My new puppy/ Ceasar Millian Methods

[Kenzie'sMom]

I am the proud mom of Kenzie, my 8 week old Rottie pup. I can't wait til we can start training for her Canine Good Citizen. I want to change peoples opinions about all Rotties being "evil" and "mean". Hopefully, there will be no more BSL.

I watched this show on the Discovery Channel called Dog Whisperer with Ceasar Millian. I found out he wrote a book and I just finished reading it. What do all of you think of Ceasar Millian and his methods?

I'm not sure what to think about it yet.

[debbiej]

most people who are experienced with training dogs have a dim view of his show and methods.

I have only seen his show a few times. I would like to see the "cuts" and the behind the scenes efforts.

I skimmed through his book, and liked it better than the show, but didn't buy it.

good for you to want to get the CGC on your girl. and for wanting to change opinions and for her to be an ambassador for the rottweiler breed.

[hennie400]

I have only watched one of his shows and I think that he means well but I felt that it didnt have much substance.

Here are some books which come recommended by experienced dog trainers.

The Power of Positive Training by Pat Miller
Culture Clash by Jean Donaldson
Dont shoot the Dog by Karen Pryor
The other end of the Leash by Patricia McConnell


Mine by Jean Donaldson (for resource guarding)
Dominance: fact or fiction? Barry Eaton

[propertylady57]

Personal I like his show. He seems to be successful in turning around aggressive dogs. I applied some of his techniques to our girl and it was amazing how she responded.
We also took our girl to training and she now has her CGC. Like you, I feel it is very important to start them early, from the start. A powerful breed like this needs to be in training , like all breeds, but with their "reputation" (media pushed) I feel as owners its up to us to do the best for them. Also they need to be socialized well. My Della is very much loved at our local Dog Park. She is very social, always going up to meet people. She has HD so she cannot run with all the other dogs so she greets all the humans. She plays with dogs but when they want to run with her, she gives up.
Quick story. We were leaving the park along with another dog owner and I was getting her leash. 2 women were coming in, new to the park. Of course Della greeted them. One of the women said "Oh, how cute. What a big BOY". I told them her name was Della. She asked me what kind of dog she was and I told her. She said "I thought so". The gentleman next to me getting his leash mumbled "No, she's a North American Pekinese's". I chuckled. It was so obvious what breed she is.

[rencook]

As a trainer-I do like watching his show-be remember, it is a TV show-so they never tell or show the whole story. I also agree with some of his ideas-that dogs should be treated like dogs, not children in a fur suit, excersize is very important, etc.
Also, if you do more research on Ceaser-you'll see that that the dogs he works with on his show are often last hope cases. Meaning he is the last resort before the dog is euthanized.
But for a baby puppy, he methods are pretty extreme-I would take everything you see with a grain of salt and work on getting your puppy out and socializing as much as you can, attend puppy kindergarden. But remeber-have fun!! They grow so quick that you forget how much fun it is to teach and watch a baby puppy learn.

[TR Young]

All I can say is, Caeser Milan's TV show is just that.... a TV show. You NEVER get to see the dogs that he can't 'rehabilitate'. You never get to see the horror stories of things that have gone wrong. Television producers want the public to see the happy stuff, and Caeser's show is no different. Why on earth would they want to show the ugly stuff and expect people to keep watching?

Do a search here about Caeser Milan and you will find out much more. Also, do a search on training books, and you will find some good info.

[AngelBunny]

Ian Dunbar is a much better, more credentialed trainer.

Ceasar Milan is an entertainer.

[marinenck138]

I have watched his shows and while I’m not an experienced dog trainer, there is a lot that he teaches that most people will only learn because it’s on T.V. With most of the population not reading as much as a newspaper anymore, his show is all they will ever see regarding the training of dogs. I like the fact that he preaches real exercise and not just letting a dog out into the back yard. I like the fact that he tries to teach the mindset of an animal vice that of a human being. He keeps re-emphasizing discipline throughout all of his shows. To me his shows are repetitive but perhaps it will aid the non reading generation in the beginnings of training a dog or at least provide enough curiosity that they start doing some research on their own.

