Dog Training

[Juke99]

I have been hired by The Examiner to write short articles about dog training.

First article:

http://www.examiner.com/dog-training-in-long-island/your-dog-s-sit-cue

Additionally, I am writing a column called "Rescue Reporter" about the process of adopting a dog from a shelter.

Those articles can be found here:

http://www.lidogdirectory.com/rescueReporter.asp

And if you have ANY questions about your dog, or bringing one into your life, please feel free to contact me here...or through my website, johnvisconti.com
I'd love to help you out...

 

[Duane]

Awesome man. Glad you're at a point in your life where you're finally doing what you enjoy.

 

[Dallas]

That is awesome Juke. Fantastic news. I bet you are so thrilled.


Well done my friend....well done.

I have a couple of friends looking at adopting. I am going to email them this link.

 

[Juke99]

Awesome man. Glad you're at a point in your life where you're finally doing what you enjoy.

Absolutely love it. The only difficult part is dealing with the dog owners. Somehow by pure fortunate luck, I've become friends with the most renowned trainers in the world. It's like hanging out with Roger Staubach.

 

[Juke99]

That is awesome Juke. Fantastic news. I bet you are so thrilled.


Well done my friend....well done.

I have a couple of friends looking at adopting. I am going to email them this link.

And by all means, if they'd like to contact me, I'd gladly help. The process is fraught with a lot of pitfalls. It's a wonderful thing to do...I just try to help people do it in a way that they don't end up having to bring the dog back or that they don't select a dog that really isn't right for them.

And thanks for the kind words.

 

[Dallas]

Absolutely love it. The only difficult part is dealing with the dog owners. Somehow by pure fortunate luck, I've become friends with the most renowned trainers in the world. It's like hanging out with Roger Staubach.

Cesar Millan is awesome. Im not a huge fan of his show, but when I watch it I am amazed at what he can do w/ the animals in a short amount of time.

The guy is pretty amazing.

Do you whisper to dogs too, Juke?


Psst...stop biting.. thats bad....psst...stop eating rocks, those make your tummy hurt....psst..stop chasing waves and eating water...you will die.

 

[Juke99]

Cesar Millan is awesome. Im not a huge fan of his show, but when I watch it I am amazed at what he can do w/ the animals in a short amount of time.

The guy is pretty amazing.

Do you whisper to dogs too, Juke?


Psst...stop biting.. thats bad....psst...stop eating rocks, those make your tummy hurt....psst..stop chasing waves and eating water...you will die.

Psssssstttt...big secret. He's a hack butcher.

I can tell ya all about what goes on in that show behind the scenes.

He has zero scientific behavioral knowledge.

The way I figure, if I get on a plane, I want to be on a plane where the engineers that created it have aeronautic backgrounds. I'm not too thrilled to be on a plane that was created or piloted by a Plane Whisperer.

I don't see him doing a lot of whispering. I see a lot of abuse. Also, there are videos showing him hiding a shock remote and zapping the dog.

There's no short cut to training. What he does is create a situation as such:

If when you were learning to hit a baseball your coach zapped you with some type of punishment causing discomfort...it wouldn't help you to hit a ball better. In fact, you might think "Hey, if I just don't swing nothing bad will happen" THAT is the Cesar Milan "calm submissive dog"

He also talks alot about alphas and pack leaders. The guy who created the term, alpha, David Meech, has since retracted his findings and has begged the scientific community to not use the term "alpha" because his study was flawed.

Finally, as someone who knows a lot about dog body language, the dogs in that show are often anything but aggressive. Lots of theatrics, they freeze the screen..turn it red...etc. But if you know dog body language, the dogs aren't being aggressive.

Oh and one other point...I have a full library of training DVDs. There isn't a single one that runs a disclaimer "DOn't try this" as that show does every five minutes.

Oh and one more final point. Kids tend to parrot what they see on TV. Several kids have been bitten by family dogs by trying the crap he pulls.

Essentially is NASCAR on paws with the people watching just hoping to see a crash.

 

[Dallas]

Psssssstttt...big secret. He's a hack butcher.

I can tell ya all about what goes on in that show behind the scenes.

