Here's the latest segment Sympawtico Dog Training, LLC has done with KMBC 9 News. Thanks to Kelly Eckerman for coming out for the interview!
Dogs Need To Be Prepared For Baby, Too - Health News Story - KMBC Kansas City
An immigrant from a poor family who made it to the big-time, Cesar Millan embodies the American Dream. And that, combined with his charisma and Latino charm, makes for compelling television. But television is seldom art, and as such rarely mirrors life. In the real world of dog training, Cesar’s techniques are considered not only antiquated but just plain wrong: he demonstrates such a misunderstanding of modern behavior science that many not-so-famous dog trainers cringe at the mere mention of his name. And yet the public reveres him. So does Millan really deserve respect for his work “rehabilitating” dogs? Or should we all simply stand back and marvel at the man and his marketing machine?
Because marketing is a marvelous thing, transforming mere mortals into the stuff of legend in as much time as it takes an electrical impulse to circle the globe. You see, less than 20 years ago, the myth that is Cesar Millan did not exist. Instead, there was just César Milán Favela: el perrero, the derogatorily-named dog-boy of the streets of Mazatlán, who entered this country illegally and lived on the streets of San Diego. With $100 and little English, he began his quest to become “the world’s best dog trainer.” And that is where National Geographic Channel picks up the story. In promoting the channel’s blockbuster reality show The Dog Whisperer (2004-present), the company website touts Millan as “one of the most sought-after specialists working in the field of dog rehabilitation”, and claims that this is so because of the expertise he gained from a “childhood on his grandfather’s farm in…Ixpalino (near Culiacan, Mexico) where he observed the behavior of the farm’s many dogs.” (The Dog Whisperer) On his own website, Cesar attributes his skills – his “blessed gift” – to “observation, awareness, and firsthand experience”. (About Cesar) Surprisingly lacking in these biographies, however, is a list of credentials or qualifications that might undergird those claims. That’s probably because there aren’t any.
Aside from vague and mystical references to “an uncanny gift for communicating with dogs” (The Dog Whisperer) and “a primal communion with nature” (About Cesar), there is little in the way of evidence to support Cesar’s claim on the title of dog trainer extraordinaire. In fact, Paul Owens, a 35-year veteran of the field of dog training and author of the 1999 book The Dog Whisperer: A Compassionate Nonviolent Approach to Dog Training, says of his apparent namesake:
“The methods demonstrated by Mr. Millan include the use of choke collars, jerking, hitting, asphyxiation, pinning to the ground, etc… People trying these methods at home, (sic) could likely kill their best friend. They are certainly not very easy on the dogs. Most importantly, these methods are not the most effective in modifying problematic behaviors.”(Owens)
Veterinary behaviorists aren’t happy with Millan, either. Dr. Sophia Yin calls him an “old-school” trainer and, along with fellow board members of the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB), has released position statements which specifically target and rebut his dubious training techniques. And when, in 2009, veterinary pharmaceutical giant Merial, makers of such products as Frontline™ and Heartgard™, signed Millan as their spokesperson, the AVSAB even went so far as to join together with three other veterinary associations, the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists, the Society of Veterinary Behavior Technicians, and the Academy of Veterinary Behavior Technicians, to caution that while the show may be “at best entertaining but misleading to pet owners. At worst, Mr. Millan’s techniques and misinformation have contributed to increased aggression and anxiety or resulted in physical injury to the pet and/or pet owner.” (Yin, et al., 2009)
But therein lies the rub: Merial is not alone in subscribing to the cult of Cesar. In fact, National Geographic Channel, along with Millan’s own company Cesar Millan Inc., have invested big bucks in their Whisperer campaign. And with an alphabet of advertisers from American Express to Yamaha it looks like they’ll be able to keep it up for some time to come – even in the face of much-hushed 2006 and 2007 settlements for “breach of contract, fraud, animal cruelty, and intentional infliction of emotional distress” (Associated Press, 2006) which may or may not have precipitated the closing of Millan’s famed Dog Psychology Center in 2008. So, for what exactly does Cesar Millan deserve acclaim? With his demonstrable paucity of knowledge and education, his egregious misinterpretation of behavior science, and his lack of support within his field, it does not appear to be for training dogs. Instead, it seems that the only thing laudable about the shaggy dog story that is Cesar Millan, Dog Whisperer, is the way in which he has trained his media machine to wag the Cesar.
Works Cited
About Cesar. (n.d.). Retrieved September 3, 2009, from Cesar Millan Inc.: http://www.cesarmillaninc.com/about/about.php
Associated Press. (2006, May 5). 'Dog Whisperer' Cesar Millan Sued By TV Producer.Owens, P. (n.d.).
