Lighten Up Dog Training

01/04/2025

💡Work with dogs who bark and lunge when out on walks? This FREE event is made for YOU 🫵

Rachel and I had a chat about all the challenges of working with dogs who bark, growl, snap or lunge when out on walks. I got to share some of my secrets about working with clients to help them get the best out of their dogs even when they lack time, commitment or capacity.

Here's Rachel's promo:

As trainers, we’ve all been there – those “worst-case scenario” moments where things go sideways, and you're thinking, “What do I do now?”

Whether it’s an off-lead dog causing chaos during a real-world session, a client who isn’t following through, or a dog with a bite history, it’s the stuff that can make even the best of us stop and doubt ourselves and our ability.

That’s why I’m thrilled to invite you to The International Reactive Dog Training Summit Presents: What Would You Do If...?

This summit is all about exploring those exact situations that leave us scrambling for the right answers. And you’ll get to hear directly from 13 expert trainers, who will walk you through how they handle those “What would you do if...?” moments.

Here’s what you will learn from the summit:
✅How to Handle Worst-Case Scenarios: From managing dog fights during a session, dealing with clients who don’t make the changes their dog needs to working with dogs that have severe human aggression, you’ll learn the strategies the top trainers use when things don’t go as planned.
✅ Step-by-Step Solutions: What do you do when a dog is too stressed to focus? What if food doesn’t work, or you’re unsure whether you're dealing with fear or frustration? Get the answers and strategies you can use right away.
✅ Crisis Management Skills: Learn how to respond when a client’s dog gets into a fight with an off lead dog during a session – what to do, what to say, and how to keep things under control.
✅ Tough Client Conversations: We’ll also dive into the best ways to work with clients who aren’t making the changes their dog needs – without damaging your relationship or feeling stuck.
✅ Real-World Tips from the Best: Hear directly from trainers who’ve been through it all – and learn how they manage the worst-case scenarios with confidence and clarity.

If you want practical, real-world advice for those worst-case situations that can leave you doubting your worth and ability this summit is for you. You’ll get 13 expert interviews packed with useful insights – all delivered straight to your inbox for free.

It all kicks off on April 7th, so don’t miss out!

Stick SUMMIT in the comments and I'll send you the link!

31/03/2025

If your dog goes bananas when they see another dog, this course will solve your woes!

Many dogs struggle with frustration when they see another dog out on a walk. At best, it can be embarrassing if you need to keep your dog on the lead. At worst, you can end up with some serious issues.

Do any of these sound like your dog?

🐶 barks or lunges the moment they see another dog
🐶 is much easier off lead but doesn't come back if you call them when they see another dog
🐶 struggles on lead the moment they see or smell another dog
🐶 might bite the lead
🐶 sometimes gets frustrated with you if you won't or can't let them off lead
🐶 has made you an embarrassed member of the 'it's okay! He's friendly!' club
🐶 NEEDS to 'say hello' and won't quit if they can't
🐶 has been really lucky that SO FAR they've not got into a fight with another dog who doesn't like to be charged up to
🐶 relies on the other dog to have really good social skills or want to play
🐶 easily turns to aggression or exuberance in greetings
🐶 can be a bit over the top when they meet another dog

And if you know you're...
🍀one strange dog away from a dislocated thumb or shoulder
🍀lucky you don't get pulled over more often
🍀considering choke chains, slip leads, prong collars or worse just because you feel you're out of options
🍀glad nothing bad has happened YET

Stop putting your faith in luck alone.

This 6-week course will take you from Mayhem to Maestro with your frustrated greeter. A little every day for the next month and a half and you'll be on your way to much less frustrating walks.

PS also good for dogs who are highly exuberant around people, who bark and lunge if they see another animal or who struggle with frustration if they can't chase wildlife, livestock or vehicles!

Stick MAYHEM in the comments and I'll send you a link.

29/03/2025

I love this piece.

It's very much time we rethink how we approach resource guarding.

There's still so many people insistent that such approaches work when building up trust is the most critical component.

As someone who adopted a dog tabled for euthanasia because of her resource guarding with humans, I can honestly say there wasn't a moment I needed to ask her to trade or to change her feelings about the stuff we had. Building trust was the only requirement.

May I also add that, so often, resource guarding is underpinned by poor health, particularly gastrointestinal complaints, so get a health check.

