Owners & trainers 6
I just wanted to add a bit of perspective here for all the TV viewing fans of Cesar Milan. That one hour show you watch, where he 'solves' the dog's problem and transforms it into a rehabilitated creature? Yeah, that show took HOURS to film. And yes, he has been bitten several times using his own methods.
He chased that dog, or ran it, or crowded it, or pestered it, until it was a) exhausted, b) stressed to the point of almost shutting down or c) subdued through persistent dominant behavior on Cesar's part.
Now, you want to know what happened the next day? After the dog had a nice night's sleep? It went back to being the same dog. If ANY changes took hold, it was because the OWNER mimicked Cesar's behavior enough to keep the dog from returning to its usual self.
As we all know, it's up to the OWNER to truly rehabilitate their dog. Does anyone remember the two min pins he worked with? They had some sort of aggression issue. Well, the follow-up to that story is that one of them was put down after its 'rehabilitation' due to ongoing aggression issues.
You CANNOT rehabilitate a dog in one day! So those 'magical' stories are just that - stories. Edited for the viewing public - that's us.
Just keep that in mind when you watch those shows.
Now I'm not saying he's not an effective solution for some dogs. His mantra of "exercise, discipline and affection" is pretty sound, provided your idea of discipline is appropriate for your individual dog and the situation.
Wanda
http://www.havaneseforum.com/showthread.php?t=9206&page=4
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I have never liked Cesar's methods of training. I agree that they are outdated and inhumane. I hope they do stop airing his show. His beliefs just make me so upset. I have trained several dogs using a different method, positive reinforcement and it has not failed yet and not only is it humane but the dogs enjoy it as well.
Mytrixie
http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/training/52189-dog-whisperer-cesar-milan-inhumane.html
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Here's another article. Not that Esquire is an authority on dog training - but Patricia McConnell is quoted and she is definately one of the best in the field. This is packed full of quotes from people who know what they are talking about. Seems like Cesars 15 mins of fame are coming to an end. This show can't end quickly enough for me. If I see one more person walking down the sidewalk constantly leash popping their dog.... The sad part is that National Geographic will probably keep airing the show. He is a big money maker for them and they are apparently more interested in $$$$ than actual science. So sad.
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http://www.esquire.com/features/arti...Whisperer.html
Esquire
Misguided Expert of the Year
The Dog Whisperer Should Just Shut Up
For Cesar Millan, the goateed toughguy, best-selling author, and cable-TV star who throws down pit bulls, it's time for new rules. And for countless dog owners, dog lovers, or stray humans skittish at the big-ass Doberman mix approaching them in the park, it's more than a matter of cult personality. We want our damn dogs to behave, and we're afraid of losing flesh—or of having to surrender "untrainable" dogs to the pound. Problem is, Cesar's ways, experts say, aren't the best ways for dogs. Or for us. Yes, yes, his alphadog training tips make good television and may provide fast results. But what happens when the show's over?
"My position is, Millan is a poseur," Claudia Kawczynska, editor in chief of The Bark magazine, says of the ex–dog groomer. "He is a hairdresser, not the real guy in terms of being an expert. He doesn't have credentials. And it is shocking to me how easily people are ready to fall for it."
With approximately two million strays euthanized in the U. S. each year, Kawczynska sees reason to worry: "He is doing a disservice to the real experts in the field," she says. "He gives quick fixes, but they are not going to be a solution for most families with problem dogs."
Ken Ramirez, an animal behaviorist and the chief animal trainer at Chicago's Shedd Aquarium, believes everyday dog owners need to learn how to better observe and understand their dogs' behavior. Then they can reward the behavior they want and either ignore, avoid, or distract them from unwanted behavior. It's reinforcement versus enforcement. While both he and Millan believe the average dog owner—as well as dog—needs better training, Ramirez remains wary of instructors who yearn to make animals learn through tough-love techniques, or "aversives." "I may teach some of the methods Cesar uses," says Ramirez, who also trains bomb-sniffing dogs and their handlers, "but only as a last resort."
Millan fancies himself a faux wolf by practicing—and promoting—the alpha-dog theory of training, whereby he "joins the pack" and gains dominance. These alphatraining-yanking-learning techniques (in theory) then transfer swiftly to the dogs' owners. All of which makes Millan today a solid B-list Hollywood personality.
"The cause of most behavioral problems is miscommunication and not dominance issues," says Patricia McConnell, Ph.D., associate professor of zoology at the University of Wisconsin and author of For the Love of a Dog: Understanding Emotion in You and Your Best Friend. Either dogs don't know what their owners want, she says, or we inadvertently have taught them to do the wrong thing. "Most behavioral problems can be solved by owners learning how to teach a dog what it is they want, by using the science of how animals learn."
