I try to keep the party fun for my dogs, too (and last year, a client dog joined the fun). I also know, that with a variety of tempting food dishes ALL OVER THE PLACE and wine-consuming partygoers leaving half-emptied plates on low-lying tables, that while I enjoy the fun, I cannot drop my guard. I have to watch my dogs at all times, in a state of constant readiness to either manage a situation to prevent “bad” behavior (like jumping or counter-surfing) and reinforce good behavior (like greeting politely, allowing for petting, etc.).
I prepare ahead of time. While I am busy prepping food and beverages for the party, I am also stuffing Kongs. When I buy groceries, I buy marrow bones. I know my dogs need things to keep them busy and therefore, out of trouble.
I also do occasional, very brief and fun training sessions with them to teach them that paying attention to me when there are 40 people in the house is a VGT (Very Good Thing – for dogs).
We’ve been hosting this party for over a decade now, and many friends have not missed a year. Many attended the first year we had brought Monte (my Saint Bernard) home. Ten months after adoption, he was much healthier than he was when he came to us and also much better behaved, but still had reactivity issues to being touched by strangers. He spent a lot of his first Christmas Eve Eve party crated. A few years later, those same guests were at our house where he would happily allow for appropriate petting in exchange for a tasty treat, would practice impulse control lying down while pieces of steak rained down around him, bouncing off his big head, slobber smacking on the kitchen floor. He was not crated, he was part of the party, having a great time.
One of my friends said, “Wow! He’s so much better behaved than he used to be. You’re like the ‘Dog Whisperer’.” Her face was beaming with the joy of having found what she thought was the perfect compliment.
That wasn’t the first or last time I heard the phrase. I’m sure they mean Cesar Millan and not Paul Owens (who is the “original Dog Whisperer,” having written a book by that name many years before National Geographic created their popular reality television show, and is actually a very talented, dog-friendly trainer), which means, I can’t possibly take the reference as a compliment.
Cesar and I both train dogs and their people. We both care deeply about helping dogs and people co-exist together more peacefully. But that’s pretty much where the similarities end.
See, Monte would easily have made a great dog for an episode of the Dog Whisperer – Cesar would call him a “red zone” dog. He would bark and lunge, slobber flying everywhere, sometimes to the point of vomiting, when he’d see another dog on the leash. One time, my friend bent over him and smiled at him. In a time span measured in fractions of seconds, he had her skull in his mouth (and thankfully, showed unbelievable bite inhibition). He dragged me into city traffic after a dog one day, nearly putting me in the hospital. He was a strong, powerful dog with strong, powerful unwanted reactions to dogs and specific other situations with people.
At the time, I wasn’t a trainer. I was a dedicated pet owner and huge Cesar fan. I tried the techniques I saw on his show and found his problems worsened. I had the opportunity to chat with Cesar once after a seminar, and he suggested that I wasn’t “calm and assertive” enough. I felt discouraged and hopeless.
I was as skeptical as many dog owners are about the power of positive reinforcement to address reactivity and aggression. “Seriously?! You think a toy noisemaker and some treats are going to help this dog?” It didn’t “cure” the problem overnight, but we did see progress right from the start. It was hard work. It required that we change our lifestyle and our thoughts about how dogs learn about the world.
But it worked. It worked so well that Monte was eventually able to enjoy play dates with carefully selected other dogs and even Christmas Eve Eve parties. It worked so well that I couldn’t stop learning more until I became a trainer myself.
On the surface, our results looked the same. Dogs and their people were able to enjoy the types of lifestyles together that they’d hoped for, dogs that started out with extreme behavior issues. Underneath the surface, our results and process were extremely different. I achieved my goals without the use of fear, intimidation, choke chains, prong collars, leash pops, “taps” with the foot to the ribs, or pinning my dog to the ground. I did it with cooperation, not opposition.
