Sheila Williams Dog Training

10/28/2026

Training should never involve pain, fear, or intimidation. Period.
"...I don’t believe there can be any tolerance for those who knowingly choose “training methods” that use force, pain and fear. It is physical and psychological abuse. Someone who says that they hit their spouse only when it is “really necessary” is still hitting their spouse. Would you tolerate that and look for common ground with them?"

What The Actual?

I find myself saying this increasingly these days.
Despite deliberately not following the social media pages of (un)balanced trainers to save myself the distress of witnessing abuse which I am unable to do anything about, I have still stumbled upon some things which I just cannot get my head around, mostly on dog training advice forums, which my algorithm seems to think I need to see.

In the last week I have come across:
• Someone who’s two Rottweilers escaped the property - and I use that phrase loosely, as the dogs were fitted with boundary fence e-collars and there was no actual physical barrier – defending their impeccable status as responsible dog owners, because it is not their fault that the shock collars malfunctioned – there aren’t enough facepalm emojis in the world……
• A man garrotting a small breed dog with a slip-lead for about 10 minutes in an attempt to teach the dog to sit, because clearly that is the easiest method. In the time it was taking him to achieve precisely nothing, we had taught 9 puppies to sit, down, stand and come only that morning, with completely novice owners and a clicker and treats – and no dogs needed their air supply cut off to achieve that – who would have thought….
• A man advocating keeping dogs in kennels for extended periods, because you need to deprive them of basic freedom and enjoyment so that they are more “grateful” to you when you take them out and work with them, because otherwise, they will be like spoiled children – we all know that children deprived of their basic needs are so much better off.
• Someone asking for advice about their dog’s attempts to shake off the shock collar that has not just one box with a set of prongs to zap the dog, but two – you know, so you can distribute the electric shock more evenly around the neck. Seriously. Do people not hear themselves?

I could go on, but I think you get the idea.

I know that people will ask what the point of writing about this is or say that I am preaching to the choir or in an echo chamber, but I think these things actually do need to be aired from time to time, because there is so much emphasis on “tolerance” towards trainers we may disagree with and finding common ground with the “other side”, because “we all love dogs”, that I think we forget just what the other side’s ideology breeds.

Yes, of course there are degrees of force, degrees of pain, degrees of intimidation and different intensities of aversives. Yes, you will get some trainers who use aversives with good timing and some trainers who use aversives with bad timing. You will get some trainers who believe aversives are only justified occasionally and others who use them for everything and you will get some trainers who add lots of positive stuff to the scale and others who add very little.

However, at the end of the day, once you make a conscious, calculated decision to apply force or pain as part of a training plan, it is a slippery slope to increasing that force and pain when you aren’t getting the results that you want. If you believe that there is a scenario that justifies you deliberately hurting or frightening a dog to teach them a behaviour, there will always be justification for increasing the fear or pain for some other behaviour and this is how we end up with the ridiculous scenarios I recounted above.

The conflict between balanced trainers and force free trainers is not really about efficiency, practicalities or scientific research (although these support force free training), it is about a fundamental moral belief: Either you believe that animals deserve to experience pain and fear during the training process or you believe that they have a right to be protected from the deliberate application of pain and fear.

I keep using words like “deliberate”, “intentional”, “calculated”, because I am referring to those who act with the intention to apply force, pain or intimidation as part of the planned training process and not the person who gets a fright or has a bad day and yells at their dog occasionally or who has to restrain their dog with force in an unexpected emergency. Yes, life happens and we are all imperfect human beings in an imperfect world, but the occasional grumpy moment with a family member (which is what our dogs should be) where we act with less kindness than we should is a far cry from deciding that it is totally justified to routinely hurt and frighten that canine family member to get what we want. It is the difference between a normal family relationship and an abusive one.

