Bite-sized: The Problem with Training Tips on Social Media

It's 2025, and that means that for the vast majority of us, our day-to-day news and knowledge comes from a little device in our pocket. It's incredible to have so much learning opportunity right at our fingertips, but it's not all without issue.

Something that I'm hearing a lot from my clients is this: "I've been trying to follow tips from trainers on social media, but nothing's working!"

So firstly, if you've ever experienced this same sort of thing then don't worry, you're not alone! In this post, I'm going to talk a bit more about why this happens, and how to avoid issues with following trainer's advice on social media.

The Good, the Bad, and the Unqualified....

The first thing to say is that there are TONS of great, ethical, and qualified trainers online. However, there are unfortunately also plenty of inexperienced, unethical, and unqualified trainers out there as well, and everyone is free to post as they please. This can make sorting out your source very tricky: with so many trainers offering lots of different bits of advice, how do you know who to listen to?

I just recently began work with a client who had been following a trainer for a while and listening to his advice, only to find that using one specific tip was actually making the problem she was experiencing worse! This can certainly leave you feeling like you just don't know who to trust.

A good rule of thumb is to take a look at a trainer's profile, and see if they have any qualifications listed. While it's true that you don't actually need any formal qualifications to be a dog trainer (in the UK anyway), most good and ethical trainers will have at least one, and you should be able to easily search acronyms and be able to check out what type of training this qualification endorses. For instance, I've earned the title IMDT after my name, which I use to showcase that I'm a qualified, fear and force-free trainer. Googling IMDT takes you to their website, where you can read about what this means, and what type of training I use.

Tools of the Trade?

Beyond this, a big red flag is over-reliance on equipment. Lots of trainers make short, flashy clips which are perfect for engagement on platforms like TikTok or Instagram because they seem to show off rapid results in a 10 or 20 second clip. Unfortunately, the reality is that I've seen way too many of these well-known trainers getting these 'results' by using equipment such as slip leads, choke chains, prong collars, e-collars, you name it.

Even heavy handling can also produce these same 'results' - a dog that is scared of the consequences will probably walk to heel if you've spent the last 5 minutes snapping the lead at it, choking it, or trying to 'dominate' it in some other way, in the same way that it will if it has no other choice because of the cruel equipment it's wearing. However, that 'end result' looks very impressive to someone watching that 10 second clip on TikTok.

Ultimately, equipment shouldn't hurt or distress a dog - it should benefit them as well as us. There are bits of training equipment that can be really handy, and others that get a bad rep which shouldn't (hello muzzles), but ultimately a really good trainer doesn't need equipment as a crutch to teach something simple like lead walking. If you see a trainer in their videos using any of the aforementioned equipment or similar, or who is handling the dog roughly, then that's a good sign so scroll away and look for advice elsewhere.

One-Size Solutions

Another major issue is that the advice given out on social media is often pretty generalised, meaning that while a tip might work okay for one owner and their dog, it might not be suitable for you and yours because you've got an entirely different dog and situation to deal with! Without having that extra context and being able to dive into your specific situation, a trainer can't give you constructive, tailored advice.

If there's anything I've learnt doing this job it's that there truly is no one-size-fits-all solution to anything, and even though I'm consistently working with the same handful of issues daily, no two cases ever look the same! So it stands to reason that generic advice can really only take you so far.

What Should I Do?!

If you're looking for real help and advice on simple, core training, then of course the internet still has plenty to offer. There are some great longer-form videos on platforms like YouTube that are fantastic, and free! Creators like Kikopup who have years of high-quality videos and demonstrable skills and qualifications are a great asset to the platform, and are easy to find. World-leading trainers like Leslie McDevitt and Michael Shikashio have FREE webinars available on YouTube too, which although yes do require more than 30 seconds of your time, are well worth it if you're really interested in learning.

You can also find great e-books that offer learning in a similar bite-sized format - Easy Peasy Puppy Squeezy by Steve Mann is one that I am always happy to recommend. The chapters aren't too long, and it's written well so that you can easily read a small chunk at a time and come away with something useful and ready to try out with your dog.

If you're struggling with an actual 'problem', or in other words something is already happening with you and your dog that you feel you need help to resolve, then I would strongly recommend that the internet is now most helpful as a tool to find a qualified trainer near you. Lots of accrediting bodies have directories that you can easily search (again the IMDT is a good example of this!), or you can simply google rewards-based trainers near you and take a look through the results.

Ultimately, dog training is fun, and it's great that more and more people are wanting to get involved, and are being inspired by clips online! With that however comes a responsibility to take note of who and where information is coming from, plus to consider whether something you'd like to try out is right for your dog. I hope this information might be useful, and that you can carry on your training journey with confidence!