The Dog Whisperer (Nat'l Geo channel) says I have to be the "pack leader" for my dog and eat first, go out the door first, etc. Do others have experience with this and does it really help?
2006-12-02 09:42:24 · 17 answers · asked by BelindaLoo 3 in Pets ➔ Dogs
Yes and no. It is important to be your dog's leader. Cesar's particular approach is often misguided and frequently dangerous... he's a television entertainer.
To be a dog's leader, it's important that you have control. There is no magic formula for how you get that control. Eating first, walking out the door first, and those sorts of things are little formulas that WILL work but it's because to follow them, you have made the conscious decision to be in control in order to make them happen. Sled dog drivers always travel behind their sled dogs, but it would be silly to think that such behavior make all of the dogs "dominant" over the sled dog driver. A blind person with a seeing eye dog trusts the dog to make lots of decisions, but the dog is not then "dominant" over the blind person... those dogs are some of the best trained dogs out there, for pete's sake.
In my house, I don't want to eat first. I want to feed the dogs, and then go sit and relax with my dinner. I don't want my dog to walk by my side (well, sometimes I do, and that's why I teach heeling), I want them to walk freely in front of me politely and without pulling. Both my dog and I are very intelligent, and I am quite capable of training my dog to be where *I* want him to. The point of real dog training is that *I* will set the house rules, and then *I* will enforce them. That's leadership.
If you have a training issues, yes, some of these things are a good idea, but others of them are deeply entrenched speculation based on poorly understood interactions of a marginally different species of animal in an entirely different living environment. For example, it's not so much that you should go out the door in front of your dog, but that you should have enough control over your dog that he will not go out without your permission. I hate to burst the Cesar bubble, but dogs in a multi-dog household are perfectly content to pile out the door in any order and do NOT line up in pack order to go out single file. Racing your dog to be first out the door will serve you absolutely nothing, but teaching your dog to await your permission most certainly will, regardless of whether you actually go out the door first or send him ahead of you.
I've spent a lot of time trying to understand Cesar's methods and I was even on the fence for a little while, but for every genuinely good idea that he promotes, he also pushes out some whacked out notion or outdated training approach. He is a naturally skilled handler, but he has absolutely zero background in dog training or behaviorism. You have to do some critical thinking when you watch his show.
2006-12-02 14:15:04 · answer #1 · answered by FairlyErica 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Yes, it is true. We had so many problems with our dog when we first adopted him that we had to hire an animal behavior specialist. She told us pretty much the same thing the dog whisper guy says with respect to the pack leader, and gave us some exercises to do with our dog so he would know we were the boss not him. It took a while, but it worked. Our dog is so much happier now, but he will still try to take over the pack leader position from time to time. Some of the things we had to do were to not allow him in the same room with us when we were eating, to feed him after we have eaten, to make him enter doorways and go up or down steps AFTER us, we also had to make him lay down and then we had to stand over him for a few minutes. He is a great dog, and I am so glad that we were able to make him more relaxed and at ease in our house.
2006-12-02 09:53:54 · answer #2 · answered by Josie 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes this man has the right ideas.
Many breeds of dogs are head strong and assertive and if you are not in charge they will be. And they can get really bad and take over the house if you let them.
In the wild a wolf pack is ruled by the most dominant male and female. They are the only ones who breed and they eat first and they have the best places to sleep. The rest find their place in the pack and everything is done in pack order. The higher ups eat first and get the better food.
Dogs get that. They look to the owner for leadership.
If you are the pack leader for your dog he will protect you and be a wonderful companion.
2006-12-02 11:44:01 · answer #3 · answered by tlctreecare 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Absolutetly trust what he says. I have a 150lb Mastiff that was quite unruly when she was young. I realized that she didn't view me as the "pack leader" and pretty much ran the house. Try making a 150lb dog do something when she doesn't want to. I saw an episode of the Dog Whisperer and knew I needed to make some changes in my house. I walk out and come in the door first. I eat first. It all works!
2006-12-02 11:04:35 · answer #4 · answered by pickel 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Cesear Milan has really good imformation to a point. Yes you must be the pack leader, your dog is a dog, so don't treat them as human, be fair, calm, and assertive.
The place where I disagree as well as other folks in veterinary medicine is that the alpha roll is not what dogs need. It is just very frustrating to many dogs and they can lash back out.
Feel free to email me for any behaviora help you may need. I only use positive ways, but will tell you the truth if the dog is too much for you or I to help.
2006-12-02 10:04:11 · answer #5 · answered by doggie_poopie 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well of course. Someone has to be pack leader. In my pack I am the leader each of my dogs knows what I say goes or else..The Dog Whisperer is GREAT. I have use of the stuff he talks about and it really works.
2006-12-02 09:54:01 · answer #6 · answered by lilbit_883_hugger 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, being the leader is the only way to have a successful relationship with a dog. otherwise, the dog will happily run your life..as all packs need a leader..
2006-12-02 09:45:49 · answer #7 · answered by Chetco 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, he has some good basic ideas, but I don't agree with everything he suggests. Research the opinions of other trainers as well, rather taking everything Milan says as truth. It annoys me when people seem to think that he is some dog training god, when he is just telling the general public what dog people have known about for years.
2006-12-02 09:56:06 · answer #8 · answered by lickitysplit 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes he is right you have to be the pack leader, It makes a world of difference they mind you better. I started training my dog to let me go out the door first, and no pulling when we walk it has made him calmer. He can't be to hyper he is 90lb. German Shepherd
2006-12-02 09:52:33 · answer #9 · answered by daydreamer 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, these are the basic rules around how to treat a dog and earns its respect and obedience in a way that your dog naturely understands.
Try the rules and you will see the difference in your dogs attitude.
2006-12-02 09:47:59 · answer #10 · answered by PetLover 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