And this is why I don’t believe there can be any tolerance for those who knowingly choose “training methods” that use force, pain and fear. It is physical and psychological abuse. Someone who says that they hit their spouse only when it is “really necessary” is still hitting their spouse. Would you tolerate that and look for common ground with them?

10/23/2026

New Warning for Pet Parents: Possible Danger from Cooling Pet Beds and Headache Wraps:
Keep cold/hot packs, gel wraps and hydrogel products out of reach of pets and store securely in cabinets or containers. Avoid leaving pets unsupervised around pet cooling mats, to protect against attempted ingestion.

Our experts at ASPCA Poison Control want to warn pet parents about severe and unexpected signs that are being reported following exposures to certain headache wraps and cooling pet pads that contain hydrogel. Read on to keep your pet safe.

10/22/2026

Don't assume that a dog wants your touch or attention. Consent applies to human-dog relationships as well as human-human relationships.

MIND YOUR MANNERS!

The safe, respectful, polite way to interact with a dog.

Imagine a stranger walking up to you, invading your personal space, touching you without consent or maybe cornering or restraining you so you can’t get away.

Would you feel threatened? Would you feel safe? Would you accept this without reacting?

You try to communicate your discomfort, but the person ignores you and continues to touch you, leaving you no choice but to defend yourself.

This is perfectly understandable when it comes to people, but somehow, we often don’t understand that dogs have the same need for space, choice, consent and safety.

Dogs are frequently approached, touched and crowded by people without being given a choice. Their body language signals of stress are not understood or simply ignored.

Then, when a dog growls, snaps or reacts defensively, we act surprised.

One of my own dogs is particularly sensitive to unfamiliar people. If we have visitors, I always ask that they give her space and avoid trying to interact with her.

She needs to make the decision that she feels comfortable enough to approach and interact.

So often, my request is ignored. Sometimes resulting in a reactive response from my dog. The person is then genuinely shocked - What's wrong with your dog? Why is she so aggressive!

The real question should be - why wasn't her need for space respected?

Her personal space had been invaded, she had not been given the opportunity to feel safe or choose to engage. When her body language didn’t work to keep the person at a distance, her behaviour escalated.

We expect people to respect our personal boundaries. We expect to have a say in who touches us, when and where they touch us and if it’s acceptable. Why should it be different for dogs?

Dogs are not public property. They are sentient individuals with their own preferences, fears, boundaries and ways of communicating.

Being friendly, familiar or well-behaved does not mean a dog is freely available for anyone to touch.

Feeling safe is rooted in choice, in consent and the right to say no and we need to respect that.

10/20/2026

Your dog’s photo with Santa + keeping pets with their family 😁 What could be better ❤️

Pet Photos With Santa is almost here! Join us in November at Bone-A-Patreat locations for your holiday pictures! No appointment needed, just walk in!

Special thank you to Bone-A-Patreat for hosting, and Phyllis Byrd and Houlgrave Photo and Media for volunteering photography services!

10/09/2026

The death of a pet is devastating. For many of us, it can be difficult to know how to grieve and process such a loss.

Valerie Bogie is a behavior consultant and veterinary social worker who has put together a 5-part series of webinars called "The Animal Loss Grief Journey".

This series is a comprehensive look at grief that may be best watched before you need it. If you are like me, you will want to keep a box of tissues close by.

I am also putting a link to related grief support services- Love, Baxter, in the comments below along with a link to Valerie's website.

5 part webinar series hosted by University of Tennessee's Veterinary Social Work Services and Center for Veterinary Social Work.

10/06/2026

Minoxidil is toxic to cats and dogs even in small amounts such as residue on fingers or pillow cases.

09/22/2026

Why would you choose a training method that causes unnecessary pain?

09/22/2026

Some lessons are much bigger than dogs.
A child says, “No thank you”
An adult says, “Oh, go on. He’s friendly.”
A child moves away.
“Don’t be silly.”
They hesitate.
“There’s nothing to be scared of.”
“Just give him a little touch on the head.”
And perhaps without ever meaning to, we've taught them something we never wanted them to learn.

