[BoxerForums]

What does everyone think about Cesar Millan's training techniques? Anyone else using them?

 

[sinsle1]

We apply the walking, walking, walking technique. We are big believers in the "tired Boxer is agood Boxer" saying. Also we are working on being more calm assertive with our male and now our new foster who has a lot of issues. We'll see how it goes, she has been exhibiting a lot of jealousy and snapping at our male- we are still seperating them but they get near eachother on walks. She seems to be getting better. But she has a lot of anxiety, and I realize my anxiety about the situation doesn't help one bit. We also agree with his approach to the energy you have affecting your dogs. Our male is a door jumper and givs hugs to anyone at the door. I found the more frustrated and anxious I got trying to make him stop, the more hyper he got! So I find a lot of truth in his approach.

 

[Braddock]

I've been around many types of dogs all my life and have watched virtually every episode of the "Dog Whisperer".  I agree with most of the previous post.  Dogs should definitely be exercised especially if there are problems surfacing that most likely result from boredom IMO.  Also, I've found that his approach to correction works really well.  If you see a behavior stirring, redirecting it before the dog is too enveloped in it with simple taps or noises works well.  Rules, boundaries, limitations and consistency are constant pillars to live by.  On the other hand, it should be noted that he has so much success because he is entering the situation as an outsider and can more easily assume a leadership role by starting out with the left foot.  Frankly, when seeing his control over a pack of dogs, it's hard to doubt all that he has to teach.

 

[Serendipity]

I have also watched Cesar, and he does have a lot of excellent information. Some things he does on his show should only be performed in extreme situations with a VERY experienced trainer.

As with any instructor or trainer, you have to be comfortable with the method, and willing to work at it for it to be a success. If you disagree with any part of it, then you will not make any progress.

 

[samsonsmom]

I've applied some of his methods with Samson & they have worked very well. My area of concern was walking, my hubby noticed that Samson was still taking me for a walk rather than the other way around, so I decided to start paying more attention to what Ceasar does & I totally turned it around in a week...Samson still tests me occasionally, but I do believe that what Ceasar teaches is good common sense...Our walks are much more fun, for both of us, so yea, I'm happy...

Like Serendipity said, not every method is good for everyone & some should only be done by a professional. Very true..And the fact that Ceasar does go in as a stranger does give him an edge over us, the dog owner..No feelings involved and that's where we get into trouble sometimes.....

 

[BurningRiver]

I agree with some of his philosophies, however, he's made a few pretty poor decisions regarding some of his episodes. I've seen him misread fear aggression for dominance aggression, and he pushed that particular dog into biting him more than once. I'm not particularily experienced with biters (having never had one), but I don't think I'd try the same thing twice if I got bitten.

I also think that he's asking for it by allowing more dogs than he can manage at once run freely with each other. Aside from that, these are rescues - they're dogs with completely unknown pasts. . . All it would take is for one fight to allow the pack mentality to set in and he'll have a whole lot of dead dogs on his hands.

Other than that, I like the way he treats DOGS LIKE DOGS and not like children in furry suits. I think that this is a huge problem in today's society, and a large part of the reason why we have such a shelter/rescue problem. I also like that he instructs people to exercise their dogs, as I do believe that a tired dog and one that has had daily mental stimulation is a good dog.

Anyway, that's just my 2 and a half cents.

 

[Newcastle]

Yeah, what Jessica said.  Entirely.

 

[mom2scoutandgunner]

I agree with some of his philosophies, but I have not watched his series faithfully.  The one thing I do is treat our two as a pack and not let one of them become the more dominent one.  I wouldn't want any jealousy or fighting amongst our two.  I also believe in exercising them frequently through walks and playtime.

I would like to see some of the footage that is not shown on tv of his compound to see what really goes on with all those dogs running around together.  I'm sure that it is not peace and harmony all the time.

 

[Doug07]

I'm a big fan of The Dog Whisperer.  I started walking Chester soon after I adopted him. I didn't know any better and just thought that's what you do with a dog...take them for a walk.  He loved it, it was good exercise for me and it was a great way for us to bond as we were doing things together.  Then at 12 weeks I enrolled him in an obedience class.  (he was my first dog and I wanted to make sure I had the upper hand) The instructor stressed the importance of the walk (taught us how to heal) and rules, boundries and limitations.  This was in the fall of '99. I suppose I'm a bit biased to his approach since I was taught a similar one. I also think it's important to play with them everyday, even if it's just 20 minutes.  It has worked well for me.

 

[samsonsmom]

[quote="mom2scout&gunner\";p=\"2095":13tf8nis]

I would like to see some of the footage that is not shown on tv of his compound to see what really goes on with all those dogs running around together.