There's also a lot of frustration and conflict that can underpin the social targets of resource guarding.

I love it when people say ridiculous things in the comments about force, and coercing a dog to give in.

Like, seriously? I'm not getting into a war with a spaniel over a sock they decided was important or a bread roll they've decided to go all Smaug over. Have at it, dog. I've got better things to do with my time.

Half the time, I think that we're very lucky that dogs aren't as big an arseh*le as humans can be.

I've got better things to do than get into a bidding war with my spaniel or lose chunks of my hands in using force when I could be building beautiful relationships of trust and care.

Who wants to live in conflict when they could be living the dream, right?

Rethinking the Swap: Resource Guarding and Consent in Dogs

In the springtime, we see an influx of puppies and new adoptions as people prepare for more pleasant weather. By autumn, many of these puppies—now in adolescence—begin to show signs of resource guarding. It’s a common trend for behaviour professionals to see such cases during seasonal shifts.

Resource guarding (RG) can be a completely natural canine behaviour—dogs may protect what they value, whether it’s food, toys, space, or even people. But because it’s often viewed negatively, a common approach to preventing RG in puppies is teaching a “swap” behaviour—offering a treat or something of higher value in exchange for the guarded item. On the surface, this seems practical and positive. However, the swap technique can fall short if it’s not grounded in a deeper understanding of canine emotional safety.

The Problem with Swap-First Approaches:

If a dog has not been taught the concepts of consent, safety, and choice, then “swap” becomes just another transactional demand. The dog may still learn that humans might take things unpredictably, and while a treat might be offered, the experience lacks trust and voluntary participation. Over time, this can actually create or exacerbate guarding behaviour rather than prevent it—especially if the dog perceives repeated loss of valued items.

Choice as Foundations:

Dogs raised with concept training—where the emphasis is on emotional safety, agency, and choice—are far less likely to develop RG issues in the first place. When a dog knows they won’t be forced, that their needs are heard, and that communication is two-way, they’re more likely to offer items freely, making a formal “swap” unnecessary.

Instead of jumping to training a trade, teaching the underlying concepts that support cooperative behaviours might be more beneficial. Concept training helps dogs understand ideas like “sharing is safe,” “giving things up doesn’t mean loss,” and “my voice matters.” These foundational lessons make behaviours like swapping more meaningful and reliable.

Passive Tips for Preventing RG:

💡Observe Body Language Closely

Watch for subtle signs of discomfort or tension when the dog has something—even if it’s not deemed valuable. Respecting their signals is essential for establishing a foundation of trust.

💡Practise “Trade” with More Choice

When offering a swap, let the dog choose whether to engage. Offer the alternative without demanding the original item. If they keep the original, that’s okay—trust is more important. Practising trades out of context (when there’s no conflict) is especially beneficial.

💡Use Consent-Based Handling and Interaction

Teach a “can I?” cue. Before reaching for an item, offer a hand and wait for the dog’s engagement. Reward curiosity, not compliance.

💡Reinforce Voluntary Sharing

If the dog brings something, praise them—even if there’s no need to take it. Reinforce the act of offering rather than focusing on possession.

💡Avoid Unnecessary Takeaways

Not falling into the habit of routinely taking things “just because.” If the dog has something safe and appropriate, let them enjoy it. Constant interruption teaches distrust.

While teaching a puppy to swap can be useful, but without the deeper work of building trust, consent, and communication, it risks becoming a quick fix rather than a sustainable solution. When dogs feel secure and respected, they’re naturally more cooperative. The real prevention for RG lies not in teaching them to give things up, but in nurturing a safe environment that builds trust.

Boo Blackhurst, CDBC

27/03/2025

I've been writing about canine auditory processes including the startle reflex today, thinking very much about noise phobia and noise sensitivities for the upcoming Lighten Up course on fear, anxiety, panic and phobias.

I thought I'd take a moment to stop and marvel at the biological feats of engineering that make up the Malinois ears. I don't think there's an ear like them!

What stories do your dog's ears tell?

26/03/2025

Lovely to catch up with Colin at Dogs Do Speak yesterday on all things resource guardy! Find a link to the channel in the comments. Some ace chats on there - really enjoyed listening to the other speakers.

I'll tell you why I'm not so much on the desensitisation / counter-conditioning these days and what I'm doing instead.

