What's the worst training advice you ever got? - Page 1

I've been following a couple of great threads about evaluating temperament and training, and have learned quit a bit.  It made me wonder - what's the worst training advice you ever got?

Mine was from a trainer in a basic obedience class - this was the AKC training club, and she bred and showed Chesapeake bay retrievers.  My girl is very vocal and gets bored easily, and this lady would spend the first 20 minutes expecting the dogs to all lay down quietly while she blathered on about how to teach a dog to sit.  There were two other GSDs in the class, and she pointed out how well they were doing since they were MEDICATED.  She told me to spray Binaca in my girl's face every time she whined and get her on a sedative.  Needless to say, we never went back. 

Opal

I was walking through a pet store one day, a man saw Lukas and decided he would pet him. He started baby talking him after I had told my dog to sit so he would not jump. He proceeded to tell me how he was a dog trainer and to basically have my dog in a constant choke hold to be the boss. This "trainer" said that he got all of his puppies at 4 weeks old to "avoid them getting a pack mentality." I really did want to smack the stupid out of him right then and there.

To avoid <read: CEASE> correcting my dog. Set me back two years. 

It would be hard to beat that advice for stupidity (either of the above posts), but for advice from a non-trainer, I think the words of Ranger's former owner take the cake:

"If he gives you any trouble, just show him a shovel !" 

Soooo glad I got my boy away from this idiot, and that by some miracle, his sweet nature wasn't ruined by the way he'd been treated!

had my female in a long down.  another club member was on the field with his dog, doing obedience.  his dog left his side and ran over to my dog and began sniffing her back end -----no, she was not in heat.  at first, she tried to ignore him, but when he persisted, she got up and came to me.  still another member said, "i'd beat that dog."  (meaning my dog --- for breaking the down)  yet he said nothing of the "doctor's" dog that started the problem in the first place.  i most certainly did NOT beat my dog, but shot a disgusted look at the doctor still on the field who had not yet regained control of his dog.  geeez!
pjp

A guy at Hegins Valley SchH Club, who had never earned more than a BH on a black female he warned me not to try to pet, told me that if I didn't start force tracking my dog as a puppy, from 3 months, I would never get anywhere. Same guy corrected another guest for letting their baby puppy crawl all over my old dog Pallo (Pallo laying down in the picnice area) with the words "We don't socialize puppies here. We want REAL dogs."
He was serious.
I pulled out my tri-coder and tried to hail the mother ship. Time to beam off that hostile planet.

hiya im a trainer and is what all of you said true because if it is they are arseholes always socialize dogs/puppys unless

its a guard dog even a personal protection dogs need to be socialize if not  thats how they become nasty and end up in shelters and animal aids i really cant beleave what some people say and thats how they make there living they need a new job

The scary thing is that a poorly socialized dog can pose a real danger, even if it's a tiny chihuahua.  Training a dog in protection should require more socialization not less - how can the dog accurately recognize a threat if it's not ever been around people or dogs that are not threats?

Years ago we had a husky that we rescued that was terrified of soda cans.  Our trainer at the time guessed, based on his other behaviors, that he had probably lived with an alcoholic that threw cans at him.  How is that a way to treat anyone?

Opal

No training collars allowed.  Only flat buckle collars or harnesses.

I used a training collar anyway.  I was only there for the socialization, I already knew how to teach a dog to heel, sit, stay and come.  While my dog progressed handily, the ones that were using flat collars and harnesses were floundering.