He has zero scientific behavioral knowledge.

The way I figure, if I get on a plane, I want to be on a plane where the engineers that created it have aeronautic backgrounds. I'm not too thrilled to be on a plane that was created or piloted by a Plane Whisperer.

I don't see him doing a lot of whispering. I see a lot of abuse. Also, there are videos showing him hiding a shock remote and zapping the dog.

There's no short cut to training. What he does is create a situation as such:

If when you were learning to hit a baseball your coach zapped you with some type of punishment causing discomfort...it wouldn't help you to hit a ball better. In fact, you might think "Hey, if I just don't swing nothing bad will happen" THAT is the Cesar Milan "calm submissive dog"

He also talks alot about alphas and pack leaders. The guy who created the term, alpha, David Meech, has since retracted his findings and has begged the scientific community to not use the term "alpha" because his study was flawed.

Finally, as someone who knows a lot about dog body language, the dogs in that show are often anything but aggressive. Lots of theatrics, they freeze the screen..turn it red...etc. But if you know dog body language, the dogs aren't being aggressive.

Oh and one other point...I have a full library of training DVDs. There isn't a single one that runs a disclaimer "DOn't try this" as that show does every five minutes.

Oh and one more final point. Kids tend to parrot what they see on TV. Several kids have been bitten by family dogs by trying the crap he pulls.

Essentially is NASCAR on paws with the people watching just hoping to see a crash.

Yikes. I didn't know half of that. Why doesn't PETA come out against the show? Shine some light on the subject. Surely Ashley Judd isn't THAT busy.

That makes me not want to watch his shows anymore.

 

[VietCowboy]

I like "It's me or the dog" with Victoria. I think her approach is pretty good.

I have a pretty passive boston terrier so I've never had any behavioral issues except for his separation anxiety.

 

[Juke99]

Yikes. I didn't know half of that. Why doesn't PETA come out against the show? Shine some light on the subject. Surely Ashley Judd isn't THAT busy.

That makes me not want to watch his shows anymore.

Oh, they have. There are petitions out the wazoooo to get that show pulled off the air.

He talks of "Exercise, discipline and affection" in that order.

Well hell, if I get a call to help owners with a dog that jumps on guests when they come into their home...what should I tell them? "OK...run the dog for three miles and then invite your guests in"

Also, simplest rule of dog training. Show the dog what you want it TO do rather than constantly correcting it for doing stuff you don't want it to do.

I'd like to ask Mr Milan how he would train a dophin.

Ya think he'd jab a tiger in the flanks with his fingers to train it?

The other thing I'd like to know is, exactly how is he helping anyone? Ya think a 110 pound woman is going to "alpha roll" a Rottie? And as an aside, he bases his "alpha roll" on wolf pack theory. Pure lunacy. Any film you see of wolves, the "alpha" (and there is no such thing) GETS the roll from the other wolf...they don't physcially roll the dog.

So how exactly does he help? Modern technique trainers can show their methods to 9 year old kids and the dog will respond. What does this guy show that a kid can do with a dog.

Finally, I work with behavioral issues all the time. It's all desensitization and counter conditioning. There's not short cut to counter conditioning a dog that protects his foold bowl. His "claiming" of the bowl is a sure way to get bitten. I'd LOVE to see the outtakes that I've heard about from people who were on hand watching.

It's just such a joke.

Problem is...people don't know better.

 

[Juke99]

I like "It's me or the dog" with Victoria. I think her approach is pretty good.

I have a pretty passive boston terrier so I've never had any behavioral issues except for his separation anxiety.

She btw, from what I know, is a cross over trainer..meaning she used to be very physical with dogs.

If you want to PM me about sep anx, I could give you a few tips on how to handle it.

The thing you want to keep in mind is to not allow the anxiety to start to build while youre still home...so, don't allow the dog to have triggers like...the keys being picked up...showers being turned off...etc etc. YOu stand a very good chance of having the anxiety managed IF the dog is still calm when you leave. There are ways to leave...and things to do when you leave that help also.

Good friend of mine Nicole Wilde has just written a GREAT book about sep anx called "DOn't Leave Me"

You CAN work to resolve of minimize the problem.

