"Dog Whisperer" sued by owner

[KrisK]

AW Ruth...now you've done it...you mean I CAN'T organize my house and life in an hour??? Oops, I mean, 46 minutes (room for commercials!!) :eek:

 

Hopefully, most people would know that it takes alot more time than a television show portrays...then again, most people want instant gratification!

[muddy bob]

The same thing in horses. Many of the devotees of most of the whisperers are misguided. Nothing can substitute for good common sense and consistency. These men (pardon me but they are mostly men) really know how to manipulate the poor desparate owners (pardon me but mainly they they are women). But most of all they are geniuses at marketing themselves.

I don't know this Milan fellow, but I am suspiscious of his almost cult following just as I distrust the "horse whisperers".

 

Hope I don't sound too sexist,

 

Muddy

[Jennifer Glen]

I must repeat my favorite quote: "The only thing two dog trainers can agree upon is what the third one is doing wrong."

Jenny Glen

(I wish I knew who said that first)

[Dixie_Girl]

Originally posted by Jennifer Glen:

I must repeat my favorite quote: "The only thing two dog trainers can agree upon is what the third one is doing wrong."

Jenny Glen

(I wish I knew who said that first)

ROFLMAO! That is it in a nutshell! I like Cesar. I have watched all of his shows. People who think he miracle cures dogs in 15 min. well, I won't call them stupid, but they are a few bricks short of a load. But I have observed that probly 90% of the shows has more to do with idiot owners than truly troubled dogs. I mean these people act like you can't tell a dog no! When Cesar does it, it's like they go wow! You told the dog no! Sometimes he does a show on dogs that truly have issues. And those he usually takes to his facility and they state quite plainly that the dog stays a good while. But I suppose some people are not going to like him, and some will. Kinda keeps the old world turning a little less boring!

 

And yes I know he does some things that people will say, I would never allow to be done to my dog. Well, I have had the same thing said to me. NOT TALKING CRUEL STUFF HERE! But my dogs are well behaved. I can feed both dogs and the cat raw hamburger with all 3 lined up. Because I simple do not accept them fighting. Cheyenne grew up with Sammy and Jackson grew up with those two. They learned by what was acceptable. Nothing special.

[Eileen Stein]

There's an interesting article about Millan in this week's (May 22) issue of the New Yorker magazine. Unfortunately, it's not available online, but there's a less-interesting Q & A about it here.

[jenfitzh20]

Thank you for sharing that Eileen! This addresses what I've always thought about Cesar. Its not so much the methods he uses (which I think work and are completely humane) its the way he explains them to people. My own communication skills, or "phrasing", basically suck so I appreciate those that have that talent. I have always liked Cesar because he has taught many clueless people how to properly work with their dogs. I believe one of the most important things that pet owners need to understand is that they really AREN'T our children. They ARE dogs! Thats probably the biggest point he drives home regularly.

 

As for the lawsuit, I'll have more of an opinion when I hear more about it. Cesar would never intentionally put a dog in harms way, few would. I would imagine that most people have made a bad decision with equally bad consequences at least once in their life.

 

Jennifer

[Eileen Stein]

It's not clear from the Q & A, Jennifer, but the article uses "phrasing" in a sense different from what it normally means. It's used to mean body language, basically, and a lot of the article is devoted to experts on movement commenting on Millan's body language when dealing with the dogs, and saying that his gestures, posture, etc. are always fully consistent with what he's trying to convey, which makes his message to the dog super clear, unlike klutzier people who are sending their dogs mixed messages without realizing it.

 

But I think your point about clueless people needing to be told what's wrong with their attitude toward their dog in a way they can understand is an important one too, and a necessary step in turning a bad situation around.

[border_collie_crazy]

that gy drives me nuts, I HATE his methodes, I ahve seen far to many things wrong with his methodes, like a pug nosed breed that kepts spinning, so he looped the learch around the dogs throat, speicfied to the owner that he chocker needs to be directly on the dogs treacea, his then LIFTED the dog like this down the steps and told the owner to keep the leash held up high a tight, that was the dog CANT spin, and take the dog for at least an hour walk a day like this! good plan, hang you dog for at least an hour a day? what kind of training methode is THAT? another epsisode that I did not see but I was told about is one where he said that when dogs are happy that have there tails up..so when he had a dog with some minor problem er rather he tied a leash to the dogs tail and held it up! there walal tail up means happy dog, so if yoyhave an unhappy dog, just tie your dogs tail up! like that makes sence!

[Bill Fosher]

I heard an interview with Cesar on the Diane Rheam show on NPR, and a lot of what he said made sense. A lot of it was glib and showman-like. I think the problem is that a lot of people don't know how to separate the two.

