are able to tailor their support for each individual dog and owner. Every instructor has their own approach and their own training experience to bring to the table.
This is not just a job for our instructors. All of our team members are here because they loved the relationship they were able to build with their dogs as Cultured Canines clients before they became trainers. They are passionate about sharing their knowledge and helping you achieve your goals with your dog.
Before I became a dog trainer, my first dog, Jett and I were at the off leash park when he saw another dog across the street. Jett ran after it, and was hit by an SUV and died shortly after in my arms. This was, without a doubt, the worst day of my life. My family and I were convinced that Jett’s behaviour was “good enough” so we never did a proper training class with him. We just used treats to bribe him to listen.
After this horrible incident, I got a new puppy, Jake! I was determined to do everything right with him. I took a course through Pawsitive Dawgs with Jake when he was four months old, and we loved every minute of it. I saw that the training organization that Pawsitive Dawgs was a part of was offering a course in Calgary to become a trainer, so I jumped at the opportunity (the course was usually only taught in Kelowna). After a year of hard work and dedication, I received my training certification.
I became a dog trainer so that I could help show dog owners that having a dog that is “good enough” is not enough. I don’t want anyone to have to endure what my family and I went through with Jett.
I want to help you have the best possible relationship with your pooch! The relationships I have been able to build with my four dogs, Jake, Leia, Kirk, and Quill has shown me just how amazing and complex the relationship between dogs and humans can and should be. I love helping people have this level of understanding with their own dogs. Nothing makes me happier than seeing the bond between a dog and their owners grow and blossom.
I am extremely passionate about the things that I teach and my personality comes through in all of Cultured Canines’ courses. I am not the kind of trainer that just tells you the theories, I get in there with you and I’ll be right there by your side through your struggles. I have dogs too, and none of them are perfect. I don’t just bring my “good” dog to class, I’ll bring the dog that I know will struggle in a particular lesson so I can show you how to work through it. I’m never afraid to be completely transparent with my clients when it comes to realistic expectations and how hard training a dog really is. Training is a PROCESS, not a quick fix!
In my free time I participate in a variety of dog sports with my pack. We do herding, barn hunt, agility, rally obedience, nose work, conformation, and tricks! The foundation that Cultured Canines provides has given me the ability to have sport dogs that are also wonderful pets. I am also a Certified Trick Dog Instructor!
BETH O’CONNOR
She/Her
Founder & Owner
Team member since 2011
Quill, Leia, Jake, and Kirk
TAYLOR KIPNES
He/Him
Lead Instructor
Team member since 2016
Maple
I started out as your typical “hard sell” client. My wife looked in to Cultured Canines and my IMMEDIATE RESPONSE was “pffft I’ve had dogs my whole life. I know how to train them…”
Spoiler alert – I did not. Once we started attending classes with Maple I immediately realized that there was so much more to dog training than I ever realized.
We came in to this with a 6 month old Bernese Mountain Dog that pulled, barked, jumped, a digger, a chewer and we totally justified it because she was cute…
Training is a journey. It’s about understanding behaviour (yours and your dogs) and building a strong foundation and even stronger relationship.
While we have been trainers since 2016, even for us, training is an ongoing process.
We have moved homes, dealt with a pandemic, welcomed a baby…and while “life” happens, your training will require you to be versatile and come up with a plan. We can help with that!
Every client has very high standards and goals they want to accomplish with their dogs. If you are ready and willing to put in the work and take on this tough but very rewarding challenge, then I look forward to helping you throughout your training journey.
REBECCA NEALE
She/Her
Lead Instructor
Team member since 2018
Arlo and Winry
I got Arlo in the Spring of 2018 and knew right away that I wanted to sign up for classes. Arlo was a very challenging puppy and I was at a loss. Arlo was the type of dog who would do anything for a treat, but did not care to have a relationship with the person giving the treat. I felt like a vending machine! All I wanted was trusting, loving relationship with my dog. When looking for training classes Cultured Canines came highly recommended to me from more than a few friends and I was intrigued by the ‘treat free method,’ so I began the course in July. After each class my relationship with Arlo got stronger and stronger and I began to feel like a much more confident dog owner. Our training really paid off and I am amazed at the dog Arlo is today. Cultured Canines not only helped Arlo and I with behaviour training, but it also strengthened our relationship.
I was eager to begin my own training as an assistant trainer because I wanted to help others who were in the same boat as me. Building a solid relationship with your dog is a such a rewarding experience! I hope to continue helping struggling dog owners just like the amazing staff of Cultured Canines helped me.
I was a perfect example of a client that “grew up with dogs” so “why do I need training!” After joining the COOL Course I was able to build on my previous training foundation, and strengthen my relationship with my dogs. Having a dog with anxiety, and fear – The COOL Course gave me a great opportunity to not only focus on obedience, but also help me understand and work through the challenges that presented themselves. I have two dogs, and both have similarities but are also very different. Cultured Canines gave me the tools and confidence I needed to not only create the best space for my dogs, but as a trainer – help you with your training journey!
KAYLA MATHISON
She/Her
Assistant Instructor
Team member since 2017
Ash and Zoey
LAURA MCCOWAN
She/Her
Assistant Instructor
Team member since 2014
Rhubarb
I took the COOL Course way back in 2013 with my 7 year old lab Penny. I truly saw how life changing Beth’s training methods could be, even with an older dog! I became a trainer shortly after! I took a break to while I went back to school and earned my masters in geology, but now I am back with my new puppy Rhubarb to help even more dogs and owners live wonderful lives together!
