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Thank you all for your remarkable support over the years! I cannot express enough how grateful I am for your appreciation and patronage of this channel, my training style, and my kennel. Always remember, it’s a great day for a puppy-sized adventure!

I agree 100%, “exercise exposes issues.”
I am a Physiotherapist and I tell that to my patients everyday.

I've had a bunch of labs.  My current chocolate lab started going on adventures when she was 8 weeks old.  We stopped in a national park on the way from the breeder and she started learning from my other dog right then and there.  

By the time she was 14 weeks old, she had been in 3 national parks, 2 national wildlife refuges,  seen bears, gators, otters, snapping turtles, and more.  

She started on the agility equipment at 14 weeks (at an age appropriate level, of course).  By the time Dixie was 6 months old, there wasn't much in the world that she hadn't seen.  Trains, cars, cornfields, crowds, stores, you name it.  

Guess what?  She is the happiest, healthiest dog I've ever had.  She has the confidence to tackle any situation with style.  She'll try anything I ask.  Why?  She trusts me, as Stonnie says, to never put her in a position that will harm her.  Sure, dad, I'll try that!

That leads her being willing to try new things.  She trusts that the game is a good idea  and she knows she has the ability, whatever it is.

She has awesome proprioception which leads to more confidence and the ability to excel in anything physical.  Would she have been this way if I didn't socialize her and expose her to the world?  I doubt it.  

And by the way, guess what she isn't?  Fat!  I was at the vet the other day and he commented, "it's such a relief to see a lab that isn't overweight!"

Stonnie, I couldn't agree with you more.  Too many people teach their dogs and their children to be timid in life.  Let's think about our responsibility to the kid or the dog and do what we can to teach them how to function at a high level in this big world of ours.

I thought when people say to restrict exercise, they mean don't take your 8-week-old puppy out for a 5-mile run. There's a difference between letting them exercise and forcing them to exercise.

When I adopted my Catahoula/BMC mix she was 3 and from a shelter. She had never seen stairs. I lived in a 3rd floor apartment with no elevator. It never even occurred to me that a dog could have no experience with stairs. I carried her (50lbs) for 2 days before I was done. I leaned heavily into exposure at that point. She went to the park and walked, but also just observed her surroundings while sitting down. A lot of times the behaviors and reactivity are triggered by lack of exposure. The more they see the less exciting things are, the calmer life is.

What stuck with me is that exercise isn’t just about burning energy — it’s about building habits, confidence, and connection. And the reminder that socialization is time-sensitive hit home.

I’m in England and we just got a working line Labrador puppy a couple of weeks ago - we have been out adventuring straight away, learning and having fun.  You have been a massive influence and inspiration, your videos never fail to bring joy to learning ❤

Stonnie I just watched a documentary I think you would enjoy. It's called "Happy People: A Year in the Taiga". It's about trappers/hunters in Siberia. A big part of the movie is their relationship with their dogs. One of the guys says "if you take a puppy in the house, and raise it there for 6 months, it can never handle the Taiga".

My last puppy ‘Ella’ (Aust Kelpie) came adventuring with me and had boundless energy to run, bush-walk, kayak, swim, climb, bounce, retrieve and play with her beach-friends, which I believed was good for her. At 13 months she injured her knee and had several surgeries, then went on to have a long and wonderful life. But I spent that dog’s whole life beating the shit out of myself because I was told I shouldn’t have exercised her so much as a puppy - I believed it even though I’d done the same with all of my Kelpies and a Jack Russell. In this video you said, “Exercise will bring out problems in the puppy, not cause them”.  I’m not going to hold on to that guilt for another minute! Thank you Stonnie 😊 🐶

I agree with the exercise and socialization that you show on your videos. You are developing their confidence and also their coordination. However some new pet owners don't use common sense. When you say puppies need to get out and exercise, some people will take it to mean exercise like they themselves would exercise. I know a few who wanted a dog to run with them went they went out running, and they would get a puppy and take it running with them to "learn how to run with them". Miles of continuous running on hard pavement is not good for developing bodies of young (<1 yr) dogs.

I let my nine month old Swissy get the zoomies in a ploughed field. He fell over twice in the first minute but soon learned how to navigate the mounds & ruts and then used them to his advantage  to boost off and over. It was magical to watch him learning in such a small time frame. A small risk of a  pull or trauma yes, but he's still like elastic at the moment and I'd rather he learn now than when he's 18 months old and carrying most of his adult weight & bulk. Learning by doing at it's best 😉

Showing this little curly coated girl going through the tunnel is brilliant.

My German shepherd pup is now 7 1/2 months old. I have been taking him to  city parks where there are children’s playgrounds. He goes up the stairs and down small slides. Different parks have different toys that I can put him on for enrichment. Before he had all his vaccinations, when I watched one of stony’s videos about going to a skate park to help your dog, I would take him to the skate park and let him go up and down and over the ramps. He really enjoys it.

I totally agree with this common sense!
I shudder to think how many people think they're doing their dog good by leaving them in a crate all day :(
The puppies in your video are some lucky dogs

Stonnie, certain dogs I work with I use a bicycle to teach them rules and obedience. I generally start by walking the dog along with the bike and when they are ready we go 5-8 mph at their natural pace. Many people say this running is bad for puppies. I give dogs freedom from their home life and improve their physiology and social skills. We all need appropriate exercise and puppies need to start training and working. I’ve heard it all before vets, breeders, trainers and owners. Accidents and falls are the only trauma caused by exercise in the environment.

I’m guessing the owner of the largest black dog- my guy plays intense frisbee three times a day, goes on community trails, gets socialized in parking lots when we pick up groceries where we sometimes meet homeless individuals when walking around buildings- he’s a Black Czech line GSD and I’ve done these types of things with him from 8 weeks of age.  Love this dog

I've met these people that say puppys shoulndt do anything, with out exception they either dont own dogs or have dogs where the dog walks them not the other way around and they are constantly complaining about their dogs bad behaivor.
I'm watching your videos with my 2 year old golden retriver (she likes watching the puppys on the tv:)  that i trained using methods like yours.

I used the "superdog" program from the army training guidlines which is basicly just what stoney teaches but writen down as a rule set so every army solider can do it and not mess it up.

We have a Bernese mountain dog that is now 7 months old.  Folks told us the same thing about not letting climb steps and everything else.  Didn't really agree with those opinions.  At this point we think he is half billy goat!!  His strength and agility is incredible.  It is amazing what he climbs.  Just waiting to see him in a tree like a cat.  Thanks for the content, this is the first I came across your page.

13:50 stonnie is just chatting away. Meanwhile that little gold pup is having the struggle and subsequent revelation of his little life to date 😂

Thanks so much for your videos Stonnie! ...I have a 10 week old Hungarian Vizsla who loooves adventuring on the hills at our place in New Zealand. I've been keeping his walks relatively short at his pace due to the advice not to over exercise but he hasn't read the 'expert' advice and runs around with the zoomies jumping and sprinting back and forth in the grass. He's in his element and needs to get it out of his system before he can relax. If I try and put him to bed too soon he's frustrated so I've just let him do his thing at his pace. Thanks for easing my mind that it is ok to let a puppy be a puppy and express his little wild and free spirit! :)