Deconstructing the Cesar Millan appearance on "60 Minutes" with Leslie Stahl.
"Actually what worries me is when you brought [your dog Parker] in,
because you told her to walk in front of you, so she's walking in front of Lesley Stahl," Millan said.
This doesn't really make sense. Leslie did what comes naturally, opening the gate and then the dog goes in. There is no significance. This denotes nothing about leadership or Leslie being a good dog owner or a leader, or anything. Just that she opened the gate (hard for dogs to do that without thumbs), and the dog went in.
"If your dog doesn't learn to follow,you'll never have a disciplined pet."
Interesting statement....watch 7:00 to 7:10 into this video - dogs are ahead of Cesar. Oh no, they must be in charge. Or maybe it's that larger dogs walk faster than we do.
In my opinion - the entire bit about Bo being in control of President Obama because he's pulling on the leash is all about PR for Cesar Millan. And, what a coincidence, Millan also has a book coming out.
"Aggression is never the problem, it's the outcome of a problem."
If Millan is saying aggression is the symptom or a result of something else going on - I totally agree with Cesar.
Leslie Stahl said, "(Cesar is) Soothing the savage beast when no one else can." That statement is absolutely untrue - there are lots of professionals who can ("soothe the savage beast"), and do it every day. They just don't have national TV shows. Also, they "soothe the savage beast" without collateral damage, and the affect is long-term.
Whatever my dogs' problem is, I gave it to her?" asked Leslie Stahl.
Millan said, "Yes. So if we live our lives with nervousness, tension, frustration, anger, jealousy, insecurity, all those issues, they learn."
I agree with Millan, our pets do pick up on our emotions - but at some
point in time who doesn't have some of the emotions listed above? Does
this mean all our pets should have problems because we are victims of
the human condition? I don't think so.
Millan said out dogs would be smoking cigarettes, if the could - they don't have enough to do.
"They spend a lot of time behind walls, and so all that buildup gets them
really anxious. So that's why I suggest exercise. Exercise allows them
to drain the energy."
I think Millan is right on - our dogs don't have enough to do, they are
rarely given an opportunity to do anything like what they were first bred to do,
and they are under- exercised. I don't believe the treadmills Cesar suggests are a good idea (just because it's dangerous), but our dogs do generally require not only more exercise, but far more enrichment.
Stahl maintains that thanks to Millan's power pack that her dog Parker swam for the first time.
Well, we must have been watching different videos. To me it looked as if Millan took Parker and simply forced him (albeit gently) into the water. I agree that dogs are, as Stahl said, copycats. However, this is about the way dogs can learn, not about being in a pack. Cats are arguably even better observation learners - and while social, they are clearly not pack animals. In time, it's true, Parker might have jumped in the water himself, and I realize TV crews can't always wait or come back the next day.
When Millan got between the two fighting dogs, Stahl asked if he feels comfortable getting between two dogs having a disagreement. Cesar's reply,
"I know which dog to touch first, you know, so I see energy, I feel energy."
I wish I could translate what that means. Cesar Millan sounds like Christine O'Donnell or Samantha Stevens. Poor Cesar has been exasperated each time he's attempted to explain this energy thing to me - I just don't get it. Sorry.
A side note about Millan's mutt-i-gree program, which he said is in around 100 schools. It began as a result of what I believe is the now defunct Cesar Millan Foundation, which his wife, Illusion led. I'm not certain that program or the Foundation continues, though I hope it does - programs like that one are important. And Millan's comments here are quite eloquent, I think.
"The program is to teach empathy and compassion. Empathy and
compassion is something that is very important for the future of
America, for the future of the world. And so to have that empathy,
compassion, to animals, we can then practice that with humans,"
"Dogs need and crave discipline," he added.
NO!
YES, dogs crave structure and consistency. What creature on the
planet craves discipline? Please punish me? Dogs crave our attention,
and if they can't get our praise, they will often go for anything - but
no creature awakens each morning hoping to be disciplined.
Cesar
said dogs in America are spoiled.
It's one thing to think of our dogs as
little children, but I agree with the Whisper Man on this - dogs aren't
children, and treating them as children is not to their benefit.
"When I die, I want to come [back] as a dog in America," Millan said.
"You get to have your bed with your name on, your house with your name
on."
HOWEVER, - dogs also crave our attention, and offering
that attention appropriately on our terms - well, isn't that what a part of
having a dog is all about? I don't believe you can love your pets too
much. As for the bed with the dog's name or bling for Buster - what the
heck?
First, it's not my business how anyone else spends their money.
Second, by doting on your best friend, the bond strengthens. When
something happens, anything....say you're fired and affording the dog
becomes more challenging, or you need to move cross country - those who
keep the dog, who take the dog with, are likely the most bonded.
I have no problem with Cesar Millan - it's just what he says that often disturbs me.
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