Very simple, Dogsley is dominated by people that won't tolerate any deviation from the way they feel things should be done. Facts, logic, and scientific studies mean nothing to them. They were born knowing everything there is to know about dogs.

You state that as a fact. If it is a bad practice, shouldn't there be some negative outcomes? I clearly remember Kate at one of
our meetings in 2002. At 2 months she was allowed to play with about 8 other puppies most of which were bigger than her. I clearly remember a couple of Shepherds that kept chasing her down and throwing her on her back. As soon as they let her up, she took a chomp at one of them and ran off with them in pursuit. That and rough play with the other puppies went on for hours. Yet 8 years later, Kate is still able to do the challenging work of a dog guide. I know of at least 2 other of my abused puppies that were still working at 13 years old.

The lady in charge of the dog guide puppies in the adjacent area holds training sessions at her home several times a year. The puppies, young and old and always permitted unlimited supervised play. It is rare for anybody to have to intervene. I often show up with my puppy because it is an activity they need, not often available otherwise. Sometimes my regular group has similar activities. Of course when we sit other puppies, we always let them play even very young ones.

I realize the lack of problems won't change any minds. You feel it is bad, even if there are no problems.

I haven't been on the forum very long but there seem to be a mix of people on here - owners, trainers, instructors, behaviourists, puppy socialisers etc. People seem to contribute to discussions in a way that they think will help - sometimes the suggestions are different to my thoughts on the subject, but that makes them more interesting. It is great to look at other people's ideas and think 'would that work?' 'would that be better than how I do it?'

Yes, of course there are some people in this world who will never change their minds or concede that another person has a valid point, but most people (I would hope) are prepared to consider other ideas - as long as they make sense.

When the ideas don't make sense it is only right to quesiton them - if people are asking for advice they need to end up with the best advice possible - and advising someone that it is okay to walk a puppy until it is necessary to carry him home, is not good advice.

I am sure you believe you are doing the right things with your puppies - why would you do it otherwise - but I think it would be nice if you sometimes listened to what other people are trying to say, and considered whether they have a point.

We can sometimes get so entrenched in our opinions that we forget that there are other ways. For myself, I go to seminars, workshops and courses, read books, go to watch classes, talk to dog people - all in an effort to keep my knowledge up to date. Sadly, I was not born 'knowing everything about dogs' and if I ever get to the point where i believe I do know everything then I will stop instructing because it would mean that I am no longer prepared to listen to anyone's views other than my own.

Val