Cesar Millan Dog Whisperer

UKTigerlily

MrsTine wrote: »

Wow was thinking the CM thing hadn't cropped up for a while
I'm firmly in the Cesar camp However - despite my admiration for his methods then I always tell anyone that they shouldn't use any of his methods without first discussing with a professional trainer. Mainly because a lot of people misdiagnose the cause of the dogs problem - not because his methods are "cruel" or "wrong" - but unless you are experienced enough to recognise what is causing the behaviour then you could be doing more harm than good.

Is my dog 100%? Heck no She STILL has dog aggression issues BUT we're making slow progress all the time - both due to understanding that WE are the pack leaders and she ought to listen to us... but also with the help of a professional dog trainer here. Whilst her methods are certainly not Cesars, then it's easy to see that the principles are similar. Instead of water or training disks or whatever - Cesar uses touch to correct or snap a dog out of the state it's in. Yes he uses his feet, but he doesn't KICK the dog, he taps it with the heel. I've seen the episode with the shock collar - it was a tool the owner had already used and the dog was putting it's life in extreem danger with it's obsession and this was his reason for using the "shock" collar - which he demonstrated on his own hand first.
The prong collars... usually these are already being used (and often incorrectly!) by the owners... and a lot of the time if they are not working or the dog is not reacting well to it then Cesar slips a cheap leash over the dogs head instead and uses that leaving the prong collar on but not using it.
Anyway... everyone has their own views... there are plenty of training methods I don't like or think are counter productive... and personally I think people dressing small dogs in pink outfits and keeping them in special handbags are FAR more cruel than Cesar (whom I don't think is in the least cruel...).

But Chaya *likes* her pink coat! I think i'll have to buy a bag to carry her in though I never thought of that!

tru

I love Cesar Millan

I've never owned a dog (though the out-laws did, pets and guide dogs - MIL was blind - so I learned a bit about dogs from them).

Anyway, you're all gonna laugh at me now We have a very hyper, naughty guinea pig who is a real bully, I tried a couple of Cesar's doggy methods on the GP and it worked :rotfl:

MrsTinks

UKTigerlily wrote: »

But Chaya *likes* her pink coat! I think i'll have to buy a bag to carry her in though I never thought of that!

LOL chaya also isn't carried everywhere in case her ickle wickle pawsies get dirty or she might meet another dog one day

DKLS

foreign_correspondent wrote: »

hmm -I havent watched him much, and I have no doubt that he has some understanding of dogs,

Some???? he has a natural ability that I have never seen before in any dog trainer, he can spot an nervous, aggressive, dominant case from 300yds away.

Shambler

I did see Cesar use a shock collar once but that was only when the dog was at extreme risk from its own behaviour (chasing tractors) and had already been hit and injured by one.

The collar proved very effective indeed.

I would use some of his methods if I ever get a dog again.

Topdogfran

Here’s the link to a Seattle news show that questioned the Dog Whisperer’s methods



http://www.komonews.com/home/video/37440019.html?video=pop&t=a



The host, Joel Moreno, problemsolvers@komo4news.com, has been receiving hate mail from Cesar’s fans. If you approve of the piece, please think about sending Joel an email. He could use some positive reinforcement. A good thing: He’s thinking of doing a follow up to this since he’s received SO MUCH mail about it.

twinklie

As somebody thats studied both animal and human behaviour, I find this debate really interesting. Please keep your opinions coming.

Akom

twinklie wrote: »

As somebody thats studied both animal and human behaviour, I find this debate really interesting. Please keep your opinions coming.

I wonder if sometimes it's hard to tell the difference :rotfl:

Hawthorn

Yeah, the dogs are more civilised LOL.

Personally, I like Cesar Milan. I have used some of his methods, with great success. I wouldn't attempt to roll the dog unless it was really really necessary though, purely because I wouldn't feel confident doing it, which is more than likely counterproductive.

I honestly think there is a huge link, between the 'leaders' mood, and the dogs mood.
A couple of examples - I suffer from anxiety, when around a lot of people. I took my dog to the village centre which is quite busy. By the end of it, she was shaking and anxious to get home. As was I, it has to be said.
If I get stressed, she has a tendency to tail spin.
I had a bit of a breakdown (understatement LOL) in November - she started messing in the house again, and was spinning a lot, plus a couple of other things.

I think being aware of how you're feeling when around your dog is important from my observations - this I learned from CM. Something that I'd not previously seen mentioned (mind you, my family subscribe to Barbara Woodhouse methods...SSIIIIIT, STAY)

I suppose you have to bear in mind, that these dogs he is dealing with usually have severe problems - that's why he is there. The methods may seem extreme to some, but then the problem is extreme. I wouldn't imagine he uses some of the more extreme techniques with a well balanced dog.

You know, going back to the human thing, though I subscribe to the dogs definately aren't human and shouldn't be treated as such, camp, what happens if a person is showing aggression towards another person? Say they were waving a weapon around - remember a dogs weapon is it's teeth. The police would come in, and they would take that person down, and restrain them. They likely as not wouldn't say, now come on, have a treat, yah de yah da.
Dogs understand actions, and body language, far better than we as people do. This IS their native language.
I reckon if they could talk, they could teach us a lot actually LOL.

h4zel

I love him and think he's great! ...and if anyone thinks any of his methods are "cruel" then you will obviously think that all dogs are "cruel" because if you read his book (which is fantastic BTW) you would know that as a child he grew up watching & observing the behaviour of packs of dog (real dogs I mean, not the one's in pink collars & bows!) and everything he does to re-educate the dogs now is BASED ON THE BEHAVIOUR OF DOGS! ie how dogs are supposed to behave with each other, BEFORE humans decided to interfere!

All he is doing is correcting what WE as humans have done to the dogs.