I agree. I want to say, too, that it's nice to hear -from the mouth of a dog trainer- that those of you in the profession get tired of some aspects of your work. I realize that no matter what our career is, we all have those feelings but, since it was refreshing to hear you admit it. I'm not a trainer but my hobby and interest since I got Kansas has been to read everything regarding training and behavior that I can get my hands on. I just like to be in the know, aware of what's out there and see what works/doesn't work with Kansas and see how she learns. I really enjoy this, but after the recent uproar in some training circles of late and the behavior I've seen/heard/read about from some people in the profession I have to admit the thought of reading anything in the stack of new books I'd just acquired turned my stomach. I was really disappointed to see so much backlash from people in the profession- I don't think it speaks well of the industry as a whole. Differing, opinions, sure, but surely such can be presented in a polite way, rather than in a manner that reflects ill on dog training as a whole.

I realize there are lots of different thoughts and methods-the more I read the more I realize that. I had no idea it was as complicated as varying religious beliefs, etc...and I find myself thinking "this must have been what so many historical revolutions were like way back when. Imagine, one person writes a book and somebody else decides they don't like it and can do it better; so they write their own..." or somebody gets annoyed with certain teachings, disagrees and starts their own practice...

Funny how things can put us "off our feed" so to speak.

Thanks always for your insight and your willingness to be human!

Where might one find a list of acceptable places to take a dog, btw? As a puppy, I took mine into businesses. I felt that was more acceptable. As an adult dog, I don't, but sometimes I'd like to. Is there a "rule of thumb"? or is it "if there's not a sign forbidding it, then it's ok"? I'm familliar with the practice of taking your dog with you to outdoor cafes, and I'm sure there are cities that are more doggy-friendly than others. I worked in the restaurant biz for 3 years and harping "unless it is a licensed therapy dog it cannot come in" was part of my regular script, so I've operated on that end of the spectrum, too. It would definitely be nice to know for sure what's acceptable and what's not in which places. I could do more, socialization-wise, that way.