What I like about Cesar

    • Gold Top Dog

    What I like about Cesar

    1. He makes people aware that dogs have behavior problems that are usually due to human error or lack of leadership.
    2. He seems like a well-intentioned guy.
    3. He sparks discussion of "dog psychology".
    4. He doesn't frown on anyone seeking help from a professional, and encourages them to do so.
    Even people who use different methods can respect someone else for what they do well, and for the things that are not in opposition to their moral or ethical values.  So, just for the record, and with the new rules in mind, I thought that it would be nice if I shared what I do like about CM.
    • Gold Top Dog
    As someone who generally doesn't like him, there are some other things I can add to the list -

    1) He doesn't differentiate by breed as to how he approaches a problem - ie he has the same expectations from a border collie as a shih tzu as a doberman as a lab.
    2) He encourages everyone to truly exercise their dog
    • Gold Top Dog
    Some of these I'm copying from other people because I agree, but my list would be:

    1) He first gets at the root of the problem before even showing any interest in the dog
    2) He uses whatever training tools the family is comfortable with and doesn't usually criticize their choice, just shows them how to use it correctly.  If he wants to use his simple slip lead, he'll put that on without bashing the owner for having used a prong, halti, or whatever in the past.
    3) He tries to connect with the owners on a personal level to understand where they're coming from so he can adapt his methods and his explanations of dog psychology so that they will understand.
    4) He's consistent.
    5) He treats all the dogs the same, no matter what breed, size, age, or issue they have.
    6) He gives very simple and achievable goals for the families to work on. 
    7) He helps me understand how my position, attitude, and body language will affect a dog and why I need to be aware of this.
    • Gold Top Dog
    I like everything about Cesar.
    • Gold Top Dog
    He doesn't handle dogs as babies or small furry humans. They're dogs and should be handled as such.

    He emphasizes the necessity of exercise.

    The human needs training as much or more than the dog.

    He has pit bulls [:)]
    • Gold Top Dog
    1.  He helps people to understand how important it is to be CALM
    2.  He helps people to understand the importance of exercise
    3.  He helps people understand the importance of structure and rules
    4.  He is open minded, I've never heard him "slang" other methods, but he seems genuinely willing to take it all on board and use it if it works.
     
    Edit: 
      1) He doesn't differentiate by breed as to how he approaches a problem - ie he has the same expectations from a border collie as a shih tzu as a doberman as a lab.

     
    This isn't quite true... didn't he tell one owner that her dog wasn't barking because he had a problem, he was barking because he was a BEAGLE.  He just puts "breed" at the bottom of the list for reasons for behaviour.
    • Gold Top Dog
    To me the very best thing about CM is that he stresses exercise. Other books will say exercise is important but don't give much in the way of guidelines. Cesar's Way clearly says that a dog needs at least 45 minutes of walking in the morning as well as an evening walk. I think he's opened more than a few eyes to the fact that it's unfair to have a dog sleep all night, let them out to potty for a few minutes, then expect them to sleep all day while the owners are at work.
     
    He's used his fame to constructively sway people against BSL.
     
    He's calm, consistent and gives clear expectations for both dogs and people.