PS if you're extra nice, let me know if you want a freebie e-book on resource-guarding between dogs and I'll do my best to stick something up in the next couple of days!

24/03/2025

SHE'S BACK!

If you've got a dog who barks and lunges in frustration when you're out on walks, this course is for you!

Oh... yeah... not just barking and lunging...

Howling, baying, yodelling, spinning, whining, crying, tying your legs up in knots in the lead, pulling like a steam train over to whatever or whomsoever they want to check out.... with a massive failure to recall if they're off the lead in the first place.

If you're an embarrassed member of the 'It's okay! He's friendly!' club (to be shouted over 500m of muddy path) ... If you worry that one day, your dog just might run into a real issue if the other dog takes objection to them, it's for you too.

Honestly, nothing is better than the feeling of being able to say, 'Not today, Bunts. That dog doesn't want to say hi to you!' when you know that your dog will shrug things off and saunter on with you.

Dare I say one might feel quite smug to be the grown up in the park whose dog isn't going nuts simply because they've seen that grumpy dog on the other side of the park and even though you know that other dog hates it, you'd rather let your dog do their worst than try (and fail) to recall them, to move them on without drama or to say, 'Let's go, Buddy.'

You can put your days of shame and dislocated shoulders and thumbs behind you!

From Mayhem to Maestro is specifically designed for dogs who struggle when they see another dog.

It doesn't even matter if it's rooted in fear. If you're not quite sure if anxiety is driving the behaviour, it doesn't matter. If you're seeing all that frantic, noisy, frustrated behaviour, traditional programmes WILL NOT work with your dog UNTIL you've dealt with those frustrations first.

You only get to resolve concern, anxiety or social fears when you've got a dog who can cope with frustration.

The thing most people don't realise is that frustration energises behaviour AND it reduces our dog's ability to regulate around other dogs. This makes it much more likely that, if things go wrong, they're likely to go *really* wrong.

None of this means your dog never gets to meet another dog or play with another dog again in their life. In fact, the opposite is true. They'll learn all the skills they need to have perfect playdates. Rather than worrying that things might all go pear-shaped if the other dog is even slightly unwilling, you'll get to give your dogs the social experiences they'll really benefit from.

The course is designed for trainers who want to add to their toolkit and guardians who want to go it alone.

The course goes live on Monday 7th April 2025 at 8am.

Doors open on the 24th March 2025 so you can book your place.

You get 6 weeks' worth of material. The way to get the best out of the course is to do a little every single day of those six weeks. They'll give you the confidence and the foundations. You'll also be able to ask me any and all questions in a dedicated facebook group. No question too small!

There are also six live sessions. They run once a week and you get to ask me anything you'd like to cover in more detail, theory or practice.

But I know life gets messy and you might not be able to start straight away. I also hate that feeling that materials that you've paid for get snatched away by some providers, completed or not, after a year. I wanted a course you could revisit whenever you need to, even if that's in ten years time with your next pup.

You get videos, practicals, instructions and a bunch of ideas as to how to put things into place in your own setting. Maybe you're rural and the issue is that you only see dogs once every blue moon and you simply can't get the repetitions in that you need. Maybe you're urban and you have no idea how you can get your dog out for a walk without a showdown with every other dog on the block. With training set-ups from Bolton to Bristol, the Alps to the Atlantic coast, for forest, city, mountain or beach, materials can all be easily and readily adapted to help you in your own locations.

None of that, "Well, I guess that works fine if you've got a 97000 acre park on hand with hundreds of beautifully trained dogs on lead!"

If you'd like to find out more, or you're already absolutely sold and you're all 'sign me up now!', stick MAESTRO, PLEASE! in the comments and I'll send you the link.

19/03/2025

👀COMING SOON!👀

I'll be re-opening the doors for the 6-week supported course for dogs who are frustrated outdoors. It doesn't matter if those social frustrations relate to people or other dogs, or even to ducks, sheep or horses! The programme behind it is the same.

If you've got a dog who is MAYHEM outside when there's some animal or person, and you think a lot of that is rooted in frustration (because they are fine if they're okay to go 'say hello' on the whole, even if it gets a bit hairy) or you're seeing all the BIG feelings... barking, spinning, lunging, screaming, rearing up or biting the lead, this course is for you!

