Cesar Millan’s Dog Training Methods are Wrong
My goal is not to offend or accuse anyone. I want to have an honest conversation about the latest controversy pertaining to Cesar Millan’s latest TV episode, featuring a known pig-killing dog attacking a pig. I know many Cesar Millan’s fans feel he did nothing wrong and that he saved the dog’s life and the pig recovered, but there’s a bit more to it than that.
As a professional dog trainer, I would like to discuss this topic from what I actually see in the video, which will verify that all is actually not right. Before you become frustrated with my observations, I ask Cesar fans to at least read and understand why so many dog trainers are upset with Cesar Millan.
Be Wary of Edited Footage
TV programs are heavily edited to create a perception for a targeted audience, so small segments are pieced together to only show successful events. Be careful to assume when watching TV footage. Dog trainers notice there are editing gaps in the subject dog’s behavior, but viewers only see a tiny fraction of what is really happening in the dog’s training. Basically, dog trainers know what is happening behind the scenes, which provides a false sense of Cesar’s success at the dog’s expense. That’s why so many of us dog trainers are upset.
All Dog Trainers Save Dog Lives
As dog trainers, our goal is to keep all dogs in their forever homes by teaching them polite manners. About 50% of dog trainers teach reactive (aggressive and fearful) dogs how to navigate through society positively and how to respond differently around triggers. We are just as successful at changing behavior in all aspects as Cesar, but we choose to use positive dog training methods that don’t involve force, pack leadership, alpha status or punishment.
Dog Trainers Are Not Jealous of Cesar
We are most certainly not envious of Cesar’s fame on TV. This is furthest from the truth. Any way to educate the public about the importance of dog training is a huge win! Most dog trainers have an issue with Cesar’s punishment-based dog training methods and not his show. With his TV show’s huge range, Ceasr Millan is teaching pet owners outdated dog training techniques.
The Real Problem
Cesar Millan’s Dog Training Methodology
Our world is full of opinions lately, and everyone has his opinion about what works better than others. Hopefully, I can explain why so many dog trainers are furious with Cesar’s dog training methods. Here it goes!
Many dog trainers feel Cesar’s dog training methods have pushed science-based training methods back into the dark ages. Punishment and force are Cesar’s primary training methods, but they’re no longer necessary since positive reinforcement works quicker and maintains a positive bond between dog and pet owner. Do understand, positive reinforcement training is much more than throwing cookies around. These methods have successfully trained thousands of zoo animals to voluntarily allow blood draws, vet exams, injections, dental exams, nail trims and so much more.
Mistakes Do Happen, But We Must Learn From Them
Oh, mistakes happen. We all make them, but we learn from them and should never allow them to happen again. Many fans claim Cesar had made a mistake, and everyone is fine now. That’s a major misunderstanding, as most dog trainers would never allow that to happen. Our job is to keep everyone safe at all costs. Instead of letting go of the leash, which is basically a safety line for the dog and pig, you can train the dog using barriers or muzzles with better success.
Safety is Vital
Using force or allowing a dog to harm another animal for the sake of dog training is wrong. As dog trainers, we never want to cause harm to any living creature and stand strongly behind this principle.
Back to the Pig
Cesar Millan and his network are claiming the pig recovered well and isn’t suffering from any lasting side effects from the trauma. I would disagree. We all know bullying, either verbally or physically, stays with you for a lifetime. While many people say, “It’s only a pig,” I would say all animals should be treated with respect and should never be subjected to unneeded pain or torture.
Thanks for Listening
So dear fans, I ask you to do more research before assuming one person’s dog training methods work for all dogs. There are newer concepts out there that work quickly and humanely, and promoted by thousands of professionals. Understand, I’m not asking you to choose a side. My goal is to explain my side and the reason successful dog trainers are upset with Cesar’s dog training methods.
Thanks for listening!
I am disturbed by your article. The only bully I see is you. I have never seen him use punishment or force! He teaches us humans to be strong leaders, to be confident dog owners, to take responsibility for our dogs unacceptable behaviour. You sound awfully jealous to me. Don’t sh*t on him to raise your own self esteem or to gain likes on fb.
Let’s respectively disagree, the whole goal of this article was to explain why so many dog trainers disagree with Cesar.
I watched enough of that jack@$$ to know that HE is an abuser. A friend of mine asked him for help over her unruly saint Barnard and yea, he came and DESTROYED the dog. He used not only his foot for kicking the dog in the side(hard too) he used his foot to kick the dog in the head. After 2 hours of constant kicking, yelling, Cesar got pissed off and used a hot shot on the dog. My friends dog was bad off that he pretty much shut down and the hard decision to have him “Put down” was the only option. So I don’t want anyone to tell me that Cesar is a great trainer cause he isn’t.
I’m so sorry this happened, there are no words. I’m baffled that pet owners will endorse Cesar’s methods yet they don’t have expert dog experience, I just wish one person would look at things differently. My heart hurts for this poor Saint….
The main issue I see here is people believing that there is one single best training method. Which is just not true. There are situations where using punishment would be highly inappropriate, such as teaching a dog to sit. However there are situations where punishment and dominance training may be absolutely required, such as working with an aggressive dog that is of a very powerful breed. Breeds like a Rhodesian Ridgeback, Boerboel, or Rottweiler would absolutely need dominance training if they were having significant aggression issues.
Training depends on the breed and the dogs life experience so far. All this controversy is just silliness.
Hi Elliot! Thanks for the post! I respectively disagree. I live with a Rottweiler, and have shared my home with Rotties, Bouviers and Bull Terriers all my life. Corrections and dominance training is never used and my dogs co-exist in life perfectly. Also, I work with many large and powerful breeds of dogs, and there’s no reason to use these methods. Dogs, humans, fish and even snails all learn the same way, and science has proven that positive reinforcement works quicker and faster. I’ve trained dogs for a long time, and have used harsher methods in my past….. it has never worked, especially with aggression. It only suppresses the behavior, it never changes it. And suppression has a time limit. Positive reinforcement teaches dogs how to react differently, by teaching them a new way to respond. Corrections teach nothing….. it’s like screaming “no, no, no” but never telling the dog what you want them to do instead.