Hi Everyone!
There are some TV shows that I just shouldn’t watch! It is a miracle that I haven’t chucked a brick through my nice new big screen television yet! (Now that could be cause for a divorce – even after 35 years lol!)
After watching The Dog Whisperer on National Geographic yet again ........... I find myself in a bit of a quandary. I rarely comment on other trainers and even less on other behaviourists but in this case I feel I just have to make an exception!
Granted Cesar Milan is a great showman I will give him that! The tight T shirt showing bulging muscle and the snugly fitted jeans might well appeal to some younger woman, but it all leaves me cold! I look past the glitz and straight onto the dog’s body language and communication messages and what I see from observing the dogs on his show makes me very sad indeed.
To avoid conflict, dogs offer a wide variety of calming or appeasement signals that are clearly visible to any person who has worked with dogs – or should I qualify that to “any person who takes the time and trouble to be able to identify these signs or signals”. (Dogs have over 30 calming or appeasement signals that they use)
Milan has made catch phrases sound like pseudo-science. “Calm acceptance” is one of his favourites, after challenging/bulling and (sometimes physically) threatening dogs into total and absolute submission. Submission is not acceptance! Submission is an “avoidance” behaviour that animals use to avoid conflict –In most of the footage I have seen; the dogs initially try to frantically defuse Milan who appears to be oblivious of their message and communications. As previously mentioned, dogs have some 30 signals (body language and facial messages) that they use to calm or defuse potentially worrying or frightening situations. However it seems that Milan has not been informed of these basic dog communications!
Milan fails to read any of these messages, and pushes and continues to push most of the dogs seen on his show, to the point where they totally “shut down” – the light is on but no one is home! This is the most basic will to survive. Dogs at this stage are beyond even total submission – which is certainly not the same as acceptance. In most cases this is a temporary behaviour and not a lasting cure, and something I find highly distressing to view!
After viewing some horrific video footage on U Tube and other social networks I am horrified to say the least! Such bully tactics belong in our dark past.
A good site to view to see the truth is to Google search “Cesar Milan for and against” which shows some disturbing footage of what can only be described as abuse. A dogs being lifted into the air and strangled wearing a pinch collars, another dog being terrified by the use of an electric shock collar to the stage where it is hiding under a chair defecating and urinating in terror. No wonder some of them try to defend themselves! However, if they do try and defend themselves the abuse intensifies and you will see dogs thrown on their backs with Milan’s knee in their chest, threatening direct (terrifying)) eye contact to get them to “submit”. It must also be noted that dogs do not do this “forced roll over” to each other. In dogs, it is an “OFFERED BEHAVIOUR” not one achieved through brute force!!!
In my humble opinion – that is not training! Nor could that be considered rehabilitation or behaviour modification. I truly fail to understand why one species. that supposedly has a superior intellect would need to resort to such lengths.
Surely responsible television should be encouraging the public to use their superior intellect to solve problems – not muscle power.
Many unsuspecting owners have been badly injured from being told not to back down from a dog challenge. Taking on a challenge that you are not likely to win in my opinion is just plain stupid! Unless you are from Mexico and a self taught “expert” from being around dogs all your life! I have two children, and have been around them for the last 30 odd years, but this doesn’t make me a child psychologist!!!!
Milan is a “self taught” expert??? He has no academic qualifications. That is fact! There are many experts who are voicing their concern about some of his methods, and one article I recently read stated that “Milan has put positive reinforcement dog training back 20 years – back to the old dark ages”!
The pack theory that he constantly spouts about, has been scientifically proved to be nonsense years ago. Dogs are not wolves, their hierarchy is not ABCDEFG – rather they work TOGETHER for the good of the group, and some view certain things as being more valuable than others, this is also not set in stone, as each one is a total individual and each dog has a different value system.
Actually dominant or high ranking dogs don’t need to be aggressive, as every other dog defers to them. High ranking dogs are generally aloof and rather distant. In a group aggression is often seen in middle ranks. Lower ranks would not dare and higher ranks don’t need to be aggressive, so why do we as humans need to use aggression and bully tactics???? It doesn’t make any sense at all (apart from getting better TV ratings)!
Why do you think the show comes with a warning “Do not try this at home”???????? That to me should be the first clue. But still, the gullible public feed on it all and lap it up like mother’s milk, believing that there is a quick fix to each and every problem!
There is only one method shown on this TV show, and that method is flooding. Now in human terms if I am afraid of spiders, and you shove me in a room (or drag me around on a pinch/spike collar) in this room full of spiders – I really don’t think it will cure me. Eventually I would .............................. yes I would .............. SHUT DOWN as my mind attempts to protect me psychologically!
My last refuge of self preservation /survival is to .............SHUT DOWN!!!
What is very sad is that most aggressive dogs have huge fear issues – so technically Milan is punishing dogs for being fearful or for communicating that fear, which really doesn’t make any sense at all!
I now come to the issue of punishing dogs for growling – I love dogs that growl!!!! If they growl they are less likely to bite! Growling is a distance increasing message - It is a warning! The dog is saying “get out of my space – go away!”
If you punish the growl out of the dog he will most likely than go to the next level WHICH IS A BITE, so again, a dog who is growling should not be punished!
Of course the cause of the growl needs to be addressed – but the growl is a message that needs to be heard not punished! Again I remind you that most aggression is based in fear! Fearful dogs should not be punished; their confidence needs to be built up not punished into shutting down! The latter makes for a very unpredictable animal that is likely to one day attack with little provocation.
Personally I do not believe there is EVER a reason to use these forms of bully tactics.
After a recent workshop we held at Paws Abilities on calming signals and canine communications, a chap was describing the method (by his dog training instructor – not from my school!) he was told to use on a Labrador who did not come reliably when it was called.
He was told to go after it, and grab it by its ear and drag it back to the position where it was called. He was told it “must listen!” and must be punished for disobedience!
Several of our delegates appeared to be visibly shocked! One lady said “Even if it worked – which logically it would not – and she continued to explain "as if your dog was punished for coming to you why would it want to ever come to you again as you would have destroyed its trust and faith in you – but again even if it worked WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO DO SUCH A THING?? That to me was the sweetest thing I had heard in a long time! Blind obedience of the public toward some dog training instructors is also something I find rather disturbing. I frequently hear “but my trainer told me to .......” Don’t people have brains anymore??
Of course logically if a dog is rewarded for any behaviour he will most likely repeat it – and coming when called is no different! If a dog or any animal is successful in its aim (be it a game of ball, a treat / whatever turns the dog on) the dog will repeat the behaviour that got him what he wanted. Success breeds success! Limit the opportunity to fail so that your can have more opportunities to succeed and reward! Sounds really simple – the thing is – IT IS SIMPLE!
I will end with the sincere hope that most humans have the intelligence to be able to work out that to successfully train a dog, you need to develop a relationship of mutual trust and respect for each other. This should not be a relationship of master servant, but two species working together not against each other! This is only achieved by using our (supposedly) superior intellect – not our muscle power!
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