And yes, if you've been the one who's yelled 'It's okay! He's friendly!!!' crossing your fingers that nothing bad happens and the other dog or person doesn't mind being rushed at by a maniac ball of flying fur, it's definitely for you.

In the course, you get:

💡6 weeks of material to support you throughout the whole process
💡No closing date on materials: if you want to access them in 2029, you can!
💡No time limit to complete the course, because we all have best intentions.
💡Support for those of you who want to do it in the 6 week block
💡Free downloads
💡Practical examples
💡Dedicated group where you can ask any question you like and get a response from someone who works every day with frustrated dogs (me!)
💡6 additional LIVE sessions where you can ask your questions and we can get into the areas where you feel like you'd like more support.

Doors will be open from the 24th March 2025. The course goes live on Monday 7th April 2025 and will run over to the 19th May for those of you who want to crack on with it. Dog trainers, behaviour bods or ordinary dog guardians - your skill level doesn't matter! Keep your eyes peeled on Monday for the link.

Who's coming in to the Mayhem to Maestro for Frustrated Greeters course this year?!

17/03/2025

IF YOU WANT TO IMPROVE YOUR TRAINING, TAKE IT OUT OF THE HOUSE!

Dogs are much more contextual learners than we are.

WHAT they learn is very much tied up with WHERE they learn it.

Don't worry if you forget... plenty of experts do too!

❌ The study done on dogs that suggested cooperative care procedures didn't work.

Why was this a poor conclusion?

They trained the dogs to participate in care procedures only in one place! No wonder it didn't then work at the vet.

❌ The very large number of (very sad) studies on dogs about chasing recently that suggest shock collars work with chasing items being manipulated by a person.

Why was this poor science?

Well if you don't think a dog can tell the difference between an animal and a moving tug toy on a rope, and you don't realise that what dogs learn in one context needs support in helping them generalise to others, you're going to get a BIG surprise when what you THINK you taught completely fails you in a field full of sheep.

❌ Trainers doing everything in the kitchen or the living room.

Err, hello folks - that'd be me!

🤣

Okay, well ONE thing! Not everything.

My dog Lidy wears a harness and a muzzle when we leave for a walk. There's a number of crafty cats around our house recently that mean it's simply unsafe for her to leap out of the door into our fenced yard because one day, one of the cats we surprise who have hopped that fence is going to struggle to get over it.

I put Lidy's harness & muzzle on by presenting them to her. Those are her start buttons. I show her the harness, she comes and sticks her head in it, then stands side on so I can fasten it. So much better than being headbutted. Once it's on, I say, "You're good!" and she moves away.

Next up is her muzzle. I show her the muzzle and she comes and sticks her nose in. Much better than having to chase her round the kitchen. Once it's on, I say, "You're good!" and she moves away.

If she doesn't want to do those things, she won't. But the reward of going out is big enough to incentivise her. Our routines make it predictable. It's just our habit. I don't think she even thinks about it anymore.

Her harness and muzzle come off at various points. If we're in a secure field, I take both off. Usually, if we're safe from hidden cats, I remove her muzzle. She's pretty used to having her harness put back on wherever we go. Once the muzzle is off, however, it generally stays off.

Last week, there was a little off-lead chihuahua running about loose on one of our walks. I'd seen him, but Lidy had not. I didn't want to risk any kind of incident with said chihuahua, so I presented Lidy's muzzle.

It was like she'd never seen it before.

There was hesitation, but not of the 'I don't want it on' variety.

She came up to me and sat down, her nose inches away from the muzzle.

In a kind of 'what we doing?' way. In a kind of 'this feels weird!' way. In a 'what do we do again?' kind of a way.

Like the kind of weird you might feel if you ate cottage pie for breakfast, or someone asked you to brush your teeth in the supermarket.

The kind of weird you feel when you get into a different car to drive and you can't find the indicators or you're in new shoes and suddenly it feels weird to walk. I mean I moved to my spring coat last week and I'm still trying to put things in a non-existent pocket that belongs to my winter coat!

It's so easy to forget that WHAT dogs learn is *so* tied up with WHERE they learn it that doing that behaviour anywhere else can feel very wrong. This is very true the more habitual that behaviour becomes. And dogs are exceptional at habit formation.

We all know that what puppies learn in puppy class absolutely has to be practised copiously out of puppy class.

We know that if we want dogs to learn to walk on lead properly, we can't train it in the house and hope it'll work on the street.

