Tonight Seattle’s KOMO 4 News had a segment about the controversy behind Dog Whisperer Cesar Millan’s methods. I can’t seem to embed this video, so here’s the link.
I’m glad they mention that nobody’s questioning Cesar Millan’s intentions, only his methods. I think everyone agrees Cesar wants what’s best for the dogs, he just may not be going about it in the best way possible.
I couldn’t agree more. I was just watching the show and had to turn it off. I didn’t see training so much as I saw the seeds of animal abuse being planted in the minds of owners everywhere. The “blocking” method using the legs… call it what you want, but kicking your dog is still kicking your dog, no matter what label you give it. Like I said, I couldn’t watch it. And the leash jerking. How many dogs have crushed windpipes or severely injured necks as a result of this? Are there any stats on that, because I have no doubt it is happening.
While his intentions are pure, his methods disturb me. I prefer “It’s Me or the Dog” on Animal Planet for training tips. Victoria Stillwell’s method of positive reinforcement is the only kind of training my puppy responds to.
I’m very happy to have read your posts. Thank you for raising this issue, it needs to be discussed.
Ugh… leash jerking. From my Cesar days I have the most guilt about leash jerking. What was I thinking?
I like Victoria too. What’s nice is that even if people don’t know how to do exactly what she does, they won’t hurt their dog when they’re trying to do it.
Thanks for reading and commenting!
for me, it’s not a one size fits all world. Dogs are all different and how they respond to training – i’ve tried positive reinforcement but our dog only responds to a firm dominant command. after many different collars, only the pinch collar works so he doesn’t end up choking himself. as a dog owner, it’s up to you to find your way in the wild world of dog training. The most important thing is you train your dog – nothing worse than untrained dogs – now THAT’s abuse.
Have you tried a positive training class? There is definitely an art to it. I never would have been able to do it without the class.
Class? oh yes.
There seems to be some confusion here about the dogs Cesar Millan is working with on his show. These are not puppies, and he clarifies that he is not offering “dog training” instruction. These dogs are, by definition, out of control in one way or another. Both the dogs and the owners are deeply unhappy with the current situation. Many of the owners have already tried both dog-training classes and hiring at least one professional trainer. A good number of these dogs are one step away from being “given away”, i.e. given to a shelter and then euthanized, or being simply euthanized, often on the advice of the family vet. If you watch the show carefully, you will see that Cesar never touches a dog in anger, nor does he physically hurt the dog. The only negative I can think of to his method is that the owner may not be able to maintain the resolved situation on his own, because these methods work only when the owner’s energy is genuinely calm and assertive.
Hey thanks for commenting Carole!
You make a really good point!
Cesar does sort of ride the line on this one. Not all of the dogs on his show are red zone dogs, some just need small behavioral modifications. And his books are definitely targeted at the general public, and very much advise attitudes and actions that might very well lead an owner to abuse their dog.
But I think you have a good way of looking at it. And for people to understand that the dogs Cesar works with are generally not their dog would be a good thing. I see on the forums people referring to their 12 week old puppy as dominant or having aggression problems, but their dog is just doing normal puppy things, and they don’t know how to deal with it. It’s kind of sad.
You know the saying, “When you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail?” I think that you have really pointed out that people are doing that with Cesar Millan.
Honestly, the only problem with Cesar Millan’s show is that it is watched by people who are not professionals, and who actually want to dominate their dogs rather than have harmony and peace with them. I would say 96% of people – and not neccessarily ” bad” people – want to have control over their dogs in an agressive way. It’s the human obsession with power coming in: ” Hey, my Irish Wolfhound is bigger than me, but I’m going to control it and make it scared of me and need me. That makes me powerful.” WRONG! This will make your dog insecure and fearful, and any insecure dog ( whether it’s an African Mastiff or a Papillon) is dangerous.
In my mind, Cesar teaches ENERGY RATHER THAN FORCE 99% of the time. However, a lot of us homo sapians don’t understand the difference. People hear Cesar talking about ” projecting a dominant energy”, and see him authoritatively stepping towards a disodediant dog with a sharp “pisst!” and a snap of his fingers. Unfortunatly, they emulate this calm show of dominance by CHARGING towards their ” bad” dogs, giving out an angered and alariming hiss, and snapping their fingers right in the dogs face. I’ve seen this SO many times. This is NOT what Cesar does. It’s because most people see dominance as FORCE, not ENERGY.
I guess the real problem is when people try and BE Cesar when in reality they have no experience and, worst of all, have no idea how to guage what is appropriete trainning methods for their dogs breed.
That’s what makes me think the show should be stressing ‘NON-PROFESSIONALS: DON’T TRY THIS AT HOME!’
But that’s an interesting problem. If his methods are so easy to misuse and people should not try it at home, maybe they’re just bad methods?
And what is Cesar’s goal in making a TV show, selling books, and selling products. Isn’t it to get people to try his methods? Well, it’s to make money of course, but through getting people to try his methods in spite of the fact that they’re hightly unlikely to be successful.
What has this world come to when now ppl are being judged for disciplining your animal, not harsh but the way ceasar milan corrects dogs I don’t see anything harsh about how he trains animals. Ppl are sick!! Another thing: In the bible it says to correct your child with a rod not in anger & not abuse but I am looked at wrong for correcting my child in public. Why are people trying to come up with many ways to judge a person. Now I have seen abuse right in my face and I won’t stand for it, but C’mon ppl are acting as correcting your child or your pet is so wrong, get over it ppl. I was at petsmart the other day and my dogs were acting as if they never seen another dog I was telling them to hush while tapping them not punching or abusing them, they are my babies but they were out of hand & I had to make them stop some how, & this lady got so mad at me & threatened to call the cops, lol. This is too much for me, I wanted to slap some sense to her….this is too much. I will be judged by God one day for all the things I have done here on earth how I was as a person, If I was walking as the reflection of Jesus, did I feed & clothe the people in need, did I serve people who needed to be served, did I give my tithes & offerings, did I obey my parents, did I humble myself for Him. I am not perfect I will fail here or there but when God see’s in how I corrected my child or pet, will that be negative to HIM, I will only know when I am there, & if one of those times I did it with anger yes I am guilty then, but not when I did it with love to help my child or pet, thats totally ridiculous how people think of it though. God forgive me if I have offended you with this blog but I am so frustrated in how this country is becoming!!! All of Gods laws are going down the drain and people are just rebelling on what our forefathers wrote “One nation under God but is that being kept no, ppl want God out.
Hey Marie, thanks for commenting. With regard to dog training I think the question everyone should ask themselves is whether there is a better, gentler, and more fun way to train their dog than their current methods. People who use positive training know there is a better way than Cesar Millan’s. My question to you is, if you find out there is a way to reduce undesirable behaviors without even touching your dog, why wouldn’t you want to learn how?
I personally am an atheist, but I think if there is a God, he will judge us on how much effort we put into being better people who try their hardest to be gentle to other people, to dogs, and other creatures. Image how proud God would be if you managed to find a way more productive and better than physical punishment to work with your dogs and your kids.