I'm new here, what are your thought about the dog whisperer?

Welcome to the forum! CM is a really debated subject on this forum, there is a specal place just to discuss him so we don't all fight.

Here is the link:
http://forum.dog.com/asp/tt.asp?forumid=61

I won't share my CM views but I will share my thoughts about your dog. That is one GORGEOUS rottie. So athletic looking. Rotts should be seen more in herding, in my opinion. I'm thinking about offering time and points trials here someday and it's partly to offer a work-oriented venue for "other" working breeds. I have to figure out where the heck to get sheep from, or I'll have to wait until my numbers are back up again, lol.

I think that you CAN take something from Cesars shows if you use it for entertainment value only and not as a guide to training your normal pup.  This is my opinion, but I would far rather see folks reading Ian Dunbar and some of the other positive reinforcement trainers than the old fashioned style training, which is what CM does.  I personally do not believe that one must display dominance in order to gain a dogs trust, and I live with 6 german shepherds.

Our german shepherd mix is a really fearful sort... for him it's more reassurance than dominance! 'Course you can't let him walk all over you either, because the darn pup weighs 100 pounds...

I find him interesting and charismatic.  I think he has incredible timing and the ability to read dogs far better than many folks (with respect to predicting specific behavior).  I think he is better in some ways that his show presents (using methods other than flooding and dominance etc. almost exclusively).  My biggest concern is that most folks can not do what he does because they dont have the insight or timing.

I think it is possible to learn from just about anybody (good or bad) if you are open to that.  You may pick a tool you can use or decide that a strategy that will never make it into your tool box.

ORIGINAL: glenmar

I think that you CAN take something from Cesars shows if you use it for entertainment value only and not as a guide to training your normal pup.  This is my opinion, but I would far rather see folks reading Ian Dunbar and some of the other positive reinforcement trainers than the old fashioned style training, which is what CM does.  I personally do not believe that one must display dominance in order to gain a dogs trust, and I live with 6 german shepherds.

 
Be careful glenmar and dont brake the rules, you know how it is if we discuss that here []

There is nothing in the "rules" that says that CM cannot be mentioned elsewhere--the point of the separate CM section is to segregate discussions about CM that do not want to be subject to debate.

I think MRV has a great point of view about Cesar Millan, and I feel similarly.

I think that it's great that ANY dog trainer is popular because fewer than 5% of American dogs receive a substantial amount of training period. And I do agree that he has great timing and that he is charismatic.

I think that his TV show should be looked at as part of a larger Reality TV genre and should not be seen as educational because it's edited for maximum entertainment value and not necessarily educational value.

This is not to say that he never does seminars or that his book lacks educational value. I am just talking about his show.

I think it's important to remember that there is a disclaimer on his show that explicitly tells people not to do what he does, and I think it's there for a really good reason. He does things for his television show that are great television and not necessarily prudent dog handling--for instance, he lets dogs bite him.

I think that flooding and dominance are great television concepts because they are very dramatic and conflict-oriented. But I think that drama and conflict has no place in actual day-to-day dog training... when you're working well with a dog it's not particularly dramatic because you are working together.

In general, I would say that Cesar Millan's over effect on the larger culture is mixed. On one hand, people are noticing problem behavior from dogs more, and are expecting more. This is good. On the other, I work in a park, and disclaimer or no, a lot of normal people are misapplying what they see on TV to very negative effect--I see it every day and it's really unfortunate.

Oh, and welcome to the forum, brookcove is right---your dog is gorgeous!

ORIGINAL: fisher6000

There is nothing in the "rules" that says that CM cannot be mentioned elsewhere--the point of the separate CM section is to segregate discussions about CM that do not want to be subject to debate.

 
Actually THERE IS something in the rules that goes like this (taken form the special area for CM discussions) "This area has been created for those who enjoy C.M and wish to discuss his training, the show and methods."
 
So if we are not discussing here his training, shows or methods i dont know what we are discussing then, and yes that area was created to avoid talking about him outside there because for some weird reason by only naming him brings problems
 
 

We are absolutely discussing Cesar Millan. There is nothing in the statement you quoted that states that CM is not discussable elsewhere.

Thank you to the member who PM'd me regarding this thread.
 
It has been moved to the appropriate area
 
For those who have been so welcoming to the new member, good job! For the rest...wise up!

Well since now we are in the CM forum feel free to discuss, IMO he is great []

If Cesar Millan is not discussable elsewhere, and if debate about him is not allowed here, then how is anybody supposed to learn anything about Cesar Millan's techniques that isn't one-sided?

Well we can discuss behavioral techniques in the behavior forum since those methods were not invented by him []
 
Is like saying that we cant discuss football without talking about the redskins, they are not the only ones playing football and we can discuss the sport without talking about a specific team []