ceaser millan / the dog whisperer

[GypsyGSD]

Do any other abers watch this guy ,and what do you think I am really hooked on his series on sky 3 I would like comments on the training collers he uses ,and if any one has seen them over here uk as they appear to be a good training aide GypsyX

[jules77]

havnt seen or heard of him, what kind of training collars are they?

[GypsyGSD]

cant really describe them but there on his website, and after looking they only for sale in states and canada GypsyX

[Illyria54]

The collars he uses were designed by his wife and are called ILLUSION collars, you have to buy them through his website, I think he is the best dog behaviorist/trainer I have seen, he certainly knows exactly what he is doing, he has such a good manner about him, he only has to look at a dog and they seem to know he means business, I actually tried one of his methods on a friends dog (with her permission) as it was quite aggressive towards other dogs, so I made the noise and 2 fingers just by the dogs shoulder to distract, and the response from the dog was instant, which I was very pleased about as this dog (a Whippet) decided she would take on 2 German Shepherds!! Many thanks Caesar!

[Annlinda]

On another website i use for people who train dogs their general view is that he is a self promoting, cruel to dogs man who they wouldn't within 100 miles of their dogs.This is from people who are very well informed about dogs and their training

[leelapops]

Hi Gypsy, my opinions of Cesar are in the same vein as Annlinda's. Everyone really likes him but I don't like his manner at all, I have watched the Dog Whisperer a couple of times, and I can't get to liking or respecting him at all. He seems really arrogant, and if I had doggy problems he would be the last person I went to! He might work miracles, and I am sure he works for some dogs, but he just seems so self-absorbed.

He is very popular, and I would like to be proved wrong... X

[GypsyGSD]

please keep the replys coming as it is intresting to here ppls opinions GypsyX

[doggydays]

Sorry but a man who gives his dog a heel to the ribs to get it walking properly is not my idea of a trainer! I saw an episode where he had a training collar on the dog (making a change from the usual prong collars) the dog was screaming in pain when he walked him, not through frustration or disobedience!!
I have a customer with 2 out of control littermate dobie bitches. When she tries the click and hiss methods, the dogs look at her as if she's an idiot then carry on with what they were doing!

[leelapops]

doggydays that's really funny! I thought he used fear/pain as a "motivation", but couldn't remember and didn't want to speak out of turn.

[leelapops]

Oh dear doggydays, just wanted to clarify that I don't find the idea of causing an animal pain to be funny, I was laughing at the story you told about the littermates! :S

[leelapops]

Gypsy, the Wikipedia article on Milan gives "both sides of the story". If you Google his name, you will see a number of articles of interest too.
X

[GypsyGSD]

I am finding this very intresting , I have read the link given which is good reading, having worked along side trainers who have dealt with vicious dogs i can see both sides of the debate these dogs were taken to be put to sleep because they were a threat to all around and gentle training would have no effect so firmer methods were needed this was a few years ago, similar to what ceaser uses these dogs were taken on in new homes and given a chance of life , of course methods are changing all the time so do we need firmer methods with some dogs or would the gentle aproach work I have known ppl walk there dogs at 3 in the morning because they are so out of contol and owners afraid of what they could do comments please GypsyX

[josaphine32]

I think he is great, For someone to have 47 dogs and to walk them the way he does, i think he is amazing, i have trouble walking 3 little dogs, so he must be doing something right.

[Snappy]

Yes, i do think sometimes firmer methods are needed, but i find using my voice, giving a quick sharp command or growling much like a higher ranking dog would do suffices. I would much rather have my dog sucking up to me for getting it wrong then crawling up to me through fear of my reactions!

[alldogs]

Oh doggy days, a little exaggeration maybe??? You make it sound like Cesar kicks them or something! Please watch him again - it's a TOUCH with the heel along with a sharp sound to snap them out of what they're doing and their focus is immediately back on the leader. Sounds a lot better to me than watching people yank, pull and get frustrated with dogs that are not listening.

