01/26/2024
Wanted to share something that I get asked by friends and family quite regularly:
“Why don’t you show before/after or progress videos of your work”?
And I get it. I really do. There is an inherently satisfying desire to do so but let me tell you why it isn’t always the most responsible and ethical thing to do for a few reasons:
Social media is a platform for so much misinformation as well as really valuable information. But the general public does not know how to filter through all of that reliably. What happens when an unqualified professional in any industry promotes an unsafe practice? Thousands, if not millions of followers, will eat up that advice and begin to subscribe to those ideas or practice those methods themselves.
The problem with dog training, whether you’re balanced, completely outdated, or R+, is that someone who has zero idea what they’re doing will try to replicate that and then either have harmful effects on their dog or literally say that it doesn’t work. When they don’t have all the pieces of the puzzle.
You might get some helpful, general tidbits from very reliable sources but they’re not showing you what it takes to break down appropriate behavior modification because honestly, it’s a slow process and it’s super boring. Which training should look like.
I created and adhere to a social media agreement in all of my contracts. I like to give my clients agency over what happens with the materials I create when I’m doing sessions with their pets. A lot of times, these animals are displaying behaviors that most folks would consider to be a nuisance or very embarrassing. There’s no sense in profiting off of someone and shaming them for what, ultimately, ends up being very normal dog behavior. They have every right to tell me what I can or can not do with the filming of them and their pets. So a lot of times, it goes unpublished and sits on my hard drive for my own review.
What a lot of unethical and unqualified trainers will do, because they’re mostly marketing “geniuses”, is purposely put an animal into a situation where they are set up to fail. And then punishing that animal or suppressing them into a shut down state and making it look like magic to the untrained eye. A qualified professional DOES NOT need to see what *insert literally any behavior* looks like in order to work with it.
Therefore, you do not see me posting a ton of training content on my page. That is my personal preference but also my clients. I work with every breed, size, behavior and temperament and get desirable results without having to document every single moment on social media. I also get results without having to shock, jerk, poke or whatever crazy s**t y’all are doing out there
Overall, I’m not speaking for all trainers, but, some professionals avoid before and after content due to potential privacy concerns, as sharing detailed transformation videos might disclose sensitive information about the client or their living spaces. Additionally, it's common to refrain from showcasing certain cases to protect the anonymity of clients, especially when dealing with behavior or mental health-related issues. These concerns align with ethical considerations in a variety of fields.
I strive to keep my clients happy without them feeling guilty or embarrassed for how their pets are acting.
Word of mouth has been my best source of connecting with new pet parents. My success is due to the progress that is happening whether I share it on social media or not.
Just wanted to share- I’m not bashing anyone who might do this but I’m asking that potential clients take everything with a grain of salt and always consult with a professional before trying to implement what they’re seeing by themselves.
Thanks for reading 🐾💕
