30 Comments:

• A couple of points:
  
  - Increasingly, dog training is a science, or at least uses a lot of science. Trainers like Dunbar base their methods on psychological and physiological science - studies of conditioning methods, learning methods, Pavlov, Skinner, etc, etc. There are better ways to train dogs, because they're based on the way dogs learn, and there are worse ways to train dogs, because they don't take into account how dogs learn. Training a dog without understanding the science of what's happening is like fixing a car without understanding how internal combustion works. You might get it right by trial and error, but that doesn't mean it's a good way to go about it.
  
  - A major complaint about Millan isn't his method, but his presentation of his method. Like everything else on TV, the show leads people to believe that all problems can be fixed in 20 minutes, including commercials. Millan's show compresses the amount of time and effort that goes into training problem dogs, and makes people believe that it's easy. I know of at least one person who opened a dog training business based solely upon having watched Millan's show. Yes, the person watched Dog Whisperer and decided he was now qualified to train problem dogs. Millan's show creates a myth that it's easy and quick to fix problem dogs. It isn't, it causes dog owners to have unrealistic expectations of what trainers can do, and it makes the dog owners frustrated with their dogs when they have to expend more time and effort then they saw on TV.

  By  Alfonso Bedoya, at 3:22 PM, January 11, 2008  

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• I think it is important to note that Cesar mostly takes cases that are not ordinary "training" cases. He himself has said he does not train but rehabilitates dogs for people who are running out of options. The show also stresses that people should consult with professionals. On the other hand, Ian Dunbar IS a great trainer, many feel he is the greatest. His gentler methods are definitely preferable to try first. But, I still believe that both men offer something different to the field and as every trainer has learned the more tricks you have in your bag the better prepared you are to deal with the vast differences of our canine companions.

  By  Anonymous, at 3:31 PM, January 11, 2008  

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• I appreciate your position but frankly there is a considerable difference between the discourse Milan and Dunbar use that ultimately reveals the kind of trainers they are. Milan's quasi-scientific references to "psychology of dogs" shows he is a layman whereas Dunbar is a qualified vet and researcher who has published scholarly peer-reviewed work. Academia in this way acts as a quality control.
  
  I do think Milan, from what you see on TV, is an amazing reader of dogs and I don't deny that isn't charming, often effective and makes for great TV. However, as a trainer myself I fear his approach is very easy to misunderstand because it is so confrontational. Dogs tend to freeze around him, often shutting down, before following his "commands".
  
  I think Dunbar's approach, grounded in academic tradition and behavioural science, is far more suitable to the general public as it promotes the idea that you have to actually work with your dog. It's not a quick fix solution.
  
  No doubt Milan and Dunbar et al will continue to divide trainers and the general public alike. As far as I am concerned it's wonderful that there is a dialogue going on about how we should approach training.
  
  Here's also a heads up to Victoria Stilwell and Paul Owen, dog trainers whose approaches are also worth studying.

  By  Jontus, at 3:48 PM, January 11, 2008  

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• The subtitle of that article is hilarious:
  
  "While Cesar Millan is dazzling TV audiences, Ian Dunbar has been quietly gaining the respect of the people who really count -- other dog experts"
  
  Other dog experts are NOT the people who really count. The public they serve are the people who really count.
  
  Impressing other doggy insiders is a venture in kissing their collective asses, being politically correct, and massaging each other's egos. Group think. Preaching to the Choir.
  
  I know nothing of Ian Dunbar and I'm no Millan acolyte, but I couldn't get past the first sentence of that article without my eyes rolling. There's so much anti-Millan rhetoric from people in the doggy world who just love to pretend to be high and mighty.
  
  Plenty of those people have taboos on any training method that isn't 100% bribery and frenzied excitement. They call it positive. They also call it positive when their methods don't work for all dogs and all situations and the ones they fail "need" to be killed...err... euthanized... as the final "positive" solution.
  
