The Cultured Canine

Hi, I'm Diane Podolsky, dog trainer and founder of The Cultured Canine, LLC. The Cultured Canine brings expert dog training to pet parents' doorsteps in person and by telephone.

When we brought our little, six month Maltese home from the pet shop, I had no intention of studying to be a dog trainer or founding The Cultured Canine. As an average pet parents, Tony and I looked forward to loving and caring for our adorable new pet. There was a lot to learn! Six month old Elliott needed to be housetrained, knew nothing about pet manners and had a sensitive stomach. Just feeding him meant hitting the books. “I’m supposed to do what to this little dog?” The first dog training school I went to encouraged me to “correct” Elliott by jerking the leash when he made an error.  It just felt wrong and unkind. So we quit class. Camp Gone to the Dogs and The Academy for Dog Trainers to the rescue! Elliott loved agility at Camp Gone to the Dogs! A wonderful, mind-opening vacation spent at Camp Gone to the Dogs fixed everything! Diane learned about using positive reinforcement dog training. Elliott started learning and having fun in dog training class. Storms and neighbor complaints Elliott, always afraid of storms, worsened as he matured. And after moving to a new apartment, he began barking for hours on end when he was left alone. Ready to consider a career change and highly motivated to find answers to little Elliott’s distress, Diane applied for acceptance to the San Francisco SPCA Academy for Dog Trainers. The acceptance letter arrived, she left her job, sold her apartment and went to California to study with world-renowned trainer and author, Jean Donaldson. At dog training Academy, everything she experienced with Elliott fell into place. His behavior made sense. It had a context.  Each topic, from puppy developmental stages to shaping a behavior, was fascinating. The confusion she felt when she did not know how to help Elliott was replaced with the joyful realization that she could now teach pet parents what she had learned and, hopefully, empower them too. Read more about Diane’s education and certifications A passion becomes a profession. After graduating from Academy, she founded The Cultured Canine, LLC. “It was a big relief to find out that Elliott is not the only dog to behave the way he did and, even more important, that there were things that Tony and I could do to make things easier for him and for us. Elliott loves meeting new dogs when he is away from home. On his block can be another story. During dog training Academy I became aware that Elliott’s early socialization was severely curtailed and that it is amazing that he can handle as many situations as he does. I am not so frustrated by his ‘shortcomings’ any more. On the contrary, I have a tremendous appreciation of what he is able to do. Even his separation anxiety and storm fear are much less stressful for both of us now that I understand what is going on. My goal for The Cultured Canine is to create a similar experience for other pet parents, both by teaching them how to avoid common dog behavior problems. Pet parents can change their dog’s behavior once problems begin if they get help from a certified professional dog trainer.” Literally a dream come true “Sharing my dog training knowledge with my clients is my ‘dream’ job. When I am working with a client, there is truly no place I would rather be. How many people are fortunate enough to be able to say that about their jobs?” _______________________________________________________________ Diane Podolsky, founder of The Cultured Canine, lives in Westchester County, NY with Tony Siacotos and their Maltese, Elliott.

New York Small Dogs Examiner at Examiner.com

July 2009 - Present | New York metro area

Freelance writer on topics relevant to pet parents.

Certified Professional Dog Trainer-KA at The Cultured Canine, LLC

May 2005 - Present | White Plains, New York

The Cultured Canine provides private, in-home training to clients in Westchester, Manhattan and the area surrounding Greenwich, CT. We focus on small breed dogs but train dogs of all sizes using positive reinforcement techniques grounded in the science of learning theory. The Cultured Canine provides luxury boarding services to friendly toy breed dogs as well as board & train stays. Our housetraining intensive has helped little dogs know "where to go" and saved many a carpet!

Owner - Adult Education Instructor at One on One Software Tutoring

November 1995 - September 2004 | White Plains, New York

One on One Software Tutoring delivered end-user software training to both corporate and home users of popular software packages such as Microsoft Word and Quicken.

Continuing Education Instructor at Pace University

1996 - 2002

Taught end-user software applications to adults in a classroom setting at the university's Westchester and Manhattan locations.

Administrative Assistant at Credit Agricole Indosuez

November 1988 - November 1995

Provided support for vice presidents in the Real Estate department, Asset Management Department and Legal Departments.

Legal Assistant at Krolick and DeGraff, LLP

1985 - 1987

San Francisco SPCA Academy for Dog Trainers

2004 – 2004

CTC, Valedictorian

Concentration: Canine behavior, dog training

Activities: Intensive six week program comprised of hands-on training of shelter dogs, academic lectures, written work and graduation exams.

State University of New York at Albany

1978 – 1982

BA

Concentration: Sociology

Activities: Off Campus Association student renters' advocate.

Documentary film on almost any topic, learning to grow orchids, exploring my sewing machine this week, watching my dog sleep, finding the best dim sum in any city I am visiting.