Quote:
Originally Posted by Britster  It’s a golden summer morning in California, and the dogs are getting restless. I can hear the kids giggling in the yard, and a symphony of swallows outside the kitchen window. Like every other day for the past 15 years, I am making Daddy’s breakfast.
He watches as I knead the gloppy mixture with my hands: warm chopped beef from the farm down the road, a handful of fresh herbs from the garden, and some boiled green beans, sliced into thirds. It takes me a while, but it’s a ritual I try not to rush.Knead the beef, add the greens, sprinkle in the herbs—knead, knead, knead. Make it soft, make it easy for him to eat.
Daddy is an old, old man now. He can’t do stairs anymore, and he’ll pretty much only eat his food if I prepare it. When his breakfast is ready, I take it over to him on the floor where he’s been eyeing me. I do my “come and get it” dance, whisper the words only he and I know, and place the bowl in front of him. He raises his head slightly, sniffs the air, and thumps his tail a few times, but otherwise stays put. Clearly, he wants more dancing. But it only takes a few moves before he’s on his feet, slopping away.
I have never had a dog like Daddy. During our decade and a half on this earth together, I’ve been astounded by his intuition, consoled by his affection, and awed by his silent empathy. Somewhere along the way, he helped my sons learn to walk.
I know there’ll be a morning sometime soon when I run through all my familiar routines, except one.
But it won’t be today. For now, the sun is shining, the kids are laughing, the swallows are singing, and Daddy is watching over us all.
-Cesar Millan
(Just thought it was a really sweet article. Pits are peoples pets, too, just like our Yorkies. And I think we should respect that.) |
Very nice article on Cesar. I like his methods and feel his knowledge of the innate behavior in dogs is amazing. I have watched him for years and believe he walks the walk when it come to caring for all animals.
I have also spent and equal amount of time watching Victoria on "It's Me or The Dog". She too is very knowledgable in the training of dogs. I feel she truly has the best interest of the dog in mind when attempting to help people in their training efforts. Even if it means that the person she is trying to help should give up the dog in order to provide a better situation for all involved.
With all that said, I really think many of you may not understand the most significant difference between these two people. Cesar's main focus is dealing with dogs with severe psychological and aggression issues. He clearly states that he is not a dog trainer. He seeks out dogs that have some of the most severe mental instability. His work is structured around the "Pack animal" mentality. He has studied the behaviors on a very different level than a typical animal trainer. I find it interesting and intriguing to see him manipulate unwanted behaviors with the assertion of dominance and pack leadership.
On the other hand Victoria's method's seem to focus on helping people learn to train their dog. Training methods based on reward and praise. She is very successful in these methods and her focus on positive re-enforcement works in most cases. These methods are highly successful in the training of the average dog. I have never watched her in a situation where she was dealing with severe aggression or extreme mental instability.
I have been on both sides of these issues. I raised and trained German Shepherd in schutzhund and tracking for years. Asserting dominance with these young, strong and powerful dogs are an absolute necessity and in the absence of strict and structured training they can be extremely out of control. This is when physical and mental dominance is used when a young dog may challenge you or others in your pack for dominance. Abuse is never acceptable under any circumstances. But strong leadership is a must.
On the other hand I now have 5 yorkies. There is no way those same methods can be used on my 5lb babies. I train the boys for the ring and the girls...well they have me trained.LOL My experience with these little darling's is that positive re-enforcement is much more effective. They love attention and treats and respond well with that method of training. The methods I used with my Shepherd would never work with my Yorkies. I think they would laugh at me if I tried. (Well if they could laugh).
My point in all of this is that the methods of these two highly trained professional are appropriate in each individual case. In the training of police canines the very first objective is to find what motivates your dog. Some dogs are food driven and others are toy or affection driven. But from the beginning a dog is never allowed to challenge a trainer without being reprimanded ( not by hitting but by asserting dominance by putting a dog on his back and have them submit). In this training both methods are used to achieve a highly trained canine that responds immediately and consistently to commands.
Having dealt with these two very different breeds I understand the necessity for both methods. Cesar and Victoria both contribute greatly to help our canine friends and educated the public. I really don't feel the criticism of either of them is warranted. Don't bite the hands of people who work so hard to make life better for any of our canine friends.
Have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year YT friends, Pam