Is The Dog Whisperer legit?

The name Cesar Millan has been bandied about a lot in the dog community. He and his methods have generated a lot of buzz among trainers and owners on television and in magazines. Many contend that his strategies are ineffective and that the events depicted in his show are blatantly made up. Why has the Dog Whisperer recently been the subject of so much negative press?

TV Show Comes With a Warning Label

The National Geographic Channel began to display a warning onscreen that read, “Do not attempt these techniques yourself without consulting a professional,” indicating that the network was aware of the criticism. ”.

A Facebook group called “Anti Cesar Millan” had thousands of members by 2010. The documentary series Through a Dog’s Eyes’ episode “The Dominance Myth,” which was broadcast on PBS that same year, made the claim that “Scientifically, dominance makes no sense.” ”.

the Dog Whisperer juggernaut was receiving an increasing amount of mainstream criticism.

As the protest organizer for Rochester in 2012, Simms, put it, “It looks good on TV that he’s this’master’ over dogs. But when the credits roll, you read, “Don’t try this at home,” ’ Why? Because it’s dangerous. ”.

Over the years, Millan has taken part in a number of legal battles.

For example, in 2006 a producer on Dog Whisperer claimed his dog, Gator, was left bleeding, covered in bruises, and gasping for breath after being choked with a collar and overworked at Millan’s Dog Psychology Center. Flody Suarez said he spent more than $25,000 on medical bills. The lawsuit was settled a year later.

In 2015, a Florida nurse named Alison Bitney sued Millan, claiming she was attacked and left with disfiguring wounds by a “vicious and dangerous” dog who had been released prematurely by Millan’s training center. Bitney said she had to undergo reconstructive surgery as a result of the attack. It appears that as the suit wound its way through the legal system, Millan was eventually dismissed as a defendant.

And in 2016, Millan was placed under investigation for possible animal cruelty after a pet pig was “nipped” in the ear by a dog being trained on an episode of Cesar 911. Ultimately, authorities decided not to bring charges, and Millan was fully vindicated. “The clip caused some concern for viewers who did not see or understand the full context of the encounter,” Nat Geo WILD said in a statement.

If you want to see how divisive Cesar Millan can be, compare everything you’ve read up to this point with the numerous positive comments that follow this article.

There doesn’t seem to be a middle ground when it comes to people’s feelings toward Cesar Millan, according to Pet Product News writer Steve LeGrice in his opinion piece titled “Why Do People Have It In for Cesar Millan?”

But as Brent Toellner of Best Friends Animal Society has explained on his personal blog, the Cesar Millan controversy isn’t so black-and-white. He says blanket accusations that Millan never uses positive reinforcement are just plain wrong, and he concludes:

And keep in mind that this is still a TV show, which means that the drama has been cranked up to attract more viewers.

The Dog Whisperer is not a how-to show, according to dog trainer Eric Goebelbecker. It’s a reality show. Each case is presented as a drama, and there is a clear goal for maximum tension in the direction, music, and cinematography. ”.

LeGrice, an editor who worked with Millan for several years on his magazine, says many Millan critics have “preconceived ideas about him based often on something that they had heard about him — not something they had actually seen.”

LeGrice adds, “Another thing that must be kept in mind is that many of the dogs Cesar works with are creatures that have been allowed to get so out of control that they face being surrendered to a shelter, or worse, euthanized. From the dog’s perspective, it seems like a good deal if you become the pack leader in order to turn around a “dangerous” dog rather than have him put down. ”.

“I cannot in my wildest dreams imagine Cesar ever treating an animal cruelly,” he continues. ”.

Here is a brief video that provides additional fascinating information about Cesar Millan:

Millan’s own pack once boasted 65 dogs, though more recently the number has dropped to about 30. When less wealthy people keep unusually large packs of dogs, it’s considered dog hoarding, a form of mental illness where people use dogs as substitutes for their failed human relationships. But in Millan’s world, owning a ton of dogs successfully is just about having a clearly organized hierarchy and the right attitude. The new show’s intro and ending sequences are rife with exhilarating, sometimes slow-motion ry of Millan running on a beach with multiple dogs running behind him, or walking what looks like 10 dogs of different sizes and breeds calmly on lead. As soon as guests arrive at Millan’s Dog Psychology Center with their badly behaved dogs, they—and we, the viewers—enter a many-dog, multispecies, communal utopia in set in gorgeous Southern California. But while it looks like it’s all held together by one confident pack leader, it’s actually sustained by Millan’s celebrity and money. It’s a fantasy land. No wonder we want to go there to escape.

Swiss zoologist Rudolf Schenkel first proposed the alpha theory in 1947. According to Schenkel’s analysis of captive, unrelated wolves, packs are made up of individuals who compete for dominance. Such battles result in the strongest person, the alpha, taking charge of the group. His conclusions were accurate for the particular wolves he examined, but they were incorrectly extrapolated to wild wolves, dogs, and then dog-human interaction.

And yet, Millan—who, yes, came on the scene after the theory he uses was debunked—obsessively repeats the idea that owners must set boundaries in order for dogs to be happy and healthy, and that one of those boundaries is teaching the dog who is boss. His approach equates setting boundaries with correction and “consequences”—another word for punishment. The most common nonverbal corrections are leash jerking and the use of choke and prong collars, but Millan also advocates for the use of “alpha rolls,” in which the dog is pushed onto its side and held down until it stops struggling and surrenders. Millan presents alpha rolls as a tool for only the most aggressive dogs, though experts say that this can actually worsen aggression and lead to a bite. Unlike Millan, most trainers today who advocate for the use of some corrections reject dominance theory and do not rely on a “pack leader” framework. And in “pure positive” training, which rejects the use of corrections altogether, boundaries are taught in noncorrective “boundary games,” in which the dog is showered with treats and praise for remaining in a certain area. For pure positive trainers, boundaries have no obvious or necessary connection to corrections. From their perspective, dominance might appear to work, but that’s only because the dog is suffering from learned helplessness, not because it is confident and calm. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement

In the 1940s, the notion that dogs are pack animals in need of a pack leader was first put forth. It became known as dominance theory, and eventually alpha theory. But it took many years for the “Dog Whisperer,” Cesar Millan, to popularize the concept of the pack leader and make it a part of the vocabulary and conceptual framework of American dog owners.

From 2004 to 2012, Millan’s hugely successful TV program introduced dog training to American audiences unlike any other program before or since. It became National Geographic channel’s No. 1 show in its first season, which was televised in more than 80 nations. Later, Millán had a number of shows, a magazine, a live lecture series, three New York Times best-selling books, and a line of goods, including dog food available in large supermarkets. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement.

Cesar Has No Formal Training

Cesar’s techniques were created as a result of his own childhood experiences. He lacks the research and educational credentials to support his methods, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it does leave room for issues.

FAQ

Is The Dog Whisperer cruel?

“American Humane documented a number of instances of cruel and risky treatment that Millan promoted as acceptable training techniques, including one in which a dog was partially asphyxiated in an episode.

Is Dog Whisperer a real thing?

However, it is undeniable that animal behaviorists exist and have benefited many animals and their owners. Both Skeet Club Veterinary Hospital and Total Care Veterinary Hospital in High Point provide behavior counseling as a service. Your pet needs complete care if you want to provide the best care possible.

How much does Cesar The Dog Whisperer charge?