 

One of the things he said that really resonated with me was that American dogs don't generally need more affection. "People have birthday parties for their dogs," he pointed out.

 

What they usually need is more discipline and structure in their lives and for their owners to interact with them as dogs, rather than fur babies.

 

Perhaps the best thing that he told one person who had given a friend some very sound advice, which the friend had ignored, was that she should start charging people. If the friend had paid a fee, her advice would have been taken more seriously.

[sea4th]

As I said before, I never saw this guy on TV, but did hear the NPR interview. I do agree with the "fur baby" mentality in this country. I've agreed with that long before he came on the scene. Growing up with a variety of nationalities, I think I have a sense where he is coming from. A dog IS a dog, but it's how you take that phrase that makes the difference. To me it's a being with intelligence. I don't think CM gives the dog too much credit for brains. This is only one of the areas where we part company.

 

Ironically, someone else mentioned the hanging the dog part yesterday to me at work. This is a highly educated person who is having the typical dog owner issues and CM is giving her a light at the end of the tunnel.

 

I have an OCD border collie who is a spinner. Cesar's hanging a spinning dog apparently doesn't address the reasons behind it. In the case of the dog I'm referring to, it's probably genetic in origin. His littermates have OCD behavior, but this little guy is the worst of the lot. Hanging him on a daily basis isn't going to work. I hope to be going the route of medication and behavior shaping with the help of someone knowledgable.

 

I might be wrong, but it appears to me that CM treats the behavior and not the individual dog. Maybe it's a cultural thing, but I'm connecting this with his statement about the intelligence of dogs. If he viewed a dog as a being capable of thinking, maybe his methods might be a little different.

 

That being said, the clueless pet owning public in this country need to start somewhere, and for that, maybe he is providing a service. Anything beyond that is much more time consuming and more difficult to market in today's "I want it now" society.

[Eileen Stein]

I haven't seen the shows. Does he really hang the dog, or does he just lift its front end so it's standing on two legs, and therefore can't spin? Or what?

[jenfitzh20]

Eileen, I have never seen Cesar "hang" a dog. He will lift the lead, pulling the dogs head up to stop a behavior. He also consistently puts the collar (whether it be a choke, pinch or buckle) high on the dogs neck, right below the jaw line. I'm no anatomy expert but isn't the trachea lower in the throat?

 

Vicki, Cesar does address the basic reason for each behavior and explains it to each person. Usually it is lack of mental and physical stimulation. It always amazes me that people do not get the connection between bad behavior and lack of excercise.

 

Jennifer

[border_collie_crazy]

the particular dog I saw he was lifting the dog so its front feet were just off the ground, and he was pretty much hanging the dog down the steps as he kept the leash hed high and tight as he went down, so the dogs front feet remained as if he was walking on flat, if that makes any sence?

 

I could very well be mistaken about the trachea, I just could have sworn thats what he had said lol in this case he made a point of turning the leash into the choker, and placing the leash around the dogs neck, it was not right below the jawline though it was a little lower then that.

[AK dog doc]

The trachea is the windpipe, which of necessity needs to be present the entire length of the neck and down into the chest, or else none of us are getting any air into our lungs. It starts at the pharynx (the place at the back of the throat where the oral and nasal cavities meet) and goes to approximately the base of the heart, where it branches off into the mainstem bronchi. Hence, pressure anywhere on the neck can put pressure on the trachea.

[Dixie_Girl]

Cesar does not hang dogs. I have watched every show and have never seen this. And without wanting to take my word, consider this. IF Cesar ever "hung" a dog by the lead the PETA people would be so far up his butt he would be 12' tall! Cesar always says dogs should be shown affection. He just says affection should not be given when the dog is acting like a spoiled child or is doing unwanted behavior. He does encourage excersise alot. He mostly corrects human behavior. Cesar really cares about the dogs. He does what he does, IMO, to keep owners from getting rid of the dogs. But from what I have seen, the dogs are mostly spoiled dogs that have simply never had discipline. Sometimes he gets dogs that truly have issues. And these he really addresses. I know some people will look at his shows and think he is just a showman cashing in on America's booming obsession with their pets. But if you pay attention to the show, time after time, the true problem is usually with the owner.

 

As far as where he puts the collar on the dog, he puts it high on the dogs neck, close to the head, and he tells them, you know, like how the show ring people do! If there was any "choking" going on the dog would be gagging and struggling. No dog will calmly submit to choking.

[Kyrasmom]

And lets not forget one thing, regardless of whether or not you enjoy the show, approve of his methods or what not, most of the people who go on the show are looking for more attention than they give their dog.

 

I don't want to accuse everyone of this, but some people just really want to be on TV so it's not a stretch to assume that life is about them...and not their dogs.

 

Maria