Yet the showmanship continues. On Millan's Dog Whisperer, he goes house to bad-dog house, jerking leashes, shaking scruffs of necks, and throwing the occasional kick—in a wolfmanto-wolfpack fashion, except that the dogs aren't truly fooled. They don't believe he's a dog. What's worse, says Janis Bradley, a San Francisco trainer and author of the helpfully titled Dogs Bite, the dogs often fall into a helpless state Millan calls "calm submission," but what trained behaviorists see as possible chronic stress or "shutdown," which can lead to a dog eventually fighting back.
[later]
And, "to be fair" that is the last type of dog that many trainers would use physical force with. Using a choke collar (or whatever) on an agressive dog can lead to more aggression. In many cases it's a trust issue - that dog no longer trusts humans - and it is up to us to REGAIN that trust. And I can tell you that it's not going to happen with Cesar's methods.
It may say "Do not try this at home" but people do. I constantly run into people with choke collars on their dog jerking on the dog the second it tries to walk in front of them. Meanwhile we walk by nicely with Loki walking slightly in front of me but not pulling on his leash - why? Because we spent many many weeks learning how to "walk nice" And no choke collars were involved. Some lady walked by me with a little mixed breed no bigger than 15 pounds and she was constantly giving him leash corrections. "He pulls my arm off" she said. He's 15 pounds! Secondly - the dog was seriously confused. He had NO idea what he had done wrong. Leash corrections, for those who do use them, require PRECISE timing. The average viewer at home that can go out and buy a choke collar at petsmart is NOT going to have this training. But they try anyway. They see a problem that looks like it's been "fixed" when really they need to work with their dog every day for months to help their dog improve. Just like when a 30 min cooking show turns out a meal that really takes 3 hours. There are a lot of steps missing and no one wants to watch a turkey roast for 3 hours - but that's what it takes to make a good turkey.
Cesar is making it look cool to abuse dogs - physically and emotionally. He is labelling something as "calm, submissive" but really the dogs are shutting down and the problem is NOT fixed. In one episode I saw there was a golden who loved water and would jump in all the time. He was swimming around and looked like he loved it. By the end of the episode the dog looked like he was completely terrified of the water and wouldn't jump in any more. Of course the owners were thrilled because it "solved" the problem but the dog was now completely stressed out around something that was enjoyable to him before. But Cesar described that stressed out dog as being "calm and quiet" People believe that they see on TV. Not everyone goes out and reads books and tries to gather all the information before forming an opinion. That's why he needs to go.
Erin
http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/training/52189-dog-whisperer-cesar-milan-inhumane.html
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He chased that dog, or ran it, or crowded it, or pestered it, until it was a) exhausted, b) stressed to the point of almost shutting down or c) subdued through persistent dominant behavior on Cesar's part.
Now, you want to know what happened the next day? After the dog had a nice night's sleep? It went back to being the same dog. If ANY changes took hold, it was because the OWNER mimicked Cesar's behavior enough to keep the dog from returning to its usual self.
As we all know, it's up to the OWNER to truly rehabilitate their dog. Does anyone remember the two min pins he worked with? They had some sort of aggression issue. Well, the follow-up to that story is that one of them was put down after its 'rehabilitation' due to ongoing aggression issues.
You CANNOT rehabilitate a dog in one day! So those 'magical' stories are just that - stories. Edited for the viewing public - that's us.
Just keep that in mind when you watch those shows.
Now I'm not saying he's not an effective solution for some dogs. His mantra of "exercise, discipline and affection" is pretty sound, provided your idea of discipline is appropriate for your individual dog and the situation.
Wanda
http://www.havaneseforum.com/showthread.php?t=9206&page=4
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I have never liked Cesar's methods of training. I agree that they are outdated and inhumane. I hope they do stop airing his show. His beliefs just make me so upset. I have trained several dogs using a different method, positive reinforcement and it has not failed yet and not only is it humane but the dogs enjoy it as well.
Mytrixie
http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/training/52189-dog-whisperer-cesar-milan-inhumane.html
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here's another article. Not that Esquire is an authority on dog training - but Patricia McConnell is quoted and she is definately one of the best in the field. This is packed full of quotes from people who know what they are talking about. Seems like Cesars 15 mins of fame are coming to an end. This show can't end quickly enough for me. If I see one more person walking down the sidewalk constantly leash popping their dog.... The sad part is that National Geographic will probably keep airing the show. He is a big money maker for them and they are apparently more interested in $$$$ than actual science. So sad.
