I'm disappointed!?! Why am I hearing all these nasty things about Cesear? I feel like i've been lied to, he'

Question

he's not the man i thought he was?!??

please give me proof, he is a good guy or bad guy.

i really liked him!!! i am so disppointed.....

can someone turn my frown upside down??

or confirm these allegations about him?? that he uses shock colars, etc.......inhumane things......ughh....please help!

Answer 1

Cesar uses a variety of training tools that the OWNER is comfortable with. He uses buckle collars, his illusion collar, choke collars, a simply looped leash, pinch collars, and I have seen one (and only one) episode where he used a shock collar to stop an aggressive dog from eating the cat. What's more humane? Letting the dog eat the cat or using a shock collar?

I think that what I like about him is that he uses whatever tools are on hand and that work with a dog. Sometimes he uses his "bite" method (with his hand) but one time, it wasn't working and the dog was VERY food motivated so he used cheese to distract the dog from lunging at the door when other dogs walked by.

I don't hate him, I don't think he is cruel. But just like any other trainer, don't expect to be able to watch his shows and simply and easily reproduce his results! I wouldn't expect to take my dog to obedience class, watch my trainer with my dog and then try and magically be able to do what she does!

Also, many people criticize him for stating "dont' try this at home folks without consulting a professional". I think that is there as a disclaimer for when he brings two dogs together. He was dealing with a dog aggressive dog and attempting to introduce another dog to that dog. (the people wanted to live together and get married). If someone who was not a trainer (meaning if those two numbnuts) tried to do that, one of hte dogs would have ended up dead. He also worked with training two dogs for the arrival of a new baby. Again, unless you know what you are doing, I would not attempt to do that all by myself. So I don't take offense to that statement. As far as his walking and exercise goes, most of that is pretty benign - teaching the owner how to get the most out of the walk for their dog and teaching the dog manners.

Again - I think he does some things very well - and some of his techniques I have tried myself with mixed results. But I am not him. . . so I don't expect to repeat something and magically have it be the end all be all and magically work.

Training takes practice and reinforcement and time. As well as a lot of consistency. More often than not, it's the PEOPLE in his shows that need training - not the dog.

Answer 2

I have heard that he is one of the few people that is humane. I have just heard negative things about him because he doesn't have as much training as a trainer should. You should always talk to a trainer before doing anything that he says. Your dog is different than every other dog so don't DO WHAT HE SAYS! Actually if you look up dog whisperer there is one with a lot of experience with a lot of information on the web. I have looked into a dog trainer and they do some of the things that Cesar has on his show. Once again though, it is tailored to my puppy. I treat my puppy differently than you would, so she needs different things that what your dog would. HAPPY TRAINING!

I really don't think that he uses shock collars because he doesn't even like using collars that act like a dog bite. Some articles are out of jealousy, but I do think the show is entertainment.

Try Paul Owens (supposedly the original)
http://www.dogwhispererdvd.com/about_dog_whisperer.html

Answer 3

I've never seen him use shock collars.. (I know there is some editing..because seriously, how long would you watch him do the same thing over and over?..) My only issue with him is that he is BEST for the red zone dogs.. he says this himself.. if you have a dog that is not trying to be dominant, than many of his techniques are unnecessary. I guess, to me it would be more help if we could see a way to do it with one person.. I've got 3 dogs.. mine was trained well.. then I moved in with the other 2.. and trying to walk all three is bad.. they are not trained, and they untrain mine.. BUT they need the exercise as well.. and I do not have the time or energy to walk four times a day.. (2 for one dog, 2 the others).. so, although some of his techniques are helpful.. the red zone stuff is NOT .. nobody should be doing that without proper training.. so, while it gives ideas that may work for extreme cases it is not safe for anyone but him to do them.. I don't see it as inhumane.. (one example of very rough treatment was in the first season.. I think.. a stray that was extremely dominant.. the dog was BAD.. by the end, the dog was listening.. now, if it's a choice between being put down, or being allowed to attack people, OR this.. it wasn't that bad. .. It was a jindo named JonBee

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjLDQmgYd-s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Is_E0q1jsAE

Answer 4

OK... I think I'm the cause of your perturbation.

