When I first started out in Flyball, I was 14 and Gonzo was 1 1/2. He had been through basic Obedience, but I was very inexperienced and he was a rambunctious BC puppy. When the other dogs were running, he would cry and get overly excited because he wanted to run with them. I would stand back from the group and play with him, give him treats and distract him rather than allow him to get worked up.
Well... one of the members of the team, who was also involved with BC rescue and had several show Border Collies, told me I was babying him and I needed to teach him to behave. Ok. So she gave me a thin show choke and showed me how to give him a collar correction when ever he was barking/whining/reacting to the other running dogs. He would actually yelp when I did it but the behavior wasn't getting any better, and it made me feel horrible. She was actually shocked that after weeks, it was not helping him at all... I guess she was accustomed to her low drive fluffy BCs. I was stupid for being so naive and following her condescending advice. After a few weeks of that, I noticed Gonzo was no longer just excited and bouncy - he was lunging - he was reactive because of the pain and frustration I was forcing on him. Never again!
There's also the guy at the dog park, who preaches about Cesar Millan 24/7. He has a skittish, obese BC who will just sit with a ball in her mouth and guard it the entire time they're there. I told him I had a BC, too, but the dog park isn't his cup of tea. "Why?" Well... he gets overwhelmed by large groups of strange dogs, and he has been attacked at the dog park, and some dogs don't appreciate his herding behaviors. "Oh, you just need to show him who's pack leader. Just watch the Dog Whisperer... it's on National Geographic... at 7 pm on Sunday nights... yadadada" Um, I've seen it, and I'm not a fan of physically punishing my dogs. "It's not using force! It's being alpha!" Yeah, well, grabbing, scruffing, slapping and pinning dogs on their backs actually is pretty forceful. "Dogs pin each other on their backs all the time!" It went on forever and he actually started cursing at me! A 55 year-old man in a hawaiian shirt and a fanny pack! My friend was giving me dirty looks the whole time because she wanted to get out of there... but ugh... I just can't stand people spewing ignorant crap like that, when so many people will actually believe it. D:<