 

[casmith07]

Great thread. My old dog is a 15 year old JRT that was a bundle of fun for the better part of 13 years and still is when you get him involved. Always been a good dog and has always been too smart for his own good! He's slowing down now, and is very hard of hearing, but he still has some energy and is starting to learn our visual cues for sit-stay.

 

[Illini88228]

That's really interesting about Cesar, I had no idea that he was so controversial.

Here's an article I just found backing up a lot of what Juke's been saying.

http://www.4pawsu.com/dogpsychology.htm

 

[Juke99]

Great thread. My old dog is a 15 year old JRT that was a bundle of fun for the better part of 13 years and still is when you get him involved. Always been a good dog and has always been too smart for his own good! He's slowing down now, and is very hard of hearing, but he still has some energy and is starting to learn our visual cues for sit-stay.

JRT's are a blast.

Btw, dogs respond MUCH better to visual cues than verbal. Just be consistent and he'll pick them up in no time.

 

[Juke99]

That's really interesting about Cesar, I had no idea that he was so controversial.

Here's an article I just found backing up a lot of what Juke's been saying.

http://www.4pawsu.com/dogpsychology.htm

Really no controversy. He's a flat out disaster.

 

[Juke99]

QUOTES FROM EXPERTS:
World-renowned dog trainers, behaviorists and veterinarians had all warned National Geographic that Millan’s methods had the potential for disaster. Below are quotes from noted experts:

Dr. Nicholas Dodman - Professor and Head, Section of Animal Behavior
Director of Behavior Clinic, Tufts University - Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine
“Cesar Millan's methods are based on flooding and punishment. The results, though immediate, will be only transitory. His methods are misguided, outmoded, in some cases dangerous, and often inhumane. You would not want to be a dog under his sphere of influence. The sad thing is that the public does not recognize the error of his ways. My college thinks it is a travesty. We’ve written to National Geographic Channel and told them they have put dog training back 20 years.”

Jean Donaldson, The San Francisco SPCA-Director of The Academy for Dog Trainers
“Practices such as physically confronting aggressive dogs and using of choke collars for fearful dogs are outrageous by even the most diluted dog training standards. A profession that has been making steady gains in its professionalism, technical sophistication and humane standards has been greatly set back. I have long been deeply troubled by the popularity of Mr. Millan as so many will emulate him. To co-opt a word like ‘whispering’ for arcane, violent and technically unsound practice is unconscionable.”

Dr. Suzanne Hetts, Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist
Co-owner of Animal Behavior Associates, Inc., Littleton, CO
"A number of qualified professionals have voiced concern for the welfare of pet dogs that experience the strong corrections administered by Mr. Millan. My concerns are based on his inappropriateness, inaccurate statements, and complete fabrications of explanations for dog behavior. His ideas, especially those about “dominance”, are completely disconnected from the sciences of ethology and animal learning, which are our best hope for understanding and training our dogs and meeting their behavioral needs. Many of the techniques he encourages the public to try are dangerous, and not good for dogs or our relationships with them ."

Vyolet Michaels, CTC, CPDT (Certified Dog Trainer and Behavior Counselor)
Owner of Urban Dawgs, LLC of Red Bank, NJ
"Cesar Millan employs outdated methods that are dangerous and inhumane. Using a choke chain and treadmill to treat fear of strangers and dogs is completely inappropriate. Hopefully the National Geographic Channel will listen to the scientific community and discontinue production of The Dog Whisperer."

Janis Bradley, Instructor at The San Franciso SPCA Academy for Dog Trainers
Author of the book, "Dogs Bite"
"On his TV show, the main method Millan uses for aggression is aversives (leash jerks, kicks, snaps of the hand against the neck, and restraint, among others) applied non contingently. The aversives are non contingent because they are so frequent that they're not connected to any particular behavior on the part of the dog—the dog gets popped pretty much constantly. This results in a state called learned helplessness, which means the animal hunkers down and tries to do as little as possible. This is what Millan calls "calm submission." It's exactly the same thing you see in a rat in a Skinner box that is subjected to intermittent shocks it can do nothing to avoid. This can happen quite fast, by the way, shall we say in ten minutes? The dangers to the dog are obvious, ranging from chronic stress to exacerbating the aggression, i.e., some dogs fight back when attacked. This latter is the simplest reason that aversives are a bad idea in treating aggression. Even used technically correctly as positive punishment for specific behaviors like growling and snarling, aversives do nothing to change the underlying fear or hostility, so the best you can hope for, in the words of famed vet and behaviorist, Ian Dunbar, is "removing the ticker from the time bomb." Thus such methods substantially increase the risk to humans of getting bitten."