 

[Highdrama]

Okay, I've seen posts on this guy before but never really payed attention. Why? Cos I don't know the man! Anyway, last night I was bored and flicking channels and came across none other than the Dog Whisperer.  

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA I wanted to punch the man square on the nose! He is a control freak! IMO

This poor doggy was pulling to get to other dogs. Well CM took CONTROL. If the dog even moved his ears forward to the front of his head, he snapped his lead and the dogs ears went back again. The dog is not allowed to look, pee, anything without CM's say so. I don't bloody think so!

This ended up in a heated discussion with hubby. He's quite regimental and wants a biddable Henri. He he. Then I come along and muck it up. I do like Henri to walk to heel and sit at the side of busy roads until there's a safe gap and to have manners. But I also like him to have a personality. I think it's fun when a leaf floats across our path, Henri dives for it...so do I!

The message really to my hubby and anyone else who wants a dog to live its life by command alone, get a stuffed pooch or at least get a biddable breed and not a boxer. There is simply no merit in having a fun bouncy breed that you will grind down.

Anyway, suffice to say I didn't like him AT ALL!

_________________

 

[BurningRiver]

As a bit of a control freak myself, I think that it's definitely a personal decision as to whether or not an owner feels that a dog should be completely under control on a walk.

While I don't appreciate my dogs pulling on the lead, I don't keep them in constant military heel position either. Usually, our leisure walks are taken on flexi-leads, at which point, pulling is also not allowed, but most times a non-issue just because they're given freedom to nose around, play and sniff the squirrel trails. Having said that, they are also expected to heel and behave on a regular lead if we need to go somewhere and get there fast.

We do have a very large problem in the states of people not keeping their dogs under control, which worries me because of things like breed specific legislation. Interestingly enough, however, most of the "issues" that I've observed with out of control dogs tend to come from smaller breeds in which individuals usually don't feel that training is an issue. :roll:

In cases like these, I do think that Cesar's training methods can at least help instill a sense that training and some control over a dog is important, and I do try to keep in mind that during his TV program, he's usually expected to fix an issue in one or two sittings that normally takes a trainer weeks, if not months to fix. Pulling on the lead is an especially tough habit to break, especially if the dog has been allowed to do it for an extended period of time.

On the aside, I think that the word biddable is pretty subjective, however, I do think that boxers are a very biddable breed, *if* training is handled correctly. In fact, the UK boxer standard describes the boxer temperament as:

Equable, biddable, fearless, self-assured.

http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/item/45

One of the things that I love about our breed is that while biddable, they're also very intellegent and independent thinkers. Part of getting them to do what you want them to do entails making them think that it's their idea.

 

[Highdrama]

By biddable I would mean easy to train dogs that do not think, just do, e.g. labs or GSDs.  Having been around the latter for the most part of my life, they are entirely different to boxers and will bend over backwards to do as you ask, as opposed to a boxer who will think "what's in it for me" first.  I agree that it is extremely important that a dog of any breed behaves in public and indoors.  My particular bug bear is pulling on lead or bad manners, e.g. jumping up at people.  Through time, effort, patience and positive reinforcement that can be achieved with a boxer.  We have never used chokes, headcollars or harsh words on Henri to achieve these things and he is superb on the leash.  But he is also a typical boxer who likes to be nosy at new sounds or curious about a leaf blowing in the wind.  From the one episode I saw of CM, I didn't like his technique, believing firmly that you can get a dog to do your bidding through gaining it's love and trust and of course where a boxer is concerned, through repetition and making it worth his while be it with your praise or with a treat.  I love the boxer nature and it is one that should be curbed at times but never broken, which I really feel CM attempts to do.  What an achievement to get your dog to behave because he chooses to and not because he's afraid to!   :wink:

 

[Blondie]

I have watched the Dog Whisperer quite a few times and do agree with some of the things that he says about training and dogs. I believe and know that dogs do need to get exercise everyday, and just being out in the back yard is not enough. Being able to play and exercise in the yard is definitely good for a dog, but they need to run or at least go for a long enough walk to work off some of their energy, and to be mentally stimulated.  If a dog has too much pent up energy alot of problems can occur and it is too difficult to get them to focus enough to train them.
I love my Boxer pup, Rudy and I do spoil him in different ways, but I always know he is a dog, not a human. Dogs are great and smart, but if we want to give them a good life, then we as humans need to learn all we can about them and give them what they need as dogs and learn to train them in ways that a dog understands. I also agree with Cesar that dogs do need boundaries,limitations and a good leader.
I have also seen with my Boxer, that helping him to learn to be calm in alot of situations helps in training him and avoids him getting into problems with other dogs.
For me and my dog, I have learned that I have to be resourceful and know about different training techniques, because just one techinque doesn't work for all situations with him. I only use human methods to train him, so I have made sure that I am always reading about different methods and the psychology of dogs and that is what has really helped me with my dog.