Does anyone else love the show The Dog Whisperer?

Question

I love it! He is so great. There is a marathon on right now on the discovery channel. Yay!

Answer 1

He is great!!! Amazing & great that he can help so many animals which in some cases may have ended up in the shelter or something. Hats off to Ceaser!! ;O) I recommend this show to all dog owners.

Answer 2

While I think Cesar has trained many owners how to properly work with their dogs, displaying the long-time process of true behavior modification as a 15-minute-cure-all can be quite deceptive to viewers who aren't very experienced with dog training. I especially don't like it on the shows where there is a timer in the corner of the screen displaying just how 'fast' Cesar manages to get the dog to behave.

As a person who has worked with many troublesome foster dogs, you can get the dog to work through a problem fairly quickly. Until the next time the issue arises. Where you have to repeat your former actions. Over and over, sometimes for weeks or even months before the dog behaves properly to the stimulus without the bad reaction. And sometimes, you have to add something else to get the dog to behave, as they are wise to your former methods.

Rehabilitating dogs isn't something that is instantaneous...it takes time, patience and consistency. None of this is shown on the Dog Whisperer.

It all just seems to happen SOOO easily, so rapidly.

Answer 3

Cesar Millan boasts about being an illegal immigrant. He calls it "Calm assertive energy" but it is basically being confident. Dogs understand confidence. There is nothing new or special about this.
And the he cloaks old fashioned techniques in layers of mystery, but he still uses a choke chain and the old pop and jerk method. (which often results in injuries that show up later in a dog's life such as Laryngeal paralysis or collapse). He'll use a shock collar. Earlier in his show, he used one. I doubt he uses one much now because it isn't "good TV". And that silly alpha roll. The main person who brought the Alpha roll to the public mind, Brother Job from the Monks of New Skete recanted the Alpha Roll as a training technique ON HIS DEATH BED.

Cesar uses a lot of overhandling, bringing the dog to a shut down place. He hasn't corrected the behavior he's just poked the dog over and over into something called learned helplessness.

If you turn off the sound and watch Cesar, and you have any ability to read dog language at all, you can see the dogs are scared of him.

I want my dogs to work with me because they enjoy it, not because they are afraid of me. That is just silly ego that demands we be lord and master over dogs, when working partners is so much more fun.

I've added many a dog to my day care population and you know what? There is nothing special about Cesar having a huge pack of dogs. It is normal for dogs in large groups to be less aggressive than individual dogs.

Read this:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/31/opinion/31derr.html?ex=1314676800&en=a90240e104db46c9&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss

Answer 4

I LOVE IT! I did not have any major problems with mine, but the small problem I had I fixed and it was so easy using his advice!! The only problem I have now is my male marking in the house. He touched a bit on it last night when he said you have to claim the house as yours. I have claimed treats and toys......but an entire house??? LOL I am still a work in progress :o)

**ON A SIDE NOTE*
We can tell the dog trainer has never watched the show......"His techniques are all terrible, and most professionals will tell you punishment is not the way to connect with your dog to correct his problem behaviors.
The show never shows what goes in to the training, except for Milan's negative techniques."
LOL His whole platform is Calm assertive. Punish?!?! LOL I guess "Dog trainer" is upset that Cesar is taking money out of their pocket buy telling people how to fix a bad behavior. Watch a couple episodes before you post.

Illegal immigrant? Do you know him personally? Or is this more slander that you picked up off of "Joe billybob's" web site and believed it.

Answer 5

No, I hate him.
I am a professional dog trainer/behaviorist and am certified, licensed, and accredited. He is not any of these. He is also an illegal immigrant, which is terrible in it of itself.
He has no leg to stand on, using dangerous techniques.
Plus, his show is like, what, half an hour, and they sometimes show the problem the dog has, and then how great the dog is after Cesar did some punishing technique with him!! They do not show the work it takes to correct a nuisance behavior. His techniques are all terrible, and most professionals will tell you punishment is not the way to connect with your dog to correct his problem behaviors.
The show never shows what goes in to the training, except for Milan's negative techniques.
Yes, assuming the Alpha role is crucial for obedience training and behavioral modification, but it cannot be the sole technique for every issue.

Cesar should not be allowed to work with dogs ever again!!!

Answer 6

Do you believe everything you watch on TV? His explanations for normal behavior make it seem as if he is doing something magical and special, when really he is intimidating and scaring dogs into good behavior for him.

I believe he is an idiot and when I watch him work with dogs, I'm usually either horrified or laughing at him for his arrogance and ignorance.

There are many more people sincerely interested in helping dogs that don't care about the fame and $$$. He is only in it for his own ego fulfullment and the money.

Answer 7

Sorry, nope. He's a television entertainer, not a dog trainer, and *certainly* not a behaviorist. He's got some things right, but some of his approaches make me want to throw a brick at the TV. FYI, typical dog trainers experienced in working with aggression do NOT consider it "part of the job" for dogs to bite them, and certainly do not consider it acceptable to allow the dogs to bite their owners. It floors me that his viewers don't catch that there is something seriously wrong with that.

Answer 8

I like watching that show but its not reality in my opinion. They make it seem as it all happens right that minute that everything is "fine". I don't think he is training the dogs as much as he is the humans. I love dogs but they needed to be treated as such and not like they are humans themselves. That is the mistake that so many people make with pets.

Answer 9

I think he helps many animals and their owners, but I am not a huge fan of the show. I think it is too edited to really keep my interest. I want to learn how to train my dog also, but the show doesn't really show the whole procedure he goes through all the time. I wish I could just get Cesar to come to my house! :P

Answer 10

I like The Dog Whisperer, too.