Don't roll your eyes Gnasher, people have had the RSPCA called out for them for less. If you think kicking and stringing and pinning are correct ways to handle dogs that's your prerogative but it is also my prerogative to state that people who support and endorse/use these methods are cruel.
Becky

i stupidly watched one of his shows the other day in which a lhasa apso was physically held down, screaming in the bath while he plucked its ears. he even got a member of the camera crew to help him restrain the dog. it made me feel sick to my stomach hearing this poor dog in such obvious pain and distress.

the dog was shown sometime later and yes, he could pluck it's ears which couldn't be done before but to me that is bullying a dog in order to get it to 'comply'. using dominance and aggression to effectively break the dogs spirit.

i worked as a groomer for years and i would take the time and effort to build trust with my dogs until they were happy to let me pluck their ears.

I don't have cable and am not about to buy his book or videos. So I have to depend on second hand knowledge. If nobody that knew better ever watched his shows, there would be nobody to warn the unwary about him.

If I was going to buy a book, it would be one by Jean Donaldson, Jan Fennel, Karen Pryor, etc. that I have had good reports on.

What !! How can you condemn someone who:

1. You have never watched, and
2. You have never read his books.

Words fail me !!

Do you depend always on second hand knowledge about everything in life Labman ?

Apols. if you are a CM supporter ... and I've misinterpreted your words?

This is most of the problem. People judge first before giving him a chance & making their own minds up. Or they've already made their minds up based on the exaggerations of others, watch one episode & only see what they want & are expecting to.

Absolutely, although to be fair even if they did read the book, watch the film, wear the t shirt AND eat the stew, they possibly would still grossly exaggerate when describing CM ! But at least they would be coming from a base of personal knowledge, not that based on hearsay and second hand information.

Thats been my argument too! I've said all along I don't expect everyone to like or agree with him but that their allegations of cruelty are unfound & exaggerated. I couldn't work out why they were saying this as I thought they must of watched the same shows as me, obviously not though!

I started writing on this thread to give the other side of the story so-to-speak & to tell people that CM works for me. I've ended being defending myself against allegations (in a loose sense) of dog & child cruelty & even been told that dogs are not pack animals (is that just because CM uses the 'P' word?). If I had more time I would check out the instances people have stated & I'm sure exaggerated about. I'm fairly sure I have watched all the episodes & I think I might remember if he 'kicked' or 'strung up' a dog in the manner that has been suggested.

There was a video clipon u tube of the strung up dog----so yes you did miss it.

There is a saying tht no one is as blind as those who don't want to see.

rune

I have watched all the series of his program, read his books & been shown videos of his "seminars""lectures" call them what you like.

His whole ethos is based on domination, based on his"experiences"on his family's farm in Mexico & also from the things he has written & said both on TV at his public presentations on the "wolf"pack.

Sadly the things that he believes in like Alpha Rolling, physically correcting dogs in a very threatening way(the Hands on hips puffed up chest stance is an example)do not occur in the wild wolf pack nor in the wild dog packs. No pack of dogs put together by humans resembles wild packs.

He gets bitten on a regular basis(once in front of the cameras when he Alpha Rolled a dog).

If he was truly dominant over dogs, he would do little physically to correct them, I've had an Alpha bitch just once in my lifetime, I had her, her son & daughter & a grandson & granddaughter( via her daughter) Then we added an imported GSD bitch. My Alpha bitch had just to look in the direction of her direct off spring & they would immediately yield to her. The German bitch just once ignored a warning from her & was flattened by the older bitch, who used her paws. Never again did the German bitch ignore the older bitch. There was no fight no biting nothing else.

He has a good range of collars & aids that he uses, pinch collars, chokers, e collars, the"Illusion"collar slip lead. The last is put tight under the ears with the stopper applied to prevent the noose from loosening & slipping down & the neck brace bit which also helps the slip lead stay up under the ears, this is extremely painful for the dogs & if you turn the sound off the program & watch only the dog you will clearly see the dog eventually close down & appear to submit, but in fact the dog has totally stopped reacting, there is no expression in the dogs eyes, no wagging tail just nothing at all.

Watch him with his own dogs, they are very subdued & you never ever see them playing together. It is so sad that he has stopped all the natural interaction between his dogs.

I have been involved with training & retraining dogs for more years than I care to remember, I would never put the pressure on any dog the way he does, he breaks their spirits & turns them into the canine version of a zombie, the body is alive, but the brain is switched off.