  Kill the dog, ok, just don't do something so dreadfully awful as punishment or a prong collar or an e-collar. GASP! The barbarity of discipline, the beauty of the blue and pink solution of death!
  
  Other dog professionals don't matter, people matter and people want what works. Punitive training methods have their use, and Millan has demonstrated tact and appropriate application. Not to mention effective results.
  
  The anti-Millan theorists have no training method for dogs like the Border Collie that lost several teeth and an eye chasing a tractor tire. Cheeze wiz and a clicker won't work with a dog that goes from 0 to frenzy the second the tractor's motor turns on and who flings himself against the tire trying to bite it.
  
  Millan used an e-collar and the dog's behavior immediately improved after one session. The perfect tool was the e-collar. It can be used at a distance, over significant other distractions, can be dialed in for precise stimulus and doesn't carry a negative response to the human with it since the dog doesn't know you're pushing the button.
  
  The doggy insider community would gasp, but they have no answers, just calls to declare Millan a witch that needs to be burned.

  By  Christopher, at 4:51 PM, January 11, 2008  

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• OMG, it gets better. They quote Sue Sternberg in the article!
  
  " "Ian carried the torch for lure-and-reward training," says Sue Sternberg, founder and owner of Rondout Valley Animals for Adoption in upstate New York and author of Great Dog Adoptions: A Guide for Shelters and Successful Dog Adoptions. "He converted an entire generation of yank 'em, crank 'em dog trainers into better communicators." "
  
  You'll remember Sue Sternberg from the HBO documentary "Shelter Dogs" where you'd be easily mistaken that she's just some humble little dog saver in rural New York. You see the hovel she lives in and the hovel of a shelter she runs.
  
  What they don't mention is that she's the one who developed the Assess-A-Pet bogus dog evaluation method used in lots of shelters to justify euthanizing dogs for "behavioral issues" ... things like poking a starved dog with a rubber hand while it has its first meal, and if it ever so much as growls, kill it.
  
  There's no logic or science to the method, it's simply a "tool" used by people who think that dogs need to be killed to be saved (people inept at rehoming them) to pretend that they need to kill the animal because the animal is defective, not their shelter or their sales technique.
  
  Despite getting all teary over dogs, she thinks most of them need to be killed and thinks that the No-Kill movement is horrible. Just compare her shelter's numbers to the No-Kill shelter in a similar community also in New York in Thomson County, and you'll see that not only does the No-Kill shelter take in more and find homes for more animals, they also spend a lot less time at the shelter, are continually socialized and walked to avoid the "cage crazy" syndrome that happens to Sternberg's dogs.
  
  All one needs to do is Google Stenberg's name and see all the commentary against her temperament testing methods, her traveling around the country making money selling her books and testing kits and what she does at those seminars (she evokes Hitler and Stalin and believes that 75% of all dogs need to be killed before they are even given a chance at adoption, thinks that many breeds and dogs over 30 lbs should be done away with, etc.).
  
  It's just amazing that people who think they care so much are reticent to do what works. Their training methods fail because they are too "nice" and their shelters fail because they are too heartless and inept.

  By  Christopher, at 5:09 PM, January 11, 2008  

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• "Cesar Millan versus Ian Dunbar"
  
  There is no "vs" or contest here for any well-educated and knowledgeable owner or trainer who is familiar with even the basic tenets of modern dog training. It's a no-brainer. Further, this is comparing apples with oranges. Cesar himself repeats often that he is not a dog trainer!
  
  >> "as if Dunbar is the sigh of relief in a world of shock dog trainers."
  
  That is a fair description of one of the many things he means to those who have attended his classes, seminars, or read his books.
  
  >> "Most of us don't know Millan, or Dunbar for that matter."
  
  Many of us know Ian Dunbar very well, and for those who don't, there is enough info out there to fill in most of his four-decade career as veterinarian, distinquished researcher, trainer, and the originator of now mainstream concepts such as puppy classes, bite classification, learned bite inhibition... and on and on.
  
