[Natalie]

I've been curious about how many doodle owner's use Cesar Millan's techniques and philosophy and if you find his methods useful with your doodles?

[lmtoth2]

Ah...I wouldn't say we use his techniques...but we do sometimes watch his show and have learned things. Like how to be a pack leader, how to use a walk to develop your pack. I also like his calmness when around the dogs and I try to learn from that (although it doesn't always work).
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Leslie M

[Shaia]

he actually gets quite a bit of criticism from both my dog walker and our puppy school, founded by vet and animal behaviorist Ian Dunbar:

"Millan subscribes loosely to the idea of the pack, a dogs-as-wolves theory that had long ago fallen out of favor with many trainers. In his recent best-seller, "Cesar's Way," Millan writes that there are only two positions in a relationship, leader or follower. "I work with dogs all the time that are trained but not balanced." Included in Millan's repertoire is a snappy touch that he claims mimics a corrective response by pack leaders, "alpha rollovers" (forcibly making a dog show its belly), and submission to being rear sniffed.

He has nice dog skills, but from a scientific point of view, what he says is, well ... different," says Dunbar. "Heaven forbid if anyone else tries his methods, because a lot of what he does is not without danger." "Don't try this at home" messages are flashed throughout the show, and in September, the American Humane Association requested that the National Geographic Channel stop the show immediately, citing Millan's training tactics as "inhumane, outdated and improper."

Writer Mark Derr, in a recent New York Times editorial, went as far as to call Millan a "charming, one-man wrecking ball directed at 40 years of progress in understanding and shaping dog behavior."

Nicholas Dodman, program director for the Animal Behavior Clinic at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University and author of "Dogs Behaving Badly," goes even further. He calls Millan's techniques "abuse." A TV producer claiming his dog was injured while training at the Dog Psychology Center is reportedly suing Millan.

While distaste for Millan might be growing, Dunbar focuses on discounting the myths such training ideas foster. Dogs aren't wolves, Dunbar says, generations of evolution separate the two animals. "Learning from wolves to interact with pet dogs makes about as much sense as, 'I want to improve my parenting -- let's see how the chimps do it!' "

Dunbar claims compliance, the goal of all dog training, is most often achieved through positive training methods. His lure-reward methods -- using treats and praise -- have an even higher rate of success if there is puppy socialization.
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Mary & Shaia

[MaxandMe]

Millan claims to be a dog psychologist not a trainer which i would agree with. Many times he uses a common sense approach with dogs along with being positive and giving them praise afterwards.

now is a dog was snarling and biting i wonder if i'd hold a tennis racket and be as good and cool/calm collect as him.
BUT for me i take what i can learn and the other stuff i think about.

what I do see though is dogs are a pack mentality or at least with multiple doodles we see it here. and there has to be a leader for them to follow otherwise your dog will run your life for you.
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Annmarie, Max,& Peanut
Forum BLOG ARTICLE LINK http://blog.labradoodle-dogs.net/

"Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened." Anatole France

[hmz819]

I do not use all his ideas but I have used some. I gave up on walking Maya and solely using positive training it hasn't worked with her. We went on a 45 min walk today and when she started pulling I tried the stop method and when that didn't work either Maya was told "ENOUGH" if she didn't stop pulling there was a snap on the leash. We had the most enjoyable walk ever. Also for about a 5 min stretch she actually heeled. (The goal of this walk was just loose leash not heel). (Also she had a gentler leader harness on so I wasn't pulling on her neck collar.)
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Heather, Morgan, Maya, and Sadie
He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion-Unknown

[annabelles mom]

I've not watched his show, I use the NO method
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Mary & Annabelle
Zippity Doodle, Zippyity ay, My O My what a WonderDoodle Day !

http://www.picturetrail.com/luvlabs

[deepnite10]

though i don t wholely subscripe to ALL his methods..some do have merit..

most of us have not been formally trained to in any method and look to
Cesar and other trainer s to see what work s best for us..we can t all be like Cesar..just as we all can t be like any other..

i have 2 other dogs in my home..some of you more..and what training i
provided them i learn from an old German Shephard breeder..but, that does nt mean that i have nt learned much from Dog Whispers and his
books..

due to training..my 2 other dogs are very low maintenance..able to spend
up to 14 hrs while my wife and i worked..and indoors with a doggie door..
and now that i no longer work i spend almost all my time bonding with
Toby..

