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Ceaser Millan-Dog Whisperer

25K views 235 replies 87 participants last post by  Adara 
#1 ·
I just wanted to know what everyones opinon on Ceaser's methodes and The Show itself.

I think he's just adorable, and love his personality. But, I think his methodes are pretty basic stuff. Some of what he does amazes me though.
Has anyone tried any of his tactics at home? I have tried the "Shhh" Thingy. Don't work for me!

I also heard a dog was left on a tread mill alone at his place, and had suffered an injury, or had died.
 
#2 ·
I think if you really want to use his techniqes you have to commit to it entirely. It's more about the mindset than the physical. Some of his methods should not be tried with all types of dogs, yet some I think are universally applicable. Personally I really enjoy watching the show, alot of the cases are very moving.
 
#7 ·
I enjoy his show. His main point is to train the people who own the dog since they have trained the dog to have the bad behavior. A lot of it is basic, but he has saved some dogs that had issues I wouldn't have thought correctable.
He has certainly been a blessing to a great many dogs.
 
#8 ·
I watch the show occassionally. While I do agree he is charming, I think his show is dangerous and I think that he is quite deceptive and ill-informed. I think that he gives many people a false sense of security, he holds irresponsible ideas regarding dogs, and some of his suggestions and training methods are plan and simple dangerous.
 
#10 ·
He certainly knows what he is talking about... Unfortunately, many people that try to learn from him are not as good and simply dont have the mindset for having a dog in the first place. It is all about "calm assertive" and most people are maybe one, maybe the other, but usually not both.

The proof is in the pudding with me. His pack of dogs are abused rejects, thrown away by society, that he has turned into a cohesive unit. Pitbulls, rotties, etc, all live together in harmony. I've never really seen that before.

I think he is so good because he treats dogs like "dogs", not like children or people, a concept most people dont get. I have his book and it is a very interesting read if for no other reason than the psychology behind the dogs that is explained in its pages.

I think his methods work with many types of animals, not just dogs. I take bits and pieces of what he says and apply it to my parrot, both my dogs, and my horse. Animals are much more in tune with energy than we are, and are truly in search of solid guidance. Many people are not personally equipped to take care of themselves, much less properly care for an animal.

Also keep in mind that his show is boiled down to about 40 minutes... I am sure it takes quite some time to show the people on the show what to do, how to do it, etc, and then of course they must follow through. Cesar cant stick around every day and watch them.

Finally, it is amazing to me that virtually every dog problem on the show is people-implanted. There are always fatal mistakes the owners make that allow behaviors to fester and become dangerous. As soon as Cesar comes in and lays down the ground rules, things change dramatically. But now it's on the owners-- they must learn and follow through with what has been shown.
 
#12 ·
I'm not sure what he does is truly that amazing - I think there is a lot to say that comes from being a "dominant" personality that is, I hate to say it - calm and assertive. I hate the show, but I think that I *am* a calm assertive person and I can verbally correct my dogs and stop a fight before they even get near each other, I can have a group of dogs around and control them with no problem simply by watching, observing, being proactive, and letting them know what simply isn't acceptable. It's not amazing, it's not magic - it's knowing dog behavior.

And he's not perfect. His dogs do have issues and I am sure many are present that we simply don't see - I've seen shots where the camera quickly turns away from one of his pits (Big Daddy, or whatever its name is) resource guarding and going after another dog over food.

I just don't get wowed by seeing small clips of a group of dogs - I am sure there are plenty of issues.
 
#14 ·
I'm not sure what he does is truly that amazing -...

I think that I *am* a calm assertive person...
I can have a group of dogs around and control them with no problem simply by watching, observing, being proactive, and letting them know what simply isn't acceptable. It's not amazing, it's not magic - it's knowing dog behavior.


Well Kim... Being calm & assertive *AND* knowing dog behavior.. is.. pretty amazing! ;) I'd settle for either or!! Ha.
 
#15 ·
I know I have spent several years reading, studing, and watching anything to do with dogs. Prob like most of you. (Seriously all, we talk about them non stop don't we? Don't tell me you have never bored your "non-dog" friends to death before!)

