Owners and trainers comments from messageboards etc
From http://thebark.typepad.com/barking/2006/05/more_on_millan_.html
I must say, it's a bit disappointing to see how easily people believe what they see on TV. What exactly is it that makes one believe that watching him work with a dog for a half hour to an hour is actually FIXING the dog's problem? It's too bad that what the audience doesn't see are the trainers who then have to deal with the dogs and their REAL problems after the filming ends at other facilities. Because he doesn't "solve" problems, maybe for one or two dogs it works, but it is said and known that there are trainers out there picking up the mess that Millan left off after he filmed. Be careful what you see on TV - it's not all as it appears.
Secondly, for anyone who says that reward-based training does not work, I'm sorry to say you have done it incorrectly then. And that is not to offend, but that is sheer truth. Operant conditioning (the scientific term for clicker training) works the same way on all animals, no matter the species. Dolphins, birds, rats, cougars. Dogs are no different. There are not "some dogs who don't respond to reward training", and "some who do". There are people who know how to use the science, and there are people who don't. And that's what it comes down to, incorrect use of the science, incorrectly trying to use the training method, it's not a problem with the training method. I have not yet seen in my experience a dog that did not respond to clicker training when it was done properly. Even dogs who are fearful of the clicker itself come around and do miracles. And in the end, it has nothing to do with "dominance" or "calm, assertive energy", or other outdated ideas. It has to do with the laws of learning, based on decades and decades of research across hundreds of species of animals. Plain and simple.
So while you may feed into the myth of dominance if you really wish, please don't try to blame the training method when you can't get it to work. Because the science doesn't lie.
Kim MacMillan, May 25, 2006
Lisa wrote:
I have to undo what people do to their dog's thinking his methods are genius. A lot of us who work as positive reinforcement trainers watch his show like most people watch horror movies. "No don't go in the barn..." We are like, "Look at the way that dog is crouching..no don't...I can't watch.."
The signs some of these dog shows are signs of possibly creating a whole other behavior problem.
When someone in my class has a lab puppy they insist on walking in such a tight heel that the dog's paws are barely touching the ground because he saw it on the show, I have to explain to him that Ceasar trains the dogs on a short leash because they have behavior issues...and even then some of the methods are a little outdated. The problem is for some reason people can't process the fact that A) we are not seeing the FAILED clients of his. B)People are trying these things on puppies because they saw this guy do it. Why do I have to spell it out for people? This guy is making me work twice as hard in my classes because instead of training clean slates I have to spend 20 minutes explaining to my class why we don't do it "Ceasar's Way", because we don't need to.
We discuss a little about dominance but I warn them to never do the BS alpha rolls and scruff shakes. I tell them stories about how I was shown to do that on an aggressive dog and it backfired.
Lisa, Jul 26, 2006
The following were posted at:
http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=4573367&blogId=450578563
I, too, was first seduced by Cesar's show when it first aired, but then I started researching other trainers' and animal behavioralists' methods and opinions and quickly realized that Cesar's "way" isn't really a good way to make your dog obey you.
Anne, November 23, 2008
I agree, there is nothing scientific that Cesar Milan is doing many thinks he is doing good, however, the question that remains is what does he do to these animals off camera. I have to agree about about him inhumanly treating these animals.
Roger Cotterman
April 25, 2009
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I hate Cesar Millan for this stupid show and all the harm it has caused dogs by well-meaning owners who think they can do the same thing with no behavioral or training knowledge. I'd like to strangle the man and his producers.
My neighbor watched this show and thought he could do this to my dog and got bitten VERY BADLY.
DO NOT DO THIS AT HOME. You are ruining the relationship between you and your dog. Enroll him in training classes with a professional.
Pythones
http://id.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070508085354AA0hQk0
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I wouldn't say I hate Cesar Millan but I certainly hate his techniques. They are outdated and cruel, he doesn't rehabilitate dogs, he bullies them. Having rehabilitated a few aggresive dogs in my time I can honestly say his techniques are not needed, in any situation. He is often over forceful with dogs that have what I would consider minor problems.
I must admit to not knowing he used prong collars but it doesn't shock me. If he has such a great way with dogs why does he need to use a prong collar or e-collar? He's not a true 'dog person', he doesn't truely understand dogs and so he has to resort to outdated bullish tactics to get them to behave.
He works on the principle that dogs are purely pack animals which is an outdated theory, completely disproven numerous years ago. Dogs are social animals first and foremost, their whole lives do not evolve around pack structure. Dominance is an intraspecific behaviour and does not apply to the canine-human relationship.
His techniques work for one simple reason, the dogs are scared of him. What really showed his lack of ability was when he administered e-collars onto all of his dogs in order to train them to avoid snakes. There was no immediate danger, he could have took the time to train them positively to avoid snakes, but no an e-collar is used for a quick fix, pathetic.
Bordercollieboy
http://www.petforums.co.uk/general-chat/21667-cesar-millian-8.html#post415417
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