Oprah Winfrey's Dog Problems

[flyndog]

FYI
Kit

I am sorry to report that Cesar Millan is going to be featured on an
upcoming episode of Oprah http://www.nydailynews.com/news/goss...-262036c.html). Pretty much everything that EVER appears on Oprah becomes HUGE, so I am very disheartened to say the least. Best case scenario is that this appearance puts him on the radar of the positive dog training, animal welfare, and/or animal rights communities resulting in a critical mass of people expressing their opposition to his methods. Unfortunately, in the U.S., even bad press winds up being good press somehow, so it will be interesting to see how this plays out.

Lisa Radosta -Huntley DVM
Resident, Behavioral Medicine
Matthew J. Ryan Veterinary Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
Oprah link -

http://www.oprah.com/email/tows/tows...uestid=3240019

Please do whatever you can...

Pat Miller

Hi,
This message was originally sent to me by Kathy Kruger. I am forwarding it because if we don't act now, Cesar Millan and his methods will be household names by Monday afternoon at 5 pm. Anyone who is interested, please pass this on to your own list serves and act quickly. I have already emailed and the letter that we sent to National Geographic is being overnight Fed Ex'd.
Lisa

[Liz]

I thought Cesar Milan had already appeared on Oprah. Maybe not. I am confused by the Oprah link. I clicked on it and it said "thanks for sending your message..." I didn't send a message. I only clicked on it to see what it was.

[fireworksinjuly]

Flyndog can those of us who have no idea who he is maybe get a short synops of him and his methods. Im assuming by your responce its not positivie, but just some backround would be nice. Thanks.

[flyndog]

Well, I've tried to stay out of most of the discussion in the Behavior Forum about him, but since you asked, I'll tell you *just* what I think. Cesar Milan is the self-proclaimed "Dog Whisperer" . Not to be confused with trainer Paul Owen who wrote the book "The Dog Whisperer" Also not to be confused with gentle method Horse Whisperers. He became popular with some celebs in LA and that led to his own TV show in September. And now Oprah. It's unfortunate that O picked him to promote instead of somebody like Jean Donaldson, Patricia McConnell, Ian Dunbar, James O'Heare, etc., etc. - successful trainers and authors who have advanced degrees in animal behavior. To those people who signed a petition asking her to do an expose on puppy mills, and were declined, this is a real slap in the face.
I spoke with several trainers in LA this year who have been called by owners to "repair" their dogs after he had a go at them. Here's one of two GP discussion about him. http://www.globalpaw.com/thread1590.html
He relies on old-fashioned dominance theory. A dog owner must establish himself as leader of the pack, by force if necessary. Milan also relies heavily on “flooding” – a behavior mod technique that requires exposure of the animal to a fear causing stimulus until it stops reacting – often through learned helplessness. (If you've read any studies where rats or dogs cage floors were electrifed, you'll recognize what learned helplessness is.) While this method can work, it can have significant undesirable side effects, including an increase in aggression, and damage to the relationship between dog and human. Modern, positive trainers and behaviorists don’t hold to this theory, preferring instead to use science-supported techniques like counter conditioning and desensitization that modify behavior by "reprogramming" a dog’s association with scary stimulus instead of just shutting the dog down. It is possible for an owner to establish himself as a *benevolent* leader of the pack by just controlling all the “good stuff” in a dog’s life (NILIF - Nothing In Life Is Free) rather than through the use of force. Force appears to be Milan’s answer to every behavior problem, including an light chasing obsessive-compulsive Greater Swiss Mountain Dog. Modern behaviorists tend to agree that the use of force (a stressor) is not appropriate for OCD disorders, which are almost always a combination of genetics and stress. It is usually more effective to treat OCDs by *removing* the stress, not adding to it. In the first show, Milan forcibly restrained an aggressive Chihuahua until the dog stopped his snapping and snarling. This clip was also on the Tonight Show. While that approach appeared to have worked with the Chi, I have to wonder how he would use that technique with an aggressive 100-pound Presa Canario. In fact, in a later episode the owner of a Lab mix is bitten when she tries to use the techniques shown her by Milan. I strongly urge everyone to avoid his show. Coincidentally, Oprah was invited to an upcoming party here in Marfa and I am hoping more than ever that she can come. I'd love to ask her what made her decide make Cesar Milan a household word.
Kit

[Crossfire Bulldogs]

In my opinion to put in bluntly....this guy sucks. I'm amazed that he hasn't been seriously bitten or had one heck of a lawsuit on his hands yet but hey, its only a matter of time and I just hope that it isn't a child that gets in the way of his so called wonderful training techniques.