  >> "What gets missed in all the Millan debates is that dog training is an art, not a science. There is no "best" way to train dogs."
  
  Simply not true. Although "art" certainly enters into the skills of any trainer, modern dog training is based solidly on science--on canine ethology, an emerging understanding of canine body language and communication, on genetics, on 100+ years of learning theory, as well as other recent discoveries.
  
  Mr. Millan's philosophy and mindset are also based on science--the outdated science of the 1950's which overemphasized and completely misinterpreted the role of social hierarchy in wolves, and then applied these mistaken notions to dogs. He is not alone in basing his ideas on "dominance" and "pack theory," concepts that most mainstream trainers today consider to be virtually irrelevent to training or understand behavior. But unlike the traditional trainer who may affect the lives of a few hundred dogs during his career, Mr. Millan is introducing a dangerous fiction into--what?--hundreds of thousands of homes weekly!
  
  Barry McDonald
  APDT # 69416
  Forestburgh, NY
  BMcD@hughes.net

  By  withoutascent, at 7:07 PM, January 11, 2008  

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• I myself am once again appalled by television "theatrics" which turns everything into a mess of heated sensless debates.
  We who adot dogs make those dogs a part of our family, and in many ways, like our children, as we are their caregivers.
  When a child acts up or misbehaves, or acts up, do we "toss" them away, or send them to a crackpot to help our child ? No, so should we do that with our pets, our dogs ?
  only in extremem cases, where safety and the lives of others, should extreme measure be taken - and humanely, as dogs only know, what they are taught, and who teaches them ? We do.
  Training should be done,naturally, to the dog breed and temperment and such.
  Thare are so many people out there, where i often if we are actuallly "better " than animals, but that is my view point, when it comes to dealing with something that looks up to us and trusts us to be good caregivers.

  By  Mike, at 11:57 PM, January 11, 2008  

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• One doesn't have to be an expert to know that there are many roads to a destination...in other words, they may both accomplish the same result, it is just a matter of how they got there. I don't know the Dunbar dude, but I do watch the Dog Whisperer. I don't see the heavy handedness that some have spoke of by Millan.
  
  Having watched how wolves interact, as in pack behavior and social status, I believe in what Millan teaches.
  
  One other note, all of the above comments discuss the training of dogs, but none of them address training the OWNER, or the relationship between the trainer, owner and the dog.
  
  Hell, even in small towns there are now competing animal shelters ONLY because of their philosophy and methods in dealing with animals.
  
  This is much ado about nothing!

  By  Wally, at 12:22 PM, January 12, 2008  

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• From the articles I've read, and stories Cesar has told on talk shows that I've seen... they should make a movie about Cesars life. At the very least, a biography. He brought animal behavior mainstream - Not an easy task. His popularity may save the lives of countless dogs, dogs that most likely would have been put-down or given-up, simply because the dog owner didn't understand their role.

  By  Anonymous, at 2:21 PM, January 14, 2008  

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• I'm familiar with many different dog trainers - ones that are on TV such as Cesar Millan and the Monks of New Skete, and ones that are not, such as Ian Dunbar, Suzanne Clothier, Jan Fennel and Dick Koehler.
  
  In modern dog training, there seem to be two schools of thought. There is the crowd where everything must be positive all the time and corrections are never used, ever. And there is the crowd where corrections are used to get a dog to submit and perform.
  
  It is my opinion that neither school of thought makes for a good training approach.
  
  First, dog training cannot have a "one size fits all" approach because dogs are individuals. Every dog's circumstances and background are different. Dogs have different temperaments and react differently to corrections and rewards.
  
  Second, you can't have all positive or all negative and expect to have both great results and a great relationship with your dog. If you're always positive with your dog, he gets away with anything. If you're always negative and correcting, he won't trust and love you.
  
  Cesar Millan has done a good thing for dogs, and that is, getting dog training and dog behavior into the mainstream.
  
