Dog Whisperer (Cesar Milan) Inhumane?

[FirstYorkie]

According to an article on American Humane, Milan's tactics are "inhumane, outdated, and improper".

Here is the link:
http://www.americanhumane.org/site/P..._dog_whisperer

And here is the article:

'Dog Whisperer' Training Approach More Harmful Than Helpful

Denver (September 6, 2006)

The training tactics featured on Cesar Millan's “Dog Whisperer” program are inhumane, outdated and improper, according to a letter sent yesterday to the National Geographic Channel by American Humane, the oldest national organization protecting children and animals.

In the letter, American Humane, which works to raise public awareness about responsible pet ownership and reduce the euthanasia of unwanted pets, expressed dismay over the “numerous inhumane training techniques” advocated by Cesar Millan on “Dog Whisperer.”

Several instances of cruel and dangerous treatment -- promoted by Millan as acceptable training methods -- were documented by American Humane, including one in which a dog was partially asphyxiated in an episode. In this instance, the fractious dog was pinned to the ground by its neck after first being “hung” by a collar incrementally tightened by Millan. Millan’s goal -- of subduing a fractious animal -- was accomplished by partially cutting off the blood supply to its brain.

The letter requests that National Geographic stop airing the program immediately and issue a statement explaining that the tactics featured on the program are inhumane, and it encourages National Geographic to begin developing programming that sets a positive example by featuring proper, humane animal training. In its letter, American Humane said: “We believe that achieving the goal of improving the way people interact with their pets would be far more successful and beneficial for the National Geographic Channel if it ceased sending the contradictory message that violent treatment of animals is acceptable.”

“As a forerunner in the movement towards humane dog training, we find the excessively rough handling of animals on the show and inhumane training methods to be potentially harmful for the animals and the people on the show,” said the letter’s author, Bill Torgerson, DVM, MBA, who is vice president of Animal Protection Services for American Humane. “It also does a disservice to all the show’s viewers by espousing an inaccurate message about what constitutes effective training and appropriate treatment of animals.”

Torgerson noted that the safety of a woman and her German shepherd were jeopardized in one episode by the use of an electric shock collar, which forced the tormented dog to redirect its aggression at its owner, biting her arm. “Furthermore, the television audience was never told that Mr. Millan was attempting to modify the dog’s behavior by causing pain with the shock collar,” he said.

For more information about humane training techniques, please visit www.americanhumane.org.

About American Humane
Founded in 1877, the American Humane Association is the oldest national organization dedicated to protecting both children and animals. Through a network of child and animal protection agencies and individuals, the American Humane Association develops policies, legislation, curricula and training programs to protect children and animals from abuse, neglect and exploitation. The nonprofit membership organization, headquartered in Denver, raises awareness about The Link® between animal abuse and other forms of violence, as well as the benefits derived from the human-animal bond. American Humane’s regional office in Los Angeles is the authority behind the “No Animals Were Harmed”® End Credit Disclaimer on film and TV productions, and American Humane’s office in Washington is an advocate for child and animal protection at the federal and state levels. American Humane is endorsed by the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance and has been awarded the Independent Charities Seal of Excellence. Visit www.americanhumane.org to learn more.

[alaskayorkie]

Great post, FirstYorkie. Funny, I've never watched the show and just yesterday decided to record an episode. I was gonna watch it tonight!

I've heard a lot of people rave about it, though. What do others here think?

[keri1973]

i think just by watching the show he is AWSOME! but then again thats all we see....

[FirstYorkie]

Originally Posted by keri1973

.. but then again thats all we see....

Bingo! I think that's the problem.

[Willow]

I never quite understood why they call him the dog whisperer???

My brother is the only dog whisperer I know LOL He has walked up to many a dog that we were told were dangerous and bite, and he turns them into loving pups just by walking up to them and talking softly to them. I would love to know what it is about my brother that makes even the meanest dog turn to a playful pup around him!

[MyTrixie143]

I have never liked Cesar's methods of training. I agree that they are outdated and inhumane. I hope they do stop airing his show. His beliefs just make me so upset. I have trained several dogs using a different method, positive reinforcement and it has not failed yet and not only is it humane but the dogs enjoy it as well. JMO

[kitty]

I like Cesar!

[cchu]

I too am a big fan of the dog whisperer however I also work in television and know that the process of editing excludes anything they decide not to air. I just can't imagine that he would be cruel to an animal. He has rescued so many and helped so many families.

Then again, I have misjudged before. We'll see but as of now...I love watching his show.

[doortego]

Very interesting article. Thanks for bringing this to our attention.

[Amber_lv]

Hmm.. i am partial i do love the show however you are right we might not see everything and i do remember the dog biting the lady i think i will have to see if there was a shock collar on him.

[keri1973]

i agree cchu....

[luvmybabies]

Originally Posted by cchu

I too am a big fan of the dog whisperer however I also work in television and know that the process of editing excludes anything they decide not to air. I just can't imagine that he would be cruel to an animal. He has rescued so many and helped so many families.

Then again, I have misjudged before. We'll see but as of now...I love watching his show.

I agree with this. I have watched him for sooooooo long but of course on the show I have never seen any type of abuse.

