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.
Cesar Millan's Dog Whisperer DS
Studio: Celebrity Video Distribut Release Date: 02/17/2009 Run time: 150 minutes
Become one of Cesar Millan's apprentices!Product InformationCesar Millan's Dog Whisperer features 40 different common dog issues and teachesyou how to deal with each of them using Cesar Millan's rehabilitationmethod. Master Cesar's dog rehabilitation methods to better understandyour dog' motivations and resolve its problem behaviors.About Cesar MillanCesar Millan is a world-renowned dog behavior specialist known for his uncannyability to walk large packs of dogs at a time. Not only that but from poodlesto pit bulls these now well-behaved canines have each been rehabilitatedrescued from a wide range of extreme behavior issues - anything from insecurityto severe 'red zone' aggression!Born and raised in Mexico his blessed gift - a primal communion with nature- always came naturally to him but his unique connection to canines became mostnoticeable around the age of 13. Everywhere Cesar went there always seemed tobe a swirl of dogs surrounding him. The locals gave him a nickname "ElPerrero" - Spanish for "The Dogman".Cesar embraced this gift whole-heartedly and he came to America to pursuehis dream of becoming the greatest dog trainer in the world. He soon realizedthough that he was searching for something rather more profound than teachingdogs basic commands.Heeding his grandfather's advice to 'never work against Mother Nature' Cesaracquired yet another pack of dogs. He passionately studied books on dogpsychology but it was through his own observation awareness and first handexperience that Cesar distilled his own formulas that clearly kept dogsbalanced calm and submissive.Cesar first captured the national spotlight when his National Geographic Channelseries Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan premiered in 2004.Product Features Developed with Cesar Millan Discover Cesar's successful Three Party Fulfillment Formula: exercise discipline and affection Apply what you learn in over 40 case studies to training your own dog. Learn from Cesar a
If you think your dog has behavioral problems, you'll feel better after watching 10 minutes of Dog Whisperer Cesar Millan's hard-luck cases. The smashing success of Millan's National Geographic Channel series is due partly to that feeling of relief--that no matter how bad your own dog's behavior, by and large, it's not nearly as bad as Millan's clients'; it's kind of like Nanny 911, but with dogs. Millan is also a telegenic, confident animal handler, whose basic message is reinforced in virtually every case: Don't treat your dog like a human; treat him like a dog, and be the alpha dog of your own household/pack. This canine golden rule applies to all kinds of doggie nut jobs: crazy little Chihuahua NuNu, who bites everyone but his owner; big sweetie-pie Great Dane Kane, whose puppy mishap sliding on a slick floor has made him terrified to walk on tile or linoleum; Brooks, who spins in circles trying to re-create a game involving looking for a laser light; and Maya the pitbull mix, who's sweet-tempered enough to let a kitten "nurse" on her nightly, but who tears apart her household a dozen times a day. One of Millan's most amazing success stories in this 26-episode series involves Churchill, a Rottweiler-shepherd mix who's docile and loving at home, but literally tries to attack all other dogs and even bites a neighbor, thus ending up on the brink of doggie death row. But within 15 minutes, Millan's calm confidence, and gentle but firm application of tugs on a well-angled leash have Churchill passing and sitting near a strange dog placidly.
Studio: Uni Dist Corp. (mca) Release Date: 03/24/2009 Run time: 109 minutes Rating: Nr