_Janet Farricelli CPDT-KA
_
Greetings, I am a certified dog trainer (CPDT-KA) who would feel much honored if you could place my opinion, backed up by facts, on Cesar Millan's training methods. Please let me know if my article can be put on your great website so to help educate people on his outdated training and explain why it seems to work, many thanks!
While Cesar Millan is a charismatic character that appears to have special resources when it comes to solving behavioral problems in dogs, his methods, though they may appear effective, are in reality quite deceiving. Spectators watching his show tend to be quite amazed at how he fixes problems in a relatively short period of time, with almost the magic touch of an illusionist, but it is unfortunate that his shows are more for entertainment purposes than anything else and his methods are quite outdated and frowned upon by many dog trainers and professional dog behaviorists.Truth is, what may appear like a dog responding to his ''calm, assertive energy'' is in reality a dog who is shutting down, a phenomena known as ''learned helplessness'' which takes place when a dog is repeatedly exposed to aversion and has no escape.
Evaluating the Effectiveness of Cesar Millan's Training Methods•
A Size Fits All Training MethodCesar Millan tends to apply his methods in a ''size fits all'' manner, almost with ''cookie-cutter'' precision that applies to all dogs, regardless if the dog is fearful, aggressive, boisterous, fearful, or down right anxious. This certainly causes much problems. These damages may not be visible right away or they may not be recognized by inexperienced viewers. Truth is, dogs in his hands tend to send a lot of important stress signals (calming signals) that are in most cases ignored.
• Over Use of Alpha RollsCesar Millan tends to use abuse ''alpha rolling'' which is an outdated and downright dangerous training method. The technique which consists of putting the dog on its back and holding it down with the hand until it submits, was first introduced by the Monks of New Skete, but even later the author of the book admitted it was not a good method. The belief that alpha rolling is successful is based on the fact that studies of years ago demonstrated that wolves resorted to this method to ''correct'' and put into place another method of the pack.
However, these studies are outdated and were conducted on wolves in captivity when instead David Mech's studies on groups of wolves in nature revealed a whole different story. Mech indeed discovered that wolves in nature do not tend to use violence but rather use more their body language to solve conflicts. This is known as ''ritualized aggression''. Mech also discovered that there was no such thing as the ''alpha wolf'' but rather a breeding pair that ruled the pack which was more of a family structure. Cesar Millan still bases his corrections on the outdated authoritarian alpha wolf role model.
The tugging on the leash, choking, use of choke chains, the alpha rolls, the kicking that Cesar Millan uses, are all part of a repertoire of training methods that were used more than 20 years ago in dog training. Thankfully, trainers have made progress and discovered that better results were obtained by using positive reinforcement training versus the aversive pre-historic methods of the past. Just when progress was made, Cesar Millan came into the picture and as expected, more and more dog owners are willing to use his methods (which should not be tried at home, as the disclaimer on his show says, but obviously it is known many will not listen) with the end result of bringing dog training back to how it was twenty years ago.The truth is that today, they are many better scientifically approved training methods out there. Of course, not all that Cesar does is wrong; his thoughts on the importance of walking dogs is a blessing for dog owners who tend to think a back yard will suffice, and also, his theories on exercise, discipline and then affection may help owners who tend to forget that a dog is a not a human in furry clothing.Dr. Nicholas Dodman, Director of Animal Behaviour Clinic at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine claims that Millan's methods are based on flooding and punishment, and therefore the results, though immediate, will only be transitory. He also claims that ''his methods are outmoded, dangerous and often inhuman and the saddest part is the public does not recognise the error of his ways".
Janet Farricelli CPDT-KA
Dog Training and Dog Psychology Channel Manager
http://www.helium.com/users/29413
Greetings, I am a certified dog trainer (CPDT-KA) who would feel much honored if you could place my opinion, backed up by facts, on Cesar Millan's training methods. Please let me know if my article can be put on your great website so to help educate people on his outdated training and explain why it seems to work, many thanks!
While Cesar Millan is a charismatic character that appears to have special resources when it comes to solving behavioral problems in dogs, his methods, though they may appear effective, are in reality quite deceiving. Spectators watching his show tend to be quite amazed at how he fixes problems in a relatively short period of time, with almost the magic touch of an illusionist, but it is unfortunate that his shows are more for entertainment purposes than anything else and his methods are quite outdated and frowned upon by many dog trainers and professional dog behaviorists.Truth is, what may appear like a dog responding to his ''calm, assertive energy'' is in reality a dog who is shutting down, a phenomena known as ''learned helplessness'' which takes place when a dog is repeatedly exposed to aversion and has no escape.
Evaluating the Effectiveness of Cesar Millan's Training Methods•
A Size Fits All Training MethodCesar Millan tends to apply his methods in a ''size fits all'' manner, almost with ''cookie-cutter'' precision that applies to all dogs, regardless if the dog is fearful, aggressive, boisterous, fearful, or down right anxious. This certainly causes much problems. These damages may not be visible right away or they may not be recognized by inexperienced viewers. Truth is, dogs in his hands tend to send a lot of important stress signals (calming signals) that are in most cases ignored.
• Over Use of Alpha RollsCesar Millan tends to use abuse ''alpha rolling'' which is an outdated and downright dangerous training method. The technique which consists of putting the dog on its back and holding it down with the hand until it submits, was first introduced by the Monks of New Skete, but even later the author of the book admitted it was not a good method. The belief that alpha rolling is successful is based on the fact that studies of years ago demonstrated that wolves resorted to this method to ''correct'' and put into place another method of the pack.
However, these studies are outdated and were conducted on wolves in captivity when instead David Mech's studies on groups of wolves in nature revealed a whole different story. Mech indeed discovered that wolves in nature do not tend to use violence but rather use more their body language to solve conflicts. This is known as ''ritualized aggression''. Mech also discovered that there was no such thing as the ''alpha wolf'' but rather a breeding pair that ruled the pack which was more of a family structure. Cesar Millan still bases his corrections on the outdated authoritarian alpha wolf role model.
The tugging on the leash, choking, use of choke chains, the alpha rolls, the kicking that Cesar Millan uses, are all part of a repertoire of training methods that were used more than 20 years ago in dog training. Thankfully, trainers have made progress and discovered that better results were obtained by using positive reinforcement training versus the aversive pre-historic methods of the past. Just when progress was made, Cesar Millan came into the picture and as expected, more and more dog owners are willing to use his methods (which should not be tried at home, as the disclaimer on his show says, but obviously it is known many will not listen) with the end result of bringing dog training back to how it was twenty years ago.The truth is that today, they are many better scientifically approved training methods out there. Of course, not all that Cesar does is wrong; his thoughts on the importance of walking dogs is a blessing for dog owners who tend to think a back yard will suffice, and also, his theories on exercise, discipline and then affection may help owners who tend to forget that a dog is a not a human in furry clothing.Dr. Nicholas Dodman, Director of Animal Behaviour Clinic at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine claims that Millan's methods are based on flooding and punishment, and therefore the results, though immediate, will only be transitory. He also claims that ''his methods are outmoded, dangerous and often inhuman and the saddest part is the public does not recognise the error of his ways".
Janet Farricelli CPDT-KA
Dog Training and Dog Psychology Channel Manager
http://www.helium.com/users/29413