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

The previous posts were off topic, good content but consistant must be consistant and so they too will be removed...get  back on topic of the OP.
 
 

Jamie?  Are those of us who are more into +R allowed to post stuff contrary to "traditional" in this area?

As always everyone can post anywhere on this forum. You must be respectful. Rude and personal remarks regarding this subject has created this area and I am keeping a heavier hand here...be warned I am tired of the attitudes connected to the subject and will not allow them to continue. Post in fact as you know it or experience.

And just to be clear, this is the topic
 
what are your thought about the dog whisperer?

ORIGINAL: glenmar
 It was specifically because of the attitudes of CM fans that the special section become neccessary.

 [sm=rotfl.gif][sm=rotfl.gif][sm=rotfl.gif][sm=rotfl.gif][sm=rotfl.gif]
Good one Glenmar!!
That'll do!!!
[sm=rotfl.gif][sm=rotfl.gif][sm=rotfl.gif][sm=rotfl.gif][sm=rotfl.gif]

The previous posts were off topic, good content but consistant must be consistant and so they too will be removed...get back on topic of the OP.

 
Thank you for posting this as it may seem to others that Glenda and myself were in some sort of arguement.  We were not and I thought our posts were extremely friendly and civil.  I just want to make that clear to others who may take our content removal as something more than what it was. 

What are your thoughts about the dog whisperer?
I guess that depends on which one.  For the record, Cesar Millan is not the original dog whisperer.  A man named Paul Owens wrote a rather neat little book entitled "The Dog Whisperer" before CM became famous.  If we are talking about Paul, who was a member here for a time, then I am very impressed by his book and his methods, which are dog-friendly.  If we are talking about the other one, then I am largely unimpressed by his simplistic behavioral theories, and the use of techniques that are inappropriate to the situation, or which may lead to the inability of the dog's family to follow through safely.  On a couple of points I agree with him.  Anyone who handles dogs should have the ability to remain calm.  He often mentions being assertive, but I find that some of his techniques are actually pretty authoritarian, and force is force.  He opts for the "quick fix", which is often a prescription for the dog to regress later.

To the OP: you will find that discussions of this person are frought with disagreement.  As a trainer, I try to make my methods as dog-friendly and as people-safe as I can.  I am not always impressed by CM, and there are many other trainers or behaviorists that are worthy of emulation.  Any time you would like recommendations on who they are, or if you have questions on this matter that you do not want to post for fear of starting WWIII, just PM me, and I'm happy to discuss, help, or just listen.

Sigh...I did post here and it vanished someplace into the great cyberspace hole......Mastiff is correct and I need to back up the statement that there was NO unpleasant discourse in the edited posts.
 
FWIW, I agree totally with Spiritdogs.  What we usually see on the  show are dogs who have NOT been trained at all, have abused backgrounds or something that has caused them to reach the "last chance" stage.  Because of the way the show is edited, to make it more exciting to the viewer, and because of CM's "quick fix" methods, I think that the show itself can be very misleading and potentially dangerous despite the many "don't try this at home" disclaimers.
 
What needs to be understood is that MOST of these dogs wouldn't be there if the owners had done THEIR job to begin with and done the right things as far as training the animal, establishing themselves as the "alpha" or benevolent leader of the pack and not letting the cute puppy behaviors turn into horrible habits that are flat out unacceptable in an adult dog.
 
I am not entirely opposed to the use of aversives, and I myself used a prong on my oldest shepherd when all else failed, BUT I'd like to see folks START with the least aversive, most dog friendly methods available and truely work with the animal in that way before moving on to aversives.....99.9% of the time, if we truly commit to the kinder, gentler methods, we will never need to move on to the next step.
 
I live with SIX german shepherds who I can walk on lead down the busy village streets or take into the woods full of bunnies, deer, turkeys and other stuff that I probably don't want to know about (bear? bobcats? coyotes?) OFF lead and call any one of them off running wildlife without the first bit of hesitation. Oh, they WANT to chase that deer, but they LOOK to me first and know darned good and well, that they are not allowed to give chase.  And, aside from hardheaded Thor who refused to leash train without the danged prong, we've reached that point entirely without the use of aversives.
 
And please understand that I am not a trainer, I have no formal training education, just what I have picked up from the basic obedience classes that every dog living under my roof MUST attend.  I sometimes think that it's easy for folks to discount what Anne can do as an owner, because, after all, she's a professional trainer and miles beyond us regular dog owners.  I'm a regular dog owner, and while my dogs are NOT trained the the level that Annes are, there are certain things that I can count on from them, and those are the things that matter to me in my home.  I pick my battles.
 
I think that the best thing any new owner can do is to explore all the training options available, and if something feels wrong, or like force, or not something you'd like to have done to yourself, then it's probably the wrong method.

Amen, doggy angel.
 

LOL Ron!  You know, I'm NEVER gonna feel like I deserve that honored title.......

Yeah, but I pulled a fast one. When I saw you had those wings, I used j.b. weld and gorilla glue and they can't come off.

[]  You're timing is amazing Ron...you seem to sense when I'm having a rough day and always make me smile.
 
But, we'd best behave now and stay on topic so we don't get editied....the rules are a bit stricter in this area and we can't wander off topic so much.

after reading all of this fabulous insight, i am relieved to be part of a forum that lats people express how they feel. 
 
I have been watching CM's show and have heard the rumors of abuse in the news, however i find myself aggreeing with those who say that parts of what he does are useful, and if one takes certain methods and sticks to them, success will follow.

oh yeah, and thank you very much for the compliments of Makenzie, I told her you all thought she was a pretty dog and she became red in the face.  I will look around the site for my next question, but what is the easiest way to share pics in this forum?

What needs to be understood is that MOST of these dogs wouldn't be there if the owners had done THEIR job to begin with and done the right things as far as training the animal, establishing themselves as the "alpha" or benevolent leader of the pack and not letting the cute puppy behaviors turn into horrible habits that are flat out unacceptable in an adult dog.

 
Yep.  I agree.