  There are too many people who assume that their dog has issues and there simply is nothing they can do about it, short of dumping the dog and getting another in its place. There are too many people who treat their dogs like children, dressing them up and pushing them around in strollers, rather than dogs. Why?
  
  Cesar Millan has started to get through to people like that, that there are ways to treat dogs and work with dogs that are more appropriate - and that it's a good thing to hire a professional to accomplish that goal.
  
  Unfortunately, Cesar's show is cut together to meet its time format, giving people a wrong idea of what goes into correcting and changing behaviors. And his methods, which work great in Cesar's hands, may be used completely wrong in the hands of someone else.
  
  For example, Cesar sometimes uses his heel or foot to correct a dog by touching the dog. Someone else may take that as, "It's okay to kick the dog to correct him." It is largely about perception and the jump from one to the other is made quite quickly by many people.
  
  The other problem is that we don't hear a lot about how much it takes in terms of daily upkeep and practicing daily routines in order to keep the problem fixed after Cesar fixes it. Dog training is much more about practicing the behaviors on a day to day basis than it is about the actual training.
  
  In an ideal world, Cesar will get people interested in dog training. Hopefully, that will get them to reading more and learning more, then using only what works for their dog, and discarding what does not. It's when people swear by one method and one method only that we run into trouble.

  By  Abby K9, at 1:12 AM, January 15, 2008  

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• I too am a dog trainer and agree that yes Ceasar can read and handle dogs, big and scarey dogs. But his method of training is from the history books. Any normal person attempting these methods of training may find themselves on the wrong end of a leash.
  
  Yes I am a positive trainer; a past yank'm trainer changed years ago. What I see from yank'm training is anger, there is not thinking involved. It is do it or choke, pretty much. With positive training there is alot of sitting down and figuring out how to go about an unwanted behavior. No two dogs are alike so there is never one answer.
  
  But brute force is not the way to handle or teach dogs. Millan floods the poor dogs with severe fear behaviors and we as tv watches don't get to see the fall-out behaviors that follow.
  
  I am a huge Dunbar fan, he has brought dog training a long way baby!!

  By  Sherri, at 1:15 PM, January 18, 2008  

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• Sherri,
  
  Congrats, that's the whole point of this topic. Cesar has brought dog behavior mainstream. There is no "best way", but his show gets everyones attention, and that's good for everyone involved in the dog business. The average American will never be able to do what Cesar can seemingly do in one hour, but I do believe he always mentions to not attempt his technics, and to consult your local trainer - which is free business for us!

  By  Anonymous, at 8:54 AM, January 19, 2008  

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• Cesar Millan is fantastic!! His methods are so simple and effective it may be easy for some to overlook the communication that is taking place between man and dog. Three 90 lb. black dogs greeting visitors could be a calamity instead they receive a relaxed calm welcome. My UPS delivery person wanted to know how I trained them because she wanted her dog to be just like them. Many other visitors have asked the same questions and I always tell them to watch the Dog Whisperer. Cesar's methods are fast and lasting. I can't imagine why some are calling his methods brutal or barbaric. My dogs have benefited from his methods because they do not lead to a protracted battle changing a behavior. In the end the dog obeys because it sees the human as dominant regardless of how you get to that point. Cesar's methods are so much faster and reduce a lot of the frustration in tradional training. I feel the dog understands what it is being told.
  
  Cesar Millan has made a difference for me. I have studied many others but for me and my dogs Cesar's methods work!

  By  SKE, at 9:24 AM, January 28, 2008  

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• I don't think I'll leave a post as long as some of your readers, but in doing study on K9 behavior I truely appreciate what Millan is teaching dog owners. Too often I see owners who don't understand this animal that they are taking into their home. Ultimately it is an animal, not some fluffy big eyed mini human that shares their space. Dog's, coming from the same family as wolves, need that pack mentality to feel secure. My own dogs are raised knowing just were they rank in the home and as a result they know what is expected of them, and what they can and cannot get away with. If you don't believe that Dogs need a pack just look at the number of domesticated dogs who roam free and soon find packs of their own. Their behavior mirrors that of a small wolf pack. Millan knows that Dogs need this pack companionship and teaches this to others. No matter what questioning he comes up against, he makes sure that people understand its not a furry child they took in, but a DOG. And yes, I agree the only reason he is getting put under the hot lamp is because he has a t.v show. If not for that then you're right, we wouldn't care. Its the price to pay when you have stardom.

