So just because someone lives in a place... it makes them that nationality? I don't think that's how it works... but perhaps I am wrong...

No, but having CITIZENSHIP does.... I live here, I am American, but I am English also, I have an English accent so you wouldn't think I was American, but I am, I have the right to vote, to live here forever, just like you - we are equal!!

Perhaps you are..

What constitutes and American in your eyes.....

What does he/she have to look and sound like to be American

As far as I am aware if you have a "CITIZENSHIP" you are a CITIZEN

What does it matter where he comes from......only the way he treats dogs really matters and I 'd support Victoria rather than him any time.

O gosh yes, I had forgotten about the tsst! I used to use that with Ben's father Hal, and then Tai, not sure if I can remember ever using it on Ben. It's good - that slight hissing noise is good for horses too when you are grooming them - you keep up a gentle tsst through your front teeth, they love it!

Very coincidentally but thoroughly topical, last night Ben snapped his teeth at me, the git. I had gone to bed early and he came and jumped up on our bed - I put my Kindle down and told him to get down, pointing firmly at his bed, he got up but moved into the middle of the bed and glared balefully at me. I knew he was going to do something to make me jump, so I had to act quickly. Sure enough, the git snapped his teeth at me as a threat (he would never actually bite), so instantly my hand went within striking distance of his teeth in a firm, assertive way and I said "Ben no! Bed! Now!!" He immediately got down, and went and sulked on his bed He is a bully - for 5 years of his life he was allowed to get away with such behaviour - everyone was terrified of him - and even now, 3 years after we got him, he will occasionally test us in this way. We HAVE to react confidently and immediately, so that not only do we let him know this behaviour is unacceptable, we also are letting him know that we are not frightened of him - and most importantly of all, having chastised him with our assertive posturing and loud commands, we can then immediately follow up with praise for being a good dog and getting off the bed! I am not sure all dogs are like this, but these wolfie northern breed types certainly are. When CM talks about us being pack leaders, he is spot on certainly with these northern breeds.

There is much that is wrong with his methods, but his basic core mantra is good IMO. Calm, assertive energy setting the rules, boundaries and limitations - and sticking to them - is GREAT and POSITIVE.

Hi, everyone. I am going to try to explain what I meant and then I'll be done with it all.

DD, you are right! We ARE equal, as is everyone in the entire world. Nobody is better than anybody else IMO... regardless of what country they hail from.

CM is Mexican - American. I didn't make that up, it's the technical term for what he is. If you were to ask him, there is no guarantee he'd say he was American. It all depends on his culture and how he lives his life.

I have met many American citizens who have called themselves "Puerto Rican" "Brazilian" etc. because they identify with the culture of their home country more than the American culture. Same way as DD calls herself American, it's just the culture you find yourself more adapted to.

As for the appearance remark, it wasn't meant to offend, either. Say for example there is a person born in Africa, Japan, India etc. that is native to that country. If you saw a photo of them and then heard them speak English in their native accent and were asked which country you thought they came from... you'd not pick America first most likely, right?

CM is of Hispanic descent (English is his second language and he speaks with his mother tongue) and I'd pick a country that identifies with that (Mexico, Brazil, etc) over America first, that's all I meant.

I didn't mean that America is supposed to have only one look. I'm black and clearly we don't "originate" from America, so I didn't mean that at all.

I believe it's important to identify with a person's culture more than simply the country they have citizenship in. That's all I was trying to speak about.

In retrospect, I didn't mean to offend anybody and I'll offer my sincerest apologies to those whom I offended.

I agree with you. I think that CM could have gone a lot father and brought a lot less down on his head if he just took it easy. The kicking and punching dogs? It's not needed and if he put his methods of training into more practical use... he'd probably have been considered a pretty good trainer.

It's true that many dogs have no interest in being around other dogs and have no real "pack" instincts at all. But SOME breeds (and individual dogs) do have this. To say none do is absurd. In that case, perhaps the "dominance" theory has a place.

Bully breeds that come with DA and other dogs have of course no reason to want to be in a pack of dogs. But like with you... your dog benefits from you using a bit of pack theory on him. I think many owners could benefit from that, if only they knew how to use it and didn't follow CM blindly.

Kicking and punching dogs, lifting them up off the ground by string leashes... all that overkill garbage isn't needed. I'm sure you do none of this, though. I dislike CM quite a bit because of how I've seen him treat dogs. But admittedly, I can make use of the "tsst" he uses.

I like her. I'd like her to lighten up a bit and not seem to tight and ...stern isn't the right word...I'm not sure.

I just want Dogs with Dunbar back on telly!

I like Victoria Stilwell, I think she has many good methods and a no nonsense approach.

As for CM, yes, the positive energy thing works but the bullying...no. Don't like that at all.

Hubby likes Victoria too, but only cause of her dominatrix look

Beautifully put!