This OpEd pieces backs up Jo Jacques and the DogBoston stance against Cesar Millan, the Dog Whisperer, in believing there are more dog friendly ways to get your dog to behave.
NYTimes OpEd Piece Against the Dog Whisperer
August 31st, 2006 · 5 Comments
Tags: Ask Jo Training and Tips · Dog Stories - Fact & Fiction · General
5 responses so far ↓
1 PBurns // Sep 2, 2006 at 12:41 am
Mark Derr’s criticism of Millan is not very well grounded, I am afraid. He comes at dog training from a philosophical base, not a practical dog-training base. Guess what? Dogs are not philosophers and they do not communicate in a pure-positive way!
Above all, of course, dogs are not human children, and they do not communicate like humans do. This is at the core of Cesar Millan’s message, which is targetted to the hyper-educated folks that watch the PBS and The National Geographic channel.
See my August 31 post at >> http://terriermandotcom.blogspot.com for a longer analysis of where Derr is wrong, where Millan is right, and why the audience matters quite a lot.
PBurns
http://www.terrierman.com
2 Josephine // Sep 2, 2006 at 9:42 pm
Looks like the folks on the site have really some decent analysis here - and offering a refreshing “there is an alternative here” viewpoint. No one disagrees that his techniques work, but do you want your dog to shiver in fear every time you speak?? Some people even kick their dogs… so however you train your dog, and whatever you do to your dog, “terrierman” I don’t want to know about it.
http://www.dogboston.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=76
http://www.dogboston.com/blog/?page_id=77
3 jo // Oct 5, 2006 at 11:28 am
‘terrierman’
Perhaps you should as yourself why American Humane has come out against mr. Millan’s methods:
Contact: Randy Blauvelt of American Humane, 303-925-9442 or randyb@americanhumane.org
DENVER, Sept. 6 /U.S. Newswire/ — The training tactics featured on Cesar Millan’s “Dog Whisperer” program are inhumane, outdated and improper, according to a letter sent yesterday to the National Geographic Channel by American Humane, the oldest national organization protecting children and animals.
In the letter, American Humane, which works to raise public awareness about responsible pet ownership and reduce the euthanasia of unwanted pets, expressed dismay over the “numerous inhumane training techniques” advocated by Cesar Millan on “Dog Whisperer.”
Several instances of cruel and dangerous treatment - promoted by Millan as acceptable training methods - were documented by American Humane, including one in which a dog was partially asphyxiated in an episode. In this instance, the fractious dog was pinned to the ground by its neck after first being “hung” by a collar incrementally tightened by Millan. Millan’s goal - of subduing a fractious animal - was accomplished by partially cutting off the blood supply to its brain.
The letter requests that National Geographic stop airing the program immediately and issue a statement explaining that the tactics featured on the program are inhumane, and it encourages National Geographic to begin developing programming that sets a positive example by featuring proper, humane animal training. In its letter, American Humane said: “We believe that achieving the goal of improving the way people interact with their pets would be far more successful and beneficial for the National Geographic Channel if it ceased sending the contradictory message that violent treatment of animals is acceptable.”
“As a forerunner in the movement towards humane dog training, we find the excessively rough handling of animals on the show and inhumane training methods to be potentially harmful for the animals and the people on the show,” said the letter’s author, Bill Torgerson, DVM, MBA, who is vice president of Animal Protection Services for American Humane. “It also does a disservice to all the show’s viewers by espousing an inaccurate message about what constitutes effective training and appropriate treatment of animals.”
Torgerson noted that the safety of a woman and her German shepherd were jeopardized in one episode by the use of an electric shock collar, which forced the tormented dog to redirect its aggression at its owner, biting her arm. “Furthermore, the television audience was never told that Mr. Millan was attempting to modify the dog’s behavior by causing pain with the shock collar,” he said.
For more information about humane training techniques, please visit http://www.americanhumane.org.
About American Humane
Founded in 1877, the American Humane Association is the oldest national organization dedicated to protecting both children and animals. Through a network of child and animal protection agencies and individuals, the American Humane Association develops policies, legislation, curricula and training programs to protect children and animals from abuse, neglect and exploitation. The nonprofit membership organization, headquartered in Denver, raises awareness about The Link(r) between animal abuse and other forms of violence, as well as the benefits derived from the human-animal bond. American Humane’s regional office in Los Angeles is the authority behind the “No Animals Were Harmed”(r) End Credit Disclaimer on film and TV productions, and American Humane’s office in Washington is an advocate for child and animal protection at the federal and state levels. American Humane is endorsed by the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance and has been awarded the Independent Charities Seal of Excellence. Visit http://www.americanhumane.org to learn more.
4 Kathy // Dec 31, 2006 at 11:21 pm
I wonder how many times we will have to read the letter from American Hamane Association. I have never observed Mr. Millan using a shock collar or advocating the use of such. I do cringe at the thought of this woman being bitten by her dog. Maybe his mistake is saying that “there is no dog I can not handle” and perhaps some dogs are not able to be helped. I do not as a dog owner see his methods to be unreasonable. I see positive results in every episode, even with follow ups the dogs are not, and I do repeat not fearfull. They are content and the families are all happy with his work. Maybe the discomfort is partially because he acts like a dog to help some of these dogs, that he goes to their level rather than acting like a person.
I will never used a shock collar, but have certainly entertained the thought in dealing with difficult behavior. I warn you concerned people of the old adage, “Judge not, lest ye be Judged”
5 Jo // Jan 1, 2007 at 6:20 pm
Hi, Kathy,
I do understand your comments; I am a canine behavior specialist and certified trainer, and work with the same issues that CM does on a daily basis. There are many canine professionals who do so — and my colleagues and I work with aggression and behavior problems successfully without using the outdated methods that CM uses. For some reading material, check out Pamela Dennison (read Bringing Light to Shadow, a journal of her work with a human- and dog-aggressive Border Collie, and Emma Parsons (read Click to Calm, about her work with a human-aggressive Golden) — both rehabilitate dogs that would normally be put down quite successfully, and run camps to teach owners how to do the same. Perhaps after reading either of these books you may look at CM a little differently.
There are good things about CM — he’s correct in his statements about exercise, most dogs in the city are woefully underexercised, and with particular breeds, that’s nearly a guarantee of behavior problems. As well, dogs do need a leader — but a benevolent one, not a forceful one. According to every veterinary behaviorist program at every vet school, and also the Merck Veterinary Manual, force shoud NEVER be used with any sign of aggression as it’s likely to increase the aggressive response, not decrease it.
As you state, judge not, lest ye be judged… I specialize in ‘hard to train’ working breeds, and have yet to find any logic behind the use of force — all it does is harm the human-dog bond, and with a working breed, believe me, that’s not what you want happening. The dogs I work with work happily, and make choice decisions to do the ‘right’ things, and offer multiple behaviors if they aren’t sure what to do. Dogs and owners should have two-way communication — not one way only, as there needs to be trust from both sides.
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