  By  Maggie, at 7:09 AM, February 01, 2008  

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• As of the end of the summer we acquired additional dogs; one unwanted by temporary owner and one rescued from a dog shelter. Already having two older dogs, we now found ourselves with four. Four dogs is not easy and the two newcomers had serious emotional and behavioral problems. Thank God for Millan! We just could not afford dog behavior training. We watch Millan over and over. We are training our "pack" even the older dogs. It has been a wonderful tool for us and it is working slowly!!The slowly is not due to the dogs ability, but rather to our not being constantly consistant. If someone opened a dog training business based solely on Millans show as Alfonso said, good grief - what an idiot! Don't undermine the good works by Millan with others stupidity. No one watching could come away with anything but the message that it takes time and the owner has to relearn their behavior. Again - unless they are stupid!

  By  Mrs. B, at 5:33 PM, February 05, 2008  

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• to learn about which methods are preferred one should consult professional dog people .To do this requires a little effort. I would be willing to bet that over 90 per cent of the top dog professional in the world would say that Dr. Ian Dunbar is far superior in methodology. Cesar Millan is old school. Learn from the people who know somethling and have worked with dogs for years, not people who are mesmarized by TV. There is no question when you ask the real experts whose methods are correct and that would be Dr. Ian Dunbar period.

  By  Anonymous, at 5:17 PM, February 08, 2008  

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• As a former Cesar Millan client, all i can say is his method worked for me and when applied correctly, there is no anger involved resulting in a more balanced dog and trainer:) and there's no WAY i'd hurt my dog!)

  By  Shalott, at 6:48 AM, February 13, 2008  

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• I myself like Cesar Millan and have used several of his approaches to dog training. I only have one thing to say, if you don't like Millan don't watch. No one says you have to do everything the same way someone else does. I take a little bit of what Millan has to say plus other info from books and dvd's and other trainers. Instead of harping on how dogs are treated at kill shelters, try donating to the ASPCA, a dog that is happy in a home may be a little rambunctious but usually that is all. It doesn't matter how someone else trains a dog it only matters on how you do it.

  By  cuprite, at 7:26 PM, February 16, 2008  

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• Cesar is old school? If that is the case, how is it Cesar's methods work where old school doesn't?
  
  Cesar is dealing in anger?
  
  Anger doesn't equate to calm assertive.
  
  I'm looking into Ian's methodology, and I'm sure I'll find it is quite effective in some situations, where it isn't I'll still consider Cesar's.
  
  In the end, every humane method has it's place in the trainers tool box.
  
  Arguing about it doesn't really accomplish much.
  
  What I would really love to see is the worlds best trainers and behaviorists tackling those problem dogs that most simply give up on. Lets find out who's methods really do work the best instead of simply shooting off at the mouth about who's methods are the best...

  By  Logos, at 7:00 PM, March 02, 2008  

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• My wife has been training dogs for over 25 years and loves Cesar Milan's methods. She also took in one of his seminars. Cesar may not even be the best but he is the most popular and as such jealous people find him an easy target.

  By  Richard Laplante, at 9:35 PM, March 31, 2008  

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• I have recently re read Paul Owen's book "The Dog Whisperer" (ironic huh) where he explains in great detail non violent dog training, but when I got to the part where he brings up dog aggression, he states that it is a subject outside the scope of his book.
  
  So alas I still have no clear example of non violent dog training from a trainer who uses such techniques on an aggressive dog.
  
  Until I have that example, I'll have to utilize what I have learned from Cesar's shows and books.

