One person's experience with Cesar Millan

This has been around a little so some of you guys may have seen it

However, in case there are peeps who haven't ...

http://www.thecrossovertrainer.com/o...dog-whisperer/

I think it shows once and for all just how people can be taken in by CM but also how he really works. I think this is a bit of an insight into the "real" CM - the one who we know slyly conditions dogs to react strongly for TV, and so on.

The author owns Fila Brasiliero and has actually boarded her dog at CMs place (which didn't go too well). There was a fallout with the training which was done with CM and basically she, as a once-fan of his methods, has totally altered her opinions of them and of him.

It's a good read. A few snippets:

"My gorgeous dog Cherokee was around 5 to 6 months when he met Cesar. My Daschunds were probably 3 and 2, respectively. They got along pretty well. He walked in with me and one could definitely sense he had an effect on the dogs. I concede he does have “something” about him that effects the dogs. However, he immediately pointed out to me that I should be dominant over them, that my dog Cherokee was competing with my other little Daschunds for supremacy. Plus, he showed me how to walk my Fila pup – all this with a lot of tsssts – leash jerking, claw hands on neck and body."

" I look back at it now and think of how intimidated my little dogs were of all that and how my 6 month old Fila shut down. CM, told me that my FB dog could not wrinkle his nose to the little dog, which he said I wasn’t aware of because I didn’t understand dog body language. I tried to tell him how things were friendly and easy going at the house and that all I wanted were some pointers if there were something to happen out of the ordinary. He was not hearing any of it and basically said the FB was not a breed for me, I would only be able to handle him if I had an Alpha personality, which I didn’t, in his opinion."

(I love the way he makes everything the owners' fault! ).

"After that visit, I started convincing myself that everything I had done till then was totally wrong and I was a major wuss. The stuff he showed me looked like it had immediate result, that day at my house. But, I didn’t know I’d be gifted with the long term side effects that would present themselves later [the gift that keeps on giving].

Cherokee and Tex (Daschund) were friendly with other dogs before that day. But, after my consultation and my newly developed leash skills – a radical departure from what I had learned from more positive trainers till then, they became increasingly unfriendlier and reactive to other dogs. To the point where I could no longer take them to the park and I had to walk them only late at night, or very early in the morning. Every meal from then on, was tense, because they all had to eat together and I had to stand over them.. I’d become an uber control-freak about discipline."

Poor woman and poor dogs

" I became a defender of CM and I recommended him to friends! Even fellow Fila Brasileiro enthusiasts did not approve of his methods. Curiously and specially the folks that dealt with Filas in rescue and ACO friends."

Lots more including the effects boarding her Fila with CMs centre had on her dog, and comments about how the CM show is made:

"They heavily edit the footage to make long processes and mistakes look instant and to cover up some of the even harsher techniques he uses".

(we know this by deduction but even so ... )

"Also, other things one can’t even imagine, which I know that happened at a herding instructors facility, but are protected by confidentiality agreements and other waivers. Cesar is self-taught and he doesn’t even appear to understand why what he does works [or their long their term effects, for that matter]. There are professionals out there who really do understand the whys and hows of dog behavior and their consensus is that Cesar’s explanations are mostly nonsense. Bottom line is: Cesar is training for television entertainments, he uses difficult techniques with hocus-pocus explanations and that, in spite of his macho prowess, he frequently gets hurt!"


Interesting, isn't it?


Wys
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Interesting and very sad. poor lady and poor her dogs

There are plenty more here:

http://beyondcesarmillan.weebly.com/index.html

I`m glad she has had the courage to speak out. The PR machine on the other side is massively well funded though.
As with Jan Fennel, CM uses human terms to describe what an animal does. Because it is easy to understand the owners believe it is right.
I just wish people would stop and think and observe more, and understand that animals are not hairy people. And don`t have a human agenda.

Shame the Nat geo channel have removed some clips due to ownership........Nothing to hide though eh

I've reacted many times to the way he explains things and why (according to him) things happen, how it works etc. I agree with some things he does, but then again that might just be one tiny fragment of each episode.
Dog training is so much more than strapping a collar tightly behind the ears and tssst-ing away, it concerns me that people might see this on telly and think this will be a quick fix to their issues with their dog. Go to a class and learn what to do and why!

Yes that's a good site indeed; it's developed a lot since I last visited it, I see some well respected names adding their views

I think what is so far unique about the article is that it is the experience of someone who has actually been with CM and had her dogs "trained" by him. I don't think I've seen that elsewhere.

Wys
x

Yes I so agree ClaireandDaisy, every word!

Wys
x

Someone at work was reading CM books in advance of getting their puppy, luckily they mentioned it me and I switched them to Ian Dunbar et al.

The person said 'but it doesn't come across that way in the books...' I think that's the point - for inexperienced and new dog owners it does look right and it does feel right, the links posted above explain well why it's not

i dont really have a problem explaining what your dog is doing in human terms. i find often it helps the owner to understand more of what you are saying