We've taught them that an adult can know better than they do about whether they should feel comfortable.
That another person's persistence and reassurance can matter more than the feeling telling them they don't want to do something.
That saying no doesn't necessarily make the asking stop.

That's a pretty big lesson.

And dogs give us an extraordinary opportunity to teach the opposite.
That moving away should be respected.
That we don't keep pursuing interaction when the other party is trying to end it.
That being friendly doesn't entitle anyone to touch.
And that “No thank you” can simply mean no thank you.

There are lessons children learn around dogs that have very little to do with dogs.

They can learn that boundaries matter.
That their own discomfort is worth noticing.
That another's discomfort is worth noticing too.
That consent isn't something we simply get.
It's something we learn to give, receive, notice and respect.

Because sometimes what looks like a little lesson about how to behave around a dog,
is teaching something much, much bigger.

09/16/2026

I NEED TO FEEL SAFE!

Like all living creatures, ourselves included, dogs need to feel safe – it’s a basic need and essential for survival.

It’s hard wired into our brains to keep asking and checking – “Am I safe?” / “Is this safe?” / “What’s going to happen next?”

When we think about feeling safe it’s natural to just think about not being harmed or being in danger, but it’s not just about physical safety - feeling emotionally or psychologically safe is as important.

While physical safety may be obvious and simpler to address, emotional safety is far more complex and not always easy to recognise or identify.

So many behaviour problems that we see in dogs stem from the brain saying– “I don’t feel safe!”

A dog that lunges and barks or behaves aggressively with another dog or person is very likely doing so because they feel unsafe. They are trying to make the scary thing go away.

A dog that is guarding resources is doing so because they are afraid that the resource will be taken away – they don’t feel safe when another animal or person approaches that resource.

A dog that is reacting to fireworks or thunderstorms or other noises is doing so because they don’t feel safe.

The same can be said for separation distress – the feeling of intense panic when left alone – “I am not safe when I’m alone!”
Our first responsibility should not be about training, obedience or trying to change behaviour, but to first focus on building trust, self-confidence, resilience, creating a safe and secure base and being the person that our dogs can rely on and trust.

Safety isn't something we teach dogs. It’s something we create, every day, through trust, understanding, compassion and consistency.

In the words of Dr. Gabor Maté - "Feeling safe is the treatment and creating safety is the work".

It’s our responsibility to put in the work to enable our dogs to feel safe and when they feel safe, this is what is part of the treatment or the solution to the problem.

07/20/2026

"Letting your dog opt out of greeting strangers lowers baseline stress, preserves their communication signals, and prevents them from rehearsing defensive behavior.

A dog doesn't need a wide social circle for a good life. It needs an environment that respects its limits, just like you and me."

Your dog doesn't have to meet your friends.

You have friends you love. Fantastic. They aren't your dog's friends. My husband has lovely friends who grate on my nerves, and when they come around, I pour myself a special drink and disappear into my office. That's my right, to feel comfortable in my own home. Why isn't it your dog's?

Social interaction with your friends is not a requirement for your dog's behavioral health. Many dogs are not motivated to engage with unfamiliar people, and forcing it increases stress instead of building social skills.

When a stranger approaches, especially in a confined space with no room to retreat, your dog has to rapidly assess risk. For a dog with fear, anxiety, pain, or limited coping skills, that leads to avoidance, freezing, or escalation. Repeated exposure under these conditions doesn't build confidence. It creates sensitization: your dog becomes more hypervigilant of the trigger. It makes them worse.

Not every dog needs a bigger social circle. Most need predictability, distance, and control over their interactions.

Letting your dog opt out of greeting strangers lowers baseline stress, preserves their communication signals, and prevents them from rehearsing defensive behavior.

A dog doesn't need a wide social circle for a good life. It needs an environment that respects its limits, just like you and me.