Here is my thoughts - or at least a start to them on a similar vein

http://www.dogsey.com/showthread.php...57#post1693157

Not exactly what is being discussed here but may be of interest.

Thanks for all your replies .
The general impression I get is where as most people think that forums are not necessarily dangerous , advice should be taken with caution .
Everyone seems to be of the same thinking that forums are addictive , especially dogsey !

I agree with this - with the exception that there are common and less severe "bad behaviours" a good trainer or experienced owner can iron out.

As for forums, hopefully if someone is given blatantly poor "advice" or opinion then other members will jump in and at the least add a bit of balance.

Our society in general has a severe shortage of working BS detectors. I am new here and mostly pleased with Dogsey but have been around many forums for a long time. Yes, people seem to think merely acquiring a dog imparts a vast knowledge of them. Of course that is what some people are looking for. having been lied to by too many ''experts'' with an agenda, they just want to hear from others like themselves.

In too many forums, if not part of the problem, the moderator allows a clique of idiots to drown out everybody else.

I think that the "real world" of "dog experts" is far more dangerous than most forums. I can't tell you how many truly heinous things I've heard pet store employees, breeders, shelter workers, even vets and vet staff and so called behaviorists and trainers tell unsuspecting pet owners. In those cases, thats probably the only advice they will hear on the subject. They may think, this person is an expert, so I will do what he/she says and look no further for answers. On a forum a great variety of people from all walks of life can reply on a thread and from that variety or advice a pet owner can glean many pearls of wisdom while discarding the things that just don't work, don't make sense, or they aren't comfortably with.

Here is a case in point. A family with a young dalmatian asks the vet at his check up what they can do about nipping. Not being up on the latest training techniques, the vet referred the family to a basic obedience class at the local Petsmart. Petsmart trainers go through a certification process and training program. This petsmart "trainer" told the family to hold the puppies mouth shut and tell him NO when he nips. This advice led to more frenzied nipping, if not all out snapping and biting from the puppy. The trainer then referred the client to the regional training director for a private session. This "real world expert" taped the dogs mouth shut with duct tape. During this one hour torture session with a five month old puppy, the trainer got bit and so did the owner, badly. Now the family is back at the vet and very concerned about their childrens safety. The vets advice was to put him to sleep because once they start biting there is no way to stop him. So the family puts their puppy to sleep and goes out to get another puppy, different breed, and the cycle begins anew. This family thought they were getting the very best advice from top experts in the field of animal behavior. I'm pretty certain, had they sought advice on Dogsey, the outcome would have been different and life could have been saved.

Possibly Or possibly not. Anyone with an ounce of common sense would have done some or all of the following:
read a book
compared training schools
asked for qualifications and references
talked to other people with dogs to find a good trainer
engaged their intelligence

I`ve seen dreadful advice given on forums - and occasionally on this one (though, to be fair it is always challenged on this one)
In the end we all have personal responsibility for our actions.

Sadly recent joint psychosociological studies by Harvard and Oxford of over 16,800 people of varying age and geographical location have shown conclusively that the average individual quota of common sense is 26.3 grams.

Just under the ounce.

I don't think forums are dangerous,as such, unless you take everything at face value and act on it ... but who would do that?

Like Shona, and many others I suspect, I come on Dogsey as a social kind of thing - to chat to like-minded people, learn bits about others lives and dogs, to have the odd debate and look at people's pics. I don't have much time on the PC due to having a mostly hectic life, so only have time for this forum on any kind of a regular basis.

I wouldn't ask for advice on anything of any importance on a forum ... as someone else has said for veterinary advice ask a vet ... etc. However, I do occasionally ask for opinions or bits of training advice, and have always found it helpful.

Dogsey has also been great in putting me in touch with other dog owners in my area, and I have had some great walks and made *proper* friendships through this forum

i totally agree that forums are not necessarily dangerous...most of the time, things that are being discussed here can be very helpful although if you're seeking for an advice, you should also take some caution before doing it

forums are a great way of building wondrous friendships and a great place to find useful information as well

Generally speaking, forums are dangerous to those with a vested interest in keeping knowledge out of the hands of the general public! They are a very effective means of empowering us with information that, in some cases, certain parties would rather we didn't have!

Of course the reader has to assess the merits of the information presented but if you hang around a forum for a bit, you soon get to know who knows what they're on about and who's full of you-know-what!