Quote Originally Posted by FrostyPaws View Post
I would probably say I'm a type of hardcore farmer. I don't ruin young dogs. There's simply no point. That's wasteful in the worst possible way.

I will, and do, look at dogs pretty hard I think, but my hard consists of finding like quality dogs to look at mine with. Seeing a dog of mine whip a lower quality dog in schooling is ok at the beginning. It's not ok when I'm deciding to put my money on said animal.

And the dogs that aren't competitive? Well, they get the gameness treatment, and that's where whatever adjective you want to insert cones into play.
I think what you described yourself as is quite different than what Jack was describing as "Hardcore". Even a type of "Hardcore". At least the way I interpreted it anyway.

What you described sounds like a dogman that knows exactly what he is looking for and someone that has a good grasp on what to expect. There is nothing wrong with testing your dogs the proper way when they are ready and "ripe" and have been given the attention that is needed. At least I don't think there is. That is where experience and wisdom comes in to play.

These dogs didn't evolve from good dogmen pussyfooting around and making excuses for dogs that don't measure up. They were molded in the fire of physical and mental struggle, wrought with pain and adversity, for untold years upon years. It needs to be done intelligently and purposefully though, without the ignorance that Jack was describing as "Hardcore".