Comments on: Cesar Millan worries Pres. Obama won’t be ‘pack leader’ with new puppy

By: Person

Person — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 20:46:38 +0000

loool its so funny to see how worked up people get.

By: Ruffian9

Ruffian9 — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 00:23:18 +0000

Cesar…shut up..really..I’m sure the Obamas have the ear of real behaviorists if/when needed…

As for the whole alpha-rolling debate, all I can add is that if you’re thinking of trying it yourself, you better be damn sure you know the dog involved extremely well and can read the dogs body language accurately before attempting this manoeuver.

Just curious, does Milan call himself the Dog Whisperer as in ‘The Horse Whisperer’ Monty Roberts? I’ve seen Roberts work, and it’s miraculous. He deals in trust and gentle persuasion, it’s beautiful to see.

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By: RAN

RAN — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 22:19:23 +0000

@ Polkasox – see the original kate’s comment and stop running around like a sheep. In this country, we try to pay attention to more than one thing at a time.

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By: Bodhi

Bodhi — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 20:57:51 +0000

I think the owners need training! I hate that to, original kate. we hardly take our dogs anymore, there are too many people who simply can’t control their dogs

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By: the original kate

the original kate — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 20:37:51 +0000

@greentiger: i agree, people so often want a quick fix, especially with puppies. having a dog takes alot of patience, and alot of training…kind of like a small child! i hate it when i am at the dog park and there are dogs who are clearly out of control, starting fights, running off and not coming back,etc., and the owners either ignore them or just scream at them for a half an hour. i feel bad for those dogs, they are in dire need of training of some sort.

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By: irl

irl — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 20:11:23 +0000

The man says all the time if you have a happy, well adjusted dog then a lot of his methods are not for you and your dog.
His methods are for dogs with behavior and emotional problems. Dogs that are on their way to being put down, that no one can live with any more. He helps the owners who don’t know what to do anymore and at their wits end to understand their dog, get the changes and get results.
I don’t understand the upset over alpha rolling the dog either. It does not hurt the dog at all. Plus he doesn’t alpha roll every dog. He’ll even tell you not every dog needs it. He is really pretty amazing. People not giving him his due credit and then try to compare other trainers are missing the point of his work.

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By: greentiger

greentiger — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 19:55:18 +0000

Well I normally don’t comment but I have worked in a shelter and as a groomer. I have been on both ends of the spectrum as for dog training. Cesar as I see it has not rolled every dog on his show. He looks at each case differently. If you see his energy he has never been angry or abusive. I think many dog lovers just cannot imagine being strict with their furry babies.

I used to cue and blow kisses and then wonder why my dog never came to me or listened. Then I got a job at a groomer’s and let me tell you there is no baby talk going on. It’s like being a nurse or doc. You gotta take control calmly without freaking out your dog.

Working in the shelter as an assistant to a wonderful woman who was calm assertive with all the dogs taught me how to change my doggy ways. Dogs responded to me differently. They came to me willingly. They were calm, not afraid.

My new dog that we adopted had horrible fear aggression with other dogs. He is also a nervous boy. However, using many of Cesar’s methods such as having him sit until he is calm before the leash goes on him. Feeding him when he is calm. Giving kisses when he is calm. Correcting him with a firm but calm touch or snap of my fingers and a low “hey” has greatly improved this little guy. He can actually sit and enjoy many other dogs walk by, without misbehaving.
He has also become less nervous. He has developed into a more confident happy dog.

I think that Cesar cares deeply for animals you can see it. Most people want the quick fix and are to lazy and just want a perfect pup that takes no effort.

BTW Cesar has expressed many times if one is lucky enough to have a dog that is naturally calm then by all means you don’t need to work that much if at all.

I do hope for the Obama’s and Bo that they have excellent trainers to guide them. I think its great for kids to grow up with animals.
Ciao

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By: the original kate

the original kate — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 18:24:06 +0000

my two cents: i have two mastiffs that i trained using victoria stillwell’s positive reinforcement/clicker method (my vet’s recommendation. when i asked about cesar milan she laughed and said “he has no idea what he’s doing!”),and it worked great. it took time, but my dogs are well behaved and i trust them totally. that is a good thing, because there is no way in hell i could “alpha roll” one of my dogs – at 120 lbs. each they weigh more than i do! cesar claims that in the wild, the alpha wolf “rolls” the lesser wolf to show dominance…um, no. wolves and dogs do not roll each other, therefore rolling your dog will only confuse it. plus the whole tying your dog to the treadmill bullshit…great idea! a walk is about more than tiring the dog out, it is about bonding.

it seems to me his method involves two approaches: 1) exhaust your dog every day with 2 hour runs, treadmill stints, etc. so they will be too tired to get in trouble and 2) dominate them. all that teaches my dog is to fear me. any vet will tell you a scared dog is a dog who will bite. an “alpha wolf” (and even that status is disputed by some naturalists) teaches with patience and love, taking care of the pack, not terrorizing it. many animal organizations, animal behaviorists and vets have spoken out aginst his methods, saying they are dangerous for both dog and owner. by the way, cesar is NOT an animal behaviorist or a vet – he used to be a dog groomer/walker.

sorry for the long rant, but this guy’s methods scare me. i guess his whole last chance dog rehabilitation thing is fine, but telling regular people with regular dogs to use aggression is just asking for trouble.

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By: rbsesq

rbsesq — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 17:00:45 +0000

CJ Anderson, very well said! I could write pages about this as I have a very well loved 90lb american bulldog who has benefitted from Cesar’s methods. However, I think others have said it quite well.

Though I would just like to reiterate that this man SAVES dogs. Not just the dongs he trains for others, but the dogs he rescues who live in his training center. Dogs who would otherwise be euthanized.

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By: CJ Anderson

CJ Anderson — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 16:16:11 +0000

It IS amazing how many people ignore the fact that only the most extreme last chance dogs make it on the show. Dogs that are about to be euthanized for their behavior that no one else has been willing or able to help. These same people ignore the documented long-term success of the behavior changes by the owners themselves which are easily found in “The Dog whisperer Season 1-3 Episode Guide” follow up stories. (Season 6 has been picked up so there will be a volume two follow-up on the next three seasons).

Even more importantly, are the thousands of success stories of how people have used Cesar’s solutions, to safely and correctly, change their dog’s behaviors. While there are many places on line, one can read about this, perhaps the easiest is simply to browse through the public archive of the over 3,000 member yahoo groups email list where people work together to learn how to apply Cesar’s solutions appropriately (based on their knowledge and skills) to their unique environments and conditions.

As a simple college teacher of workplace safety, I have been able to work with last chance dogs who were literally next in line for euthanizing, many of the almost 40 that I have worked with are on my you-tube site. Several have passed therapy dog testing.

In my county alone, 55,000 dogs a year are abandoned, 500 a day to the County Animal Control to deal with who has had a 40% euthanizing rate. My efforts are helping to reduce that by not only helping those dogs stay in their homes having empowered their owner to change bad dog behavior, but also taking “difficult to adopt” or unadoptable dogs in, turning them into good dogs and finding new forever homes for them, through a rescue willing to work with these more challenging dogs.

Anyone can misinterpret or mis-apply Cesar’s way to get hurt or fail in the process.
Then they claim Cesar’s way doesn’t work. This is no different then getting in the car to drive, then blaming the car because the driver didn’t understand well enough to put in and turn the key to get the outcome they wanted.

There are however many resources and support systems available online, in print, and in DVD/TV form for those who are willing to learn how to apply Cesar’s way to improve their dog human relationships!

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