[blondflava]

I think he might be pushing a little too far sometimes... In one episode he was feeding his dogs on a platform, mostly pitbulls and leaned towards the dog, almost putting his head into the bowl. The dog started growling and he touched the dog and all seemed back to normal... But it kept me thinking, maybe he trusts them too much sometimes, most of them are rescued strays and aggression and distrust issues, what if one day a dog lounges?? His face was soooo close to that of the growling dog. It left really uneasy feeling, especially remembering what just happened to the 'Crocodile Man'... We don't need another tragic accident

[demitasse]

I don't know if Cesar M. is inhumane or not, but I have to say that when I watch his show, what irritates me isn't him, it's the dog owners.

In the episodes I've seen, most (not all) of the dog owners are just, I don't know, dog-stupid. Sometimes they've been to a few weeks of dog training and can't understand why 6 weeks at Petsmart isn't enough to cure their dog of a serious behavioral problem. They don't realize that dog training is an activity that you do every single day of the dog's life by being consistent, making sure the dog knows what's expected of him, giving him exercise, and rewarding good behavior. If they bothered to learn anything about dogs, they'd know this. It's not rocket science. And there is plenty of information out there on the subject.

Sometimes they just have the wrong dog. The other day I saw an episode with a single mom and two young daughters who'd gotten a young pitbull and thought that all the activity the dog needed was to be left alone in the yard all day. What were they thinking when they picked a powerful, energetic, large dog? They would have probably been a lot happier with a toy breed that would enjoy snuggling on the couch all day. I thought that they probably didn't do any research at all before bringing that poor dog home. When Cesar M. went back for a follow-up visit, the owners were really proud that they were walking their pitbull 4 times a week for 20 minutes each time. That is not nearly enough. My 5.6 lb Yorkie gets more exercise than that -- a _lot_ more exercise than that. I wanted to reach through the screen and smack them.

Of course, it's not just the owners on that show that irritate me. I know plenty of people in real life who have the wrong dogs, or who don't meet the needs of their dogs. If I hear one more person with a problem dog tell me the dog is 'sort of' trained, my brain may explode. 'Sort of' trained -- is that like being 'sort of' pregnant?

Phew. Rant over. Thanks for bearing with me!

[Erin]

Here's another article. Not that Esquire is an authority on dog training - but Patricia McConnell is quoted and she is definately one of the best in the field. This is packed full of quotes from people who know what they are talking about. Seems like Cesars 15 mins of fame are coming to an end. This show can't end quickly enough for me. If I see one more person walking down the sidewalk constantly leash popping their dog.... The sad part is that National Geographic will probably keep airing the show. He is a big money maker for them and they are apparently more interested in $$$$ than actual science. So sad.
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http://www.esquire.com/features/arti...Whisperer.html

Esquire
Misguided Expert of the Year
The Dog Whisperer Should Just Shut Up

For Cesar Millan, the goateed toughguy, best-selling author, and cable-TV star who throws down pit bulls, it's time for new rules. And for countless dog owners, dog lovers, or stray humans skittish at the big-ass Doberman mix approaching them in the park, it's more than a matter of cult personality. We want our damn dogs to behave, and we're afraid of losing flesh—or of having to surrender "untrainable" dogs to the pound. Problem is, Cesar's ways, experts say, aren't the best ways for dogs. Or for us. Yes, yes, his alphadog training tips make good television and may provide fast results. But what happens when the show's over?

"My position is, Millan is a poseur," Claudia Kawczynska, editor in chief of The Bark magazine, says of the ex–dog groomer. "He is a hairdresser, not the real guy in terms of being an expert. He doesn't have credentials. And it is shocking to me how easily people are ready to fall for it."

With approximately two million strays euthanized in the U. S. each year, Kawczynska sees reason to worry: "He is doing a disservice to the real experts in the field," she says. "He gives quick fixes, but they are not going to be a solution for most families with problem dogs."

Ken Ramirez, an animal behaviorist and the chief animal trainer at Chicago's Shedd Aquarium, believes everyday dog owners need to learn how to better observe and understand their dogs' behavior. Then they can reward the behavior they want and either ignore, avoid, or distract them from unwanted behavior. It's reinforcement versus enforcement. While both he and Millan believe the average dog owner—as well as dog—needs better training, Ramirez remains wary of instructors who yearn to make animals learn through tough-love techniques, or "aversives." "I may teach some of the methods Cesar uses," says Ramirez, who also trains bomb-sniffing dogs and their handlers, "but only as a last resort."

Millan fancies himself a faux wolf by practicing—and promoting—the alpha-dog theory of training, whereby he "joins the pack" and gains dominance. These alphatraining-yanking-learning techniques (in theory) then transfer swiftly to the dogs' owners. All of which makes Millan today a solid B-list Hollywood personality.

"The cause of most behavioral problems is miscommunication and not dominance issues," says Patricia McConnell, Ph.D., associate professor of zoology at the University of Wisconsin and author of For the Love of a Dog: Understanding Emotion in You and Your Best Friend. Either dogs don't know what their owners want, she says, or we inadvertently have taught them to do the wrong thing. "Most behavioral problems can be solved by owners learning how to teach a dog what it is they want, by using the science of how animals learn."

Yet the showmanship continues. On Millan's Dog Whisperer, he goes house to bad-dog house, jerking leashes, shaking scruffs of necks, and throwing the occasional kick—in a wolfmanto-wolfpack fashion, except that the dogs aren't truly fooled. They don't believe he's a dog. What's worse, says Janis Bradley, a San Francisco trainer and author of the helpfully titled Dogs Bite, the dogs often fall into a helpless state Millan calls "calm submission," but what trained behaviorists see as possible chronic stress or "shutdown," which can lead to a dog eventually fighting back.