  By  Logos, at 11:13 AM, April 01, 2008  

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• Ceasar is a messiah. He's sharing more truth and wisdom about life than anyone else out there. He changes people's lives and their dogs are the beneficiaries.
  
  The 'experts' can keep training dogs not to pee in the house and fetch things, but thank heavens someone like Ceasar is taking on the tough problems and saving dogs' lives.

  By  Anonymous, at 5:51 AM, April 17, 2008  

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• comI have been a dog trainer for 10 years now, and the academy that I attended used the techniques developed by Ian Dunbar. No doubt his techniques work on puppies and adult dogs who were properly socialized, but do an internet search on his name, and you will find only one or two articles on how he deals with anti-social or aggresive behavior. Ceasar's book not only tells you how to handle your dog, but how to handle yourself in the presence of other dogs. If Ian Dunbar had a tv show, there is no other way to display his methods, other than to compress time so that you can get the full experience in 1 hour. As for Victoria Stillwell and Paul Owens, they are simply using "Dunbars" method. I say "Dunbar" in parenthesis because I believe Richard Wolters had the same idea in the 40's and wrote several books, "Water Dog" "Gun Dog" "Family Dog" and "Game Dog" He uses the same basic methods, which in his day, where more than revolutionary.
  
  And as for all of the talk about Ian is a vet and has a degree, and Caesar just grew up on a farm and has a knack for dogs, you should ask yourself if hands on experience means more to you than knowledge gained by reading. Personally, if I had an aggressive dog, i would call Caesar. If i wanted to teach a puppy how to sit, lay, stay, i would do it myself.

  By  Anthony Stephens, at 8:33 PM, April 20, 2008  

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• Anyone who says that Ceasar is not humane should get a dictionary. Humane means nothing more than a marked emphasis on humanistic values and concerns. Last time I checked, dogs do not now, nor have they ever had values, and their only concerns in life are where they will eat and sleep next. It is a mistake to believe that your dogs have the ability understand our way of life. What Caesar is trying to do, is make it possible for human beings to understand a dogs thought process. Most people try to humanize their animals and the only thing that happens is you get a spoiled and often fat animal that does not listen and has no rules or boundaries. Caesar has also brought up one other excellent point that I have not heard anyone else on any of these forums mention. EXERCISE is the key to a happy relationship. Even discipline and affection dont make for a better one.

  By  Anonymous, at 9:08 PM, April 20, 2008  

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• The real point of this argument is that there are TWO schools of thought here. Cesar Millan teaches the more primitive, psychology of the dog pack. Yes, this methods may seem "archaic" to some, however, they are most certainly tried and true. He teaches the OWNER about "rules, boundaries, and limitations" that dogs and humans need to practice. He practices calm and assertive energy and in no way encourages anger, frustration, and only uses the tools (prong collars, shock collars, etc) that the owners choose. In his words, he stays "consistent with what the owner wants". I would call Cesar the backbone to dog mentality.
  Ian Dunbar is equally as brilliant, however, he is a DOG TRAINER and should not be compared to Cesar as such. Ian teaches the dog to sit, stay, come, etc. and for this the owner should use positive reinforcement. Cesar's methods, in conjunction with Ian's will result in a happy, balanced dog that listens to his owner. Cesar produces a respectful, attentive, follower to the pack-leader owner, while Ian creates a dog that WANTS to listen to commands.
  Both methods are excellent and serve there own purpose.

  By  Lauren, at 9:48 PM, April 20, 2008  

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• Many people will always continue to down "the popular guy" no matter what the issue is from dog training to who can smoke best! But I personally have met Cesar Millan and I can assure that this man is truly a gentle soul. He has a strict hand but his methods work. But like the writer here said every trainer has their own methods. I am a trainer and I have my own methods but that's because it's what works for me. Everyone should be smart enough to know that we all aren't the same and do things a little bit differently than each other. So why beat down someone who has made himself successful? I can honestly say my time spent with Cesar is a time I cherish for a very long time and will always be grateful for his advice to follow my dream and start my own training business. Without his support and belief in what I could do I wouldn't be here today making many families and their dogs happy!