Excerpt of letter from Lisa Laney, Dip. DTBC, CPDT, CBC
to National Geographic before airing “The Dog Whisperer”:
“The intended program depicts aversive and abusive training methods - treatment for some serious anxiety and fear based issues - being administered by an individual with no formal education whatsoever in canine behavioral sciences. The "results" that are shown are more than likely not long lasting changes, but the result of learned helplessness, or fatigue, neither of which impact behavior to any significant long term degree - at least not in a good way. For those of us who are pioneering the effort to end the ignorance that drives the cruel treatment administered upon our canine companions, it is disappointing to see that this programming will reach the masses - especially on the NG Channel. The ignorance that this program perpetuates will give equally ignorant people the green light to subject their dogs to abuse. In turn these dogs will react even more defensively, will bite more people - and end up dead.”

Steve Dale
"I have serious concerns because his methods are often intimidating rather than motivating. On TV, the dogs do comply but often they're being forced to - you can tell by their body language: tail down, mouth closed, ears back, eyes dilated... I argue that motivating leadership is far more effective than leading through intimidation."

 

[Juke99]

And here ya go..

Dog "Whisperer" my arse...

[youtube]bi3ve9sWslI[/youtube]


NOTE: at 2:50, the dog receives a shock, redirect aggression toward the owner, catches himself before biting and then is so freaked that he sticks his head under the chair.

Great training Cesar. Well done.

Moron. All he is teaching the dog is an association "Every time I this cat, I get hurt" Heaven forbid that dog ever has a chance to get at that cat.

 

[casmith07]

JRT's are a blast.

Btw, dogs respond MUCH better to visual cues than verbal. Just be consistent and he'll pick them up in no time.

He's so smart we've really only been seriously trying the visual cues for a few weeks and he's pretty obedient.

Sometimes, though, he's just bad to be bad

I think that if dogs could do stand up comedy, JRTs would do it. Sometimes I seriously think he does things specifically just to make us laugh.

And I just watched that video - screw Cesar!

 

[VietCowboy]

I do like JRT, but only if they belonged to an owner who knows how to deal with their energy. A woman on the other side of apt complex owns one, and I feel so sorry for the dog. He is always couped up inside the apt, and is constantly barking at everything. Seriously, if you are going to own a dog, the best thing is to find out what type of dog is good for your environment. I knew living in a small place, that JRT was out of the question unless I had a plan for it to be able to release its energy.

anyway, I'm a BT lover for life, but my boyfriend also really loves welsh corgi, and wants to name the next dog we get Ein

 

[casmith07]

I do like JRT, but only if they belonged to an owner who knows how to deal with their energy. A woman on the other side of apt complex owns one, and I feel so sorry for the dog. He is always couped up inside the apt, and is constantly barking at everything. Seriously, if you are going to own a dog, the best thing is to find out what type of dog is good for your environment. I knew living in a small place, that JRT was out of the question unless I had a plan for it to be able to release its energy.

anyway, I'm a BT lover for life, but my boyfriend also really loves welsh corgi, and wants to name the next dog we get Ein

Before he got old and got indifferent to going for walks, we used to not only walk him every day, but once a week we'd take him to the woods and let him off the leash and he would just ruuuun and run. He'd sniff everything, pee on everything, and chase deer. He loved it. He never would get too far ahead, either...he's got "tough guy" syndrome but only to an extent he would pretend to be a tough guy on the leash and then if we didn't "lock" the leash (one of those extendo leashes) he would turn around and look as if to say "hold me back! hold me back!"

He's a riot.