You need to prune at the right time, which is late Winter or early
Spring.
We are NOT talking about the flowering Dogwoods - Cornus - which are NOT grown for their stem colour.
Cornus alba, stolonifera and sanguinea types, should be pruned in the spring of each year for maximum stem colour effect.
Cornus alba, Cornus sanguinea and Cornus stolonifera types are all grown for winter stem colour.
Pruning the dogwoods in early spring, gives the shrub plenty of time to generate masses of long straight cane-like stems through the summer growing season which will develop into stunning colour effect in the following winter months.
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See the 'stump' right on the right of the picture. It will a mass colourful stems next winter by pruning it hard.
If left unpruned it will look dull, like the left cornus on the right picture.
Keep it bright, keep it pruned.
Cornus sanguinea Midwinter Fire