Paul Owens FAQ. Retrieved September 3, 2009, from The Original Dog Whisperer: http://www.dogwhispererdvd.com
The Dog Whisperer. (n.d.). Retrieved September 3, 2009, from The National Geographic Channel: (http://channel.nationalgoegraphic.com/series/dog-whisperer
Yin, S. D., Meyer, K. E., Ciribassi, J. D., Sueda, K. D., Krause, K. D., Morgan, K. D., et al. (2009, June 11). An Open Letter to Merial From the AVSAB. AVSAB.
Quoted from http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/personal/08/07/smart.dogs/index.html:
By Doug Gross
- Story Highlights
- Professor: Dogs "closer to humans than we thought"
- Most dogs can understand 165 words and count to five
- Average dog is on par with 2-year-olds, "super breeds" with 2½ years
- Border collies at the head of the class; Afghan hounds bring up the rear
CNN
(CNN) -- Your dog may not actually be smarter than somebody's honor student -- popular bumper stickers aside. But your canine companion might well be smarter than their toddler, according to a growing body of research on how dogs think.
The smartest dog breeds are on par mentally with a 2 1/2-year-old, professor says.
Using adapted tests designed for human children, psychologists have learned that average dogs can count, reason and recognize words and gestures on par with a human 2 -year-old.
"They may not be Einsteins, but are sure closer to humans than we thought," said Stanley Coren, a professor emeritus at the University of British Columbia and leading researcher on dog behavior.
Coren planned to present his research Saturday at the American Psychological Association's annual convention in Toronto, Canada.
He said the average dog can understand about 165 words, including signs, signals and gestures. They can also count to about 5, he said.
"I mean, we're not going to make them an accountant or something," Coren said in an interview with CNN Radio.
The smartest dogs, he calls them the "super breeds," are on par with a 2½-year-old, recognizing up to 250 words.
And, no, not all breeds are created equally.
Don't Miss
For his book "The Intelligence of Dogs," Coren asked more than 200 dog-obedience judges to rank 110 breeds based on their intelligence. Border collies, poodles, retrievers, German shepherds and Doberman pinschers were among the dogs at the head of the class.
The intellectual runts of the litter? The borzoi, chow chow, bulldog, basenji and -- finishing dead last -- the Afghan hound.
The dividing line, Coren said, tends to be the age of the breed. More recent breeds, like the collies and retrievers, have been bred for years to do what humans want them to do.
"We've been wiring into dogs the ability to communicate with us," said Coren, author of several books on dogs' thinking, most recently "The Modern Dog." "If you will, we've been manipulating their intelligence."
Meanwhile, breeds like hounds naturally did what humans wanted -- i.e. chase tasty animals -- and didn't need to be fine-tuned, he said.
"They did the work all by themselves," Coren said. "They didn't have to cooperate with the human being, and all the human had to do was get there before the dogs ate it all."
Included in the number of "words" dogs are believed to know are hand gestures, like pointing, and nonverbal sounds, like the whistles used to direct sheep dogs and retrievers.
Fact Box
Psychologist Stanley Coren asked dog-obedience judges to rank 110 dog breeds from most to least intelligent.
Top Five
1. Border collies
2. Poodles
3. German shepherds
4. Golden retrievers
5. Doberman pinchers
Bottom Five
106. Borzoi
107. Chow chow
108. Bulldog
109. Basenji
110. Afghan hound
Source: "The Intelligence of Dogs"
Counting ability is tested in drills such as one in which treats are dropped, one at a time, behind a screen. When the researcher either sneaks away one of the treats or stealthily adds an extra before raising the screen, the dog will wait longer -- appearing to puzzle over the bad math -- before eating the treats.
That's the same way toddlers respond when faced with a similar switch, said Coren.
Aubrey Fine, a psychologist and faculty member at California State Polytechnic University, said research like Coren's could help dog owners better relate to their animals.
"Too often, many people look at dogs as four-legged people," said Fine, who specializes in the use of dogs in treating patients with developmental disorders and other mental-health conditions. "We need to recognize what dogs cue in to. Once you understand better how to interact, it causes a better coexistence with your pet companion."
Coren said the findings on dog intelligence showed they have more sense than some scientists may have thought, but that some in the general public may be surprised for different reasons that span a wide range of thought.
"There are some people who think that dogs are just little human beings running around in fur coats and there are other people who sort of think that they're unfeeling biological mechanisms," he said. "The truth of the matter is really that dogs are neither extreme."
Can someone, anyone tell me how this can be considered humane?
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