Cesar Millan, the Dog Whisperer - Pros and Cons

Cesar Millan is the host of the popular show the Dog Whisperer on the National Geographic channel. Cesar Millan is a charismatic and very entertaining host, and he has made The Dog Whisperer into a big favorite amongst Dog owners. As a result, he has many fans that implement his techniques on their house pets. However, there are some who feel that Cesar Millan's techniques are overly harsh and inappropriate for novice trainers (most pet owners). In this article, I examine Cesar Millan's approach and discuss its pros and cons.

Pros of Cesar Millan's Dog Training Philosophy:

1. Educates people on being a good pack leader. To be a good pack leader Cesar Millan talks about setting rules and boundaries for your dog and emphasizes the importance of maintaining calm and assertive energy.


2. Educates people to fulfill their dogs' needs not just their own. Most dog owners are very aware of how dogs help us live happier, and fuller lives. What is often forgotten is that dogs have needs of their own. Cesar Millan talks about understanding a dog's needs and helping him be a happy dog through exercise and discipline.


3. Shows people how to improve their dogs' behavior regardless of breed and background. Some dog breeds have developed a really bad reputation, especially the Pit Bull Terrier. Cesar Millan does a really good job in showing people that all dogs can be rehabilitated regardless of breed and background.


4. Uses his pack of dogs to teach other dogs and improve their behavior. Cesar Millan shows people that the best teacher for a dog is another dog. While we may try and learn canine body language, we will never be as adept at using it as a canine.

Cons of Cesar Millan's Dog Training Philosophy:

1. Limits exploration of other dog training techniques. Cesar Millan has an extremely confident, charismatic, and alpha personality that makes him very successful. Unfortunately, a side-effect is that people may just follow his techniques and not explore other alternatives (in particular reward based dog training techniques) that may be more appropriate for their dogs.


2. Even though Cesar Millan may sometimes say that changing a dog's behavior takes time, his Dog Whisperer program shows the opposite. The format of The Dog Whisperer show is such that Cesar has to show results quickly to make the program interesting and engaging. Often times there is a timer which shows how Cesar solves a problem in minutes (5-15 minutes) that the owners have tried for months to solve. This encourages a fix it now or give up mentality among dog owners that may lead to more dogs being surrendered or destroyed.


3. Very little discussion on the proper equipment to use and the proper use of that equipment. Cesar Millan does advise his clients to put a dog's collar high up on the neck, close to the head and ears. He also sometimes uses his Illusion collar to keep the collar from sliding down the neck. Sometimes, he just goes with what the owner is already using, thereby implicitly agreeing with the owner's choice. Given that he is the expert, it would be helpful to have more of a discussion on the pros and cons of training equipment. Also, training collars, e.g. prong collar, choke chains, should not be left on a dog for long periods of time; they should be put on for a walk or a training session and removed otherwise. Studies have shown that extended use of choke chains may be harmful to your dog.


4. Little or no exploration on what type of leader we should be. It is important for us humans to become leaders of our dog pack but an important corollary question is what leader we should be. Cesar seems to support something more akin to a dictatorship, where everything the leader says goes, and not following a rule, brings about some kind of punishment whether it be a leash jerk, a finger poke, or an alpha roll. Between a dictatorship and no leadership is a wide range of other possibilities. Take into account your own temperament and the temperament of your dog to determine the best type of relationship.


5. Downplays the dangers and effects of aversive techniques. Cesar Millan uses a variety of aversive dog training techniques, including alpha rolls, leash jerks, and finger pokes. He often tells owners that these techniques do not cause the dogs any pain or stress, it is just meant to get the dogs' attention. There is also an implication that these techniques are appropriate and humane because wolves do that to other wolves, or dogs do that to other dogs. Both of these statements are not very accurate.

For more on Cesar Millan and dog obedience training, visit the Shiba Shake Home