Caught Between Clickers and Kale – A Rant from the Middle Ground

Let me start with this: I’m a positive reinforcement trainer. Always have been. Always will be. I believe in kindness, science, patience, and progress. I don’t alpha-roll dogs, I don’t use prong collars, and I certainly don’t believe fear has any place in training. I also believe in dogs eating from Kongs, people having conversations, and a bit of give and take in the world. You know – balance.

But lately, I’ve found myself caught in the crossfire between two clans that were supposed to be all about compassion: the Positive Training Purists and the Militant Vegans. And good grief, it’s exhausting.

Now don’t get me wrong – I love a good lentil as much as the next person and I’ve dedicated my entire life to training dogs in the kindest way possible. But if you dare to slightly diverge from the official doctrine of either group – even with nuance, reason, or humour – you’re treated like you’ve just admitted to clubbing seals for fun.

There’s a real irony here. The people who shout the loudest about kindness often forget to extend it to humans.

You say, “Actually, I think there’s room to discuss different approaches to enrichment depending on the dog,” and boom – you're labelled a “dangerous trainer.” Suggest that perhaps a raw diet isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution for every dog on the planet and suddenly you’re a “murderous carnist.”

I once posted about feeding a dog with tripe. TRIPE. You’d think I’d personally set fire to a field of tofu.

These groups – which, again, I share values with! – can be some of the most dogmatic, aggressive, and judgmental crowds out there. It’s baffling. You’d think, as people who pride themselves on empathy, they’d be capable of... oh, I don’t know... a bit of empathy?

What happened to listening? To open-mindedness? To recognising that we all live with dogs in a slightly different context – and maybe, just maybe, there’s more than one path to a happy, healthy canine companion?

I’m not asking for a group hug. I’m just asking that maybe we stop chewing each other’s faces off every time someone says something that doesn’t fit perfectly within the party line. Let’s debate. Let’s discuss. But let’s not shoot down people trying to do good work because they don’t say it in the exact tone or phrasing that the purity police have deemed acceptable.

I’m here for the dogs. I’m here for the humans. I’m here to help people understand and live better with their dogs – whether they eat steak, tofu, or fish-flavoured training treats.

So, to my fellow positive trainers and passionate vegans: breathe. If you find yourself foaming at the mouth over a fellow dog trainer’s language or lunch, it might be time to check your own reactivity. You might just need a Kong and a timeout yourself.