Dog Whisperer: Aggression/ O'Reilly Factor

I continue to support The Dog Whisperer Cesar Millan (TDW).

My personality is to seek truth which means a balanced perspective. This means listening to the other side of an argument with open mindedness.

I recently read several articles criticizing Millan on his techniques. I do see some of their points, but if you do not subscribe to the Wolf Pack Theory that dogs are first:
animal > dog > breed > pet then more than likely you will adopt human psychology to dogs.

The simple reaction is dog's are not humans. Yet, the controversy surrounds this theme.

Cesar is not positive enough, doesn't praise the dogs or use treats.

One reviewer of the show analyzed an episode. Thanks to a good friend who turned me onto TDW, I have watched the episodes and took notes on each one, then I typed them up and categorized the information. This allowed me to be familiar with the context of specific shows.

That said, there was a lot of spin on the review. They were not fair and unbiased. They seemed to want to make their point no matter what. In short they did not;
First seek to understand, before being understood

I almost write someone off immediately here, but there were some good points made that I could add to my personal library of dog knowledge.

What TDW does I respect the most is honestly share the message that it is not the dog's fault in so many words. It is the dog owner that needs to change and thus rehabilitate the dog. It is never a one way street.

As a former elementary school teacher, at Parent-Conferences my message was the same. Most behavioral, and some academic problems/concerns were family matters, not just the child's problem. Sadly, many only wanted the message of, "How do I fix my kid" not the massage of "How can we as a family work together to solve this issue."

Dog Whisperer -Tough Case



A Lesson in Aggression



Cesar on O’Reilly