Interview With Cesar Millan by Steve Dale

Anne, I am still looking for some advice, other than the CM crowd.....if you have some really cool advice, that would keep me from going the CM route........

To those who do not have food motivated dogs...food motivation can be taught.  I did it with mine.

Zeus is 12 years old and has never cared squat about food.  Never!

 He ate to survive.  No more, no less. I have seen him let the best of steaks lay.

Sit for a treat?  Not in this life time buddy!....or so he thought.  He is now on a daily clicking schedule.  And it has really helped his appetite.  After the first few clicks, he is one hungry old man.  He has even put on weight.  Finally!

It is a long process, but doable.  Don't let this stop you.  I am glad I didn't.

ORIGINAL: snownose


This made a lot of sense, but my dilemma is the things he loves a lot I would have a hard time using with clicker training. He loves to play and romp with the other dogs, he loves to run like a mad dog with the other dogs, but when the GSDs poop out he is still going with the Husky/Mal. mix, I guess the Husky part makes him a marathon runner.[]

So, how do I incorporate his love for that with clicker training when timing and reward is everything?
The clicker would be just about worthless with all that noise of playing with the other dogs he would never be able to hear it. When training him I can't have all the other dogs around, that is where he looses all concentration, the little he has......water he hates, treats are fine as long as they are delivered in his crate or given to him while relaxed. Seriously, this dog will not come and get a treat for a sit or a down. I have had success with using words and hand signals, but for the most part I had to involve "touch" to teach him what I want him to do.

 
Is there a toy he likes?  I mean REALLY REALLY likes?  Put it away and only bring it out at times when you are going to play with it with him.  Play short and highly exciting games with it to increase its value further.  Always stop at the height of excitement, rather than let him get bored and wander off.  Then when the toyis hughly "charged", use it as the substitute for a food treat when training. 
 
Treats are much easier for a novice to use, it kind of "flows" better and you can get more rewards in a given period because they need only be very small.  So try JMs suggestion  first, but if you can't get this dog food motivated, try a toy.  There's a video on Youtube of a dog learning to "heel" with clicker training using a tug toy..... I'll see if I can find the link.  Some "attention exercises" like spirirtdogs mentioned would be worth doing, sounds like everything this dog enjoys doing just doesn't include you... that's going to make training tough!  The only thing I can think of to remedy that is: Try to be less Boring!!!!!
 
Anyways, sorry to interrupt.  Back to the discussion about CM & corrections and how stupid and wrong everyone else is... go to it.

ORIGINAL: snownose

Anne, I am still looking for some advice, other than the CM crowd.....if you have some really cool advice, that would keep me from going the CM route........

OK, but seeing as how I haven't had my first cup of java yet, humor me and make me out a list of the top 5 things your dog likes and will work for in a non-distracting environment.  Then make me out a second list of 5 things that he pays attention to in a distracting environment.  We'll go from there.  Why don't you PM the list to me or start a thread in the CT section, so we don't hijack this one.

Sit for a treat? Not in this life time buddy!....or so he thought. He is now on a daily clicking schedule. And it has really helped his appetite. After the first few clicks, he is one hungry old man. He has even put on weight. Finally

 avlov's dog.

Exactly.  But that is only one piece of the puzzle.

 Those same few clicks can also change the state of mind. 

If the clicker association contains fun with obediance, lots of play and praise... complete with full atention on the handler....that is the state of mind the dog will revert to.

This mental/emotional aspect of clicker training is mostly overlooked. 

ORIGINAL: ldyharley

Sit for a treat? Not in this life time buddy!....or so he thought. He is now on a daily clicking schedule. And it has really helped his appetite. After the first few clicks, he is one hungry old man. He has even put on weight. Finally

 avlov's dog.

ORIGINAL: JM


If the clicker association contains fun with obediance, lots of play and praise... complete with full atention on the handler....that is the state of mind the dog will revert to.

 
Yeah maybe, but only during "clicker time", after that some behavioral problems come out again, just like some people that even participate in agility and obedience competitions, they still have a dog that is a brat at home

OK, but seeing as how I haven't had my first cup of java yet, humor me and make me out a list of the top 5 things your dog likes and will work for in a non-distracting environment. Then make me out a second list of 5 things that he pays attention to in a distracting environment. We'll go from there. Why don't you PM the list to me or start a thread in the CT section, so we don't hijack this one.

 
Okies, I'll think about it and work with him today so I can give the right info.

And the same can be said about 'the zone' during the leadership walk.  

This was not meant to be an "us against them" post.

 I thought we were all graduating beyond that and trying to take what works (or has worked for certain individuals)  from both methods?

Because I can say something works (in my experience)  in clicker training, do you feel that is somehow belittling your methods?

ORIGINAL: espencer

ORIGINAL: JM


If the clicker association contains fun with obediance, lots of play and praise... complete with full atention on the handler....that is the state of mind the dog will revert to.

Yeah maybe, but only during "clicker time", after that some behavioral problems come out again, just like some people that even participate in agility and obedience competitions, they still have a dog that is a brat at home

Clicker trianing our dogs (all crossovers) has altered their demeanor subtly full-time.  It is most marked and exaggerated at training times, but noticeable at other times too - to the point where guests have commented on it.  So I would disagree with you espence, that it is only at training time that it makes a difference and that the dog returns to his previous mind state afterwards. 
 
One reason for this could be that if you substitute "exercise" in CMs famous mantra for "stimulation", clicker training actually helps to fulfill that need and therefore make the dog happier in general.  IMO mental stimulation is as important as physical, if not more so with some breeds, and by using the word "exercise" rather than the broader term of "stimulation" CM is missing a trick.

I just listened to the interview, and I'm disappointed. The interviewer was a bit of a pain, insecure and unprofessional, going after C. Millan's 'California talk', whatever that supposed to mean. But, CM, although held himself calm and assertive, wasn't that interesting at all either. The guy asked him why such and such technique works better than X, CM said: "Because it works for me". Ah.... I know it does, I know it's your style. Why is it better? CM kept on going in circles just as he did in his book. Wasn't happy with both of them.

I'm late getting to this thread--rain gives me more indoor time.
 
I didn't see anything horrible about the interview. I also didn't find it fascinating. Somewhere in the middle.  I think the interviewer was geared more toward the application of CM training toward average dogs rather than dogs with serious aggression issues. CM didn't seem bothered by that.
 
Some of CM's answers were succient and some a bit vague. Since this can happen with anyone in an interview or call-in situation, I don't think it harmed CM's image.