Honest Truth Why Some Dog Trainers Dislike Cesar Millan

With social media outcries against Cesar Millan’s latest Nat GEO TV show at an all-time high, as a dog trainer, I need to address it. This backlash was due to Cesar allowing a dog that has killed pigs in the past go off leash to attack a live pig. Please dear readers, understand this is an example of how not to train an aggressive dog ever! No press release, fan comments or justifications can make this right. Cesar made a poor choice. Now, let’s discuss why dog trainers dislike Cesar.

Why Do Dog Trainers Dislike Cesar Millan?

As a dog trainer, I’ve personally witnessed and changed numerous dogs’ behaviors without using punishment or force-based methods. I’ve also discovered that positive reinforcement methods work much quicker. Also, as much as pet lovers hope with everything they have, aggression cannot be cured. It will always linger until a trigger appears and the dog (or person) is unable to control his actions. Let’s dive into Cesar’s dog training methods.

Alpha and Pack Theory

This alpha and pack theory has been dispelled many years ago. Dogs do view us as dogs or wolves. While dogs and wolves share similar DNA, they are totally different in behavior and appearance. Plus, the original author who cited these “alpha” behavior findings with wolf packs dispelled the theory as well, which says a lot.

Do Dogs Need to Be Dominated?

Dogs do not need to be dominated to teach them polite manners. They just need to be taught polite behaviors. Dogs are not pre-programmed to understand that pulling on a leash or barking at neighbors is rude. It’s your job to train your dog to walk politely on leash and to keep his feet on the floor. Just like teaching children and zoo animals, providing your dogs choices is key to teaching polite behaviors. As an example, if a dog is jumping up on someone, remove treats or the exciting person when the dog jumps up. This way, the dog learns that good things go away when he jumps up. When all four feet are on the ground, treats and the exciting person come back.

Red Zoned Dogs

Cesar uses the term “red zoned dogs” when referring to aggressive dogs. His claim to fame is putting an end to aggression in un-savable dogs, or basically saving extremely aggressive dogs from being euthanized. What people don’t know is this is not just a Cesar thing. Dog trainers every day work with aggressive dogs and their pet owners, and have tremendous success. However, we do things much differently than Cesar. We teach dogs that scary things are good and/or safe by pairing good things with scary things to change their perspective rather than resort to punishment.

Example From a Human Perspective

Let’s look at an example from a human perspective. If you are afraid of spiders, and I pushed you toward a spider while correcting you with a leash correction or rolling you over whenever you tried to squish or run away from a spider, do you think your behavior would improve? It’s highly unlikely.

Eventually, you will push me back (equivalent to a dog growl), punch me due to frustration and fear (like a dog bite) or shut down (become helpless). And if the spider gets really close, all you’re thinking about is running away; you don’t hear a word I’m saying. Now, if I gave you a $100 bill every time you were around spiders, you would soon learn that spiders equal good things (money, if that’s what you find rewarding). Understand, rewards are not bribery; they change behavior and then fade out.

Shut Down Behavior

From a dog trainer’s perspective, the video of the pig-biting dog shows a dog completely shut down. When dogs become so confused or scared, they either fight, flee or shut down. That dog on Cesar’s show is a perfect example of a shut down dog around pigs.

What Does It Mean When a Dog Shuts Down?

Shutting down is totally different from normal behavior. Dogs will move slowly, blink excessively, lay their ears backwards, crouch away from the trigger (the object that worries them), pull corners of their mouth backwards, sniff the ground excessively and try to avoid what scares them at all costs. If they can’t get away, most will flop down (shut down) and hope they are not harmed. This is not submissiveness; this is sheer terror.

Shutting Down From a Human Perspective

Let’s look at this from a human example, using spiders again. If I tie you to me with a leash, then pull you toward spiders or encourage spiders to walk next to you, you’ll likely do a couple of things (like the last example). Once you realize you can’t get away (I’m holding you firmly next to the spiders), you’ll likely shut down and become helpless. This basically means you’re giving up, covering your eyes and hoping with everything in your body that spiders will not hurt you. No one deserves to be so scared that they shut down; it’s like a silent panic attack.

Many novice pet owners and dog trainers assume shutting down means a dog has changed his behavior around a trigger or is just stubborn, but this is not true. When a dog encounters that trigger again, he may either shut down again or become aggressive–it all depends on the dog. This is not changing behavior. Also, assuming a dog is stubborn is a rookie mistake, and can most definitely cause irreparable harm.

Changing Dog Behavior With Psychology Tools

You can most certainly change a dog’s behavior using common psychology tools. As a psychology major, I’m shocked Cesar focuses on punishment-only tools despite numerous options that are documented to be effective. Human psychologists understand that punishment causes many fallouts, meaning it has nasty side effects. That’s why dog trainers focus on positive reinforcement instead.

Experienced dog trainers (and trained psychologists) focus on changing behavior with proven behavior modification techniques, such as counter conditioning and desensitization. By teaching a dog that triggers cannot hurt them, they also learn to walk away or ignore triggers instead of attacking them. Choices are a huge reinforcer for dogs–sometimes more reinforcing than yummy treats.

Be Your Dog’s Voice

So that’s the honest truth on why some dog trainers strongly dislike Cesar Millan. I know changing everyone’s opinion about Cesar is difficult, but I hope you know that Cesar’s “way” is not the only way and we need to be the voice for our dogs. There are much kinder and effective dog training methods out there. I invite you to research more before jumping back on Cesar’s bandwagon.