  By  Fido Fitness El Paso, at 12:47 PM, April 24, 2008  

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• I'd like to point out that one of the major problems with Ceasar Millan is that his methods are not ones that people can learn to use simply from watching his TV show. While they work for Ceasar, they can easily be mis-used by owners who don't understand the SCIENCE behind his methods. There is a very clear and well defined science behind the way that dogs learn and the situations in which Positive Reinforcement are appropriate versus situations in which Positive Punishment are appropriate. When I train my own dogs or help others with theirs, I first try positive reinforcement, IF it isn't working or doesn't fit with the dog's personality, then other methods can be tried. However when handling certain very sensitive breeds like the afore mentioned Border Collie, you must be very careful not to do something that will instill fear in the dog as this is something that is nearly impossible to "train out" and fix. Please, please, please, don't voice your opinion if you don't know what you're talking about. Unless you understand the science of dog training, you'll just end up confusing owners who already are confused by the plethora of unauthorized opinions in the dog training world.

  By  Laura, at 10:48 AM, April 26, 2008  

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• The problem with Milan and the hype surrounding his reality(?) television show, is that it is not real. Any dog owner who has done even an ounce of training with their dog/s knows that dog behavioural problems will not be solved in 20 minutes.
  
  The problem with people these days is that they want a quick fix and they may get a quicker fix with Milan than using more positive training methods, but they will also hurt the relationship with their dog or they will get bitten in the process by his hands on approach.
  
  The man may be charismatic and convincing which are great attributes for television ratings, but again it is made for television and you cannot believe everything you see on the box.

  By  Faith, at 1:05 PM, May 01, 2008  

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• I've read books written by Ceser and Dunbar. I have twenty years experience of raising and training dogs ranging from a sensitive Norfolk Terrier who cringed if you told him "No" loudly, to a strong-willed 160 pound Saint Bernard. Hands down, Cesar wins. If you read his first book, he talks about communicating with dogs based on the energy you project to them, as well as viewing dogs as animals, not "fur babies" as many people call their pets. He is intuitive and, he gets "it". Truthfully, anyone can train a dog with a soft temperament. Training a hard temperament dog is something that can only be done when you have the mindset that Cesar shares with you in his books.
  The Dunbar crowd can be epitomized as white, middle class and owners of easy-train dogs such as Goldies and lap dogs. When you start dealing with dominant breeds, clickers and "think happy thoughts only" 'aint gonna cut it.

  By  Yaz, at 4:47 PM, May 06, 2008  

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• People never cease to amaze me...
  
  I don't know a whole lot about Dunbar, but I do know that most BEHAVIORAL issues will not be solved with positive reinforcement alone.
  This is what is being misunderstood. Cesar is not a dog trainer, Cesar is a dog psychologist. Dunbar is an obedience trainer. Obedience training can be accomplished by positive reinforcement. Correcting an issue that's been there for years may take more than a tasty treat and baby-talk to resolve.
  I don't see Cesar using heavy handed techniques. He is calm and he is firm. That is all. He is not kicking a dogs. He is not hurting a dog if he lays or hovers over them in a show of dominance.
  AND FOR THE LOVE OF GOD...he is not claiming that the behavior is corrected after spending the 20 minutes with the dog that you see on the show. He is showing you HOW to correct the issue. This will obviously require repetition, and many times he tells the owner as much.
  And it's a sad thing to say, but MOST times, it is us, the humans that are failing the animal. If you watch Cesar's show, it's painfully obvious that the problem is with the human.
  I can't say what method is better. I believe there is no "standard". Each issue is unique and will require a different approach.
  What I can say that I have seen Cesar do nothing wrong or harmful toward an animal. People seem to be a little jealous that he's getting the spotlight right now, and they're doing what they can to bring him down.
  It's a shame...

  By  Mark, at 7:07 AM, May 09, 2008  

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