13/02/2026
Things in the media are increasingly more skewed. If you saw this on the news yesterday please read this for clarification.
A professional is asked about what’s causing the rise in dog bites. They’re given the opportunity to educate the public on a big media platform on how to prevent their dog biting.
They don’t….
❌ Mention unethical breeding practises. That owners should get a dog from a breeder who considers the health and temperament of both parents, who proactively socialises any litters they bring into the world as well as pairing puppies with suitable homes.
❌ Mention the rise in ‘power’ and working breeds due to the influence of breeds frequently featuring in dog training social media videos, and how more and more people are getting a breed of dog who is beyond their current capabilities. All because they like and have been sold the idea of controlling such a powerful dog via social media.
❌ Discuss that an increase in dog population parallel to a busier world where people have less time (to train, walk and BE with their dog) will by default increase the risk of incidents.
❌ Describe how it’s important to systematically increase a puppy or dog’s experiences parallel to helping them develop coping strategies and confidence in navigating what is an ever increasing challenging world.
❌ Meeting the physical, social and mental stimulation needs of the dog as an individual, ensuring training takes into consideration what life skills the dog may need to live a fulfilled life safely.
❌ Being someone who your dog wants to listen to, not because they fear you, but because you are a calm, consistent communicator who helps them try to succeed in this complicated word.
❌ Being someone who listens to their dog by learning to understand (in the moment) canine body language, so you can be better able to respond to situations and help your dog not escalate their behaviour.
❌ Discuss how more dogs than ever are struggling with muscular skeletal issues, skin disease and gastro intestinal issues that could be the cause or maintaining factor in their aggression (and link this back to responsible breeding but also why it’s important to get a health check for any dog with behaviour problems!).
❌ Describe the rise in popularity in dog training as a profession resulting in trainers (using any method of dog training) taking on extreme cases without adequate practical experience or knowledge (including qualifications) on dog behaviour.
❌ Acknowledge the overwhelming amount of information on social media and online that can lead to owners hop skotching from one method or approach to another, often trying to bypass professional support.
A missed opportunity to highlight that growling, barking, lunging and biting are behaviours symptomatic of an underlying feeling that is often motivated or influenced by health problems, stress, historic or current negative experiences, as well as the relationship and interactions we have with our dogs.
What they do with that opportunity instead is…
✅ Refer to the force free ‘movement’ - a supposedly new 'movement' that's been around since the 80s- as ‘woke’ and largely responsible for the increase in dog bites.
✅ Prioritise the need to correct dogs with behaviour problems instead of (or before) understanding and supporting them by identifying why they are aggressive in the first place.
So focused on defending and advocating their preferred method of training, they used the platform to target those who do different and sensationally misrepresented and insulted them (or tried to).
Thank goodness the wonderful Ann BD had a larger section on this feature to bring some less emotive and more intelligent points into the discussion.
In a world where the number of followers can be mistaken for expertise…. I encourage everyone to follow professionals who demonstrate a deep understanding of behaviour and who showcase their process AND long term results.
Clients/owners walking/training/enjoying their relaxed and happy dogs - ideally months after their session- is my criteria for longterm success.
Please be cautious of those who struggle to communicate diplomatically and thoroughly, resorting to labels, name calling, insults and making sweeping generalised statements without acknowledging a single nuance of what is almost always a very complicated thing.
Professional conduct is waning within this industry and that need not be the case regardless of our stance on opposing methods of training.
Note- whilst it's not overly difficult to learn the identity of this professional, this post reflects on a broader issue within our industry. I acknowledge that this post cuts VERY close to my 'no name and shame' rule, but I will delete any naming of the individual in question.
