The Cultured Canine

Horrible communication. Never scheduled our last session and now have gone silent when we are asking for a refund. I have a horribly reactive dog and I have no long term plan for behaviors, simply a few suggestions that provided minimal relief. When I sent messages I would have to send to the trainer multiple times and then to the owner at least once in order to get a response. Then it was suggested to board my dog for training which is thousands of dollars I’m not able to pay for. I paid $800 in order to move my dog’s crate to the basement and learn how to walk her. Profoundly not helpful

Everyone at The Cultured Canine made me feel completely at ease from the very first phone call. Jessica was reassuring, understanding, and transparent- she set realistic expectations while also offering comfort during a time when we genuinely feared we might have to consider re-homing our dog. They quickly arranged a meet-and-greet with Lucas, who came to our home to evaluate Lochlan before we ever committed to the board-and-train program. This level of care stood out to me because most companies don’t offer an in-home assessment before asking you to sign or pay. Lucas was friendly, informative, and gave us confidence that change was possible. We had previously invested and trusted in a board-and-train program when Lochlan was a puppy that unfortunately failed, so we were incredibly nervous about trusting another program. Being paired with Megan ended up being the best thing that could have happened to us. Our 1-year-old Great Pyrenees was fearful, reactive, barked at everything, and struggled with social cues around our 8-year-old dog. Megan was patient, funny, and extremely knowledgeable. She kept us updated consistently throughout the entire 5-week program, which meant so much while we were navigating a stressful move back from Virginia and living in temporary housing with a dog we honestly felt we couldn’t control. Megan celebrated his first birthday since he was away for his board and train during that time and spoiled him with love and treats/goodies-which meant the world to us. We’ve now had Lochlan home for about a week, and he is truly a different dog- in the best way. We can finally enjoy his goofy, silly Great Pyrenees personality while maintaining structure and clear boundaries. Megan proved that Great Pyrenees can be trained, and that excessive barking and reactivity don’t have to be “just part of the breed.” We will forever be grateful to Megan and everyone at The Cultured Canine for giving us our confidence back and helping Lochlan become the dog we always knew he could be.

We had an incredible experience with Megan! Trace was extremely dog reactive, jumped excitedly on any visitors in the home and growled at our toddler on a few occasions which was a non-negotiable for us. Trace had never slept anywhere but our house, so we were nervous to put her in a long term board and train, but our situation at home got so tense with a toddler and Trace's anxiety, it was the last option. From the first day of Trace's 5 week board, Megan was sending us pictures, updates and keeping us fully in the loop with how Trace was doing. After 5 weeks, Trace was a completely different dog. She's no longer on edge and looking for stressful situations, but has taken to new routines and much needed structure we didn't realize was missing. Megan got her to the point where she could be around and relax around other dogs which was HUGE! I didn't think that was a possibility. Her leash walking has completely transformed, she comes when she's called and can walk past other dogs with little to no reaction. The handoff back home was so helpful and the multiple follow up sessions gave us confidence as we navigate life with a newly trained dog. I recommend Cultured Canine to everyone who asks! It's also the only board and train I could find where the pups live with the trainer. 10/10! Megan was amazing, patient, knowledgeable and extremely talented!

I cannot say enough good things about The Cultured Canine. I took my 2ish year old Pit Mix, Oolong, to them after having her for a few months. They took the time to observe her behavior in a one on one setting and discussion the best course of action to address some of her behavioral issues. We both agreed that the 5 week Board and Train program was the best choice. The process of that was super simple and they were extremely communicative throughout all 5 weeks with pictures and progress reports. After those 5 weeks, they came out to my house multiple times to ensure things were transitioning smoothly and to address any concerns. I love the people at The Cultured Canine because they truly love and care about Oolong like I do. Oolong is so well behaved now, with basic commands like sit, stay, and place as well as her loose leash walking. I will continue to use The Cultured Canine in any capacity I can with Oolong.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A Truly Life-Changing Experience Megan was *amazing*. My 3-month-old Doberman puppy, Apollo, was A LOT. The nipping, pulling, and biting on the leash had me questioning if I was even the right fit for this dog I was already so attached to. After a thorough consultation, we decided on the 3-week board-and-train program — and it turned out to be the best decision I could have made. From the beginning, Megan was warm, encouraging, and incredibly supportive. What she excels at is not only building confidence in the puppy, but in the owners too! Throughout Apollo’s training, we received consistent updates and communication. I’ll never forget the first video she sent: Megan wrapped Apollo’s leash around his nose and he had *zero* reaction. My jaw dropped. The puppy I knew would have absolutely “Hulked out” and thought it was time for the ultimate tug-of-war — and this was only days into his 3-week stay. The worst part of the process was missing him, but it was absolutely necessary for him to become the best boy he can be. At drop-off, Megan went above and beyond. She literally spent the entire evening with us, giving us a full “boot camp”–style training session for owners (LOL). We learned SO many things — commands, directives, structure, and how to support Apollo’s obedience and lifestyle changes moving forward. It gave us total confidence before bringing him home. And when Apollo walked back through the door, we were speechless. He was walking beautifully — almost no tension on the leash, consistently on my left side, and completely unfazed by strangers or other dogs. It was the *complete opposite* of life before training. We’re almost a week home now, and he has been a dream. We finally feel like we have the “tools” to understand him and support his learning and growth. To say this experience was life-changing is an understatement. We went from raw, cut-up hands and ruined clothes… to ZERO nipping all week. We are looking forward to continuing education for us and our sweet boy with this incredible team. I could not recommend this more. I am SO grateful for Megan and Cultured Canine. I am truly, extremely happy. 🖤🐾