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I have had dogs for 17 years and I stumbled upon Cesar's TV Show (The Dog Whisperer) about 6 months ago. This guy taught me more about dogs in 3 weeks than I picked up in those 17 years. I think this guy is amazing. Has anyone seen his show and what do you think about it? It's on the National Geographic Channel. Supposedly he was raised in Mexico by his grandfather who had a lot of dogs. I don't believe it. I think they found him in a cave full of wolves. I have tried his techniques and have had incredible results. Possession issues, vacuum cleaner, giving up play items like balls and tug toys..... Please let me know what you think about him.
Craig

>>I have had dogs for 17 years and I stumbled upon Cesar's TV Show (The Dog Whisperer) about 6 months ago. This guy taught me more about dogs in 3 weeks than I picked up in those 17 years. I think this guy is amazing. Has anyone seen his show and what do you think about it? It's on the National Geographic Channel. Supposedly he was raised in Mexico by his grandfather who had a lot of dogs. I don't believe it. I think they found him in a cave full of wolves. I have tried his techniques and have had incredible results. Possession issues, vacuum cleaner, giving up play items like balls and tug toys..... Please let me know what you think about him.
>>Craig

>>>>>>>>>>>

He's not a trainer, and I believe in training, but he gets results with people who are unwilling to train. I'm also not willing to run my dogs that much or have them off-leash outside fences, but it works for him, and a lot of people are going to do it, so they might as well learn it right.
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series at www.veterinaryforum.com

What exactly is the definition of training. Seems to me that if you get the desired results from an animal, that it's training.

I've only seen the show a few times, but the results he achieves are remarkable. I for one would use his methods since they come from a basic understanding of how the mind of a dog works and there is no force involved.

"He's not a trainer, and I believe in training, but he gets results with people who are unwilling to train. I'm also not willing to run my dogs that much or have them off-leash outside fences, but it works for him, and a lot of people are going to do it, so they might as well learn it right."
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He's more of a trainer then any I've seen yet. You aren't going to win dog shows or other compitions with his methods, but you will be a happy dog owner. You will get results fast and if you keep up with the things he says they'll last long term too.

He "Trains" the owner and the dog in one afternoon to do things that the folks teaching the local classes claim take weeks.

When you train your dog to do something you are either, 1) trying to change a behavior or 2)Create a new behavior. He changes behaviors faster then any person I have ever seen. He doesn't claim it's a one time fix all. In many cases he suggests lifestyle changes for the owners to make the lives of the dogs better. He also tells the people he helps that they are going to have to do the things he suggests every day every time they are with their dog. That sounds like long term training to me.

Once you get the basics of his methods down and you and your dog have an understanding then it's alot easir to train your dog more complicated things.

Thanks for chiming in Craig, It's nice to hear from someone who has actually seen this guy work. I love it when he feeds that pack of his. He always feeds the calmest dog first. Ceaser Zen I call it. The bulldog who wouldn't quit was pretty funny. Why the hey anyone would want a bulldog I'll never know.

Craig

I have a friend who breads those barrel shaped little buggers. He has offered me the pick of the next litter for some engine parts and wrenching time. I really think I'm gonna take him up on it. I've always wanted one. I wonder if I can train my GSD to keep him in check, LOL.

Scootter

I'd say Ceasr Milan use strategies that canine behaviorists use, with a knowledge of canine psychology.
A trainer introduces new behaviors and a dog behaviorist tries to fix the problem behaviors.
My observation, based on dog psychology, is that he uses these principles:
Give your dog a job to do (exercise and stimulation)
Establish yourself as pack leader (leader gets to go first, etc)
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My professional opinion is you get happier pups with a 3rd principle of emotional reward for the good behaviors!
By positively rewarding (SMILE) those behaviors you want, you may not have to extinguish the bad ones!?

I like Cesar and his show, I cringe however at the people on there, I can't believe the way some people treat their dogs or don't treat them in many cases and let these things go on for years before asking for help.

In every show too what he says you have to do is walk your dog, so many people get a dog and then bam its religated to the backyard and then they wonder why they have so many problems. I know some of his cases are really extreme, but the jist of it is, give positive attention to your dogs, do not let them take control of you and remain calm and assertive. Its very true that much of that is played over in regular training techniques.

I haven't seen any of his shows or read the books, although I did browse one once in a book store...

Seems to me that he is more of a behaviourist -- making the dog more willing to work for you by speaking the right language, which is a fantastic idea and what true "positive reward" trainers are all about. I have however, heard that he does use some methods that are forceful and would disagree with, though I'm not familiar enough to comment on those.....

Have you read any of Jean Donaldson's work?