----------------------
http://www.esquire.com/features/arti...Whisperer.html
Esquire
Misguided Expert of the Year
The Dog Whisperer Should Just Shut Up
For Cesar Millan, the goateed toughguy, best-selling author, and cable-TV star who throws down pit bulls, it's time for new rules. And for countless dog owners, dog lovers, or stray humans skittish at the big-ass Doberman mix approaching them in the park, it's more than a matter of cult personality. We want our damn dogs to behave, and we're afraid of losing flesh—or of having to surrender "untrainable" dogs to the pound. Problem is, Cesar's ways, experts say, aren't the best ways for dogs. Or for us. Yes, yes, his alphadog training tips make good television and may provide fast results. But what happens when the show's over?
"My position is, Millan is a poseur," Claudia Kawczynska, editor in chief of The Bark magazine, says of the ex–dog groomer. "He is a hairdresser, not the real guy in terms of being an expert. He doesn't have credentials. And it is shocking to me how easily people are ready to fall for it."
With approximately two million strays euthanized in the U. S. each year, Kawczynska sees reason to worry: "He is doing a disservice to the real experts in the field," she says. "He gives quick fixes, but they are not going to be a solution for most families with problem dogs."
Ken Ramirez, an animal behaviorist and the chief animal trainer at Chicago's Shedd Aquarium, believes everyday dog owners need to learn how to better observe and understand their dogs' behavior. Then they can reward the behavior they want and either ignore, avoid, or distract them from unwanted behavior. It's reinforcement versus enforcement. While both he and Millan believe the average dog owner—as well as dog—needs better training, Ramirez remains wary of instructors who yearn to make animals learn through tough-love techniques, or "aversives." "I may teach some of the methods Cesar uses," says Ramirez, who also trains bomb-sniffing dogs and their handlers, "but only as a last resort."
Millan fancies himself a faux wolf by practicing—and promoting—the alpha-dog theory of training, whereby he "joins the pack" and gains dominance. These alphatraining-yanking-learning techniques (in theory) then transfer swiftly to the dogs' owners. All of which makes Millan today a solid B-list Hollywood personality.
"The cause of most behavioral problems is miscommunication and not dominance issues," says Patricia McConnell, Ph.D., associate professor of zoology at the University of Wisconsin and author of For the Love of a Dog: Understanding Emotion in You and Your Best Friend. Either dogs don't know what their owners want, she says, or we inadvertently have taught them to do the wrong thing. "Most behavioral problems can be solved by owners learning how to teach a dog what it is they want, by using the science of how animals learn."
Yet the showmanship continues. On Millan's Dog Whisperer, he goes house to bad-dog house, jerking leashes, shaking scruffs of necks, and throwing the occasional kick—in a wolfmanto-wolfpack fashion, except that the dogs aren't truly fooled. They don't believe he's a dog. What's worse, says Janis Bradley, a San Francisco trainer and author of the helpfully titled Dogs Bite, the dogs often fall into a helpless state Millan calls "calm submission," but what trained behaviorists see as possible chronic stress or "shutdown," which can lead to a dog eventually fighting back.
[later]
And, "to be fair" that is the last type of dog that many trainers would use physical force with. Using a choke collar (or whatever) on an agressive dog can lead to more aggression. In many cases it's a trust issue - that dog no longer trusts humans - and it is up to us to REGAIN that trust. And I can tell you that it's not going to happen with Cesar's methods.
It may say "Do not try this at home" but people do. I constantly run into people with choke collars on their dog jerking on the dog the second it tries to walk in front of them. Meanwhile we walk by nicely with Loki walking slightly in front of me but not pulling on his leash - why? Because we spent many many weeks learning how to "walk nice" And no choke collars were involved. Some lady walked by me with a little mixed breed no bigger than 15 pounds and she was constantly giving him leash corrections. "He pulls my arm off" she said. He's 15 pounds! Secondly - the dog was seriously confused. He had NO idea what he had done wrong. Leash corrections, for those who do use them, require PRECISE timing. The average viewer at home that can go out and buy a choke collar at petsmart is NOT going to have this training. But they try anyway. They see a problem that looks like it's been "fixed" when really they need to work with their dog every day for months to help their dog improve. Just like when a 30 min cooking show turns out a meal that really takes 3 hours. There are a lot of steps missing and no one wants to watch a turkey roast for 3 hours - but that's what it takes to make a good turkey.
Cesar is making it look cool to abuse dogs - physically and emotionally. He is labelling something as "calm, submissive" but really the dogs are shutting down and the problem is NOT fixed. In one episode I saw there was a golden who loved water and would jump in all the time. He was swimming around and looked like he loved it. By the end of the episode the dog looked like he was completely terrified of the water and wouldn't jump in any more. Of course the owners were thrilled because it "solved" the problem but the dog was now completely stressed out around something that was enjoyable to him before. But Cesar described that stressed out dog as being "calm and quiet" People believe that they see on TV. Not everyone goes out and reads books and tries to gather all the information before forming an opinion. That's why he needs to go.
Erin
http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/training/52189-dog-whisperer-cesar-milan-inhumane.html
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