Are Cesar Milan's methods helpful to you?

Question

Do you put into practice what you learn on his show? What kind of results did you get? Does the "sht! sht!" claw-hand-move really work for you?

Answer 1

Cesar and other behavorist are helpful to the hundreds of thousands of people who have not gone through the agnoy of self taught training. I have always been of the school of "Packleader" being the human when dealing with (animal/pets) Each and everyone one of my pets past or present have been trained to be submisive to me; the human. My girlfriend on the other hand had always thought of her dog as her "baby" untill I started "training" her on proper training of her dog. Now with Cesar's show getting all this exposure she has really taken to our dogs behavior.

What works for me is my voice; I don't yell or scream at my dogs nor do I physicly harm them, but they sense the pitch and tone of my voice and know the difference between them. For instance if my puppy has something in his mouth that he shouldn't have a drawn out "Nooooooo" and he drops it. If the older dog is falling behind on our walk (no leash) a quick "Hey, hup,hup" and he falls in line.

In the end we all need to use the techniques that get the best results out of our dogs. If your dog is not submisive to you then you need to find a training "aid" that is right for you and your dog. The thing about dogs is we see them in public w/ thier owners and we all can see what kind of "packleader" the owner is. I do my best with my dogs, because I care for them and hope if ever the day comes that I am in need of them, they would respond properly.

Answer 2

I have tried many of his methods and haven't been let down so far. Most people who have watched the show will agree.
The sht doens't work for me though, due to the fact that I have always used a firm HEY, and it has always worked. The claw will work, but it needs to be done in the right place, or the dog thinks you're playing.

Answer 3

Cesar Millan is absolutely awful. His techniques are mostly a joke to actual dog trainers and behaviorists and are EXTREMELY outdated. He's sending dog training back at least ten years. People at home should NEVER try his techiques as many are extremely harmful to the animals and can actually do serious damage to them, physically and mentally. This is the reason for the disclaimer that appears at the beginning (and end i believe) of the show. I'm surprised at the amount of people who have completely ignored the disclaimer and tried his techniques. Does no one think of the consequenses for the dog or owner if the technique isn't performed correctly?

Anyone see the episode where he semi-asphyxiated the small dog with food anxiety? Apsolutely appalling to watch. There are much more effective ways to train an animal. Lots of animal trainers, vets, behaviorists, etc, across the country have been trying to get the National Geographic Channel to remove his show from air because of how dangerous his techniques can be.

And the best part is that he is not certified by The Animal Behavior Society, the professionally recognized certification organization for animal behaviorists. Yet he continues to call himself a behaviorist...

However, I will say he has a few good tidbits...dogs respond best to a calm, assertive leader and you do need to show them you are their leader, but the rest is mostly rubbish.

Answer 4

Some of what he uses may work, but he generally uses a LOT of aversives which is the old school method of dog training, and has been proven to be not as effective as positive techniques.

His techniques are best used in "incorrigible" dogs. Kind of like sending a kid to military boot camp. A certain kind of kid can be helped by that kind of discipline, but it is neither needed nor helpful for the average kid.

What concerns me most about his techniques is his use of the "dominance roll" where he rolls the aggressive dog onto its back to teach it that he is the alpha. The average person who tries this with an assertive or aggressive alpha dog is likely to get seriously bit. The dog is faster and has more teeth than you do. This should only EVER be done by someone with lots of experience or perhaps a death wish.

Sure some of his techniques may work, but there are so many better ways. Do you go to work because someone bullies you if you don't or because they reward you with approval and a paycheck?

Answer 5

I have been using Cesar's methods on my 3 dogs and they absolutely work 100%. I also do the sht noise and that works as well. I love his methods and have learned so much from him.

Answer 6

You know what I like about Caesar milan....
He doesnt buy into "Trend or Gimmick Training" .....
This 100% positive reinforcement training is BS, what happens when the resource is sweeter than the reward?
People buy into what sounds nice, whether it is effective or not.
I am really glad that people are buying into his training, the so-called "old school" methods that people have been using for thousands of years.
Only recently we have been getting into ridiculous forms of training like clickers and barkin at your dog. (barkbusters)

I dont agree with all the old school techniques, the alpha roll for example teaches your dog that it is ok to be physical.in the wolf pack a dog will only roll over on its own to be submissive, not forced. It would only be forced onto its back if it was going to be killed, which is why it is so dangerous.
However in extreme cases it is neccessary.

Answer 7

No, I'd never do that to my dog. Cesar Milan relies on bullying and unsafe techniques to do what he does. I would never use any of those techniques as it's been proven many times over that 1. that's a great way to get yourself bitten, 2. it's totally inappropriate to use intimidation / punishment for fear-based behaviors, and 3. there are many other positive, reward-based methods of teaching dogs.
Why use punishment, aversive techniques, and bullying when you can use positive reinforcement to get what you want?

Answer 8

Yes it works!! I took care of my sis-in-laws dogs for ten days. One of her dogs has always been a jumper and the other likes to bolt. The in-law wanted me to chain them up so I could get their food without being jumped on, what a pain. Using Cesar's advice I had both dogs behaving before they came back from vacation. It didn't last because the in-law won't continue the work but I can still walk into the yard without them jumping on me and she just cannot believe it!!!

Answer 9

I watch his show all the time. Have never seen him use cruel methods, some methods ordinary people shouldn't try themselves, but otherwise he is amazing. He shows the dog who is in charge, and just for the heck of it I tried the "sh" with our 4 year old lab. She can get kind of hyper and I didn't use the hand signal , but I did use the "sh" and she came and sat down by me. I was amazed, I usually have to tell her a couple times to sit and stay. I think his methods work if done the right way. He is AWESOME!!!!

Answer 10

I rented one of the videos from blockbuster and watched it last night. I used the Claw hand move on my dog who uses her mouth when she gets too excited. It seems to have worked the first time and only time I tried it.