About Lick My Wiggler
The Wiggle Manifesto
Five rules, one enemy, and way too many opinions about treats.
Lick My Wiggler is a loud little dog site with one enemy: training that works by hurting or scaring dogs. Shock collars (sorry, “e-collars”, “stim collars”, “remote trainers”), prong and choke collars, leash pops, alpha rolls and the “balanced” sales pitch that bundles them together.
The name is the dog talking back. Think of it as “kick my a**” from somebody with a tail. We’re loud for dogs, and fair to the people holding the leash.
The five rules
- Pain is not a plan. If a tool or method only works because it’s unpleasant, we won’t recommend it, and we’ll explain what works instead.
- Receipts or it didn’t happen. Every claim about research, law or a product links a source we opened and read. Every post ends with its receipts.
- Roast methods, not people. We go after practices, myths and marketing claims. We don’t name and shame trainers, businesses or owners. Most people using a shock collar were sold one by someone they trusted.
- Treats are wages. Reward-based training isn’t “bribery”. You get paid to do your job. So does your dog.
- Zoomies are sacred. Half of this site is about dogs being gloriously weird. Nobody gets corrected for joy.
What you’ll find here
- The Takedowns: myths about pain-based training, checked against the research.
- Train Like You Mean It: step-by-step, reward-based fixes for pulling, recall and reactivity.
- The Swap Shop: what to buy instead of the prong.
- Dogs Being Weird and The Nonsense: because a movement needs snacks.
Who we are
Lick My Wiggler is written by The Wiggler Crew, a small Canadian editorial team. We aren’t vets and we don’t pretend to be. Nothing here is veterinary advice: if your dog seems unwell or in pain, or a behaviour is sudden or new, see your vet first. For serious behaviour problems, work with a qualified reward-based professional. Here’s how to find one.
We don’t claim to have tested anything we haven’t. When we recommend gear, it’s based on makers’ specs, the research and owners’ reports, and we say so. Read how we keep receipts and our affiliate disclosure.
You were sold a tool. Now you know better. Here’s the upgrade.