I've never seen him be forceful, actually he's the opposite. In one episode he was in this house with EIGHT Yorkies. It was complete insanity. He stopped it all and he never even spoke to the dog or touched it. He showed me how to stop my GSD from going lunatic on the vacuum cleaner. It took about twenty seconds and five minutes later I ran that vacuum within an inch of her nose and she didn't care at all. You should see him walk into his kennel. He has thirty of the worst dogs In L.A., the dogs no one wants to deal with any longer. Rot's, GSD's, Pit Bulls. He'll take a very incorrigible dog thru there to show the dog what being in a real pack is like. The guy is downright spooky. It scares the hell out of you just looking at this pack, much less watching someone go in there. It's like Moses parting the Red Sea. He snaps his fingers and they give him this large circle in the middle and two or three of the dogs go on some kind of guard status to ensure no one violates his space. I'm not quite sure what KDiamondDavis is talking about with the off leash business. Maybe she is thinking of some bird dod trainer The one thing all the people he helps have in common is that they really care about there dogs and they have a problem and they don't know what to do with about. I think we've all been there. A common theme seems to be that we are not letting our dogs be dogs, we are treating them like humans a lot of the time and that causes the dog to be a bit neurotic about certain things. I've certainly been guilty of that. He tells everyone the three most important things that a dog need are,
#1 Exercise
#2 Discipline
And after that they get #3 Affection.
He also universally advises people to walk there dog for forty-five minutes each day. At first I was a bit skeptical about this as I know a walk of that duration cannot possibly physically tire a GSD. It sure as hell does something for it. Anyway, if you get a chance you need to see this guy.
As far as Jean Donaldson is concerned. Is she the choke chain person? I might have read one of her books about seventeen years ago. If she's the one I'm thinking of, it didn't work for me.
Craig

I have only seen this man briefly on a talk show (don't get the National Geographic channel, dammit). I was quite impressed and happy to say that he reminded me immediately of our trainer! As you point out, craig623, he is into behavior and understanding why the dogs do what they do- getting in the dogs' heads and understanding them for the creatures they are. As with the "Horse Whisperer" (his name escapes me right now) they interact with the animals in the animal's terms. From very long time observations of the animals interacting with each other they have learned to take the cues from them and how to best resolve a situation -- right from the horse's mouth, so to speak. Humans think that hey are very much more intelligent than creatures and therefore impose this belief on the animals they deal with. IMO, Moher Nature has already found the answers and the creatures have figured things out over thousands of yrs. I know that most people on this list will disagree with me (oh well) but I beleve that cratures need to be taught what is right & wrong. I believe that they need to learn that there are consequences for undesirable behavior- that they maintain responsibility for their actions. Unfortunately, this is not the attitude of very many parents these days. This does, by no means, mean that one must be harsh or cruel or abusive with the animal. But if you spend as many yrs. observing animal behavior as I have, you realize that the creatures have got it right! Ever watched an adult wolf react to a wolf pup when the pup is over stepping his bounds? It's a swipe with a paw to the head or a roll over on the pups back to show submission. The pups get corrected and taught in seconds. I have watched my own dogs display exactly this kind of behavior with the young, new kid on the block. Does anyone get hurt? No! Does the younger one learn a lesson? Yes! But man thinks he knows better and uses his "own" methods to "train." I say, take some cues from Mother Nature's creatures..... they KNOW what they are doing!
Nancy

Nancy Congrats Very well stated. I was once told my an old Veterinarian "I can tell you how peoples children behave by the way their animals behave."
And this statement was made over 40 years ago. Bless his heart.

/He also universally advises people to walk there dog for forty-five minutes each day. /
I believe the ritual of the walk and the assertion of leadership daily *is* important. But 45 mins isn't written in stone....2 daily 15 min walks can provide the same stimulation/interaction with pack as the 45 min.
The part of the walk that is important is the "smell" stimulation as much as the physical walk.
True, a GSD isn't goin to tire easily, but the excitement in smelling new territory for just 20 minutes is enough to send my boy home happy and twitching in his sleep remembering the smells he encountered outside our fenced property.
If I want to wear him down after a walk, I send him around the agility course a few times!
Cesar does say "Nose" first! My boy simply delights in all those new scents....sometimes think he's part hound dog.....

He also universally advises people to walk there dog for forty-five minutes each day. At first I was a bit skeptical about this as I know a walk of that duration cannot possibly physically tire a GSD. It sure as hell does something for it. Anyway, if you get a chance you need to see this guy.

he recomends a walk but not just any walk, the walk must be in form of dicipline where he (dog) is following his pack leader.

making the dog more willing to work for you by speaking the right language, which is a fantastic idea and what true "positive reward" trainers are all about. I have however, heard that he does use some methods that are forceful and would disagree with, though I'm not familiar enough to comment on those.....

He does do the submissive roll technique when I dog is aggresive, I don't think I would ever try this on my own, but then again he even states these are serious issues and you need a proffesional to help you deal with them and you should never do it on your own. He doesn't use these practices in his every day training techniques.

catherine

I have watched every one of them. I think I have anyway. I love watching him do his work and the way the dogs respond. Watching him work with his "Pack" is awsome also. He proves in a heartbeat that with some firm love Pit bulls, Rottys, GSD's, Dobbys and all the other "Agressive" breeds are the same as any other dog. He also shows that most every dog problem is actually a problem with the owner.

I think that people who do own the bigger stronger dogs should be the first to use his methods. They need to keep their dogs from leading them. The dogs need to know who is the boss.

My favorite part of his method is when he tells people that their dogs are not kids or human. They are dogs and treating them like humans doesn't do them any good. I've always believed that and it's nice to see someone with some kind of credentials saying it too.

My ex and I had a Yorkie which I think are pretty cool dogs but like Cesar says, a lot of people treat them like a freaking three year old toddler. It took me three weeks to train that dog to stay out of the kitchen while I was cooking. The cats were fine with it, the GSD was fine with it, but the Yorkie had never been taught any boundaries, psychologically or physically. I Could have trained my GSD to remove the Yorkie from the kitchen and keep it out of the kitchen in 48 hours. I wish I would have thought of that 15 years ago, that would have been a lot of fun.

Craig