Anyone watch the Dog whisperer? (border collie, yorkies, training, teeth)

[yankeegirl313]

What do you think of it?

[trlhiker]

Watch it alot. Ceasar has lots of good info but be careful if you try to do what he does without proper guidance.

[Amazonchix]

We like him too!! He gets criticism for some of his methods, BUT we feel that he does a wonderful job with strong breeds or dogs that are not food-treat motivated. We also don't believe his methods are inhumane. We happen to have a head strong female border collie mix that his methods have come in handy with...in addition to obedience training course(s) and becoming better pack leaders.

[allforcats]

I watch his show a lot. He's got the right idea -- that dogs are NOT human children, and human adults who treat them as such are depriving the dog of the most important structures he needs to feel he belongs in life. Three cheers to Cesar!!

[riveree]

You know, now that I've looked into him more, I really like him .

As Amazonchix pointed out, he really knows his way around the more challenging dogs and that's been a help to me.

The show is one thing, and I can see how some people could get turned off by some of the methods he uses, but read his book "Be the Pack Leader" to really get a feel for him. I'm in the middle of this book right now and I think it's fantastic.

He has a real intuitiveness about dogs that is not common. I think he has a real sense of the current dog issues of today and why many of our pets are out of balance and what we can do to bring them and ourselves back into balance and let dogs be dogs!

[Sam I Am]

Just please remember - this gentleman has YEARS of pet training under his belt and does show/promote/endorse some activities that could get you into a world of hurt in a hurry, and what you see in a one hour show may have taken months of intense work to accomplish. The power of time lapse and all....

Most of his techniques are sound but not all are for the uninitiated pet owner who doesn't understand the mechanics behind what is going on. Trlhiker is right - the first step is an informed owner. I will say most dogs will profit from his general principles, but if you have one that is particularly headstrong or has serious issues, please leave it to the professionals before implementing any program...PLEASE. I do believe in his basics, but I also have a problem with everything being made to look so simple when in fact it may not be.

All training is ongoing - never stops. Absolutely believe in positive reinforcement and absolutely believe in amazonchix statement as well..."obedience courses". The first step is bonding to your dog in a positive way.

I know of a headstrong young Rottie boy who probably passed "headstrong" a long time ago. His owner was committed to him and I think they went through puppy training three times and every subsequent step up at least twice, not because the dog didn't get it but just to reinforce the methods. The owner also works with him daily. I'm proud to report that this prey-driven maniac man that doesn't care for small fluffy dogs that bark recently participated in a 3 mile walk with dogs of all different sizes and shapes without incident. At one point during the walk two afghan hounds took issue with some small dog. He looked, and then he actually put himself between two other family dogs and locked his eyes straight forward as if to say "protect me from myself!". He is in training class every single Monday night of this world and is just a spectacular dog now, but given the proverbial inch he could be a terror!

Nothing you can see on t.v. is a substitute for one-on-one training with your dog. While some of the training techniques Mr. Milan promotes are excellent, they aren't a one time fix-all. Get the basics down before taking it a step further...you'll find your own groove thang and then can come tell all of us about it!

[brightdoglover]

People at Best Friends Animal Society don't like his methods. That's enough for me.
I do love his kinetic abilities- how he can imitate a dog movement or gesture.
His advice has never been helpful for me because I have multiple dogs, and they exercise in the yard, off-leash, and my training method is to adopt them older (less energy) and watch them become better behaved as they get even older (even less energy).
With one dog, I did stupidly try to dominate him when I first adopted him and he bared his teeth at me. Imagine this- he bit me! Big surprise. I started a fight with a frightened dog. Now when he bares his teeth, I leave him alone. It's worked for four years.

[ShepsMom]

Personally, i can't stand this man. Don't know why, but i don't watch him.
Go and pick up a book called "Dog Listener" by Jan Fennell, she is English dog trainer, and i found her book really interesting. She gets very deeply into human/dog pack relationship, easy to read and quiet an eye opener.
3 years ago i finished dog obedience education, but i've never put it to work. After reading this book, i found the whole new meaning of relationship with my dogs )

[Calibound-Yorkiemom]

I tape it! I never miss an episode! I dont really practice too many of his methods because I have yorkies who happen to be the pack leaders in my home.

[leorah]

Originally Posted by ShepsMom

Go and pick up a book called "Dog Listener" by Jan Fennell, she is English dog trainer, and i found her book really interesting. )

One of Jan Fennell's trainers has conducted two training sessions for our rescue group's volunteers and the results have been overwhelmingly positive. While it is true that almost any technique, used consistently, will provide results, we have found that Jan's focus on positive training and working with the dogs' own innate behaviors is a much better approach to handling rescue dogs, some of whom have been abused and neglected,than the more traditional training approaches using harsh language, corrections and force.

It's my belief after years of working with dogs that the positive and rewards-based approaches are better for the dogs and provide better long-term results.