I think the show gives the novice pet owner. (One who's not really "into" dogs) a good idea of the basics in dog owning and behavior. I think Ceaser, besides being easy to look at ~grins~ exsplains things so everyone can understand. I also beleave he prob knows alot more, but dosn't want to confuse the people with in depth talk. You kinda have to take the show as what it is...Good entertainment.
 
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#16 ·
I am the forum member whose dog's life was saved by Cesar Millan - literally. But....he had Callie at his compound for a month. I rescued a throw away reject pitbull/pointer mix at 6 months old on the day she was to be euthanized. As many have already heard this story, at about 10 months old she started fighting....and I did not have the calm assertive traits that Cesar taught. I would just scream and try to stop the fight (it is quite scary, it is not that I am spastic - lol). He trained ME first, taught me how to redirect the energy of a very high energy dog and then brought her back to me a balanced dog. I know that alot of people think that you can't balance an unbalanced dog, so maybe unbalanced is the wrong wording, but not sure how else to explain it. I visited his compound once a week throughout her rehabilitation and I walked through a pack of about 40 dogs that you would normally look at and be afraid of. They parted for me and followed me as I walked straight through them in the calm assertive manner that Cesar had taught me. I think that his show is more of an inspiration so that people can learn that even the most unmanageable dog can be transformed - it is definately not a 30 minute process. I know he works diligently with each dog for many sessions to able to get them to the finished product that we see. But you can't show all of that in a 30 minute segment. I did see a fight nearly break out at his compound - but Cesar senses it before it happens and asserts himself and it stops. He walked into my house, looked at Callie and she just sat down and looked at him - calmly.....a dog that had never stopped for one moment. Still to this day - 3-4 years later I can look at her, do the tssssh and point my finger and she stops immediately whatever she is doing and sits. He is a hero in Los Angeles. He finished with Callie a week before his first show ever began filming. He is a godsend to pitbull rescues here and has donated his time to save soooo many red zone dogs. Pitbull rescue is who told me about him. I know his real talent does not show in a 30 minute show, but please believe me when I say that I had four trainers before him who could not do a thing with Callie - one a pit specialist. Unless you meet him and see him work with a dog personally it is hard to explain and it might seem a little crazy, but he has a gift that is impossible to explain. He is so sincere and so caring about dogs and he sees them as dogs, not as people, like many people do. I believe the average dog just needs their owner to learn how to fulfill their needs - exercise being the key. But for people with dogs that have a sketchy or abused background and the owner is not capable of "fixing" that, Cesar is a true miracle. He told me that Callie is a submissive dog - and - after three weeks with him he used her to train other red zone dogs.....and no one could believe that she had ever had any problems. She is now the female dog love of my life, a dog that hikes with a pack of 5 dogs daily and has never ever ever had an issue with another dog since the day he returned her to me. I am, of course, not stupid and am a responsible dog owner, so I am not blind to the fact that she is a dog and I am always careful and always prepared. Like any show, basics are to be learned from it as it is for the general public and novice dog owners, but there are a lot of great principles. Ok....I have rambled long enough...sorry, I guess everyone knows my thoughts on Cesar.:)
 
#96 ·
I am glad you posted this. Many people myself included find it hard to see the full picture from his show. There really isn't a timeframe reference and that leaves one hanging at the end of 30 mins. Thanks again for giving first hand instead of anecdotal credibility to his methods.
Donna
 
#17 ·
lanabanana....I really enjoyed your post. That is a touching story and you and Callie are very fortunate to have been able to work with him. I only have seen his show a handful of times, but I have always just scratched my head at the controversy. I have never seen him do anything to spark such controvery and frankly HATRED with so many people. Maybe I missed the episode(s) that they take issue with, I don't know. To me he's always seemed like an incredibly caring and genuine person.

Interestingly enough, the instructor at the schutzhund seminar I went to yesterday knows him. At the seminar he mentioned that he works with Selma Hayek and her dogs (yes, he was name dropping). She apparently has 4 malinois and when she contacted Caesar about training for them he recommended her to Les. Les goes to her home in Yelm Washington (where she has 80 acres) to work.
 
