Last updated 12 August 2026
Smidge turns down more work than it takes on, and this is the part that explains where the line is. It is also section 1 of the terms of service, word for word.
Smidge is educational training content. It is not veterinary care, not a medical service, and not behavioural treatment. Nothing in it diagnoses anything.
Biting, guarding food or objects, reactivity to dogs or people, and distress at being left alone are not training problems with app-sized answers. They need a certified professional who can see your dog. Smidge routes you to one instead of teaching those, that routing is free forever, and it does not unlock later.
A dog that is in pain, suddenly different, or unwell sees a vet first. Training on top of an undiagnosed physical problem makes both worse, and a sudden change in behaviour is a medical question until a vet says otherwise.
Every method here is reward-based and follows LIMA and the Humane Hierarchy. Nothing in this app asks you to frighten, hurt, startle or physically force a dog, and no lesson puts your hands on a dog to make a behaviour happen. If something you read here seems to, stop and report it.
You are responsible for your dog: for supervising them, for keeping them and the people and animals around them safe, and for deciding whether a given exercise suits the dog in front of you. You know your dog and this app does not.
Stop any exercise that causes pain, fear or distress, and check with a vet before training a dog that is very young, elderly, pregnant, recovering, or has a known joint, heart or breathing condition. Some lessons carry their own gate for exactly this reason.
Children should only train with a dog under adult supervision.
Results vary. Dogs are individuals, and nothing here is a guarantee that a particular dog will learn a particular thing in a particular time.