ASK YOURSELF:
Can you still call yourself a reward-based animal trainer if the activities you involve your animal in are a threat to their health?

As an animal rehabber and fitness trainer that’s a question I’ve been asking myself for years. I’ve never really said it out loud—because, let’s be honest, no one likes to be that person who ruins the vibe (but maybe needs to). But the more I learn, the more I feel like we need to start talking about it.

We all know the power of positive reinforcement. We use it to build confidence, joy, value, drive, and more. And yes, our animals love the things we teach them to love. That’s the point, right? But somewhere along the way, it becomes easy to confuse enthusiasm with well-being.

Just because an animal is full of joy doesn’t mean the situation or the activity is good for them. Of course they love that high-speed run, that sharp turn, that chase, that catch—we built the value. But have you ever taken a moment to think about whether what you’re training and doing is still ethical?


💔Where is the line between YOUR passion and pushing your animal too far?


This becomes especially important when we look at how certain breeds are being bred—shaped—for performance. Agility dogs, sled dogs, hunting dogs—they’re being selectively bred to excel. But every time we narrow the goalposts of what we want an animal to be, there’s a trade-off. Health? Longevity? Neurodiversity? Genetic disposition?

And the people at the top—the ones with the medals and the mostinfluence—they should be the ones leading the conversations like: Are the things we ask of our animals still ethical? Are we making informed choices, or are we turning a blind eye because we love it?


➡️Now here’s my personal dilemma:

I create fitness exercises for dogs and horses—individualised, activity-specific plans designed to help them move better, stay safe, and reduce the risk of injury. And it works. But I’m beginning to question myself: am I indirectly giving a green light to activities that maybe shouldn’t be happening in the first place? Am I offering a safety blanket that makes it seem okay to risk dogs falling off the dog walk, slipping in turns, smashing into obstacles?

Because if you do prehab and fitness, you’ve done everything you can, right? There’s nothing more you can do—aside from your training—that will keep your dog safe, right?

–JUST APART FROM NOT DOING IT–


Life isn’t risk-free. I’m not advocating for wrapping our animals in bubble wrap. They deserve to live, explore, make mistakes, and sometimes get dirty or banged up. Accidents happen. That’s life. No matter how hard we try, things will happen that are out of our control.

But there are activities—especially in sport—where we knowingly accept a high risk. We see the warning signs. We feel that pit in our stomach when our dog hits a certain obstacle too fast. I’ve heard people openly say they worry about specific parts of a course because they know they’re pushing their dogs’ safety.


SO WHY DO IT?

Why head into something that already feels wrong, even if every cue and reward is given with a cheerful voice and pockets full of treats and toys?

Positive reinforcement training doesn’t automatically make the thing we train “positive”. Neither does it erase ethical concerns. But if anything, it feels to me like it makes it easier—for animal lovers—to gloss over them.

I believe in moderation. I believe in informed choices. I believe in fun—but not at the cost of an animal’s well-being.


Where to draw the line—it’s not an easy reflection, but one that’s long overdue. In truth, the boundary is often clearer than we like to admit. Perhaps it’s time we each pause and honestly consider the activities WE “sign” our animals up for. Because if we aren’t willing to question ourselves, who will?

Let's be the advocate our animals need.


Warmly,
Ali


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