As for results? To a trained eye, body language speaks volumes. Monte was not stressed. He was happy, relaxed, more worried about when he would receive his next treat or scratch as opposed to when he’d hear the next verbal “Tschhht!” or get the “touch” in the shoulder.
There is a cultural assumption that only trainers who use coercion can be successful in rehabilitating and modifying the behavior of dogs with extreme behavior problems – whether the dog has killed a number of small animals, an established bite history with people or other dogs, or has torn the doors and windows out of the house as a result of separation anxiety. The second part of the myth is that trainers who eschew the use of coercion in favor of manipulating reinforcement opportunities only teach tricks to well-behaved dogs and allow dogs with behavior problems to die.
This is an urban legend. Most of the country’s top behavior consultants, including actual behaviorists (who have advanced degrees in behavioral sciences), rehabilitate “red zone” dogs every day, working with real life dog owners, a treat pouch, and dog and people-friendly techniques grounded in modern science. To me and all behavior consultants who use positive reinforcement to rehabilitate dogs with behavior issues, please don’t call us “Dog Whisperers” when you’d like to give a compliment (Unless followed by the disclaimer, “You know, the Paul Owen kind.” Then it’s ok.).
For more on the pitfalls of “Dog Whispering” as shown on NatGeo, check out the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior’s Position Statement on Punishment for Behavior Modification in Animals and the Position Statement on the Use of Dominance Theory in the Behavior Modification of Animals.
About the Author: Casey Lomonaco graduated with distinction from the Karen Pryor Academy for Animal Training and Behavior, and is a member of the following professional organizations: APDT (Association of Pet Dog Trainers), CGC evaluator — AKC (American Kennel Club), TDF (Truly Dog Friendly), and the No-Shock Collar Coalition.
It’s really hip these days to sneakily film your fiancee-to-be while you pop the question. Some folks we know have even gone as far as 
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These days, the Furminator folks are trying their hand at products that aren’t necessarily shedding focused (though still fur-centric), the latest of which are the 
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A foam form Katie made for fittings.
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Devoted certified service dog Zurich calmly surveyed the audience when he took the stage with his sick partner, who cannot walk or speak, at the inaugural Hero Dog Awards in Los Angeles. He can retrieve anything for her, and adds light to her life. Zurich overcame a cancerous tumor and continues to assist his partner. (Photo: Maria Goodavage)
The ever-iconic Betty White with Michael Hingson with his dog Africa. His dog Roselle won the night's top honors for leading him safely down 78 flights of Tower One of the World Trade Center on 9/11. Sadly, she passed away this summer. (Photo: Maria Goodavage)
Military Working Dog Bino enjoyed some red-carpet action. It was a long way from Iraq, where he once served, to this gala evening. (Photo: Charley Gallay @ WireImage Cesar Canine Cuisine)
Darla, the face of Cesar canine cuisine, wasn't up for a hero award, but she won hearts on the red carpet as she stood up and waved. (Photo: Laura Altair Hanson)
Surf Dog Ricochet got all dolled up for the event. Ricochet, as many Dogsters know, surfs with children and adults with disabilities for therapeutic purposees. She inspires people all over the world, encouraging them to focus on what they CAN do, as opposed to what they can't. (Photo: Laura Altair Hanson)
My daughter, Laura Hanson, attended the event with me and was on cloud nine all night. She loved all the dogs, and was thrilled to meet NCIS star Pauley Perrette, who is a huge dog lover and shelter rescue advocate, and a really nice, appealing, down-to-earth person. I wanted to give her a copy of my book, The Dog Lover's Companion to California, because I thought she would enjoy it. She asked me to sign it, since she collects signed books. Talk about role reversal! When I asked if I could take a photo of her with my daughter, she insisted on holding up the book, and my daughter held up my business card for Soldier Dogs. A great end to a very fun evening! (Photo: Maria Goodavage)
Hi. I’m back. And with good news.
You guys, I’m supposed to be taking today off to show my visiting mother around the big city, but I was going through email this morning and one of the many, many deal-of-the-day sites I subscribe to (
