Quote:
Originally Posted by Nancy1999  Cesar had no formal education and learned to rehabilitate dogs through watching pack behavior and how the alpha dog would get the aggressive dog to behave. Some people think there is no such thing as pack behavior or the alpha dog. He said he learned many things through his dog Daddy and Daddy could rehabilitate a dog much faster than he could. His theory was a true pack leader is calm and assertive, not aggressive, or passive. He became a little too popular for his own good, and I think this created a backlash for people to pick apart his methods. The alpha roll was controversial, and even though he said it shouldn’t be done without a trainer, people were doing it, and it can have mixed results and even turn a dog more aggressive. Many of Cesar’s dogs were one step away from being put down, they had tried everything, and Cesar was the last resort. He helped many of these dogs, but some of these techniques were more about television, than what the average pet owner should be doing with their dogs. Some of the methods could make a dog react in an aggressive way and so they were dangerous for the layman to do. Trainers who had formal education thought there were better ways to train and many I’m sure were upset that he appealed to so many. Most people looking for a trainer wanted a person who used Cesar’s method, not a traditional behaviorist. There was a backlash and he became more known for his controversial techniques rather than all the good techniques, and many people HATED him with a capital H. When I came to YT everyone loved him and I decided to watch his show, I thought I would dislike him, because my major was learning theory or behaviorism, but I really liked him. I think what he says about walking a dog is so important, I loved what he said about never, ever hitting a dog, I really don’t think people realize how much that still happens. I totally believe in his idea of presenting a calm assertive front by the way you act and walk, I think this really has a calming influence on animals, and even humans. I'm really unhappy that so many people had to vilify him. He's not a god, and he's not the devil. Anyway, that's my perspective on the whole thing. |
I think a lot of it has to do with the TV station, how they edited the show, and how they marketed Cesar as a "brand". The bottom line is his show and Nat Geo were out to make money. I agree that other trainers were probably jealous of his success. Esp if they didn't agree with his methods. I haven't seen the Holly clip, but for the most part I agree with what he teaches, but I also agree with positive reinforcement. I think it depends on the dog and the owners. It should be a balance between the two. I personally don't see anything wrong with using alpha roll, but of course I don't think hitting is right at all. Not to say I don't use a two finger tap on occasion to get their attention.
But I don't think there is anything wrong with not having formal training to be good at something. It can go the other way too, having formal training and not be good at what you were taught.
I agree, he did get too popular too quickly. (Reminds me of how popular Guy Fieri is!) The public thought they could do what he did, even though everytime he does the poke, there's a disclaimer on the screen, pretty much saying don't try this at home. People don't read, they don't listen. Probably why they got in the situation in the first place!