What social media outlets do you use for training?

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3spoiledpets
Posts: 10
Joined: Tue Sep 26, 2017 4:34 pm

What social media outlets do you use for training?

Post by 3spoiledpets »

Hi everyone!
I have sort of a general survey question for everybody. As a dog trainer, I am currently looking for different ways to reach out to the dog community to give training advice and tips and demonstrate/teach tricks. I was just wondering what other social media outlets you are most likely to use for this sort of thing: would you be more likely to follow a dog training Instagram, YouTube page, or a blog? Or all of the above? Additionally, what would be most useful to you, as a dog owner, to see on one of these sites? I really want to reach out and be able to help as many people as possible, so your feedback would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you! :)
Lotsaquestions
Posts: 646
Joined: Wed Aug 23, 2017 6:06 am

Re: What social media outlets do you use for training?

Post by Lotsaquestions »

Youtube is definately up there for me, because you can actually see what the trainer and dog are doing, which is invaluable. However for behavioural advice I preferred blogs / forums since they tend to follow up with successes / failures and have much more detail, as well as feeling like you're not alone in the problems which you can't really get in a few minute long youtube clip.

Most useful thing for me to see on these sites would have probably been a real good, indepth look into teenage dogs and a mumsnet type forum for it so you know you're not alone. There are so many books and advice about raising and socialising your puppy, but I felt a bit starved when it came to adolescence which is why I posted here initially. So that, AND a real good video on how it is actually best to socialise your puppy and why not to do certain things or push them past what they're comfortable with. For example socialising with dogs doesn't mean let them meet every single dog, because that can (and has in my case) spectacularly backfire.

Hope this helps!
JudyN
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Joined: Tue Jul 26, 2011 1:20 pm
Location: Dorset, UK
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Re: What social media outlets do you use for training?

Post by JudyN »

The disadvantage I found with most forums is that there was always someone who would bundle in with 'Your dog is trying to control you, you need to be more alpha,' or, one of my favourites, 'I insist that I can always remove anything from my dog's mouth, even a bone' (I'd have liked to have seen them try that with Jasper :lol: ). What I like about this forum is the consistency of the advice, and the acceptance that none of our dogs are 'bad'. But forums in general are a lot quieter now, so when you do post you're likely to get fewer replies than once would have been the case.

For some reason I don't like watching videos, even though being able to see a trick in action can be invaluable. I'm very much a word-based person.

Vital in any training/behaviour resource is an understanding of how different the different breeds/types/individuals can be. For instance, 'trading up' never worked with my dog ('Wow, if you're offering me a lamb steak in exchange for this plastic spoon, this plastic spoon must be PRICELESS and I must guard it against the universe!'), sitting can be uncomfortable for some breeds, repeated training can seem pointless and boring to some dogs, and high-value treats may be needed for some dogs but will get other dogs so excited they can't think straight any more. Advice needs to take this into account, and also needs to empower the owner to think 'This isn't working - what can I try differently?'
Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009
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