29/11/2025
⭐ THE STATE OF THE DOG TRAINING INDUSTRY — 2025
👀 Stop Scrolling Your Dog Will Want You To Read This 👀
⸻————————————————————————
Over the last few years, the dog training industry has changed more than most people realise. Not for the better — not yet.
But for the first time, the cracks are finally visible.
And if we don’t talk about it openly, honestly, and without the usual tribal nonsense…dogs are the ones who pay the price.
Today, I want to share what’s really happening behind the scenes in our industry. This isn’t drama. This is reality.
⸻————————————————————————
⭐ 1. “Snowflake” — The Word That Means Nothing (And Everything)
For years, reward-based trainers have been labelled:
• snowflakes
• soft
• emotional
• unscientific
• naive
But here’s the ironic twist no one talks about — some of the loudest voices calling others “snowflakes” are the same people who:
❌ delete comments
❌ ban followers who disagree
❌ disable discussion on their posts
❌ hide behind new organisations
❌ refuse to debate their methods
❌ crumble the moment pressure is applied
That isn’t strength. That’s fragility disguised as bravado.
Real strength is the courage to discuss, debate, and admit when the science evolves.
I’m not going to use names — their subconscious will see this post and give them an internal grilling.
⸻————————————————————————
⭐ 2. When Science Is Ignored… Until It’s Convenient
We have gundog trainers loudly shouting that “science doesn’t matter”…
until they try to “prove” a point with science…and accidentally demonstrate the opposite of their argument.
We also have a popular neuroscientist who uses neuroscience to justify harsh tools — while ignoring any neuroscience that challenges her opinions.
When comments reference peer-reviewed biology, stress research, or nervous system data…they’re ignored, deleted, or blocked.
That’s not scientific thinking.
That’s marketing disguised as neuroscience.
⸻————————————————————————
⭐ 3. The Industry Has Stopped Talking to Itself
We now live in a climate where:
• balanced trainers block R+ trainers
• compulsion-first trainers mock anyone who avoids pain
• scientists argue with dog handlers
• dog handlers argue with scientists
• new organisations form to defend harsher methods
• conversations collapse into insults
• “debate” is replaced with echo chambers
• people fear speaking openly
Communication has broken down.
And when communication dies… progress dies.
The dogs lose.
Owners lose.
The public loses.
The industry becomes fractured and confused.
⸻————————————————————————
⭐ 4. The Misuse of Stress Science (A Growing Problem)
One of the most dangerous trends in 2025 is the misrepresentation of stress research.
You may hear things like:
“Stress builds resilience.”
“You need to put the dog under pressure.”
“Challenge creates strength.”
Yes — mild, controlled, predictable eustress builds resilience.
But distress — fear, panic, pain, shocks, choking — does NOT.
Real resilience is built through:
✔ novelty
✔ impulse control
✔ duration work
✔ gradual challenges
✔ controlled arousal
✔ healthy PNS ↔ SNS transitions
✔ emotional regulation
✔ secure attachment
✔ reinforcement-based skill building
Resilience doesn’t come from fear.
It comes from capability.
⸻————————————————————————
⭐ 5. The Accusation: “Positive Trainers Have a Narrow View”
Reward-based, scientifically-minded trainers are often accused of:
• being emotional
• ignoring “real world” behaviour
• seeing dogs through a tiny lens
But look at what compulsion-first trainers ignore:
– stress physiology
– attachment theory
– vagal tone
– dysregulation
– developmental neuroscience
– emotional learning
– operant/classical overlap
– learned helplessness
– anticipatory stress cycles
– reinforcement economy
– environmental antecedents
Reward-based trainers aren’t using one lens.
They’re using every lens modern science has given us.
Punishment-first trainers are using one:
➡ “Make behaviour stop.”
And when it stops, they call it success.
Behaviour stopping is not the same as learning.
⸻————————————————————————
⭐ 6. Where Does the Industry Go From Here?
Right now, we are in the “fracture” stage.
Next comes the backlash.
Owners are already starting to:
• question harsh methods
• demand science-based clarity
• seek emotional regulation training
• want trainers who treat behaviour AND biology
• avoid drama-driven trainers
• prioritise kindness, calmness, clarity
The future of dog training won’t be compulsion vs positive.
It will be:
Reward-based + Nervous-system-informed + Real-world functional training
This is the direction of progress.
This is the path forward.
This is where the next generation of trainers will rise.
⸻————————————————————————
⭐ 7. The Industry Isn’t Dying — It’s Evolving
Old methods aren’t disappearing quietly.
They’re fighting loudly because they’re being outgrown.
But the direction of travel is clear:
➡ More science
➡ More nervous system understanding
➡ More ethics
➡ More clarity
➡ More functional, humane training
➡ More integration of biology, behaviour, and emotion
➡ More transparency
➡ More owner education
The trainers who thrive in the next decade will be those who:
⭐ understand the dog in front of them
⭐ understand both stimulation and regulation
⭐ can move a dog between PNS and SNS safely
⭐ understand arousal, stress, and learning
⭐ teach skills in calm before adding chaos
⭐ build resilience through capability, not fear
⭐ choose ethics AND effectiveness
This is the future.
This is the way forward.
⸻————————————————————————
⭐ If you care about dogs — truly care — then this conversation matters.
Not because of training politics.
Not because of tribal camps.
Not because of pride.
Because dogs cannot advocate for themselves.
And right now, the loudest voices in the industry are not always the wisest.
The state of our industry is messy, fractured, defensive, and loud.
But the future belongs to those who choose:
✔ science
✔ ethics
✔ clarity
✔ nervous-system wisdom
✔ humane methodology
✔ courage to speak
✔ willingness to evolve
If we want change, we have to talk about it — openly, honestly, bravely.
Dogs deserve better than the war we’re seeing today.
And they deserve trainers who are willing to lead the industry into the next era…not drag it backwards.
⸻————————————————————————
If you are a dog owner in Kent (or beyond) who wants to train your dog with science, ethics, clarity, and the nervous system at the centre — you’re welcome to reach out.
I’m here to help dogs learn without fear.
And to help reshape the future of dog training, one conversation at a time.
