From Uh-oh to Oh Wow

The Internet is flooded with opinions and advice - from helpful to harmful - and dog training is no exception. Content reaches the audience through short video reels rather than articles that exceed two minutes reading time. 30-second reels reach millions while confidence and boldness are often more convincing than true expertise. Wrong and even dangerous dog training advice is presented as facts and followed by many who are looking for help with their pups.

When I came across a video the other day of a young woman walking her dog with a spray bottle, I cringed. Uh-oh, another one of those videos promoting aversive training methods. Because in positive reinforcement training we don't spray our dogs to stop unwanted behaviors. Instead, we prevent the behavior from happening and then teach them what we want them to do. I watched the video with some resignation, replaced by the motivation to create my own reel promoting better training methods than using a spray bottle.

But what followed, was a total surprise. The woman did not use the spray bottle to punish her dog; instead she sprayed water into his mouth, and he LOVED it. He greatly enjoyed

snapping at the water. It was a big reward for walking next to his human. Oh wow! It was a reminder that not everything we see is what it seems at first glance. We need to stay curious and question what we see. I was happy to see something so positive when I expected the worst.