The Dangers of Internet Dog Advice
Tech savvy teaching styles had to make a big entrance during the pandemic to keep dogs in training, and to keep trainers in business. There is no argument there. Because of technology advancing in the last couple decades, our society has become dependent on minimal contact, instant gratification, and a DIY solution for problems. So combine that with the pandemic reel boom, and theres a recipe for dog training disaster. Why, you ask? Let me explain…
I recently took my Siberian Husky to have a play date with her brother, Jasper. (Super awesome that one of her siblings lives so close to us!). Kiki (my dog) plays really well with most breeds of dogs, but her play style with other huskies is something different. And this is not uncommon for dogs to play well with the same breed. Working with many of purebred dogs, I see very strong tendencies in play style, ritualized aggression, and spatial signaling, just to name a few. But anyway, Siberians play very…teethy.. and very vocal. I know my dog well enough to know her signs for needing space, for getting frustrated, and for being a little biotch, and her brothers Mom knows him equally as well. Their play is rough, fast, and hysterical, but most importantly, because we are supervising and we know our dogs signals, it's safe. Jaspers mom took some HILARIOUS photos of our dogs playing with all of their teeth out, but all I could think was “jeez. If I post these, people are either going to try and shame me for allowing that kind of behavior, or they will think that play behavior is okay for their dog”. And that is exactly what lead me to this post.
The general public is terrible with reading dog body language, so I am incredibly happy that all of the reels and TikTok’s are starting to encourage people to pay attention. But, let’s break it down more. Like I mentioned before, huskies have a way of playing that includes showing their teeth and screaming like banshees. Some people could see a video of the huskies playing and think that their 14 month old golden retriever that just hit adolescence and is resource guarding their toys is just trying to play and perfectly normal behavior. It’s not. But, if I have portrayed that husky play as totally normal and harmless, I have mislead that golden retriever owner to thinking this about their dog.
Alternatively, some people could see still-shots of Kiki and Jasper playing and assume based on their body language that they were on the verge of a big fight. Ears back, teeth showing, even a little whites of the eye showing (huskies are known for some real sassy side eye). Talking about that particular body language being dangerous, without context of the situation, particular dogs, breed, etc., could lead to a new Blue Heeler owner (also kings of the side eye) to assume they a side eye RBF from their Heeler is the start of aggression. Lets not even go down the rabbit hole of if that Heeler owner attempted to follow behavior modification advice that they found online...
To add even more flame to this fire. I would not go as far as to say that this kind of play is safe for all Huskies! Even showing these pictures with a statement about “how huskies play” or something to that effect, I am still doing a disservice. Like I mentioned above, these two dogs know each other, were supervised, and both owners are well versed on their individual signals and have ability to separate them without causing conflict.
Do you see the dangers here? This is just about play. Two dogs with a healthy relationship engaging in play. No nervous dogs, aggressive dogs, kids and babies, stranger danger, car chasing, resource guarding. When a fun day of dogs playing could be taken in and out of context so easily, and cause potential harm, learning “training methods” on the internet for severe behaviors is a terrifying thought to me. Every reactive dog I have worked with has a different function to their behavior, and based on many details of their case, they have a different protocol.
Your dogs age, experience, breed, environment, health status, injury history, dog-dog interaction, dog-human interaction, relationship with you, diet, exercise, and fifty other details are all important in deciding the function and potential, if any, danger in their behavior. Only then, should a training plan be in place.
I can only imagine how difficult it must be for owners to try and sift through the training advice on the internet. And unfortunately, I don’t have any good advice other than exceed with extreme precaution. I do see very many dangerous videos of people interacting with their dogs online, especially some of these “try this with your dog” trends. But they aren't going to stop. Neither are the very dangerous videos trainers are putting out there that give you a protocol without asking any of the fifty something important details first. When you see a video of dogs playing, “do this with your dog” trend, or advice on behavior, ask more questions! Think about the details you would want to know about the people and the dogs in those videos that would help you understand the picture better. And please, if you are struggling with understanding your dogs body language, or need help changing their behaviors- PLEASE contact a competent professional.
And please, don’t stop posting pictures and videos of your dogs. That is the last thing I want to have happen.
To end on a happy note, please enjoy these very funny, seemingly scary, and overly dramatic pictures of these two huskies playing in a very healthy give and take play date.