#18 ·
I catch his show on and off. I like the fact that he posts for people to contact a professional on his show. Unfortunately, many people don't and attempt to use his techniques at home. This can be dangerous if you don't know dog behavior. My parents live next to a dog aggressive newfie. Their 16 year old daughter suggested using the alpha roll like Ceasar uses to establish her pack order. Nooooo! This is a 130lb. dog we are talking about snarling and growling next to a possibly 110lb female soaking wet. What do you think would happen?

I just wish that people would understand that there is a lot of editing and time put into what he does. Most of it is really basic. Some I agree with and some I don't. I always got irritated when his main answer was walk your dog. In every episode I would just wait for him to say walk your dog. Shouldn't you be exercising your dog?
 
#19 ·
I have watched is show - I think what he does - trying to help people & their dogs is a good thing. I am happy to hear of Callie's success stories. I think the people energy has a lot to do with dogs and their behavior. I know with horses it's a definate factor. You have to be the "alpha" with a 1000 + lb animal and I think people forget it's the same with dogs. I enjoy watching his show but I also know he didn't fix the problem in the 15 minutes they show on tv. I think he'd do a better service to himself if they talked more about how long the "rehabilitation" process does take so that the general population doesn't see what he does as a"miracle" but as an ongoing process. I have no idea what the controversary is about and I don't watch regularly so I doubt I have seen the show(s) in question.
 
#20 ·
I always got irritated when his main answer was walk your dog. In every episode I would just wait for him to say walk your dog. Shouldn't you be exercising your dog?
See, and that's one of things that I *like* about him. Yes, you SHOULD be exercising your dog, but only a very small portion of the pet population actually does give their dog enough exercise and mental/physical stimulation. I like the fact that he really focuses on the importance of exercise. It's one of my pet peeves.
 
#21 ·
See, and that's one of things that I *like* about him. Yes, you SHOULD be exercising your dog, but only a very small portion of the pet population actually does give their dog enough exercise and mental/physical stimulation. I like the fact that he really focuses on the importance of exercise. It's one of my pet peeves.
You are right. I suppose I give people the benefit of doubt and like to think that they are out walking their pets and playing with them. It just seemed like that was his number one correct all response.
 
#24 ·
Callie requires a lot of exercise - more than my Doberman if you can believe that....hence the treadmill every morning at 7:00a.m. After that since I am at work, I do have a dog walker who hikes all three of mine along with two to three other dogs that join the pack. I have always exercised my dogs, but.......I had never had a high energy dog like Callie, so the level of exercise she needed was something that I did not realize. The treadmill for her exercises her mind more than anything else, which leaves me with a fulfilled dog. I think that people that are vets, trainers, breeders etc, of couse know all of this already, but the average person that is used to a low energy dog doesn't know what hit them when they get the complete opposite. I would never have given up with Callie, but don't know what I would have done if Cesar hadn't come into my life.... We here are dog people, but a lot of dog owners are not as diligent as we are and don't necessarily have the tools that we all have with each other.
 
#25 ·
Can you believe how novice (Id rather say "stupid") some people on the show are? The people that amaze me are the ones who purchase 'specialty breeds' that have certain traits and needs unlike other dogs. For example, the beagle... I have heard numerous people on the show complain about their beagle "howling" and "baying". Hello?! Didnt you do some research and find out what they have been bred for over 100 yrs to do? LOL... "Why is my beagle always sniffing around and barking at nothing?". I swear, sometimes I just want to reach through the TV and grab them... two minutes of research would teach you all about beagles and their noses. I have one who is well-bred, and never ceases to seek out new jackrabbit trails in the desert. Why buy a purebred dog and then try to change what it was bred to do? Amazing..

As far as controversy over Cesar, there's a famous saying.. "You can please some people some of the time, but you cant...". You know the one... No one is loved by everyone. And anyone who reaches the top of their profession, and experiences success, has plenty of naysayers at the bottom just waiting to knock them down.
 
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#26 ·
Actually, I know many pittie people in his area that DESPISE him!
 
