Rushed, Uneducated, or Oblivious?

Traditions throughout dog training have evolved in such a way that some people are stuck in the day of age where things have to be done this way and preformed that way.

Having an open mind is something everyone should have or try to have.

Sadly, one old fashioned way of thinking seems to stick around for some and that is negative reinforcement... Sad, right?

Scolding, grabbing the scruff and punishing, and negative physical contact are just some things I've witnessed people doing while training in various sports, including agility.  

Science has brought us a long way in understanding our dogs better by studying their emotions and especially the research regarding the growth and development of dogs.

Growth plates in most dogs close at around a year, give or take depending on the size.  So why are trainers still, with this knowledge available to them,  teaching full closed sets of 12 weave poles around 4-5 months old? What about jumps at competition heights or full size contact equipment at that age? 

It could be because that's how they've always done it or perhaps they want to impress others...(more like call negative attention to themselves). 

You may argue that training this full size equipment gives your puppy an edge, but are you really doing so? 

Like babies and children, puppies are constantly growing, developing and forming. Drilling activities such as weave poles or high impact jumping can lead to an injury, whether it be obvious or appears later in life because the growth plates were disturbed as a pup. 

Think about the impact of what you're asking your 5-month-old puppy to do. Think of some of the areas affected. Aframe: shoulders, wrists. Jumping: legs in general. Weaving: spine, hips, shoulders. All of these areas and more are taking a toll from this impact training.

Building drive, coordination, basic training, tricks, etc is a lot of what goes in to foundation training... What you should be doing with that pup instead of that full AKC course you set up at your club to show off your "prize puppy". Newsflash - you can't compete until 15 months anyway...

So what are they? 

Rushed?  Racing against someone else mentally to finish or begin training before them. One-upping. Must get everything trained to be a better competitor.

Uneducated? New to the sport or not knowing what is actually going on. Usually in need of a positive mentor to get them started.

Oblivious? Knowing the science behind how impact training too young is bad, but continue anyway because they've always done it that way or have seen others do it that way. 

Keep an open mind and do what you feel is safe for your pup . Don't let oblivious trainers tell you to start this impact training at 3-4 months(Yes, they exist!). 

Go out and have fun with your puppies and remember: foundation,  foundation,  foundation!