Online Dog Trends: Trainer approved.

Putting eggs in our dog’s mouth, dressing them up for Halloween, pretending to step over a “force field” that doesn’t exist, and making our dogs pose for a funny picture with our toddler is social media gold. All your friends are going comment about how funny it is or how their dog would never do that. You might even get a full-on belly laugh out of it.

Let’s take a step back. How do you think your dog feels?

We bring dogs into our homes. Using the help of dog trainers we teach them what items to chew, and where to pee. Dogs don’t get a choice in the food they receive, barking is not welcomed, humping is inappropriate, they learn how to play bite to your preferred level and let’s not get into what we do to their genitals.

This is a lot to put on our dogs already, they are so much more understanding than we give them credit for. At the end of the day we need to realize that we might find them adorable, sweet, kind and understanding but when we stick an egg in their mouth for a couple of “wow” emoji’s on our Facebook page, we are the biggest weirdo’s they’ve ever met.

The biggest issue here isn’t that these things make your dog uncomfortable, it’s that we have options to enrich our dogs lives and achieve the sacred “wow” emoji all at the same time and we don’t take advantage of it.

Here’s 3 online dog trends that are fun for you and your dog.

1.) Teach a new trick. There are tons of tutorials online that show you step by step how to clicker train your dog how to “say their prayers”, turn off the lights, spin and much more. Once your dog has learned, film it and put it up. Any dog can put on a Yoda costume but how much cooler is your dog for standing on their hind legs when you hold your hand out in the Vader chokehold pose?

2.) Hide treats throughout your house and watch your dog find them. Take your dog’s regular kibble or some delicious treats and hide them under pillows, in corners and under blankets. Let your dog into the room with the hidden treats and watch as your dog becomes the most adorable detective the internet has ever seen!

3.) Film a video of your dog using just a picture, I used pictures of my sisters dogs to make her think we threw a crazy party while she was away. One of my favorite apps to use is called My Talking Pet. It’s the best $.99 you’ll ever spend. Using a picture of your dog you identify where their mouth and eyes are, record yourself saying whatever you want, change the pitch of your voice and let the app put it all together. You can even string together conversations between your dogs using this app and a little editing.

There are so many options to make our dogs happy while still being the coolest kid in the virtual world. So, what are you doing reading this? You go out there and make quality viral material and make sure to give me a shout out when you get your 15 minutes of fame on Ellen.

Samantha Brown, Victoria Stilwell Graduate

Sam graduated with Distinction from the Victoria Stilwell Dog Training Academy.  While completing her studies she mentored under Tara. She is a Fear Free Certified Professional and is continuing to seek other ways to expand her knowledge base. Her background as a professional comedian compliments her skills as a trainer.  She volunteers at the local shelter and specializes in day training, kitty kindergarten, and class creation.