10/14/2026
Swellions! 🐶⛅ It's Spooky Season! 👻🎃
This is actually my favourite time of year, but Halloween isn't so scary when I'm professionally confronted with these 🐂💩 tropes year round! So, let's unpack some of these ScArY StOrIeS, shall we? 👍🥴
🤡📣 YoU NeEd To Be ThE pAcK LeAdEr:
THIS HAS BEEN DEBUNKED. Y'all, Dogs aren't stupid- they know you're not a surrogate dog, and furthermore: [*screams*] DOGS ARE NOT PACK ANIMALS!!! They are social animals, yes, but they do not form packs, which are family units (breed pair + offspring, +/- other blood relatives). This is an ego-centric take, and frankly? It's cringe. Maybe just focus on being a compassionate guide for your dog, instead.
🤡📣 My DoG iS AsSeRtInG ThEiR DoMiNaNcE:
THIS HAS ALSO BEEN DEBUNKED. While dominance and submissive behaviours do occur in dog social structures, we have GRAVELY MISUNDERSTOOD WHAT THESE TERMS ACTUALLY MEAN. A Dominant, or CONFIDENT, WELL BALANCED dog will actively try to keep the peace in a social group. Submission, or APPEASEMENT, is actually an incredibly useful social tool that also helps to keep the peace. Unfortunatley, humans just love violence and feeling powerful, so we've projected this onto dogs (mostly because dog's can't say anything or fight back).
🤡📣 SoMe DoGs NeEd A hEaVy HaNd:
Nope, some humans just need therapy, better skills for emotional regulation, and a better education on the matter. Abuse =/= Teaching, but unfortunately, if you don't understand why a behaviour is happening and how to address it appropriately, Behaviour Suppression can feel like a win. Especially if it appeases the handler's big feelings! I said what I said 💅.
🤡📣 DoGs NeEd To LeArN rEsPeCt:
[*Takes deep breath*] Okay, "Respect" is a human concept, the same way "Good" or "Bad" are also human concepts. WE LITERALLY MADE THIS S**T UP. Now for human, these concepts make sense and play important roles in maintaining social dynamics, mostly because we have the mental faculties to understand and apply them. However, dogs do not understand these complex concepts. Usually when folks say this, what they really want is a dog who will listen to and engage with them. I'm telling you right now, if you want your dog to listen and engage with you, you've got to be someone worth listening and engaging with. A great way to start this is to *not be an authoritarian as***le* and get curious about your dog!
🤡📣 YoU sHoUlDn'T CoMfOrT yOuR DoG:
YIKES, MY FRIEND. THIS IS OUTRAGEOUSLY INCORRECT. Providing comfort to someone in distress does not reinforce the fear response (an INVOLUNTARY process, btw). The only way to "reinforce fear" (technically, not a correct statement) is to make the scary thing more scary. For anyone who subscribes to this...your should know that it's giving "I got beat as a kid and I turned out just fine." 👍🥴 (P.s: you didn't).
The truth is, folks, these rhetoric are pervasive and entrenched in the Dog Training Industry, despite being disproven time and time again, because this industry is *unregulated*.
We also live in a society that values QUICK FIXES over detailed, ethical, long lasting resolution...because that's harder and more uncomfortable. Handler competency is not required when delivering punishment, which is why we tend to default to it- ANYONE can do it. "UsEd ApPrOpRiAtElY," Punishment suppresses behaviour through pain and/or fear, and it never actually addresses why the behaviour is happening in the first place. Also, behaviour is FAR MORE complex that the 4 quadrants of Operant Conditioning.
I could delve into SO MUCH MORE detail on these cringy cliche's, but honestly? I'm sick of repeating myself, I won't do the homework of folks who don't want to show up to class, AND let's not pretend Social Media platforms like Meta, TikTok, etc., (where outrage and violence feed algorithms) are the appropriate places to get your dog training and behaviour advice.
The Bottom Line: If you wouldn't do it to your kid, you shouldn't be doing it to your dog (or any animal, for that matter). If you would do it to your kid...yikes, that's the real scary story (unpack that with a mental health professional).
If you're *genuinely* curious about any of these concepts, please feel free to ask questions. However, please note that bad faith arguments will not be tolerated, and I will cast Several Minor Inconveniences upon You and Your House 🧙♀️ ✨.