#28 ·
Really, that surprises me ? I know a few, but in all honesty they are jealous trainers that have not reached the level of success that he did. No joke, one trained actually admitted that to me at the park. Not saying that these are the people that you know, Kim. I am not saying that at all. As a vet and reading your post, you know to stop a fight before it starts - I wish I had the knowledge when I got my girl. The average dog owner doesn't know dog psychology like that - you are fortunate to be armed with that knowledge.
I had one woman come to my house, whose name I will of course keep to myself, but supposedly a pitbull expert,well known in this area, who told me that the only option that I had was to put Callie down. Thank God I was willing to perservere and would not accept failure. Well, I can only speak for myself and everyone is of course entitled to their opinion - but he was my guardian angel and he undeniably saved a lot of dogs from death - which to me is a great thing. No one can argue that. The dogs at his compound had no chance other than Cesar, no one would help them - and to me anyone that takes that challenge under his wing is a true champion for animals. I can never belittle someone that does the work that most would not do. He has one dog at his compound - a pit - that he rehabilitated that broke my heart. The dog had been used by gang members as a fighting dog. It's back is completely scarred. I asked Cesar what happened and he told me that when the dog lost a fight, the gang members had poured gasoline all over the dog and lit him on fire. Thinking about it makes me want to vomit. Cesar saved him, healed him and he is the resident dog at his facility. Everyone successful always has enemies and I am sorry if I feel so strongly about this and have annoyed anyone, to me he is just a wonderful person.
 
#31 ·
I also feel strongly. I admire his love for the animals more than anything and have nothing but respect for what he is doing. His tv show and his "leader" mentality has influenced a lot of people and I hope he continues to go on strong for years to come.
 
#29 ·
P.S. - At the time I had Cesar he was not yet famous, and he charged me what I consider a minimal amount of money for taking Callie for a month, so he was certainly not out for profit. He charged me daily what a dogwalker charges for an hour walk here - he did this for all rescues.
 
#30 ·
Hmmm...Cesar Milan... I watch his show and have his book. I like his show and I like his book because they cover the basics. I don't think he is the "be all, end all" for the dog world. Watching his show actually inspired me to start researching and learning as much about dogs as I could. I know a tiny bit compared to what's out there.

I didn't grow up with dogs constantly in my life. I didn't grow up with dogsports. I didn't grow up with parents that gave a rat's butt about our dogs as far as exercise and training went. Dad used to beat the dogs when they didn't listen. Hell no, I don't agree with that then or now! hence the reason I am educating myself and my sons.

People should take to heart his warning on his show about finding a professional trainer and NOT trying his methods at home. People generally are not experienced enough.
 
#33 · (Edited)
Red decided for the first time last night that he would start lunging at passing cars on our walk. The first time, he caught me by complete surprise, but the second time I was ready and had to rip him back by the leash so hard he flung backwards. I know that sounds bad, but he seriously would've ran out in front of that car if I hadn't jerked him back. I was completely bewildered at this sudden behavior change in him.

My mom who was visiting from Alabama happened to be with me when it happened, and she watches Cesar's show. She took the leash from me, and started walking Red at her left side, just like Cesar. She did the "tsssh" and leg tap thing every time he focuses too much on a passing car. In a matter of a minute or two, he was calm and relaxed again, and walking nicely at her left side without paying any attention to the cars anymore.

I have no idea what triggered this behavior from him, but I was impressed by my mom's correction of the situation using Cesar's technique, so after she left, I got online and watched a few Dog Whisperer videos and clips on YouTube. I've heard of the Dog Whisperer but we don't get the National Geographic channel, so I've never watched an episode. I rented the complete first season. My hubby and I are watching them now.

I think Cesar's approach is so simple and effective, and anyone could do it if they assert themselves enough and not tolerate unacceptable behavior from their dog. A well-behaved, respectful dog makes a better pet and companion, it's a win-win situation. Look at all the dogs that would've been euthanized if it wasn't for him.
 
#38 ·
Wrong and outdated? I guess the proof is in the pudding for me. Look at that pack of his and name one other person/place that has that kind of situation going on with that many 'problem' and 'red zone breed' animals? That guy is amazing.

Its like horse training. Sure, there's newer contraptions and new ways of "breaking" horses, but there's just no substitute for developing a strong relationship with the horse, being the "pack leader" for your horse, and applying simple, common sense principals. I knew squat about riding/training and all I did was copy what i saw horse riders do on tv, along with reading a book or two. Holley will do whatever I ask of her and I know it had nothing to do with my initial proficiency in riding or horsemanship. It's the same with dogs.
 
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