Dog Whisperer Training
Posted on September 17th, 2010 Written by +Brian Benson Email Author
Contents |
Essential Roles of a Dog Whisperer
For centuries man and dog have been sharing a special kind of bond which made the latter man’s best friend. Evidence suggests that even during ancient times, man and the canine species have already forged a bond. Artwork created by cavemen that were found on the walls of caves show proof that dogs have been a constant companion of men for quite a long time. Dogs have been a solid companion for people and their loyalty and loving nature has been their most appreciated nature which enticed them to be man’s best friend. But not every instance with a dog can be considered a boon for dog-owners.
There are times when dogs can be the worst kind of pet. Dog-owners are very much aware of these instances. These are the times when even a person’s most prized possession can be the target of a very aggressive canine. Dogs can exhibit the worst kind of behavior at times if they are left unattended. A person’s favorite shoes can be their dog’s favorite chew toy. A person’s living room sofa can be a dog’s favorite bed. These are just a few of the things that can cause a headache for dog-owners but even the rambunctious canine can be taught to behave properly if one knows how. For years dog trainers and dog owners have been rearing canines through various kinds of methods and some of them have been successful. Although some of these methods have been successful some animal rights activists have expressed their concern on how dog trainers have applied their methods to dogs. Some dog trainers have been known to apply painful means to teach dogs not to behave in a certain way.
Some dog trainers think that the most effective way to teach canines is to inflict pain when they are behaving improperly and to reward them when they are behaving properly. It is a useful method and one that even Ivan Pavlov has been known to conduct on his canine subjects during his experiments with behavior.
Dog trainers condition their dogs by pulling on their leashes when they are misbehaving. Obviously this would cause some pain to the dog but the main purpose is to condition the dog not to misbehave so that he will not feel pain. Whenever the dog performs the tricks or orders that the dog trainer gives him he will be rewarded with a treat. This will condition him to realize that whenever he does something that his trainer or owner approves of it will be to his advantage. This age-old method has been successful but several people nowadays have been using a different kind of method to train man’s canine companion.
What is Dog Whispering
Dog whispering is the current method of teaching being used on canines for them to behave well. This method of training became quite popular through Cesar Millan who is a renowned dog whisperer. His method of training became famous with celebrities and the public due to his consistent appearances in Oprah Winfrey’s show where he demonstrates the advantages of being a dog whisperer. Cesar Millan was born in Mexico and illegally entered the United States in 1990 when he was twenty-one years old. He went to the U.S. without knowing one English word and worked at a pet grooming store. There he developed his ability to train even the most aggressive canines and he went on to found his own dog school called Pacific Point Canine Academy. One of the celebrities that became his client was Jada Pinkett Smith. After he built his canine academy, Millan built another one called Dog Psychology Center where he trained larger dogs.
Cesar Millan’s philosophy on training dogs is that people should exert a calm demeanor that he termed “calm-assertive energy”. He instructed people to learn about the needs and natural responses of canines. He taught them to know that canines are pack animals and that the owners are the leaders of their pack who should exert calmness with assertiveness in order to train dogs successfully.
In dog whispering training, Millan lists the foremost important needs of a canine: exercise, discipline and consistent expression of affection. He stated that a dog should receive these three things in that precise order. He said that the dog’s owner should consistently help him exercise so as to satisfy the dog’s need for maintaining his/her health and energy level and to properly teach the dog communication. By doing this the owner can teach the dog discipline since he will learn the owner’s rules and regulations, limitations and boundaries. He also said that it is the owner’s responsibility to provide affection to the dog but during the right time. Millan informs people that a dog should receive proper affection when he is not stressed or excited. The right time for a dog to receive affection is when his state of mind is balanced.
Walking is an important exercise in dog whispering training, according to Millan. Other than maintaining the dog’s health walking can be used to strengthen the relationship of the owner with his dog. Done properly, the owner can further assert to his dog that he is the pack leader and his dog is one of the members. Millan also states that during this exercise an owner should be vigilant about his dog’s gestures, movements, expressions on his face and other things that can indicate what the dog is thinking or expressing. The purpose here if for the owner to recognize the clues that the dog gives which imply negative behavior so that the owner can eliminate them before his pet gets used to it and increases the occurrence of this negative behavior. Millan reminds owners though that all of this should be done in a calm-assertive manner.
Millan teaches people that when it comes to dogs there exist a hierarchy that owners should be aware of. First, people should relate to dogs with canine needs instead of human needs. Second, people should relate to dogs according to their breed such as the amount or quality of exercise should be appropriate to the kind of dog an owner has. Third, people should relate to their dogs as individuals with their own specific traits and characteristics.
