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Originally Posted by Nancy1999  There are some people who are just naturally assertive; they have a certain confidence about them, and they don't need any specialize training to work with dogs. Where I got in a problem with Joey was my tendency to baby him, I felt really protective of him since he was so small, I guess. Cesar explained that this doesn't do your dogs any favors, and he showed adult small dogs that had been babied by their owners, and I was determined to not let them happen to Joey. Yorkies are a high-energy dog, and if you have a nervous energy or baby them too much, you can produce a really neurotic adult dog. I guess seeing how owners would change just a few things in their body language, without really changing their words, but more how they spoke the words, and you could see how the dog reacted differently. It's one thing to read it in a book, but his program can really show you what's happening, if you're observant. I had never heard of Cesar before Yorkietalk, and my education is in behavioral theory, but after watching his program, I was amazed. By the way, Cesar did do a program with the skateboard mania. He had his son ride a skate board by this really big aggressive dog, I don't think I would have let my son do that. I can't remember all the tips and techniques he used, but he was evenually able to get the dog to walk with him while he used the skate board. |
I have watched several seasons of Cesar's show, and I have seen the skateboard eppy. He used desensitization, plain and simple. He just did it in one marathon session, while I am doing it in ten minute intervals. I believe that I am assertive and calm around Thor, and that's certainly better than being reactive or coddling, but I also believe that's insufficient for guiding his behavior. Again, my opinion.
Right now I am into Brenda Aloff, and I find her paradigm, forebrain versus hindbrain, much more effective for Thor. She has several videos also.