I'm a hugely lazy trainer, generally doing as little as I can get away with. We stick to things that make our lives easier, like a good recall, interactions on walks, loose-lead walking and vet care. We practise stuff like NOT lunging at cats and moving past cats and NOT staring at baby lambs that are about to get bouncy.

Most of that training happens in different situations, mainly because I'm too lazy to drill her.

But also because I know drilling in place doesn't work.

I could do a hundred thousand repetitions of recalls in the home, get a hundred thousand recalls just perfectly. But if the training happens there, the more it happens there, the less likely my dog is to be able to do it anywhere else. Habit will form a straitjacket for that behaviour and cuff it to the place we do it.

If I'm doing the biggest ratio of our training in the kitchen, then that learning will become more and more attached to the kitchen. And the more I do it, the more habitual it will become that we ONLY do it there.

Just like her muzzle behaviours have become.

Now that's fine with behaviours that occur only ever occur in one location. But if I want reliable behaviours elsewhere, I've got to take that behaviour out on the road and make sure my dog is happy to do it anywhere.

It's so easy for humans to forget just how contextual dogs are with their learning.

We are much, much less contextual.

I think that's one reason why it's so easy to forget that what dogs learn can be really tied up with where they learn it.

So if you want a strong recall, strong loose lead, strong cooperative care behaviours, a strong 'Let's go!'... get it out of the kitchen!

14/03/2025

Trigger warning: images and discussion of violence against animals.

"But you're just not using them right."

"But they should only be used by professionals."

"It's just like a TENS machine."

"But harnesses cause damage too!"

"But normal collars can do that as well."

"But high drive dogs need a firm hand."

"But it's just communication."

A decade in shelter work and I've seen dogs injured like by shock and prong collars more times than you can imagine.

When does it stop?

When do we start calling this out?

Sure, there will be a weak sauce punishment... A fine... Loss of the right to own or keep animals for five or ten years...

How did we get to such a low point?

13/03/2025

WHEN TRAINING *DOESN'T* DO WHAT IT SAYS ON THE TIN

Do you remember the old Ronseal advert for fence paint?

"It does exactly what it says on the tin?"

Ahhh the good old days of marketing, when you could trust that what you were sold would do the job.

You didn't have to read the small print to find 97 side effects or times it wouldn't do exactly what it said on the tin.

Nowhere were there tiny labels that said: 'Do not use when drunk. Not to be used as a way to stop permanent wood rot. Won't work on slightly damp fences. Unlikely to work on mouldy fences. Could cause really poor neighbourly relations if you use an awful colour and get some on their Ford Fiesta by accident. Very hard to get off if you spill it on your flagstones. A bit drippy. Only use if you're wearing clothes you don't like. Don't use around fresh washing on a windy day. Only use it for the purpose it is intended. Don't use in enclosed environments unless you want to get high as a kite. Won't dry in -5°C weather. Will dry too rapidly at 30°C temperatures. Will stain your hands. Don't use as a temporary tanning lotion. Will go out of date eventually. Don't throw it into rivers or other water sources. May dye your grass brown. Keep out of reach of children. The pot is a bu**er to re-seal when you have opened it. You'll need at least three knives and a flathead screwdriver to get the stuff open.'

In other words, even when we lived in the golden era of marketing, things often did NOT do what they said on the tin. And sometimes, they did MORE than you thought they might do. In those days, more fool you. You were expected to have common sense and few companies cared if other stuff happened.

While it may irritate you beyond belief to be told that paint is not an appropriate nourishment for children and that it won't set below this or that temperature, it's actually useful information.

Sure, EVERYTHING seems to come with instruction booklets that are eleventy billion pages long these days, in multiple languages, but this journey has been an arduous one to improving standards.

Except in dog training, it seems.

I was struck last week by the dirty, empty promises of one trainer in the area.

WILL FIX YOUR REACTIVE DOG IN A WEEKEND!

That kind of thing.

Same kind of empty, dirty promise as telling me that eating this or that toadstool will cure my headaches.

I mean, it might very well do that, but the side effects make it prohibitively costly.

So many false promises are made by modern dog trainers who are fixed on marketing the living sh*t out of their fake products that you wonder how they can possibly get away with it. The side effects would make it prohibitively costly, but they're selling it anyway.