I grew up in a large family where having a well trained family dog was never a priority. Our dogs always had full control of what they wanted to do, we didn’t enjoy taking them for walks because they would pull too hard on the leash; their behaviours were out of control.
Fast forward 10 years and this is when we brought Maple home! I knew we needed proper training right from the start! I searched and searched for the right company and came upon Cultured Canines. I loved the philosophy and new this was the right one for us. Only thing left to do was convince my husband! Spoiler alert it worked, now we’re both trainers with the Cultured Canines!
BRYANNE KIPNES
She/Her
Admin and Assistant Instructor
Team member since 2016
Maple
SIOBHAN MCNEIL
She/Her
Assistant Instructor
Team member since 2021
Arlo and Mabel
I met Arlo when I entered a relationship and, as cute and loving as he is, he was such a handful. He was then two years old, had been a rescue, and had health issues as a puppy. I knew that he needed some serious training intervention and we scoured the Internet and landed on Cultured Canines.
He would get over-excited on walks, jumping, nipping, and barking. He destroyed many items around the house. He was easily afraid and would run away from some people and dogs. He would bark and scream when he was tied up and when people came over. When he was caught being bad, his favourite game was keep away.
Fast-forward through the Cultured Canine course and he was leaps and bounds better than when we began. We continued with training and going to drop-in classes and are so impressed with him. In fact, we felt so much more confident with him that we stepped it up and I got to follow my childhood dream of getting my own puppy!
In 2021, Mabel came into the picture. She is a very feisty pup who has all the courage and tenacity that Arlo lacks… too much. At two months old, she would attack Arlo if he tried to pick up even one of his own toys. We enrolled her in Proper Puppers as soon as we could and carried on to C.O.O.L. so that she could learn all the important basics as well as to tone it down and be friendly with other dogs and humans.
Cultured helped me build such a good relationship with my pups, and I love that I can help others do that too!
I decided on Cultured Canines because I loved the description of the COOL course. Having trained my first dog in a traditional indoor facility (and having had a whole lot of trouble generalizing the lessons to ‘real life’ situations), the idea of changing everything up weekly in new, outdoor places really appealed. So even before getting Dalton I signed up for Proper Pups so that I would get a future discount on the COOL course!
For the first few weeks I was really frustrated in class. Almost everything being taught contradicted what I thought I understood about dogs. Dalton was the puppy cowering in the corner or terrorizing people with his tiny shark teeth. In the COOL course as a teenager he pulled constantly and barked incessantly. I nevertheless followed all the instructions and advice diligently (largely so that I could later complain if it all failed). Fast forward to today and Dalton is fearless, confident and an amazing partner in crime. I can take him ANYWHERE with me and picking up dog sports thanks to our incredibly solid foundation was a cinch. Yet while the training wins, compliments from strangers and learnings have been amazing, it’s the bond that we’ve developed because of it all that really surprised me.
Three years later along came Candela and with a different dog came a whole set of new challenges. It’s around this time that I decided I wanted to give back and help people the way I had been helped by the Cultured staff.
I believe everyone can enjoy a rich bond, build unwavering trust and enjoy a huge quality of life with their dogs given the right guidance and effort. I want to support dog owners along the very rocky road it may take to get them there with their dogs.
ANGELA KOURIS
She/Her
Assistant Instructor
Team member since 2022
Dalton and Candela
NICOLE BARRITT
She/Her
Assistant Instructor
Team member since 2022
Monty
Nicole got Monty as a puppy in the middle of quarantine, leading to missed socialization opportunities and over excitement around people and dogs. The outdoor COOL courses intrigued her, as Monty behaved well in other indoor training classes she tried. Nicole looks forward to helping bring balance and structure to other pups and their families, so they can enjoy their own cultured pup!
JUSTIN QUINTON
Technology & Business Development Advisor
Team member since 2019
(I don’t own a dog but Quill is my favourite)
As a technology and business advisor at Cultured Canines, I oversee initiatives such as e-learning lecture production, LMS system management, website development, training facility construction, and consult on business development initiatives. Although I don't personally own a dog, I've witnessed firsthand how Cultured Canines clients have achieved remarkable results with their pets through their courses, making it an easy choice for me to recommend Cultured Canines to others.
Tamia Lynnette Müller
She/Her
Assistant Instructor
Team member since 2023
Pesto
While I had two well-behaved Labradors growing up, getting a rescue puppy during the height of the pandemic (November 2020) proved to be full of challenges. After the sweat and tears of struggling with keeping up with my crazy puppy over the holidays, I knew I needed to loop in some help. I enrolled Pesto in Proper Puppers in January 2021, and then C.O.O.L. right after.
Pesto was (and is still) high energy and a little wacky, but through building our relationship with training and trying new things with him (tricks, herding, barn hunt) I started to see his sweet and sensitive side more and more. Under his craziness was that sensitivity and anxiety with new people and situations, something I wouldn't have realized had I only paid attention to the much more boisterous behaviour.
To say that training with Cultured Canines was a help in our lives would be a huge understatement. Pesto thrived with the structure, expectations, and the extra boost in confidence; and I felt equipped with the tools I needed to continue helping him succeed. Two years later, the community we've been welcomed into, the continuing education through drop-in courses and other courses offered, and the ongoing help offered to us with other issues that have come up since have been instrumental in setting Pesto up for success.
I'm so excited to help others get to know their dogs better as well, and to develop those incredible trusting relationships with their loyal lifelong pal.