Please feel free to have a read of [ this article ]. Due to copyright, I cannot publish any part of it on my blog thus you will have to go to the article itself first.
The article is very well written, in my opinion. For those who adore Caesar Milan, it might be a good read. Times change, as does research... thus those of us who deal with dogs as owners or as professionals in any capacity should keep "on top" of these changes.
This is where using food as the drive mechanism to initiate training or behaviour modifications is the standard "go to" for most trainers. Dogs are more like water-ed down versions of wolf puppies who rely on the "alpha male and female" (who are their mum and dad).
"Power struggles with dogs communicate no more leadership than an adult human “dominating” a small child or an armed bank robber and his hostages." Lisa Mullinax, CPDT
{ read the article here }
Spoken like a true positive rewards trainer. The books not listed should be the ones to read - all of Cesar's books and also the Monks of New Skete. I've never seen Cesar do an alpha roll, but I have seen him many a time put a dog on its side after it's expelled toxic energy and brought it to a much desired calm state. The facts are flawed - watch The Wolf Man, Sean Ellis, on Animal Planet who lives with and studies wolves if you want the real deal. Cesar promotes walks more than anything else to perform the migration ritual which is a main part of survival to hunt for food. Treadmills are used for people who can't get around, bad weather, or for extra hyper dogs who need more, or who have many dogs in a rescue. And, the biggest factor of all, Cesar is a self-proclaimed rehabilitator, NOT a trainer, and has to redirect and cure issues caused by humans who never bother to learn dog psychology in any part. I've gone over these same issues with a local "dog behaviorist" who insists two species cannot be a pack leader over the other. She left me with dominance issues that were only cured when I found Cesar and changed my behavior. My shelter boy is happy and well-balanced, and any and all dogs that ever come to live with me will always be given the respect of being a dog with all their needs fulfilled. The true relationship and bond is awesome. Cesar's formula for fulfillment goes way beyond the dogs, and carries on into people's daily lives. "Be the Pack Leader" has been instituted in some schools in CA as preferred reading. Ellen G. - Upstate, NY
ReplyDeleteA comment to Lisa Mullinax, CPDT - That's Cesar's whole point; it should never be a power struggle with a dog or a child or an armed bank robber, but rather a psychological one. It's certainly the only one you'll win with respect from a dog. Also, he never gives the impression that dogs can be rehabbed in moments, and because you don't subscribe to him or the show, you wouldn't know that some tapings are in fact ten or more hours, some cases he has with him for two to three months, and the only ones that seem "cured" in moments are the basic issues of manipulating humans by guarding toys with nips and snarls. However, just because they have felt his energy and know he's there to "claim" doesn't mean that the owners don't have things to work on possibly for the rest of the dogs' lives. His energy and work with his own pack is impressive to say the least - where many of you have suggested putting a dog down - Cesar has rehabilitated and given a second chance. Can you keep 40 dogs calm and balanced while doling out dinner over a two-hour period or raw meaty bones, and not separating everyone into different rooms or cages? I do use food as a motivator and positive rewards for some training, but I'd much rather have a dog's trust and respect naturally and will take the time and effort to make it so. That is the guy I want helping me and a dog with issues, especially red zone that requires rehabilitation. If more people (even vets) learned more about the animals with which they share their home or treated, took their dogs to puppy classes with you guys and followed through, Cesar would have less dogs to rehab. And, there are more of us every day honing our skills and becoming better pack leaders - "keeping dogs happy one walk at a time."
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