[Coryn]

To further my work in animal welfare I went to watch Cesar Millan's live seminar in the states and was fortunate enough to meet with him also. His understanding of the natural canine world is remarkable. Anyone who thinks this man is in any way cruel, aggressive or arrogant towards animals has not watched his shows or researched his work. His rehabilitation centre works with a wide range of difficult, aggressive, dangerous, troubled and traumatised dogs who would be put down by any many other organisations. The "heel to the ribs" one person has commented about is a tap, as I would do to a friend's shoulder to get their attention. It simply stops the dog focussing on the object of their upset or anger. The "sceaming in pain"" another person has commented about is totally unfounded. If you have any knowledge at all about rehabiltating dogs you will know there will always be some moments of "protest": this is similar to a child having a squealing tantrum when they can't have a biscuit, or screaming at having their nails cut befire the scissors have even touched the nail. It is all bluster and is intended to fool the "opposition" into stopping the correction. Cesar treats dogs with respect and an innate instinct for what dogs are feeling and what help they need. He uses dog psychology not human psychology and this is an important distinction to make. Please watch his series carefully and read his incredibly useful and sensitive books before making hugely innaccurate statements about his work.

[tesslyn]

Having read your Question on Cesar Millan and his methods,i have to totally agree with Coryn,feeling very envious that she has met the man!! If it wasn't for Cesars calm approach to some very disturbed dogs through no fault of there's,(people treating them like people,instead of what they are DOGS) and having used many,many of his methods i to would not have a brilliant relationship with my dogs,one a 14year old mix,and a 7 year old merle collie,who when we got her (the collie) had major problems, stress being her main problem, and as for the older dog,the saying "You can't teach old dogs new tricks" it''s a load of rubbish, I sooo believe one of his beliefs, a dog lives for the moment....and they do.....

[kita1]

Can't stand the bloke. Find him extremely cruel. This is what the American Humane Society says about him:

�As a forerunner in the movement towards humane dog training, we find the excessively rough handling of animals on the show and inhumane training methods to be potentially harmful for the animals and the people on the show,� said the letter�s author, Bill Torgerson, DVM, MBA, who is vice president of Animal Protection Services for American Humane. �It also does a disservice to all the show�s viewers by espousing an inaccurate message about what constitutes effective training and appropriate treatment of animals.�

Torgerson noted that the safety of a woman and her German shepherd were jeopardized in one episode by the use of an electric shock collar, which forced the tormented dog to redirect its aggression at its owner, biting her arm. �Furthermore, the television audience was never told that Mr. Millan was attempting to modify the dog�s behavior by causing pain with the shock collar,� he said.


These two articles also answer any questions people have about him:

http://www.4pawsu.com/cesarfans.htm

http://www.4pawsu.com/dogpsychology.htm

One of the basic 'training' methods he uses is flooding - would you get someone who is afraid of spiders and locking them in a small cupboard and pouring thousands of spiders in with them and leaving them for half an hour! That is what 'flooding' is.

The 'pack' theory of behaviour is also very outdated and has been proved many many times to be based on studies that were totally wrong.

[kita1]

Millan's methods rely on a theory built around short-term studies of captive wolf packs in the 1940's � the Alpha/Dominance theory. There were a lot of serious flaws in that theory. First of all, it drew all of its information about behavior from a very small portion of wolf life � then basically took this tiny portion as gospel. A lot of the behaviors and rituals were wildly misinterpreted, and for some reason, the researchers decided that that these rituals and behaviors were totally valid across species (i.e. dog-dog and dog-human). But, as Dr. Ian Dunbar, veterinarian and author, states, �Saying 'I want to learn how to interact with my dog so I'll learn from the wolves' makes about as much sense as saying, 'I want to improve my parenting -- let's see how the chimps do it!' �

Fast-forward � researchers at Yale and UC Berkeley spent 30 years observing dog packs and their hierarchy. This research showed something very different: mainly, 'alpha' does NOT have anything to do with physical dominance � it has to do with control of resources, and does not include physical displays of strength. Let's take the so-called 'alpha roll' � which, by the way, is not a forced thing among either dogs or wolves. A lower ranking dog may roll over an show his belly as a sign of submission; but, in a wolf pack, a forced roll is only done to another animal if the intent is to kill it. Guess how that makes our dogs feel when we try an alpha roll? Now, guess how many people have ended up in the emergency room with multiple bites to their faces after attempting one too many alpha rolls...

[teejay27]

i could`nt agree with coryn more and i too am so jealous that she has met him in person. he is the most dedicated person i have ever seen, the understanding he has of canines is mindblowing. as for some of the comments on here by annlinda and leelapops well i am shocked, as for bein cruel etc, he has taken some of the worst red zone dogs on to reabilatate them and make them safe and friendly calm dogs, when lesser people would just of had them put down, he dedicates his whole life to giving dogs and their owners a better life, he wants people to enjoy their dogs,as he says there are no bad dogs just bad owners. as for kicking them in the ribs you were obviously watchin a different programme.