[linnie]

what more can I say Sonja has said it all
Will we ever get rid of these morons

[elegy]

*shudder*

there are some good things about him- he very much emphasizes the need for EXERCISE for a lot of these dogs with problems, which is right bang on the mark, and while i agree that the human needs to be the "alpha" (i hate that word) his methods are downright dangerous and far more traumatic than they need to be.

[Cassiepeia]

The ignorance of celebrity. I would have thought, since Oprah is a "dog person" herself, that she would have more knowledge on this subject and be aware of different training methods etc.
Perhaps she simply agrees with him and employs the same method with her cockers and golden retrievers (does she still breed them?).
*sigh* Perhaps he'll get bitten on her show. Mwahahahahaha!

Cass.

[theGOOCH]

Cool, I can't wait to watch. I like Cesar.

[flyndog]

IMO, people who understand what he's doing and like his methods are looking for a quick fix for behavior problems. When the quick fix wears off, they need another trainer...or they give the dog up because there's OBVIOUSLY SOMETHING WRONG WITH THAT DOG.

[Carrie]

Oh....ugggg. It sure would be nice to educate Oprah. Then maybe she'd have a sensible trainer on her show.

[Ritz459]

I watched him on Oprah and he didn't do anything to terribly bad. What I thought was funny was he was telling her that she needed to stop babying her Cocker and that when she coaxs it for being scared or aggresive, that is just adding to it. I thought that was funny. lol The look on Oprah's face when he told her that was priceless.
He was saying that if she was nervous, the dog was going to feed off of that and be nervous.
I don't agree with a lot of his training meathods, but some of them are ok.

He was also dealing with the Cocker's seperation anxity problem. For the life of me I couldn't see how coming back and scolding the dog right when she was thinking or starting to howl would solve anything. Out of all of the books I've read about dog training (I've read The Idiot's Guide to Positive Dog Training, and Good Dogs, Great Owners [a book that uses Choke Chains, and really good, IMO]) and every little article I've read all of them say coming back, even if to scold, would be rewarding the dog. So I was a little bit confused about that.

[Raised By Wolves]

Cesar Millan maintains a pack of up to 50 dogs. These dogs were once "throw-away" dogs which were born normal, but through contact with a human being, ended up abandoned, abused, or just plain neurotic. I also tend to adopt the most messed-up dogs I can find, because with me they have a chance. The level of compassion in this man is evident, even when he is taking a bite or breaking up a fight. Unfortunately, a lot of people associate disapline with anger or frustation. If I could solve the inbalance in some of the dogs I've worked with by a treat and a pet, that would be great! But, these are my feelings, and human neediness is usually what messed up the dog in the first place. Cheri Lucas, founder of Second Chance at Love Humane Society, has been using Cesar's methods for over three years, and has never put a dog down. I think this success rate earns a little respect and a second look. Let he who has saved a thousand dogs from death, cast the first stone. This canine communication and leadership technique does work miracles. I know this because I "get it".

[gaddylovesdogs]

I saw it too....he did pretty well, but I suppose there are better trainers with more positive methods out there. He seems to really be into dominance. I just wish she'd do a show on puppy mills.....

[Carrie]

He was also dealing with the Cocker's seperation anxity problem. For the life of me I couldn't see how coming back and scolding the dog right when she was thinking or starting to howl would solve anything.

It wouldn't. That's just it. The howling might stop, but the underlying problem the dog is having isn't delt with. That's the whole thing. You can stop a sign/symptom of a behavior problem with a scolding, but it doesn't undo the culprit or whatever is causing it. I think trainers who use a more gradual, desensatizing and reward method get at the root and there lies a more permenant fix, otherwise, you're just covering up the problem with a bandaid and sooner or later, after festering, it will burst forth again.