Kimberly here: when I first started noticing the dog shaming, I thought it was funny, cute, and all in good fun. I considered doing it with our dogs, with captions like “I destroy toys in less than 15 minutes” and “I find cool things to snack on in the trash.”
Then I saw the bummer images and it sort of tainted a funny idea as some people became dark in their messages. I wanted to write an article about it and was excited when Kaitlin approached me with the idea of sharing her thoughts.
Thanks, Kaitlin
There has been a trend becoming more and more poplar in the last couple months. I am talking about dog shaming. Dog shaming (for those of you that just came to the internet) refers to hanging of a sign around a dog’s neck displaying what they have done wrong. Before there was dog shaming there was the trend of shaming your children for substantial things that they had done wrong. (Under aged drinking, taking drugs, etc.) Both dog shaming and human training is pictured above.
Light hearted fun or harmful?
It has been a revolution. Dog shaming is the more “light hearted” version of shaming, but the question has been asked “Is this right?” “Can this harm my pet’s mental health?” The same argument can be made for child shaming, but that is a separate issue that I don’t have the degree to talk about.
But think about it, even though it is funny to point out the little things that our pets do wrong, is it right? I think that it can do little to harm your pet. I say that because it is all in good fun. Hanging signs around your pets neck when they leave a present in your shoe is creative way to let your internet friends know about you and the life of your pet.
Keep it light hearted; not mean
For now it doesn’t seem that likely that there is a connection between your pet’s mental well-being but be kind! It is important to keep that light-hearted tone and not get too mean! Just because your dog can’t read it doesn’t mean that it is ok to put them down.
Rule of thumb: If your dog could talk, and it would make them upset, don’t do it. What I mean by that is, don’t make signs for your dog using foul language, calling them names. It is not nice, and in my opinion, it makes the owner look like a jerk!
Have you heard of “owner shaming?”
To critics of the “shaming” trend, there is a counter movement. “Owner shaming” has been popping up everywhere, especially the Petafiles! It is a way for owners to admit to the web how they haven’t been a super perfect parent. I think it is a good way to show that it isn’t all about dissing your dog! (Pictured below)
Shaming as discipline?
The question you may have is, “Kaitlin, have you ever shamed your dog?” The answer is no! Do I think it can be detrimental? No. Will you ever find me doing it? No. I just feel like there are other ways that you can discipline your pet without shaming them.
The question on my mind is how long will this last? Is the dog shaming craze almost at an end, or will this become the new way to train your dog? Ok, ok, maybe I am looking too much into it, but it will be interesting to see if this craze sticks around for a while.
Author bio…
Kaitlin Falatovich is a content writer/student/pet mama. She works for dog.com! For articles like this one, click here!
So what are your thoughts on dog shaming?
October 21, 2012 at 7:07 am
I agree that the secret to dogshaming success is keeping it light and humorous. I don’t think that posting images of our dogs on the internet has any effect on them whatsoever. But if we think that the intent behind our posts isn’t apparent in our body language and tone when we *take* the picture, we’re kidding ourselves.
When I first saw dogshaming, I thought, “What a great way for exasperated dog guardians to vent their frustrations in a way that lets them laugh it out a little, rather than get mean with their dogs!” I think it’s mostly still that way, even as I’m well aware that most dog behaviors are a direct reflection of their human’s behavior and/or environment. You’re probably right that dogshaming as a “thing” is reaching critical mass and will go the way of most internet fads, but if it’s helped pet owners laugh instead of yell or get creative instead of strike, then I think it’s all for the good.
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Audra recently published..Own your creepiness or GTFO.
Twitter: scarletvirago
October 21, 2012 at 11:35 am
Thanks for your thoughts, Audra
I love your point of view and love the idea that dog shaming is allowing frustrated dog owners to laugh at the situation. Perfect!
Kimberly
Twitter: thefurmom
October 21, 2012 at 9:36 pm
Well, most importantly, dogs don’t get affected by the written word (and for most part not by the spoken one either). So in that way I see no potential harm to the dogs. And no, their dog park buddies won’t laugh at them because of that.
One thing that could be a problem, if the comments are really mean, are not the comments themselves but the feelings behind them, if they’re real. The dog won’t know what’s written on the note but they will read the feelings. But in such cases those feelings would likely be there photo or no photo.
So overall, I think it’s quite harmless; I will make no statements on what I think about it as such.
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Jana Rade recently published..Adoption Monday: Cookie, Labrador Retriever Mix, Deerfield, NH
Twitter: DawgBlogger
October 22, 2012 at 7:55 am
Thanks for stopping by, Jana. My concern is similar; I worry about the energy being put out there and what the dogs are picking up on, because I do believe that they read our energy. I have evidence of that every day. I think Audra made a good point when she mentioned that this could be a way for dog owners to laugh at their frustrations and I hope so.
Kimberly
Twitter: thefurmom
October 26, 2012 at 10:20 am
Cute piece, and yes I get the Jonathan Swift element. I have a variation on this that I have had to reign in a bit. My cat Leonardo, who (bless him) is (even for a cat) as dumb as a sack of fur, used to get a lovingly murmured take-down from me every morning said in the sing-song voice of “don’t I just love you, you are my darling” but containing expletives and references to his various misdemeanors and even felonies while he purred and rubbed my legs or ate treats from my hand. That was until my little niece announced at a family dinner that “Leonardo is a fur-bearing poop factory and a *@#%* killing machine”. Followed by silence. I figured I better reign in the monologue.
Twitter: AnnaZed
October 26, 2012 at 3:48 pm
I howled when I first read this. OMG this is so funny.
Kimberly
Twitter: thefurmom
April 16, 2013 at 4:46 pm
Personally, I’m not a fan. The first 2-3 photos I saw were cute, but it’s getting a bit old now. I do LOVE the idea of “owner shaming”, if only to make people feel less alone in their dog parenting goof-ups.
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Human Rescues Dog recently published..Cute Puppy Photos Make Me Sick!
Twitter: HumanRescuesDog
April 16, 2013 at 4:56 pm
I’m with you too. I had this discussion on Twitter yesterday and managed to offend the Tweeter @DogShaming – it wasn’t my intention, I was only sharing my thoughts. Like you said, at first it was cute and funny, then it just started going to far, in my opinion, and I didn’t like it anymore.
I would love to do a few dog shaming ones for me, but I haven’t gotten around to it yet
Twitter: thefurmom
April 16, 2013 at 7:40 pm
Don’t sweat it – if you ever have anything worthwhile to say, someone’s gonna get upset. Retweeting your old posts is a great idea btw, it’s letting me discover some new things.
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Human Rescues Dog recently published..Animal Wise, by Virginia Morell: A Book Review
Twitter: HumanRescuesDog