[ChasP505]

I've owned a bunch 'o Siberian Huskies... as close to a wolf pack as you can get, and Cesar Millan's techniques applied very well. My alpha dog was very much like Millan's dog "Daddy". He controlled the other dogs and "told them" what to do.

Most of my later dogs were adopted and were at least partially trained and had no destructive habits.

Ozzie is different from my other dogs in that he is devious. He behaves differently with me than with Carol. Carol is so physically and mentally exhausted from her long work day that she can't get Ozzie under control in the evening. By Millan's interpretation, Ozzie is claiming her and establishing his dominance over her. Ozzie does all the classic behaviors: leaning on her, putting his paws on her, pushing her, etc. I'm forced to keep stepping in to physically get Ozzie away from her. Ozzie is interpreting Carol's end of day exhaustion as a submissive signal.

And Ozzie is uncontrollable when Carol walks him. She has a nerve injury from a car accident and she's not strong enough to control him if he pulls or lunges on the leash.

Ozzie behaves differently with me, mainly because of my imposing size and greater strength. If he acts up with me in the house, I put the training lead on him and he immediately transforms into a submissive, obedient young dog. He's like the Eddie Haskell of dogs.

Bottom line is I've decided to hire a professional trainer to "break" Ozzie so Carol can walk him peacefully down the street without using trick collars and harnesses. I want him to know that Carol is not his property-- it's the other way around. And I want him to stop this Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde routine. I'm not going to use a "touchy feely" trainer, but rather one with a Marines drill sergeant attitude.

I'll keep you guys posted on this.
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Chas P., Carol and Ozzie

[Tink]

I too agree with a lot of what he says and does, but not all.
I have 3 Labs... which are known to be pushy and playful and energetic. I absolutely see a pecking order and pack mentality at work in how they interact with each other and us humans in the family.

I can tell you with no question who is boss among my dogs... yet they all know I am boss over all of them. I'm not mean or harsh to any of them, but I do make them listen and take second place to my needs and they comply without challenge.

If I didn't have them convinced of my superiority there's no way I could handle this many alone without pure chaos.
What I find fascinating is the similarities between dogs and horses in their relationships with each other and us. I used much the same approach with horses that I do with dogs and it worked equally well.
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www.tinkerdoodle.net
Hickory, Ava, Hana, Misty, and Chip (happy master of his Harem)

[lindamarie]

We may use a few, but we've found the training school we go to more successful. It seems their techniques work far better.
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Linda & Bogart
Dogs=Unconditional love
"We have it all! Just like Bogie & Bacall!"

[sdrudge]

I sometimes watch his show. But I do use some things that I have put into my training routine but I am not totally on board with all that he teaches.
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Samantha, Cacao and Beau

[lmtoth2]

I was giving this more thought...the other thing about Caesar is that most of the dogs on his show have some serious issues. It is great to try positive training with most dogs, but many on his show are in serious need of professional help! I don't know that training with treats, praise, etc would work on many of these dogs.

Although some of his techniques look extreme, some of the dogs on his show are in danger of going to a shelter or maybe being put down due to their aggression. You never know how real things are from TV, but if his techniques save these dogs and make it so they can stay with their owner I think he's doing the right thing.
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Leslie M

[hmz819]

I agree Leslie. I don't think the snarling, drooling pit bull mix would respond to treats! hahaha I don't watch a lot of his shows but I have not ever seen him harm an animal (or use shock collars and the like to get a dog under control). I think a little human physical correction is much better than a shock collar.
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Heather, Morgan, Maya, and Sadie
He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion-Unknown

[Lora]

We use the exercise, discipline, affection model when Boyd gets worked up. My husband also does a lot of the silent commands and the "psst" noise Cesar uses.

I agree that NO ONE should try to work with aggressive dogs using his techniques - I have seen him get bitten more than once on the show.
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Lora and Boyd

[Cinsmom]

I didn't reply to the poll. There wasn't a category for maybe or some of the things.

I have watched his show, but most of it I find it to be the owners to be the submissive ones, so it's no wonder they're walked all over by their dogs. "Little Snookums likes to bite my nose. How can I tell him not to?" Duh!!