I'm also seeing some dog trainers ditching the rewards-based approaches and switching to aversive methods using prong collars or shock collars. They're happy, it seems, to take the hit to their social media figures, because ultimately, they have one goal.

It's not to make a living.

I make a living from dog training. It was enough (thank you!) to donate a bunch to charity last year and support shelters and associations. It was enough (thank you!) to offer free places or assisted places to charities on courses I run, to offer over 600 hours of free consultations to shelters, charities and associations.

It was enough not to worry about Lidy's vet bills. To have enough to put a little away for a rainy day.

When people turn to marketing and selling so-called quick fixes and magic potions, it is not to make a living. When they sign up with marketing agencies, it's not to make a living.

It's because they've found that dog training isn't turning them the kind of profit they hope to make. This is especially true if they came into the profession without much by way of education or experience whatsoever.

I see this spin out in several ways.

The first is slick packaging and shiny marketing, lots of paid adverts and a cult-like membership programme.

The second is opening 'facilities' - from training grounds to dog fields to kennels. That can include big "rehab" facilities.

The third is in breeding dogs themselves in large warehouse-style facilities.

The fourth is in franchising and selling the right to use their name or their marketing approaches or their harmful implements in a pyramid scheme designed to take advantage of those who are struggling to make a living in the training industry as well as to take desperate dog guardians for a ride.

My lightbulb last week was that it's not about the dogs.

They don't like dogs. Dogs are just a commodity to be exploited. They're a means to make a living. This is especially true when they come to buy a dog themselves and they often find they can't train or even live with the dog they own. They get Malinois, Dobies, working cockers, German Shepherds, and because they bought the dog as a symbol of their brand, not because they had any genuine love of the dogs, it's easy to switch to barbaric training methods. They bought the sports car... don't have the skills to drive it... blame the car for the crashes.

But they have a public image to maintain. How do they keep status and admit failure?

They blame their training skills and technologies. That's easy, especially if they didn't have a solid foundation in the first place and they don't really care enough about dogs to invest in the lifelong journey the rest of us are enjoying.

So they switch their tools.

But they don't have any better understanding of those tools either.

If they did, they wouldn't use them.

If they loved dogs and not money, they *couldn't* use them.

Harming animals is completely incompatible with loving them.

The most frustrating thing about it is that they profess to know that shock collars, that prong collars, they do exactly what it says on the metaphorical tin.

What they aren't doing is telling their clients all the fallout, all the hazards, the "when not to use", the "won't work in this condition".

They didn't do it with rewards-based training either.

Or management.

This seems largely because they have no idea about why things fail and how to work around that.

This week, I've told clients to hang-fire on training with food. I've told them to do some more observation before we make any changes. I've told them, I hope, that this or that technique is the one we'll use, but it comes with this or that risk...
.. We'll be using a platform for care work, but it needs to be solid, non-slip and secure so the dog doesn't get scared. It needs to be X inches high and this much bigger than the dog and we may use a food lure but it'd be better to shape it because luring doesn't always get great behaviour unless we fade the lure quickly and the dog is clear on what gets the reward.

I know full well that things do not do exactly what they say on the tin. And that's with the stuff with which I am intimately familiar.

It feels a bit like the Wild West right now in terms of what promises some "trainers" will use to sell their services. And although I care very much about the fallout for dogs, I think more it's about bad faith advertising. It's a trading standards issue.

If Ronseal sold me paint in a tin as a body bronzer, that'd be bad faith advertising.

Sure, it'd give me a glow, but at what cost?

And what about the side effects?

Sure, we can sit back at laugh at people who fall for such confidence tricksters, snake oil salesfolk and Barnum and Bailey circus acts.

"There's one born every minute!" we might scoff.

It feels about time to call out bad practice, bad faith marketing and the complete indifference to risk. It's a tired old game, marketing. It's getting harder and harder for them to make the profit they so desperately desire because they don't have the skills to make a living in any other way.

It's time to call out those who promise the moon on a stick for false and reckless advertising.

It's time to write the smallprint out in large letters.

It's not just like we end up with egg on our faces, ashamed we were caught out by a fraud and promising to be more careful next time.

There are costs. Those costs are to our dogs and our relationships with them.

We deserve to know the costs and the truth.

After all, the damage is much more consequential than simply ending up with a stained patio just because a product did a lot more damage than what it suggested on the side of the tin.