[Jasmine747]

I have never heard of him but wanted to wish you good luck with your new baby

[Kenzie'sMom]

Thank you all for welcoming my new puppy and for your info on Ceasar Millian! I appreciate all the advice!

[poohbearsmom]

You would do much better to check locally with either a Breed (rottweiler) Club, or All Breed Club for qualified trainers. Check for puppy kindergarten classes, and follow up courses as your pup matures.

Look for trainers who use as much positive reinforcement as possible (with as little correction/compulsion necessary to get the job done).

Beware of "purely positive' training, and beware of bullies. There is a happy medium.

Check out the book "How to Raise a Puppy You Can Live With", and Ian Dunbar also has a good puppy book out.

Most importantly, don't worry about having the 'perfectly trained puppy'... it's more important in the early months to allow your pup to be a pup, socialize it properly, and teach it basic house/people manners in a kind and supportive way.

Puppyhood is the time to build the relationship - what you put into your pup is what you'll get out of your dog.

Good luck.

[VANCOUVERISLANDROT]

Originally Posted by TR Young

All I can say is, Caeser Milan's TV show is just that.... a TV show. You NEVER get to see the dogs that he can't 'rehabilitate'. You never get to see the horror stories of things that have gone wrong. Television producers want the public to see the happy stuff, and Caeser's show is no different. Why on earth would they want to show the ugly stuff and expect people to keep watching?

Do a search here about Caeser Milan and you will find out much more. Also, do a search on training books, and you will find some good info.

I have to disagree with that. I have watched numerous shows where he showed that the dogs weren't "suddenly" fixed and a year later owners were still "working" and experiencing "improvements in baby steps" etc. I also watched a show where a dog bit his assistant and they showed the whole thing. So I'm in complete disagreement that they're only showing the good stuff.

I personally think he does GREAT work and after many, many training classes with my dog and not seeing "walking" improvements and still experiencing problems.... finally started implimenting some of his ideas and have noticed a SERIOUS improvement in my dogs behavior.

[Calin]

As far as dog training shows, I like 'It's Me or the Dog' better than 'Dog Whisperer.'

Victoria Stilwell also has a book based on her TV show, but it's a bit more positive which I think is a little better for new puppies. I use many of her techniques with my girl and she's been doing really well.

[jazzking1971]

I am not claiming to be friends with Ceasar Millan but he is good friends with the president of my schutzhund club. Ceasar has been out on two occasions while visiting. He mentioned there has been only one dog that he couldn't rehabilitate and that dog is at his center. Some dogs are just not wired correctly and the danger of that dog is subdued by being a permanent member of his pack.

Congrats on your new pup. 8wks is not to young to start basic obedience. I start my male at 8wks. Since he comes from european working lines and bought him with the plan to do schutzhund, we played lots of tug games and tracking games to find his bowl of food. By week 11 he was walking perfectly with a loose leash (not heeling) and sitting by wk 16 we had short duration platz and bring and fairly reliable out.

Your dog may or may not be a high drive dog so work with him accordingly. Now at 8 months he has quite a bit of the schH1 obedience down. No jumps or hurdles. He will reliably platz for 20 minutes with me out of site or test up to 50 minutes with me in site.

The trick is be consistent and keep the session very short. When I startesd, I would do the exercise two or three times and that's it. Still I rarely train for more than 10 minutes.

My boy is not an angel either, he's becoming more and more dog aggressive and we're working to quell that. Which brings me back to Ceasar. When we're at the club all dogs are kept in crates. My boy has taken to charging any other dog that comes near his crate. Ceasar fixed that in about 5 minutes. I still have issues with him at the club on occasion when he is on leash and walked to the field. He's lunged at a few other dogs. He doesn't do this away from the field but Ceasar did in five minutes what I am still working to do otherwise.

[moondog]

Originally Posted by jazzking1971

My boy has taken to charging any other dog that comes near his crate. Ceasar fixed that in about 5 minutes.

What did he do in that five minutes to fix it?