So I was wondering, what is so wrong with Cesar Millans training techniques? For some reason all of tumblr seems to hate him, and I can't, for the life of me, figure out why? His techniques work. He doesn't hit the dogs, I don't see obvious abuse.. So help me out here. What's so wrong?
First of all. Yes he does hit dogs. And kicks them. And don’t tell me he doesn’t because he does. You can skirt around it using buzz words like “touch” and “energy” but it’s a hit. It’s positive punishment - applying an aversive to suppress behaviour, especially aggressive behaviour, which is often caused by anxiety. And it’s not okay. It is abusive.
The Five Freedoms of Animal Welfare stipulate that animals must be free from pain and fear. Cesar Millan’s techniques, especially with aggressive dogs, rely on aversives, which cause pain and discomfort and stress. And that’s not okay.
His methods are highly aversive and can exacerbate or even cause aggression. They revolve around intimidation, pain and coercion and are highly stressful for dogs. They result in shut-down, miserable dogs often with chronic stress.
The highest frequency of aggression occurred in response to aversive (or punishing) interventions, even when the intervention was indirect:
• Hitting or kicking the dog (41% of owners reported aggression)• Growling at the dog (41%)• Forcing the dog to release an item from its mouth (38%)• “Alpha roll” (forcing the dog onto its back and holding it down) (31%)• “Dominance down” (forcing the dog onto its side) (29%)• Grabbing the jowls or scruff (26%)• Staring the dog down (staring at the dog until it looks away) (30%)• Spraying the dog with water pistol or spray bottle (20%)• Yelling “no” (15%)• Forced exposure (forcibly exposing the dog to a stimulus – such as tile floors, noise or people – that frightens the dog) (12%)
In contrast, non-aversive methods resulted in much lower frequency of aggressive responses:
• Training the dog to sit for everything it wants (only 2% of owners reported aggression)• Rewarding the dog for eye contact (2%)• Food exchange for an item in its mouth instead of forcing the item out (6%)• Rewarding the dog for “watch me” (0%)
(source) (CM uses 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, a version of 9, and 10 extensively. (x)
He employs an archaic ideology that all misbehaviour is caused by dogs trying to assert their dominance. Which is WRONG, WRONG, WRONG. This crap has been disproved countless times. Dogs are not trying to achieve world domination jfc
His methods have been condemned by veterinary behaviourists, animal behaviourists and animal welfare groups.
He sets the dogs off deliberately for the show. Seriously. He sets them up for failure and then punishes them for reacting. That’s not ethical and it compromises welfare.
Here’s some handy dandy links for you to read because I have gone over this so many times and I feel like a broken record at this point:
Up to date information on wolf pack structure by top wolf biologist L. David Mech:
Alpha Status, Dominance, and Division of Labor in Wolf Packs
Whatever Happened to the Term Alpha Wolf?
Information on dog training and dog behavior and why Cesar’s methods are outdated and ineffective (many of these articles are by vets and certified animal behaviorists) :
Cesar Millan, Dominance Theory and Modern Dog Training
The Dog Whisperer Controversy
The Dog Whisperer: Frequently Asked Questions
Modern Dog Training vs. Cesar Millan
The Dominance Controversy and Cesar Millan
From Andrew Luescher, DVM, Veterinary Behaviorist
Veterinary Behaviorists Take a Stand Against Cesar Millan
dog training gone bad - Debra F. Horwitz, DVM, DACVB
I’m not sure why people are even trying to defend Cesar Millan on that slide for my animal welfare presentation(which got really popular wowie did not expect that). I explain very clearly what learned helplessness is. I put a picture of a dog in a state of shut-down with Millan leaning over it and grinning like it’s the best thing ever. And people are still defending him and don’t see an issue with it. Take off those blinkers and look.