Millan also teaches people to use sound as a tool in communicating with their beloved pets. Instead of using words, which most people are often used to communicating with canines, Millan stresses that distinct sounds are more useful when one wants to communicate with dogs. According to him, canines are more able to respond to the sounds that an owner makes rather than the words that they use when communicating with canines.
Another reminder that Millan tells his students is that when they first get to meet with a new canine they keep their selves from making eye contact with the dog. They should also keep their selves from touching the canine; instead the dog should be the one to make the first move in establishing a rapport. Owners should let their pets approach them on the dog’s own terms and pace.
Millan’s Dog Training Methods
Cesar Millan claims that he trains dogs not by using basic commands, but by rehabilitating badly behaved dogs and retrain their owners.
Millan teaches the owners the importance of strong leadership; how to set a posture that showsan assertive stance. He says that “quick fixes” are not the answer to a dog’s negative behavior.Millan believes that dog owners should consistently train their dogs every day not only to prevent the recurrence of bad behavior, but also maintain a healthy lifestyle for their dogs. .
Millan is very popular because of his techniques that many of his followers extend this type ofdisciplinary behavior at home and at the workplace. However, Millan clearly distinguishes canine Psychology from human psychology.
Millan Faces Criticism
But no matter how Cesar Millan has much been revered by the public for his ability, canine Psychology experts are critical of his techniques.
A lot of reputable people in the field of canine psychology state that Millan’s use of force, like the “alpha roll” to assert authority and using choke collars can do more harm than good to the dog. Although he has never been seen to hit or injure a dog in any way while in training, critics believe that these techniques can do more harm than good to the dogs.
Director of Animal Behavior Clinic at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Nicholas Dodman, once said that his methods are based on “flooding and punishment,” which could give immediate results, but that would have been transitory. He added that Millan’s techniques are “misguided, outmoded, and in some cases dangerous and often inhumane.” SPCA Director of Academy for Dog Trainers, Jean Donaldson also said that disciplinary practices that use physical confrontation to already aggressive dogs and choke collars for fearful dogs are “outrageous.”
Another respected dog behaviorist, Dr. Ian Dunbar, said that although Millan has “nice dog skills,” he considers his (Millan) methods to be “different” in a scientific point of view. He thinks that a lot of the techniques that Millan employ are “not without danger.” Dr. Dunbar is the author of six best-selling books and is the first to develop puppy-training courses and has accomplished numerous academic degrees.
Even the American Humane Association has been very much concerned by the methods of Millan that they appealed to the National Geographic Channel to stop Millan’s TV show, citing that the dog training is “inhumane, outdated, and improper.”
Despite the flak that Millan has received from fellow dog trainers many people still believe in the method that he uses. Celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey, Will Smith, Vin Diesel and other famous people adhere to Millan’s method. Dog whispering Millan’s way is still a reliable tool for training canines according to many.
To expound further, dog whispering is a training method that uses the kind of communication that dogs are used to. This kind of dog training is quite unique and much more useful because it works on the principle that a dog owner acts as the canine’s pack leader. Dog whispering training teaches people to lead canines through their actions and body language and people should exert a lot of effort in this exercise. To reiterate, dogs are pack animals by instinct and they need to understand that their owners are the pack leaders. Through the owner’s body language, subtle mimicry of dog gestures and some sounds to associate with certain commands owners can assert their selves as the pack leaders to their pets. This method can teach people to manage the aggressiveness of canines by giving them other ways to use their aggressiveness on.
The difference between dog whispering and the usual dog training is that owners are taught to relate to their pets as owners instead of trainers. The way to make it successful is to start training the canine when it is just a puppy. Puppies are easier to mould compared to adults. It is easier to start off with this method if the owner thinks of the puppy as a child therefore owners conceptualize dog training as the way they teach their kids how to behave. Patience is a necessity and most owners should learn to build on this since teaching dogs will take some time. Owners should keep their training sessions short so that their dogs won’t get bored. When dogs get bored any training that an owner tries to instill on them can be easily forgotten or discarded.
As mentioned earlier dogs are pack animals by instinct so owners should use this factor to their advantage. Owners should assert to their dogs that they are the pack leaders and one method of doing this is to take their pet out for walks. When the owner and the dog are walking the owner should be a few steps ahead of his pet. He should also remind the dog to stay a few steps behind. This method teaches the dog to perceive his owner as the leader and someone he should obey at all times.
Dog whispering is a very useful method of training canines and more and more people are adhering to this technique. Becoming a dog whisperer is actually not difficult. Dog whispering training is easy to learn as long as those who are interested in taking this up be patient enough to go through all the steps in teaching dogs how to behave properly.