As I said in my response before, I haven't seen enough of his shows to create much of a personal opinion. I've talked to friends who think he's great and friends who thinks he's terrible (all of them experienced dog trainers).

I didn't personally see the episode where he allegedly used a shock collar, so don't get too upset. My friend gave me a pretty clear picture of when he used a shock collar, but maybe she was mistaken. Just watch for it in the episodes you see. Maybe you'll see the episode and draw your own conclusions.

I also had a friend who worked with him (was on the show) and thought he was great. She said there wasn't anything "behind the scenes" that wasn't on the show. Basically you get the real deal on TV is what she says. From working with him, she thinks he's great.

Personally, I'm reserving judgment because I haven't seen that much of him. I was passing on what my dog trainer friends had told me. I think it's a good idea to read opposing viewpoints and be prepared if you're going to a seminar hosted by anybody.

I do know that a lot of dog trainers who use positive methods are not enthralled with his methods.

Hope I've cleared up a little bit what I said. I don't want to unnecessarily sway opinions when I haven't formed my own yet. I'd suggest you read the articles I posted in the last post.

Hopefully some other posters can fill you in on their impressions of him.

Answer 5

The problem with him and the entire dog training field is that there are so many conflicting opinions on good training, most especially due to lack of research! Dog training is based in the principles of behavior modification, now called behavior analysis. Many people in dog training do not use the terminology from that field correctly, it kind of morphs. So when Ceasar says he is using postive methods he is often incorrect. However, what he is doing is not necessarily bad. The big problem too is that there is dog training (obedience, agility, etc.) and dog behavior problem intervention. Ceasar is doing the latter. You should never use his type of methods in dog training to teach new behavior becuase it does not teach. The reason dog behavior problem intervention is necessary is that the owners did not know how to or did not take the time to train their dogs and you can easily end up with a very scary dog without meaning to that way.

So, while I don't, and many other dog trainers don't, agree with his methods, he is dealing with very severe cases.

It is however very scary to be around other dog owners and see them trying his methods just to be in charge of their dogs, that is not the way to train a dog if you don't have to!

Answer 6

Shock Collar, kinda like when we were young and mama had to take a switch to us. It would sting our legs but it never hurt us bad. It did teach us real quick not to do certain things. My son had to use a shock collar on his dog to keep it inside an invisible fence.Sammy was only shocked a couple of times and he never went into the street and got hit or killed. We don't agree with shock collars for just everyday, normal problems.For life threatening situations,they are great.

Answer 7

I don't think there is necessarily anything wrong with Cesar, he is just not the 'cure all' for all dogs, like his shows portray him to be. He is a trainer that is very well suited to some cases, but the problem comes when people think his methods should be used on all dogs and all cases. That is just not true.
And contrary to what you believe, shock collars are NOT cruel when used correctly. I have used them on myself and trust me, they don't hurt. It is just an annoyance designed to redirect their behavior. It is no more cruel than spraying them with water to correct a behavior. Somewhere along the line, shock collars got a bad stigma, but trust me, when they are not abused, they are a wonderful tool.
Anyone who thinks that shock collars or rough handling is abuse knows nothing about dogs. Watch how dogs play. They bite each other for crying out loud. Dogs are tough and simply putting them in the position you want them in is not cruel. Not properly training them is cruel.

Answer 8

So some guy says he thinks he saw a show where Cesar Milan (please check your spelling) used a shock collar, but now he's not so sure. Why don't you make your own mind up from what you've seen? Does what Cesar say make sense? Does he take control of these dogs by being "leader of the pack" or is there other methods he uses that he doesn't show? Did you ever try out his suggestions and see if they work? I have I and I believe that they do work and they make sense. Please try to think for yourself and not get flustered by the flimsiest of rumors.

Answer 9

He isn't inhumane. He has huge dogs that have been known to have aggression problems. If he didn't take them, they would be dead. Is using a shock collar in that case inhumane?

Answer 10

I have watched most episodes. The time he used a shock collar, was on a farm dog obsessed with biting tires. But she lived on a farm -- the tires were on huge (huge!) tractors and farm equipment, and she LOST AN EYE already. That dog was killing herself with her obsession. It was only a matter of time. That was a major intervention to save a dog, and the collar was justified.

He relates to dogs as if he were a dog himself, and the dogs understand his language.