SkellyWags Dog Training Kent

I have been thinking quite a lot about social media recently. That is probably because I have struggled to post very much this week, despite it being another busy one filled with dogs, guardians, classes and 1-1 sessions.

There have been plenty of moments I could have filmed. Dogs working through exercises, learning new skills, finding something easier than they did before or having one of those lovely little breakthroughs that means a great deal to the people involved.

But most of them were not filmed, because I was busy being part of them.

The session comes first

When you come to SkellyWAGS, you are coming for help with your dog. You are not arriving as the cast of my next social-media reel.

My attention should be on the dog in front of me: what they are communicating, how they are feeling, what their guardian is noticing and whether we need to train, try or tweak what we are doing. Watching a phone screen at the same time is not always the best use of that attention.

It can also change how a session feels. Some people are perfectly happy around a camera. Others would rather concentrate, ask questions, make mistakes and learn without wondering whether any of it might appear online later. Both are completely reasonable.

We do still take photographs and videos

This does not mean cameras are banned at SkellyWAGS. I take photographs during sessions when it is appropriate, although my photography skills occasionally produce more pictures of a dog’s disappearing tail than the dog itself.

I may put together a few photographs as a little memory of the session. I also make demonstration videos with Bert, and sometimes record something specifically for a client so they can refer back to it at home.

The difference is purpose. A useful training video is there to help you. A little collection of photographs is there for you to enjoy. If something has been made privately for you, it is then your choice whether you keep it private or decide to share it.

From time to time, and with agreement, I may share photographs of client dogs publicly. What I generally will not do is turn a dog working through a behaviour or a guardian learning alongside them into a public performance.

Training does not need an audience

Real training is not always particularly dramatic to watch. It may be a dog pausing instead of reacting, choosing to come a little closer, settling for a few moments or calmly investigating something that worried them before.

These can be enormous steps, but they do not need dramatic music, a clever transition or somebody pointing at captions floating above the dog’s head to make them valuable.

Sometimes progress is quiet. Sometimes it is messy. Sometimes we try something, decide it was not quite right and change it. That is part of working with the dog in front of us, rather than trying to create a perfect moment for everybody else to see.

The SkellyWAGS promise

If you come to SkellyWAGS, we will listen, observe and help you understand what your dog needs. We will celebrate the progress, including the small changes that other people might never notice.

We may take a nice photograph. We may create a short clip for you. We may even manage to get everybody looking in roughly the same direction at once, although I make no guarantees where dogs are concerned.

What we will not do is treat you or your dog as content first and clients second.

Your dog. Your session. Your story to share.

If you would like kind, practical support with your dog through a 1-1 session at SkellyWAGS, please get in touch. There is no need to arrive camera ready.